Hampstead Heath Birding (1 Viewer)

[tinribs_1]

After two weeks waiting I finally caught two brief but clear sightings of one of the Kingfishers

Now I know where to look hopefully I'll get a longer sighting next time.
Tinribs

 

[samskara]

Absolutely lovely photos - thank you for sharing. The one you described as the best shot is really fantastic - the water appears so soft and the focus and detail is extremely sharp on the Mandarin itself. What aperture/shutter combo did you use, and which lens? I have an old canon zoom lens, but the optics just wouldn't achieve that kind of clarity!

Sam

 

[Vespa]

Absolutely lovely photos - thank you for sharing. The one you described as the best shot is really fantastic - the water appears so soft and the focus and detail is extremely sharp on the Mandarin itself. What aperture/shutter combo did you use, and which lens? I have an old canon zoom lens, but the optics just wouldn't achieve that kind of clarity!

Sam

Thanks for your comments Sam.
Not sure on aperture etc as I seem to have lost the exif data. The lens is 300mm plus a 1.7 convertor, so around 500mm. You may get good clarity with these birds as they weren't too distant.
This reminds me to get over to H Heath at some point in the near future and try some more if the Mandarins are still around.

 

[simmojunior]

Just found this thread now. I regularly birdwatch the heath but generally to no avail.
Best I've managed in three years is a cracking Woodcock one cold March morning but it is generally not very productive.

 

[ruthpc]

Hi,
Just wondered if anyone does vis-mig on HH? I've heard that it's quite a good spot and wondered if anyone could tell me more!
Cheers!

 

[mickbe74]

Cool thread,
I work 5 minutes walk from HH and go there every lunch break (rain or snow etc..) I've been doing this for a month now and have seen a few things worth mentioning:
Whitethroat (bushes south of Parliament Hill - I suspect this is what rubatroid saw)
Blackcaps (everywhere!)
Hobby - my first ever hobby; in fact I had no idea what it was until I visited Rainham Marshes a couple of weeks ago and had an RSPB chap point one out to me; then it clicked that the raptor I saw at the top of Parliament Hill on a hot but windy day was actually a hobby!
A strangely melanistic (if that's the word) Long Tailed Tit off the dual use path (actually a kind of mud trail at the moment). It was very dark - almost no pink and a very black head. For a long time I tried to convince myself I'd seen a rare migrant (I briefly swerved towards some kind of Shrike!) but I think it was an LTT - although it was solitary which I always think is odd for them....

Anyhow - I'm just off there now to try and spot the Kingfisher family in the Bird Sanctuary Pond; on the way I hope to see the Common Tern that's fishing around there and the Lesser Black Back harrassing the Coot chicks....

One day, when I'm feeling fit, I'll haul my camera along and see what I can get.

It's a hard life

Tinribs

The L T Tits in Asia are very dark,not saying you saw an Asian tit,just thinking aloud really.

 

[Birds 4ever]

I went to the heath for the first time, lovely! Didn't see anything particularly exctiting but lots of treecreepers, nice selection of geese and it's like all the garden birds, but lots of them!

 

[Londonbirder]

Haven't posted on this thread for a while. Quick update:
Kingfishers nesting on Bird Sanctuary Pond have gone... Bit of a rinse on us

 

[simmojunior]

Grey Wagtail on Sandy Heath pond on Friday and 6 Nuthatch around. A few warblers in the Spagnum bog.
On Thursday 15th I saw Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Willow warbler, 15 House Martins, Buzzard and 2 Sparrowhawk.

 

[lazza]

Was down in London this week with work, and went looking for the reported Bittern, but with no luck. However, I just want to say how amazed I was with Hampstead Heath! It's enormous! Managed 24 species in a couple of hours aimless (and occasionally confused) wandering.

 

[barnetbirds]

Hi All
Any updates on HH, going down there tomorrow morning!!
tks
tel

 

[Londonbirder]

Was think about reopening this classic thread... (posting in it again)
Anyone else think agree?

 

[delia todd]

Oh yes please... I want to hear about what I missed during my 5 years there!

I wasn't a birder then.

 

[seanyboy]

I work up there, I'm up for contributing