Dave Williams's 2018 Big(Photo)Year!

[Dave Williams]

Never mind you lot off on holiday I was out there again today trying to better my Firecrest images in the freezing cold.

A thankless task.

 Firecrest by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Peter Connan]

So here is a small thank you from a mild but very wet Johannesburg. Nice shot despite the tough conditions?

 

Taking your poor thread off topic again, have you considered flash for this type of photo? I have been wanting to get one for a while, but OEM is far too expensive for a skinflint like me, and I have no idea which, if any third-party flashes are any good...

[Dave Williams]

@Peter Connan I bought a flash unit ages ago with the idea that it would be useful for Dippers that always hang out in dark shady river banks and streams. I went straight to the most powerful that Canon make and to be honest it hasn't been out of the house  and I haven't taken a shot other than messing around trying to work out how to use it. They are quite complicated to work out how to use them and you are stuck with a shutter speed of 1/250th which doesn't work for bobbing Dippers and flitting Firecrests.

[Dave Williams]

Well Claire left me on Thursday after lunch so I have dedicated my time to trying to push on with my BY. First stop was to search for Dipper and I failed but got the Grey Wagtail so yesterday I decided to try somewhere different, a local National Trust garden  of World renown. First I nipped in to the RSPB reserve to see if a Jack Snipe that has been around had been seen. It hadn't but I was distracted by the Firecrest and while I was at it a bonus bird, my personal bogey, the Treecreeper.

A better image of one I have yet to take but it's better than the previous one I posted so here it is!

I "wasted" half a day instead of progressing my BY but I thought it was worth it.

So I have two and a half days to see how many I can add before Claire comes back ( I didn't mean she'd gone permanently, just for the weekend) . 

Treecreeper  Certhia familiaris by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Edited March 24, 2018 by Dave Williams

[Dave Williams]

263) Common Pheasant

 

Bodnant Gardens is world famous and right on our doorstep. It's a woodland garden but there is a lot more to it than that. There is a fast flowing stream running through the bottom of a steep valley and it's a fair hike from the car park at the top of the hill. I lugged my camera, 600mm and tripod all the way to the bottom, got continually asked what I was photographing and eventually the answer was"the passage of time". There wasn't a Dipper to be seen which was disappointing considering the effort but there were grey Wagtails which of course I don't need having got one the day before.

Not to worry there were two Pheasant there and I wouldn't have known had it not been for the occasional display call.

Common Pheasant  Phasianus colchicus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

I didn't get a Pheasant in last years BY as I'd left it too late and they had all been assassinated. Well nearly all, they don't allow shooting at Bodnant and these two had holed up there until the season was closed.

What a magnificent bird they are though.

Those colours compete with anything anywhere and yet we tend to overlook them

Common Pheasant  Phasianus colchicus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Colours and elegance

 Common Pheasant  Phasianus colchicus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

And although they are ungainly in flight, at the right time they make for some great action shots too..... if they are facing the right way.

Common Pheasant  Phasianus colchicus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Edited March 24, 2018 by Dave Williams

[Dave Williams]

264)Blackbird

the Pheasant was hanging out in the areas of Daffodils that have been planted, so too were lots of Blackbirds. The Blackbird is very common and I could have taken one in the garden at anytime but i have been waiting for something a little bit different. 

Springtime!

BH2I7084 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Dinnertime!

BH2I7090 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

265) Pied Wagtail

I decided to check out a church yard not too far away in the hope of seeing a Hawfinch. No luck there but I did find a Pied Wagtail sat on a tombstone.

Pied Wagtail  Motacilla alba yarrelli by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

266) Hawfinch

Another churchyard a couple of miles away and one of the most reliable places in the UK for what is a pretty rare species nowadays. They are difficult to find too but i got lucky and spotted one on top of a fairly distant tree. My first ever UK photo so it was a big bonus and one I didn't expect to get.

Hawfinch   Coccothraustes coccothraustes by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Edited March 24, 2018 by Dave Williams

[Tdgraves]

Hmm @Dave Williams your hawfinch looks remarkably like a pied wagtail....still time to edit 

[Dave Williams]

267) European Collared Dove.

I don't think I had these in my BY last year either, not rare but not nearly as common as Wood Pigeon around here. These were a bonus from the same place I took the Hawfinch.

Eurasian Collared Dove    Streptopelia decaocto by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

5 minutes ago, Tdgraves said:

Hmm @Dave Williams your hawfinch looks remarkably like a pied wagtail....still time to edit 

 

I had just nipped upstairs to get ready to go out for the evening ! Already done by the time I read your post.

 

Incidentally, off to son's house I'm going to get a proper meal!!

[Dave Williams]

268) Dipper

Now this was a bonus as I wasn't looking for it! Up the valley from the Hawfinch location there's a pie shop of some renown and as all I had eaten in 48 hours was bread or toast I decided to treat myself. The car park near by has a river running past and to my delight there it was!

Dipper  Cinclus cinclus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[michael-ibk]

Very jealous about the Hawfinch, seen them once or twice, but never managed to get a photo.

[TonyQ]

Well done with the Hawfinch and the Dipper. That is a lovely photo of the Treecreeper.

[Galana]

Well done with the Dipper, Hawfinch and Pied Wagtail.

Great Blackbird action! I don't like to use the term "Action shot" with Pheasant though!

[xelas]

It happens when one is determined to find that specific bird! Great photos all the way, and that Dipper was posing for you nicely!

[Peter Connan]

More beauty! Thank you for your efforts!

[PeterHG]

Not only did you manage to get some good additions to the list, but they are beautiful shots as well: Treecreeper, Dipper, Pheasants and the low-angle work on the Blackbird! To give the competition a fair chance, Claire shouldn’t go away too often ?...

[Dave Williams]

269) Mallard

Stayed at home today due to an inclement head so here's another from last Friday. The Mallard is probably the most under rated bird in the UK as they are so common. The colours are quite stunning.

I almost forgot to post it!

Mallard    Anas platyrhynchos by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

22 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Very jealous about the Hawfinch, seen them once or twice, but never managed to get a photo.

 

You surprise me Michael, seen then several times in Hungary and Bulgaria but always in a hide with a drinking pool in front.

[Zim Girl]

Fabulous Treecreeper and Dipper.

[Dave Williams]

Thanks @Zim Girl You are doing well yourself!

[Kitsafari]

finally all caught up and wonderful additions, especially those from Goa. Some of the birds in Goa look familiar as we get them over here too. 

I've always found the common pheasants stunning the colours really pop in your photos. 

[Dave Williams]

270)Black Grouse

I had a dose of insomnia yesterday morning so I got up and headed out to a fairly local spot to watch the Black Grouse lek. After an hour's drive and arriving just before 5.00am I was still the second car there. it's important to get in to position early to avoid disturbance to the birds. Sadly the weather forecast was only half right, showers yes, sun no! The light was miserable and as the birds are distant, maybe 50 metres or so, I used my 600mm lens with a 2x TC attached. That means a minimum aperture of f8 so it;'s a slow shutter or higher ISO. I tried both but for the action it has to be the latter.

The Black Grouse is a favourite, it has to be to get me up that early!

Black Grouse   Tetrao tetrix by Dave Williams, on Flickr

The males pair up like Sumo wrestlers

Black Grouse   Tetrao tetrix by Dave Williams, on Flickr

but it's a case of "handbags at dawn" with no real fighting that I have ever seen.

BH2I7448 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Edited March 29, 2018 by Dave Williams

[Dave Williams]

271) Skylark

A bonus bird whilst watching the Grouse was a single Skylark that landed near by.

Skylark    Alauda arvensis by Dave Williams, on Flickr

The "jizz" can be confusing when they are sat like that but they become obvious when the stand a bit more upright. The only other contender in the `UK is Meadow Pipit but they are much smaller.BH2I7352 by Dave Williams, on Flickr