Just for you Ken here's four photos of descriptions I need to write for this spring, unfortunately I didn't a pic of the red-footed falcon, never been good at getting photos of birds with my bridge camera while seawatching but I'll endeavour to do better.
I like to describe my photos as poor but identifiable :t:
As you say....perhaps a little more practise wouldn’t go amiss.
At this end I do have a number of restrictions namely juxtaposition of window frames and trees, which often hinder the camera sensor “lock on” to any aerial subjects that may arise.
But let’s get back to the ID’ing of patterns, colours, tints into pre-ordained shapes it’s hardly “rocket science” albeit there are a few on here that would wish to deem it so.
I introduced my (then) four year old grandson to “mothing” in the mornings we would pull out various common bright and conservatively patterned moths, he surprised me with his memory retention and correctly ID’d most, if not all of the regular species. Thus proving to me that recognition of quarry to the “hunting male” is somewhat primal and not too difficult a task.
Place the subject at greater distance and the ID’ing process can become more problematic, just like most of us RK’s are straightforward, however I’m not used to seeing them at great height. Thus an all dark Kite without any contrasting pale wing panels and a shallow forked tail in what appeared to be adequate light, rang alarm bells!
I should have noted the wing length which I didn’t, also the tail should have been even shallower...how remiss of me, and as for the fingers that’s something worth remembering, on balance one has to make a judgement call and sometimes it goes wrong.
Getting the occasional “from the hip” call wrong is part of life’s rich pageant! btw am looking forward to your HB tutorial, I’ll take some shots of some red London Buses and return the compliment.:t: