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

Recent content by gordon g

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    Uggly duck, S Yorks, UK

    Ok, here are 2 more views, that I think give a better impression for bill shape and cheek colour. I think they supoprt the juvenile ruddy duck hypothesis.
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    Manual mode for Birds in flight

    If you have a spot meter in your camera, you can nearly always find a proper midtone somewhere around you. It's a bit harder if you have to find a bigger midtone area to meter off in some environments, especially on beaches or at sea.
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    Uggly duck, S Yorks, UK

    I'll see if I still have the other shots on the card this evening, and post them if they offer different views
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    Uggly duck, S Yorks, UK

    Thanks for your help everyone. My first thought was Ruddy duck - based on the head shape and diving action. I've never (knowingly) seen a ferruginous duck. I have often seen male and female Ruddy ducks at Old Moor too. Naturepete, this one was over by the reedbed hide yesterday.
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    Uggly duck, S Yorks, UK

    Ugly duck, S Yorks, UK Seen yesterday at Old Moor RSPB. It was a diving duck, moved like a ruddy duck when diving. It doesnt appear to have any flight feathers, so is it a fledgling, or do ruddy ducks go into eclipse plumage? (Or am I completely off-track?)
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    Photographing small birds in flight.

    It's certainly a challenge you've set yorself. I think th eother posters have it right - set up so as you have a predictable flight path from or to a perch, with a suitably uncluttered background. Do everything you can to get a fast shutterspeed - fatser the better. Prefocussing will probably...
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    What bird have you found the hardest to get a shot of ?

    Some are just tricky because they are hard to spot - goldcrests are one I always struggle with round my way. Others, like coots and magpies are because of exposure problems, though I did finally get a reasonable shot of a coot recently. The thing I find hardest is getting something more than a...
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    What is considered GOOD long lens Technique

    A cable release would do fine - I dont think they meant a radio-controlled shutter release on a camera set up some distance away. It's just to stop you shaking the camera when pushing the button. On slower-moving or static subjects mirror lock-up can be useful, as it helps reduce camera shake...
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    Camera Advice

    I'd agree with Karl, both on camera choice and giving yourself the oppurtunity to practice. If I were starting afresh, secondhand is where I would start. I'm not familiar with the nikon system, so my recommendation would be for a Canon 20D (or perhaps a 350D if you are on a smaller budget)with a...
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    When to visit the Wash?

    Thanks harley. No worries though - I prefer playing with an odd-shaped ball. ;)
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    Lets try this again!

    Lovely shot. As Ron said, it's well composed, I like the framing and the pose. Depth of field is good - the brackground is suffiently blurred so it doesnt distract, and personally I like the leaf in front of the bird, it gives some context to the image. The exposure seems ok too. My only...
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    Wild Boar Cull

    Sounds like it. Interestingly the abstract suggests that the transmission is from cattle to wild boar, if I read it correctly. I imagine that the rationale for a boar cull on TB grounds would be that they act as a reservoir for re-infection of the cattle stock, as is suggested badgers do. I'm...
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    Canon 1D Mark2

    I used this combination with my 1DsII - same AF max apeture as the 1DII. My teleconvertor is a Kenko Pro 1.4. I found it would autofocus, although slowly with some hunting for focus. It worked better after I taped the pins on the TC, and predictably in better light. I would suggest using the...
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    500 F4.5 EX APO HSM Advice please

    I bought one secondhand last year as an upgrade from the bigma. Very happy with it too! It is a big lump to carry around, though, and I have found my birding photography is much more tripod-based than it used to be. I can hand-hold the lens, but not for very long stretches. If you look in my...
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    Comment by 'gordon g' in media 'Garden Gold'

    Thanks everyone.
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