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[Soukous]

Common Terns

 

 

 

[offshorebirder]

On 7/9/2023 at 9:29 AM, PeterHG said:

Last night I felt like having a go at swallows in flight.

 

Well done @PeterHG!

[Peter Connan]

Beautiful additions gentlemen!

[Tdgraves]

I came the closest I have ever come to a safari in the UK this week. The OH (inadvertently) woke me up at 4.50 on Thursday and I could not get back to sleep. As it was clear, I went out for a walk. It was quite crisp out and the golden light really did feel like I was on safari, until it clouded over. One of the first things I saw was a bittern, but I couldn't get a shot as it flew behind a bush. I really enjoyed it and I had the whole reserve to myself for an hour, but I like my sleep too much to repeat more often!!

 

D14I2621 by tdgraves, on Flickr

D14I2402-Enhanced-NR by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

D14I2431 by tdgraves, on Flickr

[offshorebirder]

Bitterns in flight are a challenge for sure @Tdgraves   By the time you acquire focus, it is usually a 'bum shot'  as the bird flies away.

[PeterHG]

Most of the times we see starlings fly by, they seem to be black, but in fact they are quite colourful.

 

[PeterHG]

Perhaps an unusual setting for flight shots, but I got so fed up with the weather that I went out with the car and gave it a try anyway....;)

 

[Soukous]

wonderful Peter. Much more interesting than a sunny blue sky

[Dave Williams]

5 hours ago, Soukous said:

wonderful Peter. Much more interesting than a sunny blue sky

Absolutely agree!

[Csaba]

Second shot in particular is great. @PeterHGwhat equipment did you use?

[PeterHG]

2 hours ago, Csaba said:

what equipment did you use?

Thank you. I use the OM system (previously Olympus) OM-1 with the 300 f/4 pro lens

[Peter Connan]

Not trying to belittle the skill needed to get those shots, but the modern camera is an incredible thing!

The fact that this is even possible now is amazing.

[PeterHG]

On 8/19/2023 at 1:51 AM, Peter Connan said:

but the modern camera is an incredible thing!

I completely agree with you there!

[offshorebirder]

Arctic Skua AKA Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) patrolling its territory on a foggy morning south of Utqiagvik, Alaska.  It is a dark morph individual.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by offshorebirder

[offshorebirder]

I apologize in advance that these photos'  IQ, sharpness, etc. are not up to the normal standards for this topic.

 

But Aleutian Terns are a rare and rapidly declining Sterna species, so I figured I would share these substandard flight photos.

 

Aleutian Tern June 22, 2023 - Nome River Mouth, Alaska.   Where the Nome River enters the Bering Sea.

 

 

 

[offshorebirder]

Eastern Yellow Wagtail carrying food while skylarking / display flight.  Outskirts of Nome, Alaska.  Foggy conditions but so it goes.

 

[offshorebirder]

American Tree Sparrow swooping low over the water to snatch an emerging insect of some kind.   There was an insect hatch in progress with Red Phalaropes dashing around eating them, and fish attacking from below.  This Tree Sparrow made like a swallow and caught several insects while we watched.   Roger and I had never seen a flycatching sparrow before.

 

Solomon River, northeast of Nome, Alaska.

 

[offshorebirder]

Arctic Tern fishing where the Nome River meets the Bering Sea - Fort Davis, Alaska (just east of Nome).

 

[Peter Connan]

A little quiz of my own:

Is it possible for somebody who likes bird photography to NOT attempt an in-flight shot of a Tern each time one flies by, despite already having probably thousands of very similar images?

 

Nice job Nathan!

[pomkiwi]

Autumn has arrived and with it large numbers of migrant birds. I was in Norfolk last week and photographed these whooper swans leaving their roost at dawn having recently arrived from Iceland:

 

 

I was lucky enough to have the image published in the Daily Telegraph (UK national) paper the following day.

[pomkiwi]

The short-eared owls have also returned in good numbers:

 

[PeterHG]

How I would love to see a short-eared owl again! Your swan shot is superb, @pomkiwi! No wonder the Daily Telegraph wanted  to publish it. A well-deserved compliment to your photographic skills! 

[Tdgraves]

Lovely @pomkiwithere were only a few Whoopers in Welney last week when I visited 

[Peter Connan]

Both are beautiful!

[Soukous]

a few random 'in flight' shots from the past few months

 

Narina Trogon. Garden Route NP, Western Cape.

 

Half-collared Kingfisher. Garden Route NP, Western Cape

 

Ludwig's Bustard. Amakhala reserve, Eastern Cape