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I meant to do some birding today but my camera wouldn't let me? (1 Viewer)

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This afternoon I decided to have a few hours this at Ladywalk. They have erected a brand new hide by the bird garden and I thought that it would be a good opportunity to use my new sun shade.

Arriving there I found the garden fairly buzzing with birds and settling down in this new hide I set about putting my equipment together.

To be honest there isn’t too much I can tell you regarding birding there today because by the time I went home (some near 4 hours later) I had realised that I had been totally consumed by trying to do nothing but take photos all afternoon. What I can tell you is that for most of the duration of the afternoon I had two very welcome birds stay fairly close to the bottom of the bird tables. Two Water Rails continually drifted in & out of the bushes and tree roots and that in itself kept my attention for ages. I must have gotten at least 20 good shots of these two birds. Also a Great Spotted Woodpecker made one long appearance on a post in the garden, but for the most part played hide and seek with me from behind the pole. However I have got some fairly decent shots of this bird as well. A bit later on he returned and I got a very close up head shot but it is a little blurred. I have tried cleaning it up but it still isn’t good enough to put into the gallery.

The garden played host to huge numbers of Reed Bunting as well as Blackbird, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue, Great, Long tail & one lone Willow Tit. The odd Moorhen would stroll in for a few minutes, as did a superb male Pheasant and 3 female Pheasants.

Out on the pool and flashes were large numbers of Cormorants (well over 100 by the time I went home) plus Wigeon, Teal, Tufted, Mallard, Shoveller, Shelduck, Goosander (about a dozen), Mute Swan and a small gathering of Grey Heron, all too far away to get a decent image of. If there was anything else about I didn't notice due to the fact that my mind was continually on trying to get some decent shots from the garden.

The one thing I was disappointed with was the non-showing of any of the Bitterns there today. That was one of the reasons I went to Ladywalk. Oh well, I gave the sun shade a good test, although we didn’t have any sun shine today, and it passed with flying colours. The one thing it gives you is contact with the birds as you use the sunshade viewfinder as if you were using the camera viewfinder. What this does is allow you the chance of keeping in touch with any moving bird quite easily. I would recommend to any one this extenda view sun shade as the magnification this gives you also helps you to see what is going on.

Tomorrow, if Ros is feeling better, we are going to Rhayder to see the Red Kites, via the Wyre Forest. 7 Hawfinches have been reported at Wyre Forest today and hopefully I can find them prior to continuing to Rhayder. Hopefully if the sun shines tomorrow I might get some good Red Kite shots.

Below is an attachment of a head shot of one of the water Rails at Ladywalk.
 

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Nice to see a close up John. Good stuff.

Glad the sun shade is working well.

Best wishes to Ros, and I hope you make it tomorrow.

Peter
 
A great close up shot John, sounds like the thingy makes the camera become an extension eyepiece allowing you to use the sope as you normally would.
 
Now that is a closeup John! I don't get to see the rails to often and when I do they are way off course and are where they shouldn't be. Sounds like you had a good day though.
 
I have another close up in the gallery. I have been lucky this year with Water Rail as I had excellent close up shots of one at Upton Warren earlier this year. The difference with these two is that they were out in the open for most of the 4 hours I was there.
 
An excellent shot of the Water Rail John :t:

I must admit that I've got to the stage of not being completely happy unless I manage to get a photo of a new bird. I tend to arrive at a site, set up the scope and settle down for 20-30 mins to see what is a round and let the birds overcome any disturbance I've made and then start looking in earnest and if I spot something decent I just slip the camera over the eyepiece.

I suppose as much as anything, with being new to digiscoping, it's still novel and perhaps detracts from solely watching the birds.

Good luck with the Red Kites today.
 
Thats a cracking photo John, its gone straight into my personal bird I.D. gallery. I must say this digiscoping lark sounds very stressfull. If I were you I'd take up a hobby. Have you ever thought about going out birdwatching? Wonderfull way of relaxing 3:)
 
John J, I was initially confused by your "sunshade" reference. I initially had this image of you (with derby hat? Stereotypes never die do they?) and your scope with an umbrella somehow. You're right though, The Nikon anyway, is almost useless in the sun without it. I am seriously considering using epoxy to affix mine permanently.

I also share your concern about getting too involved with the picture taking. But I'm a tech weenie and have resigned myself to having lost that argument long ago.

One thing to keep in mind, if you guys over there hadn't bothered to take pictures, I would have no idea what the original Robin looked like. So let's not get selfish, ok?
 
A great closeup shot.
I really appreciate all you photographers out there. It's great to see real images of birds native and foreign as I am getting to see some birds that I would never see.
 
<Have you ever thought about going out birdwatching?>

That sounds like a good hobby. I might try that some day: LOL
 
John, Great head shot.
Sounds like a productive area for Birding. In my experience we have very few "Hides" available for the public. Sad to say, the local teenages seem to take them over and "trash" the area.

I have yet to add a "shade" but it seems like a practical solution to the problem of visibility on the LCD Screen. Thanks .
 
Bob

Unfortunately there are a few reserves over here that have gone the same way. The RSPB Sandwell Valley (on the edge of Birmingham) is one such place. The hides have been vandalised and burnt down so many times that the reserve has given up on rebuilding them. In their place the RSPB have just put up screens for the public to look through.
 
I find screens a bit pointless in some places. Can you picture the screen at Stover? The birds are not there because you can see folk and kids walking down the sides to the screen even from the other side of the lake!
 
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