As I write this, it is snowing once again. We are perhaps a bit better off than many areas of Britain, but it is bad enough. The birds are obviously finding life difficult. They seem very appreciative of my feeders. Two feeders have sunflower hearts, one has niger seed and one has fat balls. I also have two bird tables with loose feed on them and I am having to refill the sunflower heart feeders and the bird tables twice a day!
I counted ( or estimated) over 100 birds in the garden at the same time today. About 20greenfinches, 20 chaffinches,12 goldfinches, 12 tree sparrows, 20 starlings, 10 collared doves, 3 robins, 4 blackbirds, 2 dunnocks, 4 great tits and 4 blue tits and 2 woodpigeons. The sparrowhawk also flew over (a well stocked larder!).
I would have liked a little more variety, but I am pleased to be helping so many birds get through the cold spell. Last week I saw a great spotted woodpecker, a song thrush and 2 long-tailed tits, but none of them stayed long.
The only problem now is I have attracted at least one rat. I saw it twice as it was getting dark, looking under the feeders for dropped seeds. I have put some poison out (covered so the birds can't get it) and three lots have been eaten.
The photograsphy is going well, apart from the fact I seem to photograph the same birds all the time. Should anyone need a photo of a greenfinch - I'm your man!
I am using FP (or high speed ) flash with a shutter speed of 500th second so as not to get a blur from ambient light. I am going to experiment tomorrow with a speed of 2000th second to see if I can get some good flight shots of small birds.
As it is so cold, I'm using a wireless remote release from inside the conservatory. Framing is obviously difficult so I focus on a branch and then have to crop it a bit later. Background is a painted board just 18 inches behind the branch. The flash is set on a pole above and to one side of the camera, conected by two coiled cords fastened together.
It's working, but I'm never satisfied.
When I've more time, I will put a few photos on the gallery, but it takes a while as our village is not yet on broadband!
Well, it's now time to upload the day's photos to the computer - a job I don't realy enjoy.
I counted ( or estimated) over 100 birds in the garden at the same time today. About 20greenfinches, 20 chaffinches,12 goldfinches, 12 tree sparrows, 20 starlings, 10 collared doves, 3 robins, 4 blackbirds, 2 dunnocks, 4 great tits and 4 blue tits and 2 woodpigeons. The sparrowhawk also flew over (a well stocked larder!).
I would have liked a little more variety, but I am pleased to be helping so many birds get through the cold spell. Last week I saw a great spotted woodpecker, a song thrush and 2 long-tailed tits, but none of them stayed long.
The only problem now is I have attracted at least one rat. I saw it twice as it was getting dark, looking under the feeders for dropped seeds. I have put some poison out (covered so the birds can't get it) and three lots have been eaten.
The photograsphy is going well, apart from the fact I seem to photograph the same birds all the time. Should anyone need a photo of a greenfinch - I'm your man!
I am using FP (or high speed ) flash with a shutter speed of 500th second so as not to get a blur from ambient light. I am going to experiment tomorrow with a speed of 2000th second to see if I can get some good flight shots of small birds.
As it is so cold, I'm using a wireless remote release from inside the conservatory. Framing is obviously difficult so I focus on a branch and then have to crop it a bit later. Background is a painted board just 18 inches behind the branch. The flash is set on a pole above and to one side of the camera, conected by two coiled cords fastened together.
It's working, but I'm never satisfied.
When I've more time, I will put a few photos on the gallery, but it takes a while as our village is not yet on broadband!
Well, it's now time to upload the day's photos to the computer - a job I don't realy enjoy.
