My most popular Blog post to date has been on "Birds in Flight with the Canon 7D MkII". You can find it at the link below and you will be in good company because many hundreds of others have already visited! I have just updated and improved it a little.
http://johncrabbwildlifeimages.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/birds-in-flight-with-canon-7d-mkii.html
But however technically good your shots may be, I think it is important to seek out beauty and portray it wherever possible.
I was out on the Somerset Levels yesterday and somewhat despondent because I could not get a look in as a crowd of other photographers jostled to take photos of a flock of Bearded Tits. I retreated to a nearby hide and gazed at the empty waterscape in front of me.
Nothing moved for a while but, eventually, a family group of Mute Swans swam slowly into view. There then followed an extensive bout of water games as they splashed, displayed and apparently played together. I was the only one watching. I fired off some shots and started to hope that some of them might look nice.
The best ones were where the circling Swans happened to make accidental beautiful shapes as they passed by each other - as in the two previous photos.
Even the individuals offered striking poses, and it is always lovely to see the water drops sparkling in the autumn sunlight.
So although I mainly missed out on the Bearded Tits, I did not feel too hard done by in the end. Actually, I did get one or two photos of them too. Here is a female on a rail.
And here a scruffy shot of a male without a tail. I will have to visit again and have another go.
But anyway, I digress. I was talking about beauty and, really, Swans are hard to beat. This dramatic against-the-light shot presented itself as I was walking home.
And here they go as darkness gathers.
Other simple shots can also have a strong visual appeal, at least to me. For example I rather like this sparse shot of a Little Grebe ploughing a sparkling furrow across the still water.
I also like the following one of it making off into the distance. It is probably the sparkling water that attracts me to it again, but the still calm of the water surface is also appealing to me.
Some birds also bring drama with them. This shot of a Bittern skimming the reed tops is so typical at this time of year. These secretive birds spend hours at a time motionless in the reeds only to burst out when least expected. They only make a very short flight before disappearing again amongst the stems. Unforgettable though.
In your constant search for beauty and drama, do not ignore the common birds. They are so easy to overlook and I know I have said that before. I am largely talking to myself as I am a serial offender when it comes to passing them by.
Finally, watch out for these dramatic fellows, Cormorants. Another common but easily ignored bird. They are most effective if you can catch them flying towards you, like this.
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Armed only with my Canon 7D Mk2 and Canon 400mm f4 DO II, plus a box of sandwiches and a flask of coffee of course, I continue to scour the wetlands of Somerset and Devon in search of stunning bird in flight photos.
This one however was taken from my own garden.
Attracted outside by the load mewing of Buzzards I looked up to see four of them lazily turning in the clear blue sky. I ran inside again to get my camera, by which time the thermals had carried them a bit higher, but I still managed to get a few shots.
Thinking I might get lucky again I stationed myself in a deckchair, leant fully back and endeavoured to keep my eyes open on sky-watch. The very next thing I spotted was a soaring Sparrow Hawk. It was very high up, so this is no more than an identification shot.
To my surprise, the hawk turned, folded its wings, and commenced a very high speed dive right in my direction. It was unbelievably fast, and from being what seemed a long way away within a couple of seconds it went screaming over my deckchair. The 7D Mk2 autofocus system struggled to keep up with it, so I only got this vaguely focussed shot out of six or so attempts. It is not a good photo, but I think you can see the concentration on its face as it rocketed towards me.
Luckily it turned out that I was not on the menu for that day. Talking of menus, back to my box of sandwiches and the wide open spaces.
When there are very few birds around most bird photographers turn to insects. This is my shot (above) of a Dragonfly hovering in front of the hide window at RSPB Ham Wall. Surprisingly good I thought - and a lot easier than birds-in-flight. This Little Grebe is also not a bird in flight, but it impressed me by its width - first time a bird has done that! It has something of the battleship about it. Not bad for a tiny bird.
Can't resist a good Moorhen running on the water either. Never tire of trying to get the perfect shot of this amazing spectacle. Still working on it.
Always on the look out for an artistically pleasing photo, I took this Mute Swan serenely cruising against the light. Much overlooked birds are Swans.
Likewise Grey Herons. This one stood stoically in a rain shower. I don't suppose that rain makes much difference to water birds, but I though the rain splashes added interest to the composition.
Then another Grey Heron. This is one with a local reputation for catching mice rather than fish. You can see that it has turned its back on the water and is stalking along the shoreline looking and listening out for mice in the grass. Didn't see it catch one, but I will be keeping my eye on this particular Heron.
This fancy Frog, which is called something like an Iberian Marsh Frog, had better watch out too. This is the type that is locally common at RSPB Ham Wall reserve.
Finally, here is a Marsh Harrier. I waited patiently and sank back into the shadows in the hope that it would come closer but no luck on this occasion. Never mind, there is still some drama about the shot in my opinion.
Another look at this same Harrier revealed it to be in a bit of a tatty state. Moulting I guess.
So the quest for the perfect bird-in-flight photo continues! I think it is a lifetime's work! But I don't mind that at all. There are a lot worse ways of spending your life.
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Thanks, and until next time.
