PeterHG's seventh Big Year

[michael-ibk]

Great Bluethroat! Why does a non-birder own a 600 lens?

[PeterHG]

2 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Why does a non-birder own a 600 lens?

He went to South Africa with us a few times and bought it to keep up with his older brother…..:)

[xelas]

Birding with a brother is as good as biking with a brother . You should show us also his photos.

[PeterHG]

2 hours ago, xelas said:

Birding with a brother is as good as biking with a brother . You should show us also his photos.

I would, but he never really keeps them, except his Africa images. It's just a sport for him to catch birds in flight and after he's seen the results he deletes them again.

 

Some Velvet Scoters had been seen in the wide patch of water seperating the mainland from the reclaimed polders in the former Zuiderzee.. As this water can be viewed form the dykes of my local wetland area, I went there early last evening to see if I could find them. And I did find them. It is basically a shore bird and I've seen it a few times before, though never this far inland, but there were no less than seven. Distant, but by adding the 2.0 extender I could get a shot of the whole group.

 

129 /NL 85. Velvet Scoter, Arkemheen, April

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Another lovely picture of a Bluethroat, and I like the Med Gull shot too!

[Kitsafari]

wow crazy good shots of the Med gull and bluethroat!

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Zim Girland @Kitsafari!

 

A few more from the same area:

 

130 /NL 86. Common Shelduck. Arkemheen, April

 

 

131 /NL 87. Common LInnet. Arkemheen, April

 

[PeterHG]

A wakl in the local area procuced a few additions.

 

132 /NL 88. Common Chiffchaff. Arkemheen, April. After the first one is back and it only takes a day or so and they are literally everywhere.

 

 

 

133 /NL 89. Ruddy Duck. Arkemheen, April. The feral population is only 15-20 pairs, but we're lucky to have them in our local wetland

 

 

134 /NL 90. Sedge Warbler. Arkemheen, April. Quite common in the area and presenting the annual challenge of catching them during their song flight.

 

 

[PeterHG]

135 /NL 91. Common Pochard. Zeeland, April. One I forgot to include from the Zeeland weekend

 

[PeterHG]

136 /NL 92. Blackbird. Arkemheen, April. Common, of course, but I had not managed a flight shot so far. The camera picked it up really well even from a quick fly-by against the reed.

 

[TonyQ]

That is a superb Blackbird in flight shot!

[PeterHG]

Thank you @TonyQ!

 

In the park nearby:

137 /NL 93. Blackcap. Amersfoort, April. The male was present, too, but I could not get any decent photo. I think the female is more beautiful anyway...

 

[xelas]

3 hours ago, PeterHG said:

I think the female is more beautiful anyway...

Females are always more beautiful .

[PeterHG]

139 /NL 94. Barn Swallow. Arkemheen, April. They've been back for a week or so, but today was the first day with enough light to try for the annual BY flight shot

[Galana]

3 hours ago, PeterHG said:

to try for the annual BY flight shot

And you met with success too. Well done.

[Zim Girl]

Superb picture of the swallow!

[lmSA84]

I'm always amazed how you get these shots!

[michael-ibk]

Awesome Swallow!

[PeterHG]

Thank you, @Galana @Zim Girl @lmSA84 @michael-ibk! Always fun to try.

 

I thought I might as well attempt the other fairly common swallow, too. Not as numerous as the Barn Swallow. In fact it is on the red list due to the fact that about 75% of the breeding population has disappeared since the sixties. 

139 / NL 95. House Martin, Arkemheen, April. This time I had added the converter, to see if the focusing would still be good enough for these fast-flying little birds. It was, though, of course, it was harder to get the subject in the viewfinder.

 

[Kitsafari]

you're a master of awesome BIFs

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Kitsafari. It is certainly the aspect of bird photography I spend a lot of time on...

 

This afternoon I took a last walk along the reed beds of the local wetland area, before heading out to the island of Lesvos tomorrow. Lots of birds were singing and the wind had died down completely, so a perfect chance to try and grab some photos. The first one is not really a reed dweller, but there are also quite a few trees bordering the water. I think this is my first good shot of this species. They are usually quite hard to get out in the open.

 

140 /NL 96. Garden Warbler. Arkemheen, April. An LBJ, of course, like the next one and they look alike, too. The song, though, tells them apart without any problem

 

 

The next one is often just as difficult to get a clear shot of. I had seen and heard them before in the area, but always partly or completely hidden in the reed. The lack of wind today did the trick, I think.

 

141 /NL 97. Savi's Warbler. Arkemheen, April

[xelas]

1 hour ago, PeterHG said:

The song, though, tells them apart without any problem

That is, if one knows the songs . There is where real birders differentiate from those like me, a mere bird photographer . 

[PeterHG]

30 minutes ago, xelas said:

There is where real birders differentiate from those like me, a mere bird photographer

You're way past the 'mere' stage!

[Kitsafari]

7 hours ago, xelas said:

That is, if one knows the songs . There is where real birders differentiate from those like me, a mere bird photographer . 

 

 

me too!! but i wouldn't count myself as a photographer, more an amateur photographer. 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Kitsafari

[PeterHG]

Not all birds I saw on the walk were as confiding as the previous two. A birder with a telescope kindly alerted me to the fact that there was a Jack Snipe at the edge of a distant reedbed. I still tried for a record shot and to my amazement you can still clearly id the bird. A very heavy crop, but I was really happy to have seen one. It’s been quite a few years.

142 / NL 98. Jack Snipe. Arkemheen, April

https://photos.smugmug.com/Birds/n-vj2Tq/Big-Year-2022/i-hBj3gxg/0/33311bb9/XL/P4300095-Edit-2-XL.jpg