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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Yorkshire Birding (17 Viewers)

Nice find Tim, the new lakes on Heslington East have lots of potential. Already this year they've had Water Pipit, plus more expected waders such as LRP, Ringed Plover, Common & Green Sand and they were good for passage Wheatear in the spring & Yellow Wag. The only downside is disturbance but once they're finished it will be a big stretch of water and a very handy patch for you for the time being.

Several very keen birders work on campus, so fingers crossed that there's a reason to come dashing across before too long....

Thought that if I keep checking them I was bound to turn something up, also 2 Redshank 11 Lapwing and a nice little flock of Yellowhammer. With no building work currently taking place and a small patch still unfrozen due to an outflow pipe never know what it might turn up, fingers crossed.
 
redpolls

consenus on id section is that there are mealy's at least! Don't know respondants at all...would be nice if some of yorkie best commented on these birds..would be wrong for me to call them...but i dont see Arctic..but do see Mealy.
 
Birds Struggling

Large influx of Woodcock at Filey. A walk around the Country Parkyesterday i.e. Long Lane, Short and Long Hedge, Top Scrub, had me flushing them in all directions - minimum of at least a dozen but could easily have been more.

Weather obviously starting to take its toll: Grey Phalarope, Redshank, Woodcock and Golden Plover all picked up dead.

Any similar experiences from elsewhere?
 
Hi james are you still getting out and about, l call at blacktoft/ derwent ings now and again as wife has dementure so dont get out as l use to, into my back garden now, anything that flys , moths etc got a digi scope set up x22mag, use to go all over with york club, remember about 25yrs or more cancelled trip to spurn to gone and see Green, Heron, Great white egret, near Paull area and then to gib point for a american redstart 3 megaticks l dare say l read yorkshire post Sat to tell me whats about aswell Rick York
 
I need to send a fieldworker into NE Yorks to do some atlasing and I'm wondering what the state of the roads are like now. The areas we need to get into are:

NZ60 Castleton, Danby, Ainthorpe and minor roads around there
NZ70 New Way, Fryup and minor roads
NZ80 Aislaby area

If you can provide any updates on the roads that would be really useful. If you know of any roads closed that would also help.

Many thanks
Dawn Balmer
Atlas Coordinator
 
consenus on id section is that there are mealy's at least! Don't know respondants at all...would be nice if some of yorkie best commented on these birds..would be wrong for me to call them...but i dont see Arctic..but do see Mealy.

Doc, I've got the morning off tomorrow so may well go to Redhouse. Any directions re the Tawny appreciated in case it is its favourite tree. Not reviewed your shots yet.

I'm also trying to photograph the following so any local West/North York. sites where these are showing well much appreciated:-

Fieldfare, Redwing, Tawny Owl, Grey Partridge, Red-legged Partridge. I'm finding all the Fieldfares and Redwings very flighty at the moment. In the past I've had them showing really well when unarmed with the camera.
 
Some cracking pics as usual there Doc & Jim. Without asking you the ins and outs of your gear, do you have to spend a fortune on lenses etc. to get shots like those?!

Secret, my kit is about as base as it gets - a low end of the range Opticron scope, which is scratched to buggery. A decent Nikon Coolpix P6000 digital camera. All in, the costs would be about £600 for my kit.

I was at Hollingworth for the Pird-billed recently and was sat next to a guy with a £5k camera and a £7k lens. The gap in quality of what I took to what he took in my opinion doesn't justify the difference, much as I'd still have swapped:) There will be a gap in quality. If there wasn't I'm sure he'd be pretty peed off.

Even though I say it myself I have some shots that would blow your socks off. If the light is right, and the bird is near enough, and the movement of bird and equipment isn't too much I can take an excellent shot. Of course in my world birds don't fly. Anyone looking through my album who had never seen a bird before wouldn't know they could fly!

For birds further away digiscoping is best - popular misconception is the big lens boys can photograph things further away - not so - it just makes their image bigger and brings the quality. A digiscoper scores best for birds further away.

You can get away by using the 2 second delay to avoid shake and it gets rid of the need for a shutter release cable. When I'm taking shots, I usually use shutter speed and will move up and down the range, and work it in conjunction with camera zoom and ISO setting. Sometimes it pays to zoom with the camera, but never use the digital zoom. Often it is better not to zoom at all and to have the bird as small as possible in the view, and use the computer to zoom. Other times it seems to pay to use the optical zoom to a degree - background, light etc. changes things.

A fixed wide angle telescope lens is better than a zoom. If I use my 20x60 at any setting the shots are rubbish.

So in summary, it may be your kit, it may be your settings, you may be expecting too much from a moving, distant bird on a dark day - accept at the outset that such a scenario will only ever produce a crap shot.

If you let me know what kit you have, I will try to give you the similar settings I use. I'm at work now but tonight I'll post some recent Pied-billed and SEO shots which I'm happy enough with - which is the main thing - Do I enjoy looking at them knowing I took them yes!

Re the owl, when the bird started flying around, the big lens boys moved in, and I left. just the way it is.

As an aside I missed the last five wickets last night - saw Hussey go then fell asleep, and woke to see re-runs of the last Ashes contest in England - gutted - but pleased all the same!
 
Had another check of the lakes behind me and there are 3 Jack Snipe there today along with 2 Snipe, 2 Redshank, 4 Lapwing and 8 Yellowhammer. Interesting observation was that when a female Sparrowhawk flew over one of the Jack Snipe spooked and flew low over the lake calling, was defiantly a Jack but I thought that they didn't call when spooked?

Been on several Upton Warren work parties where when we walk over the flashes in the winter will often disturb several Jack Snipe in with the Snipe and have never heard them call. Sounded pretty similar to Snipe just a little quieter! Grid ref is http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=463450&Y=450650&ar=Y&z=120
 
redpolls

Doc, I've got the morning off tomorrow so may well go to Redhouse. Any directions re the Tawny appreciated in case it is its favourite tree. Not reviewed your shots yet.

I'm also trying to photograph the following so any local West/North York. sites where these are showing well much appreciated:-

Fieldfare, Redwing, Tawny Owl, Grey Partridge, Red-legged Partridge. I'm finding all the Fieldfares and Redwings very flighty at the moment. In the past I've had them showing really well when unarmed with the camera.

Hi Lawts
Went up this affy and have put bucket loads of Niger down.Might assist.I,ve got your moby no so will give call re site and owl.Only smaller flocks about today but got some cracking siskin shots.Will phone tonight
 
Agree with Steve on the digiscope v DSLR, there are some stunning digiscoped shots that I couldn't get anywhere near. I prefer the portability of DSLR, optically stabilised images, speed of getting shot and it allows flight shots, use Canon 40D and Sigma 150 - 500. About £600 each though prices vary, 40D only available as second hand etc. If you were considering a DSLR have a word at in focus, Opticron scopes will allow a DSLR in place of the eyepiece so you could buy the body and lens later. http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/tel...iger goes down, may make a trip this weekend.
 
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Secret as promised some recent shots - owls to follow. By the way not looking to big myself up - I'd be the last to do that. Just hoping to show what can be pleasing shots achieved with crappy kit. Love the reflection of the Grey Phal eyes!
 

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Nice pictures Steve. Regarding the Waxwing photo, I've noticed concentric circles on other pictures. Is this an artefact of digiscoping?

Well done Doc on nailing some Mealies. I've just seen the pics on your id thread. Patience and persistence rewarded
 
Hawfinch anyone?

I haven't seen Hawfinch well in Yorkshire for years, so will try and catch up at Christmas, can anyone put me onto likely spot within 25 miles of Harrogate? - I'll try Studley/Fountains and Conygham Hall, Knaresborough but any other suggestions appreciated

Ta!
 
Last hawfinch I saw in Yorkshire was at Millington, near Pocklington two years ago. I'd too would love to know of a regular site for them in Yorkshire.
 
Had another check of the lakes behind me and there are 3 Jack Snipe there today along with 2 Snipe, 2 Redshank, 4 Lapwing and 8 Yellowhammer. Interesting observation was that when a female Sparrowhawk flew over one of the Jack Snipe spooked and flew low over the lake calling, was defiantly a Jack but I thought that they didn't call when spooked?

Jacks are normally quiet but when I've heard them call it is always when flushed at very close quarters just as they break cover (usually when I've nearly trod on them!) - a low exhaled 'geh'; quite different to the rasp of Common.

They really are one of the best waders going:t:
 
The four mile walk was woth it. I didn't feel the cold with this chap at the end of it. It was only when I got back to the car I realised my clicking finger was dead!
 

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The poor mouse/vole may still have been alive - certainly a hot meal on a cold day. Hopefully not too far away from a similar shot posted on Birdguides today.
 

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Jacks are normally quiet but when I've heard them call it is always when flushed at very close quarters just as they break cover (usually when I've nearly trod on them!) - a low exhaled 'geh'; quite different to the rasp of Common.

They really are one of the best waders going:t:

Maybe it was one of the Snipe that called and I hadn't noticed it flying round. Thought at the time that it sounded a bit to similar to snipe! It is rather sweet having them so close, can see the lake from the kitchen window!
 

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