B.Y. 2019. The Tortoise rules!

[xelas]

One needs sharp eye and lightning reflex, for such a photo!

[Galana]

Right place and right time are all very well but your skill is still apparent to get the most out of the opportunity.

Great shot.

[Dave Williams]

229) Common Swift

If you want to throw down your gear in frustration, waste a camera body's shutter life this is one species that will help achieve both.

I'm not sure what lens is the best to use, a shorter one like a 300mm or as I did a longer 500mm. Problem with the latter is picking the bird up and staying with it as the field of view is so narrow. If the birds were flying low and close by I might have been better off with the former.Anyway with around 400 shots in the recycle bin I managed to find half a dozen keepers.

 

Common Swift.  Apus apus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

 

Coming towards you is actually easier in some respects.

Common Swift.  Apus apus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

230) House Martin

As with the above, another way to get aching arms.I didn't try too hard I must admit.

Common House Martin   Delichon urbicum by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

231) Common Whitethroat.

Common Whitethroat  Sylvia communis by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

232) Sedge Warbler

 

The last 4 additions all taken at my local reserve last Friday. The week ahead looks to have some good weather in store for us here but I have some big commitments so I'm not too sure if it will be to my advantage. A shame because May is one of our best months for seeing birds as they are out in the open claiming and defending territories for the breeding season.

Sedge Warbler  Acrocephalus schoenobaenus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Peter Connan]

44 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

229) Common Swift

If you want to throw down your gear in frustration, waste a camera body's shutter life this is one species that will help achieve both.

I'm not sure what lens is the best to use, a shorter one like a 300mm or as I did a longer 500mm. Problem with the latter is picking the bird up and staying with it as the field of view is so narrow. If the birds were flying low and close by I might have been better off with the former.Anyway with around 400 shots in the recycle bin I managed to find half a dozen keepers.

 

Too true

 

I reckon the best lens in the world for this stuff right now would be the Nikkor 500mm f5.6 PF, but who'se got one of those anyway?

 

Fantastic results though!

[Dave Williams]

A friend of mine rang me the other night to say he'd bought one and it had just arrived. He's now selling his Canon 500 f4 and has bought a D500 to go with it. It appears to be a deadly combination although I'm sure there must be some drawbacks! So far he mentioned custom settings can't be programmed as they are with his Canon bodies but maybe that's because he hasn't found out how to set up yet. I also read something about Nikon's use of TC's isn't too clever either but as I haven't compared I'm only passing on heresay!

[Soukous]

25 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

A friend of mine rang me the other night to say he'd bought one and it had just arrived. He's now selling his Canon 500 f4 and has bought a D500 to go with it. It appears to be a deadly combination although I'm sure there must be some drawbacks! So far he mentioned custom settings can't be programmed as they are with his Canon bodies but maybe that's because he hasn't found out how to set up yet. I also read something about Nikon's use of TC's isn't too clever either but as I haven't compared I'm only passing on heresay!

 

The Nikon D500 + the Nikkor 200-500 lens is a pretty outstanding combination. I have found that I stopped even bringing my 300mm lens with me these days as it gets so little use. Amazing as it was my 'go to' lens for so many years. 

RE: custom settings, they are there, it is just a question of getting used to a different camera system.

RE: TCs - I have used the 1.4x tc for many years and found it really good. The 2x tc was harder to use. It used to be that Nikon recommended you did not rely on auto-focus when using their tc's but the advances in auto-focus technology means that they work fine with newer lenses.

[Peter Connan]

The D500 (as well as the D5 and D850) are Nikon's most programmable cameras yet, but since I don't have any knowledge of the competition's abilities in this regard, I can't say whether it's better or worse. I can say that I like it a lot, and that there is just one tiny change I would have asked for.

 

Certainly there are disadvantages to a f5.6 lens as compared to an f4, and the fact that I am not about to trade my 500 f4 for the f5.6 should show that, in my opinion, the disadvantages are more important than the gains. But I would love to have one as a second option.

 

If you want, I have a spreadsheet with my camera settings I could forward for him to fiddle with?

[xelas]

4 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

If you want to throw down your gear in frustration, waste a camera body's shutter life this is one species that will help achieve both.

 

Tried that same bird myself on Saturday ; finaly resorted to good ole? "spray&pray" technique. Don't know about results yet, but the number of clicks on the counter has surely increased . 

Your result is spectacular, Dave! But your arms must hurt you more then mine me .

[TonyQ]

Great photos of the swift Dave

[Kitsafari]

brilliant additions and love that cuckoo+pipit too. 

great framing of the garden warbler and my head hurts concentrating on the minute differences between the tree/meadow pipit while I'm at work (shhhhh.. boss is sitting just in front of me hidden by his computer screen).  but thanks for the tips!

 

 

 

 

[Dave Williams]

233) Eurasian Tree Sparrow

An early departure from home to drive the 130 miles to somewhere not too far from @Zim Girl's stomping grounds with the primary target not being Tree Sparrow but it was a welcome addition for my BY as they are not to be found where I live!

Eurasian Tree Sparrow   Passer montanus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

 

I didn't spend too much time chasing them as I had bigger fish to fry ( actually that came later, the fish bit). Alas, despite getting there for 8.00am we were too late for the Barn Owl action which presumably started at dawn 3 hours previously and only had one brief photo opportunity but at least we got one as compensation for getting up at 5.15!

.Barn Owl by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Galana]

Worth getting out of bed for. Well done.

(234 Did you forget to count it? )

[Dave Williams]

10 minutes ago, Galana said:

Worth getting out of bed for. Well done.

(234 Did you forget to count it? )

 Already done earlier in the thread Fred. (that rhymes nicely!)

[TonyQ]

A great photo Dave, and a beautiful Owl.

[Dave Williams]

234)Black-headed Gull

Further south to Preston to witness both the Black-headed Gull ( which has a brown head!)

Black-headed Gull  Chroicocephalus ridibundus by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

235) Common Tern

and these these are nesting on pontoons in the harbour.Currently they are busy trying to buy the affections of a partner by offering gifts of love! ( Personally I thought flowers, chocolates or a bottle of fizz work better)

 

Common Tern  Sterna hirundo by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Zim Girl]

Lovely Barn owl @Dave Williams

You were very close, Dave, you should have dropped by.

We are waiting for the tern chicks to appear before we head down to the docks to see them.

[xelas]

4 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

at least we got one as compensation for getting up at 5.15!

 

For such an opportunity I would get up even earlier! BTW is Barn Owl resident bird? 

[Dave Williams]

34 minutes ago, xelas said:

 

For such an opportunity I would get up even earlier! BTW is Barn Owl resident bird? 

 

@xelas Yes Alex, there are a few pairs in the area. Didn't find the Little Owl and a pair of Red-legged Partridge were just too quick for me to get a photo as I was on the wrong side of the car. I did see a suspicious character about though! My usual view too!!!

Edited May 17, 2019 by Dave Williams

[Peter Connan]

Some more magnificent shots!

[Galana]

A worthwhile trip indeed and some great photos as always.

 

21 hours ago, xelas said:

BTW is Barn Owl resident bird? 

Very much so. So far I am having to watch ours vicariously so cannot count them.

She is  a midnight snacker hence the four young rats for 'afters!'

[Dave Williams]

@Galana I saw the Owl take back three voles to the nest site in the space of 30 minutes so I presumed the eggs had hatched but maybe they were stocking up the larder too.Unfortunately  for me they were hunting out of sight and there wasn't a photo opportunity to be had then.