Mfuwe's second year.

[Soukous]

4 hours ago, xelas said:

 

Having huge withdrawal symptoms, and no other medication available ... 

 

me too. I just walked 20km in search of something to photograph and found geese and gulls. 

I still have sore feet.

[Galana]

I have covered the miles too whilst the site was having problems and took the opportunity of defining EBCs .

It is not good enough just to have a cr*p photograph. It has to be within certain parameters. Hard to see but still identifiable.

@Dave Williams set the bar very high with his Common Whitethroat.

 

A bird with its head the wrong way just does not cut it.

 

Neither does a bit of twig. We can all see what it is. A cr*p photo.

 

One needs to bring in depth of field into play thus:-

Get the idea?

 

Even foliage and depth of field/focus don't make this hard enough IMHO!!

 

 and these next two are just plain poor efforts and unworthy of the competition-

 So let's not mess about,

So let's not mess about:-

How's this for a House Martin??

 

We need to up our game.

 

[TonyQ]

A fine selection to keep us entertained. And a very nice photos of Pipits!

[lmSA84]

Great pipits! I’m gonna have to ask you to check my attempt at identifying a meadow pipit when I get round to posting it 

[Galana]

Time to move on.

First a little Manx folklore.

When the Island was in danger from invasion SeaGod Mannannan used to hide us by covering the island in mist. This became known as known as Mannannan's Cloak.

Obviously we needed protecting this fine Bank Holiday and so the cloak was brought out.

 

But I persisted and added a couple of birds to my tally as our Warblers made it home for the summer.

 

230. Common Whitethroat. Sylvia communis. (Fynnag ny keylley. Woodland White!)

 

231 Sedge Warbler. Acrocephalus schoenobaenas (Arraneagh cliogee Croaking singer)

 

 

[Soukous]

Nice folk lore 

[Galana]

At last one that has evaded my lens for too long if I am to achieve 300 in the first six months of BY.

 

232. Willow Warbler.  Phyloscopus trochilus. (Drean bane. White(pale) Wren.)

 

 

[TonyQ]

It is interesting- we haven't seen a Willow Warbler yet this year. Nice photo.

[Galana]

2 hours ago, TonyQ said:

we haven't seen a Willow Warbler yet this year.

My theory is that bad weather and adverse winds in Europe kept a lot of migrants back. Some came on time but a lot more are now arriving. Heard my first Cuckoo on Tuesday. My sponsored one only made it to forest of Bowland that day too. He had been near Barcelona for over a week.

Thanks for the kind words on the photo quality. I did try for EBC but the little beggar refused to hide. He wanted to shout his arrival!

[Zim Girl]

Is that Larry the Cuckoo, @Galana?

We heard 2 different cuckoos there on the Saturday before so he will have some company 

[Galana]

55 minutes ago, Zim Girl said:

Is that Larry the Cuckoo,

That's my boy! Glad he has company as it's long way to fly to be stood up!

[michael-ibk]

You, Sir, are truly the master of inspirational ebc-art, and I bow my head low to you. That said, stuff like the Pipit or Whitethroat are terrible failures, good focus, good pose, really way below your standards.

[Galana]

35 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

You, Sir, are truly the master of inspirational ebc-art, and I bow my head low to you. That said, stuff like the Pipit or Whitethroat are terrible failures, good focus, good pose, really way below your standards.

Thank you kindly. I really do try but even the best of us can have the odd off moment.

Is this any better or have I taken it a feather too far?

After.

Before. I was so trying to beat @Dave Williams's record.

[Galana]

Back on  a serious note for once.

The Law of Diminishing Returns is kicking in and it is not helped by our 'authoritiies' bulldozing a regular nest site of a target species.

However today a pair did turn up and I was able to slightly advance my score. A feat that is sorely overdue.

 

233. Lesser Black-backed Gull. (Larus fuscus) No Manx name. Like novices the are all "Foillan". (Gulls)

[Galana]

Things are very quiet and the imminent TT Bike Festival is going to make a noise so I plan to catch tomorrow's Ferry outa here.

I have been extremely fortunate to secure a place on a tour "How to hone your EBC captures" led by the acknowledged EBC expert Albert Ross. The itinerary is rather convoluted including as it does The Sound of Mull, North Uist, and Khardong La but I am assured my EBC skills will achieve new heights (or should that be depths?).

I am in good hands.

Here are  just two examples of Albert's previous work.

White-necked Rockfowl. Picathartes gymnocephalus. Ghana.

 

Ptarmigan.  Lagopus mutus.  Glen Spean, Scotland.

[xelas]

Uh, the Rockfowl is there. But the Ptarmigan, is it hidden below the car ??

 

 

[Galana]

Final round up from Ellan Vannin for a while:-

 

I was fortunate to witness the Manx formation fishing team practicing,

 

And before leaving I like to get all my ducks in a row,

 

To end on a Manx Endemic:-

We all know of the tailless Manx Cat but how many have heard of the Manx White-tailed Blackbird?

Turdus merula leucocuadatus

 

@xelas the Ptarmigan is just below the dark patch centre middleground. There is no doubting Albert's skill when you have to ask!

[lmSA84]

Great stuff! I’d have never of thought of concealing my quarry inside a Crocodile. I hadn’t realised that they were so plentiful in Scotland

Edited May 16, 2018 by lmSA84

[Galana]

I am now home after failing to graduate at Prof Ross's EBC School. To be honest I felt he was a bit of a fraud in that his main technique involved in just flushing birds which was not the idea IMHO.

There is no real skill in this

 

I had more fun on my own when what I thought was a  cow pat by the roadside suddenly got up and legged it down the road in front of my car.

 

I also have a query:-

At what stage is it permitted to count a species?

In the shell?

Or in the nest?

While I am sorting through 2000 images does anyone care to have a go at these?

 

 

 

[xelas]

Too much EBC for my limited knowledge, @Galana ! And welcome back from your double-bill trip!

[TonyQ]

The one you almost ran over could be a corncrake or a water rail?

[Dave Williams]

Good to see you back Fred, not that I have been around that much either. 

Some truly wonderfully bad photos posted there but too good for winning EBC awards! I'm guessing Cuckoo,Common Buzzard, wire fence, Purple Sandpiper, Corncrake, don't know eggs as they don't sell books showing them from what I have seen ( quite right too really) and an Owl that has ears that look like a rabbit's?

[Galana]

@TonyQgot the Corncrake spot on.

@Dave Williams

Edited June 18, 2018 by Galana
wrong text.

[Galana]

Thanks Dave,

We had fun and scored a few lifers.

Cuckoo, Common Buzzard, What guage wire fence? Not a Purple Sandpiper.

I know of Long eared and Short -eared Owls but not Rabbit -eared. Do they nest in cliffs?

[Galana]

Right, I have done part one of the trip. I had to do it all as my listing is in order of an "acceptable " image although a later 'better' one may have fluked in eventually.

First we get one or two UFO's out of the way starting with missed shot of the trip. One that even I could not dare post and claim.

00. Merlin! Driving along in my automobile a bird flushed from the long grass at the side of the track and I thought "Thrush" but the Bins said "Merlin!!!!". Up came the camera as it flew to another post but it left again. This is the shot. The yellow by the post are its legs.. 'Bother' was one of the words that came to mind.

Later a new model Stealth fighter came by:-

 

ONwards...

234. Common Tern.  Ardgour. There is a colony just south of the Corran Ferry.