Odds & Sods 2023

Dipper collecting for some hungry mouths this morning on the river Derwent.

Nesting Little Ringed Plover (LRP), photographed from a footpath on Manor Farm restoration. The restoration site is fenced off from the footpath, and a lot of the path is lined with trees and shrubs. I was surprised by how close this bird was to what is a relatively busy footpath, and that its nest was on a particularly exposed part of a vehicle track. However, thinking this through. Most of the plover's predators (e.g. primarily Covids, including Magpies) in this area are very wary of people, and would shy away from being so close to a footpath. Perhaps the LRP has a most excellent nesting strategy.

All photos heavily cropped. It is a tiny bird, well hidden on the ground, and even with my lens at its fullest 600mm and the bird being about 30m away it occupies a small area of a photo..

Wandering back to its nest, the LRP is thinking...I'm a wee birdie, nonchalantly walking along, taking a wee stroll along this nice bit of gravel banking. 

Don't mind me. I'll just hide behind this blade of grass.

Drat. Are you still there?

Oh look at this. Look what I have stumbled across. A scrape in the ground just right for me to sit in.

A nest? No, it's not a nest. What a silly thought. It is just a lovely seat for me to rest my weary legs.

I'll just fluff my feathers out to get really comfortable on these pebbles that look like eggs, but aren't eggs.

I'll ease myself down gently on to this non-nest seat.

A little wiggle to settle everything, and I'm now nice and comfortable.

Are you still here!?!?! Go away. I want a little snooze.

I'm watching you.

Hello! Did something just move?

I'm sure one of these non-egg rock things I'm sitting on just moved.

I was actually quite lucky as the bird was facing the footpath when I passed by. Normally it is facing away from the footpath.

This LRP was not being bothered by any predator where it was. All the Covids, etc were on the west side of the site bothering the nesting Lapwings. As I mentioned earlier, the Covids do not like being close to a footpath frequented by humans walking, jogging, dog walking, or being nosy birders recording and checking the birds on the site.

Wotcha, Billysdad,

Yep, I used my R7: Spot AF, Eye-tracking, animal tracking, Program mode (as I'm dead lazy), electronic shutter, steadied on a monopod.

The LRP, being so small, is very difficult to spot when hunkered down on its nest; even when you know where to look. Beautifully camouflaged for its nesting strategy.

Thus, I use the tiny little square off Spot AF to get initial focus on the bird, then let AI eye tracking do its business. Works beautifully for such a small subject. However, (ha, there is always a however or a but!) AI eye tracking is easily confused. Small black objects can cause the software to think it has found an eye amongst background clutter and switch to it. You then have to un-depress the shutter button, re-aim camera and half press shutter button again to, hopefully, get AI eye tracking to lock on to the bird's eye.

The LRP was sufficiently removed from small black objects to allow the AI tracking software to lock on to it. This made photography ever so easy. All I had to do was compose the shot (e.g. get bird more or less in middle of frame) and keep pressing shutter release.

I have turned AI eye tracking off on a number of occasions, as the software was getting too confused. I kind of understand why Duade reprogrammed some buttons on the R7: one to turn Ai eye tracking on and off. I have to take my eyes of the subject I am photographing, and look down wade through the menu. Whereas Duade, with the reprogrammed button, simply presses it with his thumb without having to take his eyes of the subject he is photographing.

A word about monopods. I bought a Phot-R three section monopod, about 25 years ago (yikes) from the Newbury show. I looked on Amazon, today, and the exact same monopod is still being sold for, I believe,  almost the exact same price I bought it for all those years ago!

The problem I encountered with the Phot-R monopod is it vibrates when I take a shot. This ever so slight vibration is sufficient to make a photo a little bit fuzzy i.e. out of focus. Especially with continuous shooting. It's alright with bridge cameras and compact cameras, but not DSLRs. Funnily enough, the Phot-R monopod and Canon 80D worked beautifully together!  Unfortunately, it did cause soft shots with the R7 due to vibrations - I believe I had switched to fully electronic shutter.

I switched to another monopod I have - a quite heavy, two section Manfrotto, which I bought in a secondhand furniture shop (of all places) for £20 about 4 years ago. I've had no problems with this monopod, and I used it when photographing the LRP on its nest. It's just heavy. I prefer the Phot-R as it is so light. I will give the Phot-R another chance, as I might still have been using 1st curtain shutter at the time.

I forgot to add. Moor Green Lakes group has various recorders who make official notes of the species (not just birds) seen around the reserves. Us volunteers support them by sending reports of sightings and (where possible) photographs.

First photos with new camera (R7). I have had the camera for about a week, but it took me a few days to source an adapter for EF lenses. I spent my early time finding out the basics as I had promised to take photos at two street parties - on on my avenue, and one on the lane behind. They weren't paying and didn't expect anything wonderful, but of course I wanted to try the camera out and do a good job. I mainly used the Scene - Groups setting and I was very pleased with the outcome. In between I have managed a few wildlife shots which I have posted below. I can see great potential with this camera, I think any problems will stem from the guy hanging on the back ...  

Looks like you have made a good start