Things are hotting up!

A visit to Westhay reserve showed that things are hotting up as the approaching Spring raises hormone levels in the residents - I am talking mainly about the birds here.

Take this serene looking Coot for example.

 It soon turned round and "sCooted" across the water to tackle a rival.

When it arrived, an almighty fight broke out with each bird leaning back in the water and engaging the other with its feet.

At one point, one of the birds was almost submerged but both eventually survived, to fight another day no doubt.

The Great Crested Grebes were also doing their famous courtship dance, crossing bills and offering each other bunches of weed. Unfortunately I do not yet have a photo of that. Obviously top of my list for the next visit.

Apart from the obvious mating shenanigans, the other inhabitants were going about their business as usual. This picture of a pair of Gadwall is interesting as much as anything for the colour and texture of the water. I am finding that I seek this more and more in my conventional bird portrait pictures.

Of course, Gadwall also make a fine sight in flight. In groups:

or singly

At this time of year, I am finding that I have to wait for longer and longer periods for anything to happen. I like this. I enjoy the long waits because it always feels like anything could happen. Patience is eventually rewarded on some occasions, not on others, and these birds eventually made an appearance. A female Marsh Harrier:

A Sparrowhawk:

and a Bittern:

These last two birds caught me completely by surprise. That is the drawback with the long idle periods, it is fatal to lose concentration and start fiddling with your camera or thinking about something else. The Bittern made itself known by a clattering exit from an innocent looking reed bed. I was looking at the Sparrohawk photos on the back of my camera, because that one had caught me napping too, and I had great difficulty drawing a bead on the accelerating Bittern. That is why the shot has caught it just going away. I always prefer an on-coming shot, but I need to be much quicker to sort myself out to catch these. Anyway, that is the challenge and the fun of it! 

Thank goodness too for the advanced technology of the latest cameras. I pretty much just threw my camera at the Sparrowhawk and the Bittern, it did pretty well in capturing a few shots without much help from me.


Don't forget to have a look at my website at www.johncrabb.co.uk You may even want to buy a print or book me for a talk!

More action on the Somerset Levels

I really have been trying to get to grips with this year's garden-bird-in-flight project. Somehow, though, it is proving difficult. The garden birds are reluctant to visit my many feeders in any numbers - whatever food I offer them.

It has been like this for about six months now, and I hear similar stories from other people. I have no idea why this is. It must be to do with the availability of other natural food supplies, or perhaps it is just that my neighbour has better bird food on offer than I have!

The other problem is that as soon as there is any fine weather, I find myself drawn back to the Somerset Levels and the numerous wildfowl.  I can never resist a good Swan!

 

This, of course, is a Mute Swan. There are a few Whoopers about, but I have not yet seen one this winter. Fabulous birds both of them.

The Shoveler also takes some beating for photographic impact.

Likewise, a Pintail.

The big drama always centres around raptors though. Whilst I was at Greylake a few days ago, this female Marsh Harrier was stirring up the ducks. It did not attempt to attack them. John Waters (noted wildlife cinematographer) suggests that they just try to clear the lake and then look out for any ailing birds left behind. It certainly looked like that was what it was doing.

Here is a view of another, taken this time at Westhay NNR.

As much as I like a good Marsh Harrier, I never like to overlook a Buzzard. Shame the light was not just a bit better for this shot.

For the technically persuaded, just a short note on my experiences with the new Canon 7DMk2. I have had difficulty persuading myself that this camera represented much of an advance on the original 7D, which I used for four years. However, on Monday, I took my old 7D on a coastal walk and tried to photograph some Fulmars wheeling about below the cliff top with the sea as a background. I was struck by the difficulty the autofocus system had in picking out and holding the bird against the background. In the few months I have had the Mk2, I have become used to being able to take this type of shot. So maybe it is doing something for me after all?

If you have not already, perhaps you would like to take a peek at my main website www.johncrabb.co.uk

"B" is for ...

Well, Buzzard for one thing. This one was kind enough to fly by at Greylake and it is always a treat when they condescend to come close enough for a photo.

And here it is going away with just a final look over its shoulder.
 

And "B" is also for Bittern. First one flew past in the distance at Westhay, almost too far away for a photo but looking splendid against the darker background.

 
Then later one flew very close across the front of the hide. Frustratingly, it was too close, and moving too fast, for me to be able to get the camera on to to it until it had almost gone past.

I always prefer an approaching shot, but at least from this angle you get to see the lovely patterning on the top of its wing. 

I think that both Bitterns and Marsh Harriers will start to get a lot more active now that Spring is approaching. The Harriers are reportedly already engaging in some display activity. Hopefully I can look forward to some good days out with my camera.

Finally, here are a few Gadwall shots just for the colours really.

 

PS I had a great time delivering my illustrated talk, "Birds in Flight - a photographic adventure", to Taunton Camera Club #Taunton on Monday night. Thankfully it was very well received and made for an enjoyable evening.

Please do visit my website at www.johncrabb.co.uk and perhaps even book me for a talk.




 

Probably the best Peregrine photo in the world (not)

It may not be the best in the world, but in its way is a minor miracle given the circumstances under which it was taken.

RSPB Greylake on Wednesday was battered by a "howling gale" - surely there must be a less hackneyed and more telling expression than that to describe the strength of the wind. What about, "windy enough to have the ducks flying backwards". In fact, that was pretty close to the truth. I watched a pair of Mallard take off from one small pond and attempt to fly into the wind to land on the main scrape. For several seconds at a time they were making no headway at all - their ground speed was zero despite their furiously flapping wings. It looked like everything that got airborne was suddenly surprised by what they encountered. Consequently, most things seemed to prefer the shelter of the odd tuft of sedge and remained on the surface, head down.

The exposed "Treetop" hide was taking the full force of the Westerly gale. It shook, but not enough to make you think of jumping for dry land. Opening the windows however was a matter not to be undertaken lightly.

On this of all days I had arranged to meet well-known Somerset landscape, portrait and documentary photographer Pauline Rook to help her experience the pleasures of bird photography. Not a good choice of day, but Pauline remained cheerful throughout. Thank you Pauline!

We arrived at the Treetop hide and, guess what, opened the window. Wow! Whilst we were trying to move benches to find some shelter from the wind we noticed a Peregrine blow by at about a hundred miles an hour. Very shortly after I noticed it ploughing its way back up wind. Still engaged in essential housework I was not really prepared, but diving for the window I poked the camera out and pressed the button.

It says a lot for the new Canon 7D Mk2 autofocus system that it found something to take a picture of; it did not get much help from me. In fact it is the autofocus system on this new camera that has eventually persuaded me that it is a significant upgrade on the original, and still excellent, 7D. 

If anyone is looking for a wildlife photography introductory bargain package they should, in my opinion, snap up (if they can still find it) one of the brand new original 7Ds, plus an original Mk1 100-400mm telephoto lens. Total cost not much more than £1000 at current give-away prices. Be quick though.

Here is another shot of the labouring Peregrine.

That was the main excitement of the day. I stayed on for an hour and a half after Pauline had sensibly left. Just a few opportunities presented themselves. It was disappointing to see how few ducks were at Greylake that day. Less than a tenth of recent flock numbers in my estimation.

I think that Greylake duck numbers may recover when those scattered by the gale make their way back to the main scrape in front of the hides. I will be there again soon to check.

Meanwhile, please visit my website at www.johncrabb.co.uk and visit and "like" (if you do) my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/johncrabbwildlifeimages

Back to the garden birds in flight

I started my career as a bird photographer about five years ago. I spent several years developing techniques to help me catch these speedy little creatures in flight. If you click on this link, you will see the garden bird photos selected for my website:

 http://johncrabb.co.uk/gallery_616688.html

Here, for instance, is an example from that period:
 

In the past few years, I have not been doing so much garden bird photography. I have instead been visiting the Somerset nature reserves and capturing some shots of the resident and visiting birds - I am tempted to call them wild birds, as if garden birds were tame! They decidedly are not! They present as much of a challenge as any "wild" bird. They are completely free to do their own thing and the photographer has to struggle to keep up with them!

My garden is located on a North-sloping hill. On the crest of the hill to the South is a stand of Norway Spruce trees. At this time of year the sun is so low that I scarcely see any sunlight in the garden. Taking flight shots of birds by natural light definitely needs sunlight as, without that intensity of illumination, the shutter speeds are too low.

Now that the year has turned, and the sun is climbing slowly in the sky, I am starting to see a bit more light. Consequently, I have been moved to have another go at my local birds. I am  a bit rusty and actually in the throes of developing some new detection techniques, but I got some shots the other day and would like to share them with you. Hopefully there will be more and better as the season progresses.

This Long Tailed tit is a relatively rare capture.

 And here it is (in not quite such sharp focus - fingers crossed that you will forgive me - but the bonus is that it has one of my peanuts!

Blue Tits are, of course, frequent visitors but, along with Robins, are one of the most difficult species to photograph successfully. No idea why, it is just that a lot of the shots leave you wishing they were just a bit better. This one isn't bad though.

And here is another

This one is just about captured doing some spectacular aerobatics

 If you would be interested in how I do these shots, please let me know and I may write a separate page to explain. Alternatively, you could come to one of my talks and hear the whole story first hand - see the list here http://johncrabb.co.uk/section634914.html

The next talk is on Feb 2nd at Taunton Camera Club. They are happy to admit visitors if they have room.






 

Another interesting day on the Somerset Levels

It has been a good few months since I visited Shapwick Nature Reserve, I find it to be very quiet in the winter. Yesterday, however, I felt moved to check it out. The first surprise was this young Grey Heron just resting on the far side of the canal, just across the water from the main footpath. It seemed entirely unconcerned at the passage of the human visitors, so I stopped and took a few shots. It is not often that you have the privilege of getting so close to a wild bird.

I followed the newly surfaced track through the woods to Noah's Hide. Some pleasant company in the form of Alan Ashman, and a lake full of ducks, kept me happy for a while, but I had a desire to go back across the bridge to Meare Heath Hide to see if the Marsh Harriers were flying over the reed beds. I made it to the hide and settled myself down and waited. There were a few distant glimpses, but in the back of my mind was the growing conviction that I should be waiting somewhere else - Westhay, where I have had some recent success with these birds. So off I shortly went! You really never know what it the best thing to do, wait or move.

My chosen spot at Westhay was even more empty of bird life than the hide I had just left at Shapwick, but soon a Mute Swan floated into view, shortly followed by a Cygnet. For some reason they both adopted the same amusing posture.

A commotion in the reed bed had me on the alert for a Moorhen. I love to try to catch these birds as they run across the water surface. It is a bit early in the year for too much of that sort of thing, but this one eventually came clattering out and made a low pass. Here are two shots of it (two because I cannot decide which I like best!)

Anyway, as always, it was the Marsh Harriers I was hoping for. Sadly, even though I kept a look out for two hours, there were only the most fleeting glimpses. I had all but given up, when I saw a female perch in a distant tree top. It stayed there for about ten minutes, but then glided purposefully towards a patch in the reed bed where, unbeknown to me, the male had been resting. He must have dropped off to sleep because, when disturbed by the arriving female, he sprang into the air in alarm and they both circled around for a while. I took a few very distant shots and it was not until I looked at them closely that I saw that the female had some prey in her talons. On even closer inspection it proved to be a Snipe. Can you make it out in these rather fuzzy shots?

Food passing is a courtship behaviour in Marsh Harriers, so I guess I must have been witnessing the start of the spring blood rush! Same goes for these mating Mallards.

So I hope that you are enjoying these regular news items from the Somerset Levels. Please do follow me, share with your friends and on your circles, and visit my website www.johncrabb.co.uk for loads more photos.

It's really all about Marsh Harriers

As I and others have reported, Greylake has been great recently. There have been several days when the light has sparkled and the wildfowl obliged by taking to the air. There have been Marsh Harriers and Peregrines too. I have visited as often as I could and it has been very rewarding. 

Two Shoveler come in for a tandem landing.

 

Another glides past the window.

There is also a flock of Pintail at the moment.

 

But great as Greylake is, I always find myself moving on after an hour or two to a quiet corner of Westhay reserve. Compared with Greylake, nothing, absolutely nothing, seems to be happening. Visitors come and take a brief look out of the window at the emptiness and quickly leave. But I am happy to gaze out of the window for hours. Very little comes into view, but there is enough for me. Like this Snipe resting in the middle distance.

And a serene Gadwall glides past in the same glowing, golden water.

But it is really all about the Marsh Harriers. They only show themselves very occasionally, and then not for long. But they are well worth being patient for. Sadly, however, they seem to have a very well established patrol circuit and this studiously avoids the vicinity of the observation hides. I have a large number of distant Harrier shots on my hard disk and I really do not need any more, but I cannot help myself from pressing the button.

But sometimes you just have to get lucky! On the very rare occasion a Harrier, possibly with something else on its mind, seems to forget to keep its distance from the hide.

In the flurry of activity that these fleeting appearances cause it is difficult to keep calm and my camera pointed in the right direction.

 So far the Harriers have not come so close as to overwhelm my 560mm lens, so in saying "close" I am talking in relative terms only. The prospect of a really close approach sometime in my life time however will be enough to keep me going back until I get that dream shot - oh what folly - but harmless enough.

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