Tdgraves big year 2016

[Tdgraves]

That appears to be it for the KTP tally that I hadn't already seen in KNP, unless I find some more lurking in frame as I start to do my TR....

[michael-ibk]

I "found" a few birds that way.

[Tdgraves]

@@michael-ibk unfortunately, the ones I have "found" so far don't count (quelea, wattled starling etc.)

[elefromoz]

@@Tdgraves, nice Pygmy Falcon, one of my favourites. The Spotted Thick-Knee is great, Thick-knees/ Curlews seem to pop-up all around the world too.

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire

 

Motion camera, 9/10/16

 

I hear these all of the time, expecially in the summer, but in nearly 4 years I have only seen one twice and never with a chance of a photo. Imagine my surprise when I found this on the motion camera, amongst the badgers and foxes!!

 

 

 

244) Green woodpecker

[Tdgraves]

I also found some cool begging behaviour on the motion camera - poor woodpigeon parents!

 

 

 

 

[PeterHG]

That is great footageof your motion camera, @@Tdgraves! Always special to see a Green Woodpecker.

[Tdgraves]

Congratulations on surpassing #200, and what an asesome post to celebrate this with. Bravo for the Buzzard shots, superb! So sympathise with your LBJ-trouble, I had exactly the same problem. Will try at home after consulting my books about your Chat and Lark.

 

@@Galana @@michael-ibk more spectacular jackal buzzard shots can be seen here...

 

http://safaritalk.net/topic/16868-kgalagadi-september-2016-raptor-kills-and-roadside-rescue/page-5

[Tdgraves]

Having found no more in my KTP trip, there are a couple more UK birds to sneak in. Yesterday we went to the lake to test out my Christmas present, a 1.4x extender. However, most birds were pretty far away, so I'm not sure it was a fair test of the equipment!!

 

Fen Drayton lakes, UK, 29/12/16

 

Canon 5D mark III, 100-400 mark I, 1.4x extender mark III, ISO 400, f8, 1/1000

 

 

Canon 5D mark III, 100-400 mark I, 1.4x extender mark III, ISO 400, f8, 1/1250

 

 

 

245) Eurasian wigeon

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton lakes, UK, 29/12/16

Canon 5D mark III, 100-400 mark I, 1.4x extender mark III, ISO 640, f8, 1/1600

246) Common pochard

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton lakes, UK, 29/12/16

Canon 5D mark III, 100-400 mark I, 1.4x extender mark III, ISO 400, f8, 1/1250

247) Greater scaup

[Tdgraves]

This is where I learnt that UK drivers are not forgiving to photographers - we saw these in the hedges on the road leading up to the lake, so when we left, we tried to get a shot, which is quite hard, as they are very skittish. I was driving, so this is courtesy of the OH. Photography is much easier in KNP or KTP

Fen Drayton lakes, UK, 29/12/16

Canon 7D mark II, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/640

248) Redwing

[Tdgraves]

I am unlikely to see any extras tomorrow, so I make that 248, 48 better than last year, but still pathetic when compared to the first time efforts of @@xelas, @@michael-ibk and @@TonyQ

 

Well, there is always next year.......

 

[TonyQ]

@@Tdgraves

A beautiful Redwing to finish (and a lovely new toy to play with next year!)

248 is 8 more than me - well done. It has been a pleasure to follow your progress during the year - lots of great sightings and excellent photos.

[michael-ibk]

What Tony said - really enjoyed your thread! So, you used the extender with the Mark I lens? I thought it would only work with the new one - so interested in how this combination works for you, only with the 5d or also the 7?

[Tdgraves]

What Tony said - really enjoyed your thread! So, you used the extender with the Mark I lens? I thought it would only work with the new one - so interested in how this combination works for you, only with the 5d or also the 7?

@@michael-ibk I put it on the old lens, as I thought that the new lens and the 7d mark ii were a faster combination, so it seemed counterintuitive to put the extender on the faster lens when it slows it down anyway. With the mark ii lens you can use the centre focus point and 4 surrounding ones, whereas on the old one only the centre point works. Hopefully if it is sunny over the weekend I can try a few different combinations and report back....

[xelas]

@@Tdgraves

 

You have so many fantastic photos; ours was only a beginner's luck (and visiting different locations).

 

About your new toy; I am using it only to get the maximum reach. So would not used it with 5D but would with 7D.

[JohnR]

@@Tdgraves The 100-400 mark 2 is designed to work optimally with the mark 3 1.4x extender. So the 7D2+100-400 mark 2 + 1.4x mark 3 is as good as it gets especially with the centre focus point which should still give you quite fast AF.

[Tdgraves]

@@Tdgraves The 100-400 mark 2 is designed to work optimally with the mark 3 1.4x extender. So the 7D2+100-400 mark 2 + 1.4x mark 3 is as good as it gets especially with the centre focus point which should still give you quite fast AF.

@@JohnR you are right. Much faster focussing with the 7d2 and the 100-400 2, even than the 5d3 with the newer lens. The other advantage of your suggested combination is the superior image stabilisation, so you can get away with slower shutter speeds. It works fine with the 100-400 1 on the 5d3, but the focussing is just so much slower (better if you choose the correct focus range though). It's just not what the OH intended when he bought it....

 

Some more intensive field tests to follow in the Kruger in two weeks' time

[wilddog]

Great birding year @@Tdgraves for you and some lovely shots. Well done.

[Peter Connan]

Well, you did it in fine style, with many excellent photos!

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @@Peter Connan

[PeterHG]

Great thread @@Tdgraves. Hope to see many more of you in 2017!

[Tdgraves]

Well, thanks to @@xelas and his recent KNP trip, I have just "discovered" another bird. I had always assumed that the common starlings that we see in KNP are Cape glossy ones, and so had never bothered looking them up in a book. However, it turns out that they are greater blue-eared starlings, as Alex correctly identified. Therefore my post #198417 bird 81 (repeated below) which I had labelled as a Cape glossy, is actually a greater blue-eared starling, thus allowing me to post a proper Cape glossy one!

 

 

KTP picnic site, 19/9/16

 

Canon 7D mark II, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7,1, 1/250

 

 

249) Cape glossy starling

[Peter Connan]

The blue-ear is a beauty!

 

Sure you can't find one more somewhere to round out the count?