Saturday 31 December 2011
Saturday 24 December 2011
Favourite photos of 2011
I've put together 20 of my favourite photos of the last year here
Here's a couple of tasters
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas
Here's a couple of tasters
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas
Sunday 4 December 2011
Wildflowers
There's a new wildflower gallery up on my website. Not exactly seasonal, but it's nice to think back to the summer days as I look out at the snow coming down.
Click on the link here or the photos below
Click on the link here or the photos below
Sunday 27 November 2011
And now for something completely different
I've been playing with some of the more artistic new tools in the latest version of photoshop, specifically the mixer brush tool which can be used to make "digital paintings" by applying brush strokes to a photograph. A fun process that I'm just getting up to speed with, but here's a couple of paintings I did over the weekend from old photos of a small Eider flock & a Brent Goose. Enjoy !!
Saturday 19 November 2011
Sizergh
A morning visit to Sizergh failed to produced any Hawfinch in the feeding area opposite the cafe & shop, although as I was out with my camera I didn't spend any time scanning the tree tops where they are perhaps more likely to be seen at this time of year.
Most of the other regulars were present in reasonable numbers, with Blue, Great, Coal & Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Robin, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush & a Treecreeper that chose to settle on the first tree that I couldn't point my camera at.
Also I spoke to the National Trust staff to clarify access arrangements. The shop opens at 11.00, which is when the car park is officially open. However the car park will be opened by the first member of staff to arrive - often someone from the cafe will be in early to do some baking and it's fine to drive in then. If the gates aren't open it is still fine to enter on foot, but please do not park at the car park gates, instead please park on the public road outside the main gates (near the Strickland Arms pub).
Click on any of the photos for larger versions & more photos
Most of the other regulars were present in reasonable numbers, with Blue, Great, Coal & Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Robin, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush & a Treecreeper that chose to settle on the first tree that I couldn't point my camera at.
Also I spoke to the National Trust staff to clarify access arrangements. The shop opens at 11.00, which is when the car park is officially open. However the car park will be opened by the first member of staff to arrive - often someone from the cafe will be in early to do some baking and it's fine to drive in then. If the gates aren't open it is still fine to enter on foot, but please do not park at the car park gates, instead please park on the public road outside the main gates (near the Strickland Arms pub).
Click on any of the photos for larger versions & more photos
Friday 11 November 2011
The Long & Short of it
I spent the afternoon on Walney today, with my two target species being the Long-tailed Duck and Short-eared Owl that have been featuring recently on the Walney BO Blog
On my way down I paused at Wylock Marsh to eat my dinner and was rewarded with a couple of Little Egret.
Upon arriving at the reserve I headed down to the area around the Oyster Farm, where I spent an hour or so photographing the various ducks present, mainly Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye & the Long-tailed Duck which at one point was very confiding indeed.
I then worked my way down towards the old pier, hoping for a Short-eared Owl sheltering from the wind, but no luck there. However I grabbed a couple of nice shots of Ringed Plover on the shore and the Twite flock flew past, before I headed back to my car.
I then settled in at Gate Marsh, hoping for a hunting Owl, but again no sign as the light faded.
Click on any photo for larger versions and more photos
On my way down I paused at Wylock Marsh to eat my dinner and was rewarded with a couple of Little Egret.
Upon arriving at the reserve I headed down to the area around the Oyster Farm, where I spent an hour or so photographing the various ducks present, mainly Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye & the Long-tailed Duck which at one point was very confiding indeed.
I then worked my way down towards the old pier, hoping for a Short-eared Owl sheltering from the wind, but no luck there. However I grabbed a couple of nice shots of Ringed Plover on the shore and the Twite flock flew past, before I headed back to my car.
I then settled in at Gate Marsh, hoping for a hunting Owl, but again no sign as the light faded.
Click on any photo for larger versions and more photos
Sunday 6 November 2011
Dippers again
Again I had a free hour or so available this morning and opted to visit my preferred spot on the river Kent for Dippers. A welcome bonus was a pair of Grey Wagtail when I arrived - although common enough on the river I've not observed them on this particular section before. The Wagtails spent 5 minutes or so flycatching, which I thought was remarkable given the time of year, before flying upriver. Also a Grey Heron flew in and settled on the opposite side of the river before the Dipper action started.
And then the Dipper action really did start, with a number of energetic chases up and down the river involving usually 2 and occasionally 3 birds. These chases were interspersed with calmer periods of feeding, and on one occasion a Dipper drifted along the near bank to within a couple of yards of where I was sitting - well and truly inside minimum focusing distance forcing me to sit and enjoy the magic of the moment.
I was pleased to capture images of a full fight sequence between two birds, with the first bird stood on a rock which the second bird approached. The first bird took exception to this and attacked the second bird, they fought in the air and then on the water before separating slightly and drifting on the water for a moment before being lost to view.
For the full fight sequence and a couple of other Dipper shots click on any of the photos below or click here
And then the Dipper action really did start, with a number of energetic chases up and down the river involving usually 2 and occasionally 3 birds. These chases were interspersed with calmer periods of feeding, and on one occasion a Dipper drifted along the near bank to within a couple of yards of where I was sitting - well and truly inside minimum focusing distance forcing me to sit and enjoy the magic of the moment.
I was pleased to capture images of a full fight sequence between two birds, with the first bird stood on a rock which the second bird approached. The first bird took exception to this and attacked the second bird, they fought in the air and then on the water before separating slightly and drifting on the water for a moment before being lost to view.
For the full fight sequence and a couple of other Dipper shots click on any of the photos below or click here
Sunday 30 October 2011
Dippin & Clickin
I escaped for a couple of hours this afternoon so I took the camera down to the river Kent to see what was around.
There were a small party of Long-tailed Tits in the trees near where I settled down, a couple of Mallards drifted by at one point and a solitary Jay flew across the river, but star billing today went to the Dippers.
When you go out with the camera you spend more time in one location than you ever would birding, and this means you get to see more behaviour. There was nearly always at least one Dipper in sight, and they were nearly always doing something interesting, whether it was jumping in the water to feed, popping up briefly every so ofter as the current took them downstream and then back under again, chasing each other in territorial disputes or preening.
One of the best little episodes to watch was when one bird took up a position on a rock stood upright, head thrown back & bill pointing up with it's tail fanned, BWP describes this as the advertising display. Another bird then appeared from under water and stood on the edge of the rock. I'm not entirely sure if it was a pair bonding display or a territorial/antagonistic display, as depending on context, this display can be used in either.
There were a small party of Long-tailed Tits in the trees near where I settled down, a couple of Mallards drifted by at one point and a solitary Jay flew across the river, but star billing today went to the Dippers.
When you go out with the camera you spend more time in one location than you ever would birding, and this means you get to see more behaviour. There was nearly always at least one Dipper in sight, and they were nearly always doing something interesting, whether it was jumping in the water to feed, popping up briefly every so ofter as the current took them downstream and then back under again, chasing each other in territorial disputes or preening.
One of the best little episodes to watch was when one bird took up a position on a rock stood upright, head thrown back & bill pointing up with it's tail fanned, BWP describes this as the advertising display. Another bird then appeared from under water and stood on the edge of the rock. I'm not entirely sure if it was a pair bonding display or a territorial/antagonistic display, as depending on context, this display can be used in either.
Saturday 29 October 2011
Thinking about Shorties
I see on the Walney Bird Observatory blog that the Short-eared Owls have arrived back. Got me thinking it would be good to get out and get some more photographs of Shorties. Until decent weather and free time coincide I'm going to have to settle for having a look through some old photos though, here's a couple that aren't already in my galleries.
Short-eared Owl, Rampside
Short-eared Owl, Rampside
Short-eared Owl, Rampside
Short-eared Owl, Walney
Short-eared Owl, Rampside
Short-eared Owl, Rampside
Short-eared Owl, Rampside
Short-eared Owl, Walney
Sunday 23 October 2011
Canon 1D X
New camera
Canon have just announced a new top of the range pro camera, the 1D X, due out March next year. It's always exciting to hear about new technology on its way, and this sounds like a great piece of kit on the whole, so will I be queueing up for one ?
In all honesty having bought Canons 1D mark 4 earlier this year, it's going to be a number of years until I even think about an upgrade again - I got some 7 or 8 very good years of service out of my last camera body. So would I upgrade if I hadn't just bought the 1D mark 4 then ? Read on to find out.
Rationalising of products
Ever since Canon started producing pro digital slr bodies they have had two product lines, the 1D series and the 1DS series.
The 1D series have always been action cameras, with a high performance autofocus system, high shooting rate and a 1.3x crop factor. For wildlife photographers this crop factor, giving any named lens 30% more effective reach than it had when used on a 35mm film body, has been a real boon when photographing small or difficult to approach subjects.
The 1DS series has always been a different product entirely. A full frame camera with high resolution and a low shooting rate, it would appeal to landscape photographers who want maximum resolution and can't afford to lose any width from their wide-angle lenses, fashion and product photographers amongst others have similar requirements.
One trait common to all 1D & 1DS series cameras is their ability to autofocus with the centre focus point on any lens or lens/teleconvertor combination down to f8, where other non-pro bodies have been limited to autofocus down to f5.6.
However with the announcement of the 1D X Canon have announced the two lines, 1D & 1DS, are to be merged and the previous generation of camera bodies discontinued.
Improved image quality
The 1D X will be full frame camera, with a resolution of 18 megapixels. The pixels are increased in size from 5.7 micron on the 1D mark 4 to 6.95 micron on the 1D X. This all suggests a fair reduction in noise, Canons press release talks of a two stop reduction in noise. The autofocus system, which already performs very well in most situations, has been completely revamped to include a large number of cross type sensors, which also sounds promising.
In general it sounds like an excellent camera in most areas.
This is of course all 'on paper' and until we see samples from the new camera we won't really know what it is capable of.
A compromise too far ?
The move to full frame from a 1.3x crop factor with only a modest increase in pixels will be a compromise for most wildlife photographers who find reach important. The fact that it will be full frame isn't an issue in itself - we could always crop afterwards in photoshop - the issue is the reduction in pixel density. The lower the pixel density the less pixels you will get on your subject and therefore the less detail you will capture.
The 1D mark 4 offers 4896x3264 pixels or approx 16 megapixels in a 1.3 crop sensor.
The 1D X offers 5184x3456 pixels or approx 18 megapixels in a full frame sensor.
However if you scale the 1D X sensor to 1.3 crop - as if you were cropping in photoshop in post processing you would get 4017x2709 or approximately 11 megapixel.
This is quite a drop in resolution for those used to the 1D mark 4, and in itself it will put off a number people who see it as a backwards step.
Unfortunately there is more bad news to come. As part of the major revamp of the autofocus system the 1D X will no longer autofocus at f8 with the centre a/f sensor, which has been an advantage available to every previous Canon pro body. All of a sudden you will no longer have working autofocus when you mount a Canon 2x convertor on your top of the range f4 super telephoto.
This double whammy of reduced resolution and loss of autofocus at f8 is going to cause a fairly significant loss of reach to wildlife photographers.
If we take a Canon 1D4 with a 500/4 & 2x convertor we get 1300mm effectively at 16 megapixels with working autofocus.
If we take a Canon 1DX with a 500/4 & 1.4x convertor, and crop afterwards to get the 1.3x crop factor we have 910mm effectively at 11 megapixels.
That is a very big hit to take.
But it's maybe not quite a fair comparison for the 1D X, because if you mount the 2x teleconvertor on the 1D mark 4 the teleconvertor will implicitly reduce the resolution of the lens more so than the 1.4x teleconvertor, you will quite possibly need to bump the iso by 1 stop to retain shutter speed, and the 1D mark 4 autofocus won't perform to its full potential. Maybe a fairer comparison would be just to go back to comparing the 16 megapixels of the 1D mark 4 to the 11 megapixels of the 1D X when cropped to 1.3 crop factor form.
Still quite a hit to take, and it is always going to grate knowing the 2x teleconvertor could be used to good effect on the 1D mark 4, but maybe it's a hit that could be lived with for the advantages in situations where you are able to reduce the distance to your subject.
Personally I'll be watching with interest and hoping that by the time I'm ready for a new camera autoficus at f8 is back with us again.
Canon have just announced a new top of the range pro camera, the 1D X, due out March next year. It's always exciting to hear about new technology on its way, and this sounds like a great piece of kit on the whole, so will I be queueing up for one ?
In all honesty having bought Canons 1D mark 4 earlier this year, it's going to be a number of years until I even think about an upgrade again - I got some 7 or 8 very good years of service out of my last camera body. So would I upgrade if I hadn't just bought the 1D mark 4 then ? Read on to find out.
Rationalising of products
Ever since Canon started producing pro digital slr bodies they have had two product lines, the 1D series and the 1DS series.
The 1D series have always been action cameras, with a high performance autofocus system, high shooting rate and a 1.3x crop factor. For wildlife photographers this crop factor, giving any named lens 30% more effective reach than it had when used on a 35mm film body, has been a real boon when photographing small or difficult to approach subjects.
The 1DS series has always been a different product entirely. A full frame camera with high resolution and a low shooting rate, it would appeal to landscape photographers who want maximum resolution and can't afford to lose any width from their wide-angle lenses, fashion and product photographers amongst others have similar requirements.
One trait common to all 1D & 1DS series cameras is their ability to autofocus with the centre focus point on any lens or lens/teleconvertor combination down to f8, where other non-pro bodies have been limited to autofocus down to f5.6.
However with the announcement of the 1D X Canon have announced the two lines, 1D & 1DS, are to be merged and the previous generation of camera bodies discontinued.
Improved image quality
The 1D X will be full frame camera, with a resolution of 18 megapixels. The pixels are increased in size from 5.7 micron on the 1D mark 4 to 6.95 micron on the 1D X. This all suggests a fair reduction in noise, Canons press release talks of a two stop reduction in noise. The autofocus system, which already performs very well in most situations, has been completely revamped to include a large number of cross type sensors, which also sounds promising.
In general it sounds like an excellent camera in most areas.
This is of course all 'on paper' and until we see samples from the new camera we won't really know what it is capable of.
A compromise too far ?
The move to full frame from a 1.3x crop factor with only a modest increase in pixels will be a compromise for most wildlife photographers who find reach important. The fact that it will be full frame isn't an issue in itself - we could always crop afterwards in photoshop - the issue is the reduction in pixel density. The lower the pixel density the less pixels you will get on your subject and therefore the less detail you will capture.
The 1D mark 4 offers 4896x3264 pixels or approx 16 megapixels in a 1.3 crop sensor.
The 1D X offers 5184x3456 pixels or approx 18 megapixels in a full frame sensor.
However if you scale the 1D X sensor to 1.3 crop - as if you were cropping in photoshop in post processing you would get 4017x2709 or approximately 11 megapixel.
This is quite a drop in resolution for those used to the 1D mark 4, and in itself it will put off a number people who see it as a backwards step.
Unfortunately there is more bad news to come. As part of the major revamp of the autofocus system the 1D X will no longer autofocus at f8 with the centre a/f sensor, which has been an advantage available to every previous Canon pro body. All of a sudden you will no longer have working autofocus when you mount a Canon 2x convertor on your top of the range f4 super telephoto.
This double whammy of reduced resolution and loss of autofocus at f8 is going to cause a fairly significant loss of reach to wildlife photographers.
If we take a Canon 1D4 with a 500/4 & 2x convertor we get 1300mm effectively at 16 megapixels with working autofocus.
If we take a Canon 1DX with a 500/4 & 1.4x convertor, and crop afterwards to get the 1.3x crop factor we have 910mm effectively at 11 megapixels.
That is a very big hit to take.
But it's maybe not quite a fair comparison for the 1D X, because if you mount the 2x teleconvertor on the 1D mark 4 the teleconvertor will implicitly reduce the resolution of the lens more so than the 1.4x teleconvertor, you will quite possibly need to bump the iso by 1 stop to retain shutter speed, and the 1D mark 4 autofocus won't perform to its full potential. Maybe a fairer comparison would be just to go back to comparing the 16 megapixels of the 1D mark 4 to the 11 megapixels of the 1D X when cropped to 1.3 crop factor form.
Still quite a hit to take, and it is always going to grate knowing the 2x teleconvertor could be used to good effect on the 1D mark 4, but maybe it's a hit that could be lived with for the advantages in situations where you are able to reduce the distance to your subject.
Personally I'll be watching with interest and hoping that by the time I'm ready for a new camera autoficus at f8 is back with us again.
Saturday 15 October 2011
Bearded Tits !
An early start this morning saw me in place before dawn at Leighton Moss waiting at the grit trays hoping for the opportunity to photograph Bearded Tits. It was a very atmospheric start to the day with Red Deer roaring, Water Rail squealing & a number of Snipe bombing around. Wonderful stuff, but what of the main objective ?
After a short while the distinctive pinging calls were heard, and a female showed - albeit very briefly. Then more calls, but nothing was seen during the next hour. Was that to be it, one brief showing ? Fortunately that was not to be it, as a pair then appeared and showed well for 10 minutes. For the most part they spent their time on the grit trays, not the most photogenic setting but accepted gratefully nonetheless, before they did pose for a short time on the edge of the reeds before disappearing into deeper cover. Another 15 minutes passed and then showtime with 6, maybe 7 individuals arriving and showing well for 10 minutes again.
In total I believe there were possibly 9 individuals, with four different colour ringed females, three colour ringed adult males and at least one, possibly two different unringed 1st winter males.
Click on any of the photos below for larger versions and more photos.
After a short while the distinctive pinging calls were heard, and a female showed - albeit very briefly. Then more calls, but nothing was seen during the next hour. Was that to be it, one brief showing ? Fortunately that was not to be it, as a pair then appeared and showed well for 10 minutes. For the most part they spent their time on the grit trays, not the most photogenic setting but accepted gratefully nonetheless, before they did pose for a short time on the edge of the reeds before disappearing into deeper cover. Another 15 minutes passed and then showtime with 6, maybe 7 individuals arriving and showing well for 10 minutes again.
In total I believe there were possibly 9 individuals, with four different colour ringed females, three colour ringed adult males and at least one, possibly two different unringed 1st winter males.
Click on any of the photos below for larger versions and more photos.
Saturday 8 October 2011
Marsh Lane, Heversham 07 October 2011
I had an hour at Marsh Lane, Heversham with my camera yesterday, spent my time at just the one field. An approximate count (through the camera) of the birds present as follows :
Click on any of the photos below for larger versions and more photos.
- 5 Mute Swan (2 adult + 3 1st winter)
- 6 Mallard
- 10 Pheasant
- 15 Lapwing
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Moorhen
- 6 Stock Dove
- 10 Wood Pigeon
- 100 Mixed Common Gull & Black-headed Gull
- 150 Rook
- 15 Starling
- 6 Skylark
Click on any of the photos below for larger versions and more photos.
Thursday 6 October 2011
Wild Cumbrian
Wild Cumbrian, what's it all about then ?
After creating my wildlife photography website at http://www.wildcumbrian.com/ it seemed natural to compliment it with a blog so here I am !
That leads to the next question - Who am I ? Sometimes wildlife photographer, sometimes birder, sometimes simply too busy for either with the demands of work and the pleasures of family life, but always Cumbrian and usually at least a little bit Wild.
Some of you may know me as a member of Walney Bird Observatory, others may know me from NatureScapes.Net where I am moderator of the regional forum for Europe, or simply from around and about this beautiful county that is Cumbria.
After creating my wildlife photography website at http://www.wildcumbrian.com/ it seemed natural to compliment it with a blog so here I am !
That leads to the next question - Who am I ? Sometimes wildlife photographer, sometimes birder, sometimes simply too busy for either with the demands of work and the pleasures of family life, but always Cumbrian and usually at least a little bit Wild.
Some of you may know me as a member of Walney Bird Observatory, others may know me from NatureScapes.Net where I am moderator of the regional forum for Europe, or simply from around and about this beautiful county that is Cumbria.
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