Tdgraves big(gest?) year 2017

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 400, f8, 1/1600

 

 

54) Mallard

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2000, f8, 1/1000

 

 

55) Tufted duck

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 800, f8, 1/400 EV+2

 

 

56) Redwing

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2000, f8, 1/500

 

 

57) Goldfinch (so different to seeing them on the bird feeders!)

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 1250, f8, 1/2000

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 1250, f8, 1/4000

 

 

58) Canada goose

[Tdgraves]

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 640, f8, 1/3200

 

59) Greylag goose (ebc...)

[Tdgraves]

I was almost back to the car park, when I spotted something sitting on a fence post. I crept closer and closer....the first time I have photographed this bird.

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2500, f8, 1/640

 

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2500, f8, 1/1000

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 3200, f8, 1/1600

 

 

60) Common buzzard

[Tdgraves]

No sooner had I got into the car than it had started raining. However, the birdspotting was not over. I had nearly got to the main road, where I saw a kestrel hovering and then it landed - full on game drive mode

 

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 1250, f8, 1/640

 

 

The yellow is the side of a bridge, so I rotated the camera

 

 

 

 

I thought she had landed a small way off of the road, so I repositioned and there she was!

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2000, f8, 1/1000 and other ridiculously high ISOs...

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she had finished lunch, she flew off

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 3200, f8, 1/1250

 

 

 

and did a more traditional pose

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 800, f8, 1/500 EV +2

 

 

61) Common kestrel (female)

[Tdgraves]

And the birdspotting was still not over. As I joined the main road, I saw something in the field opposite. Luckily there was no traffic, so I could stop

 

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 21/2/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2000, f8, 1/320

 

 

62) Red-legged partridge

[Tdgraves]

I also had a really close encounter with a wren, but it flew off before I could get it in my sights

 

24 species - not bad in the cloudy weather, I left a happy bunny - like this one I saw today

 

[TonyQ]

@@Tdgraves

Some wonderful pictures of the Kestrel - I have seen them many times, but never that close. Beautiful. (and the total is coming along nicely!)

[Tdgraves]

Just realised that I mentioned a swan in passing, but not an individual shot

Fen Drayton Lakes, UK, 2/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 1000, f8, 1/6400 (Hmmm should've changed the settings...)

 

 

63) Mute swan

[Dave Williams]

Impressive UK list to date!

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @@Dave Williams - just from a couple of hours of walking around.....I didn't see the kingfisher that someone told me about though

[Tdgraves]

After a day in Rietvlei, we went to our friends country place for a few days of R&R before driving to the Kruger. There is antelope there, but also usually quite good birding, mainly from the comfort of a patio chair!

 

I'll start with the new species

 

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 1000, f8, 1/4000

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/2500

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1600, EV +2/3

 

 

He was doing a mating display - which was deceptively difficult to capture, but lead to us naming him the "bumble bee bird"

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 640, f8, 1/1000

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 800, f8, 1/1250

 

 

And one from the OH

 

Canon 7D mark i, 100-400 mark i, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/3200

 

 

64) Yellow-crowned bishop

Edited March 7, 2017 by Tdgraves

[Dave Williams]

The last one is a cracker. I was lucky to find one in Namibia but failed on the flight shots. Way too nippy, they look just like a giant Bumblebee. Fabulous to watch it buzzing from branch to branch in a totally non avian way!

[Tdgraves]

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 400, f8, 1/2000, EV +1

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1000, EV +1 1/3

 

 

65) Dusky lark

[Tdgraves]

This one is an EBC, but I had no time to change the settings, as it just burst out of the reeds

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 16/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/320, EV +1/3

 

 

66) Little bittern

[Tdgraves]

We also saw a white-winged widowbird, but no photo - but we were to see them in KNP anyway

 

Whilst at Rietvlei @@Peter Connan mentioned that Dideric's cuckoo were his nemesis. Always hearing them, rarely seeing them and never able to photograph them. I'm afraid that he has now passed this onto us (is it infectious??). There was a pair around the house, which I saw three times, including once with a camera in my hand, but could I find them in the tree that they were singing from? No. We were to see them in KNP as well, but of course, no photos

 

So onto the "old" birds

[Tdgraves]

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1600, EV +1

 

 

67) Fawn-coloured lark (I believe...)

[Tdgraves]

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1000

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 2000, f8, 1/320, EV+1

 

 

 

68) Bennett's woodpecker

[Tdgraves]

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1250

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1600

 

 

16/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/640, EV +2/3

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/1600, EV +2/3

 

 

69) Brubru

[Tdgraves]

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 500, f8, 1/800

 

 

70) White-faced whistling duck

Edited July 11, 2017 by Tdgraves

[Tdgraves]

Ditholo Wildlife Estate, South Africa, 15/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 640, f8, 1/1600, EV+2/3

 

 

71) Yellow-billed kite

Edited July 11, 2017 by Tdgraves
photo missing in migration

[PeterHG]

Great to see your South Africa collection, @@Tdgraves! Cracker shot of the Yellow-billed Kite. And yes, those larks...