Odds & Sods 2023

"I think any problems will stem from the guy hanging on the back..."

Agree whole heartedly, BillysDad.

Nice set of photos. Particularly like the Great Crested Grebe.

The R7 is a lot of fun. Frustrating as well, mainly along the lines of 'why on earth did I press the shutter when I did, instead of waiting 500 milliseconds for the target to get into focus?'

Well I did see it flap its wings and flutter from branch to branch so hopefully it made its way back up to the nest...maggies are terrorising the place....then the crows are terrorising them!!!

They are very territorial Linda. Set their stalls out on the river maybe 30 yards apart hopping from one rock in the river to the next and dipping for food in the river or on the banks. Should another dipper come in they will chase it off. Sometimes you get a few dippers entering the same area and all hell is to pay for lol.

Sorry Bob but I am not Linda, ? Lol

Sorry, in my defence I had had a pint or two lol.

Lol Bob good excuse.

Thanks, Billysdad.

This is a brilliant example of your "I think any problems will stem from the guy hanging on the back..." with using the R7.

You see...the light was almost perfect (high thin blobs of cloud, bright sky, occasional sunlight), flat calm, water almost mirror like, bird slowly walking along the water's edge, dipping every now and again.

All I had to do was wait.

All I had to do was track the bird, and let the R7, perched almost rock steady on my monopod, track the bird, with AI keeping it focus.

The bird finally dipped its beak into the water.

The composition and reflection were superb.

All I had to do was gently press shutter release.

Only I snatched at it. Excitement, anxiousness, nervousness caused me to tense at the very last microsecond I depressed the shutter release button. I must have moved a millimeter or so. That was enough to put the bird ever so slightly out of focus.

All the other photos are pin sharp.

Oh well, all was not lost with a little help from post processing software. I have found that the raw files produced by the R7 can take a lot of post processing without it showing.

Sigh, got to learn to relax with pressing shutter release.

I thought Wigeon flew off for summer months. This one has been hanging around Colebrook lake for sometime. Photographed with R7 last Wednesday. It was some way off.

I'm getting slightly more used to picking up BIF with the R7. Still don't like the electronic viewfinder. Too bright, I think.

This Shelduck came out quite nicely. I thought the reflections of greenery looked quite neat.

This female Gadwal was very close to Colebrook lake (north) hide. Just rest camera on viewing screen, point in direction of duck, press button.

Frustrating day as I always just missed flying birds. However, with AI eye and animal tracking the R7 made easy work of keeping this Canada goose in focus. My old 80D struggles with focusing on and subject moving towards it.

Colebrook lake (south) viewing screens, as I was walking back to car.

It finally gained altitude.

A lone Pheasant, a fair ways off, as it strode to the copse on the Manor farm restoration. Heavily cropped photo.

Lovely photos Linda! As always....I love the wee moose! It's so cute And of course the young Goldie? Very young indeed! Thanks again for sharing with us