After yet another successful year on the Odds & Sods thread, initially started I think by Hazy, it might be wise to kickstart the 2023 thread off.
Thank you to those who have contributed to last years thread, and there has been very interesting odds and sods in "Odds & Sods 2022" that aren't enough to place into a dedicated thread, which you can look back on the following link:
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/278729/odds-sods-2022/1417300?pifragment-4285=76#pifragment-4285=1
What better for me, and as yet, I've not ventured far, ewe know what I mean, with this lassie on Baddesley Clinton estate yesterday....
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
Finally got them!
We have two Great Spotted Woodpeckers who visit my birdfeeder. Mostly they feed singly. Occasionally, we get to see both on the feeder at the same time. They don't remain so for long. I guess one intimidates the other into leaving. They are solitary animals.
Therefore, it is a frantic race to grab camera from dining room, and rush back to kitchen to photograph them. I've come close, ever so close a couple of times Finally managed it, yesterday afternoon, and with some halfway decent light, in between the showers.
Two juveniles, I believe. Siblings, perhaps?
After about a minute, which is fairly long for them to tolerate each other, the inevitable happens...
My next task, a much more daunting proposition, photograph a Tawny owl I hear outside back of house in t'early hours. Like 4:30am this morning, as the thing squawked and hooted for an hour. Only...no light.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
Well done Angus catching two together! Good luck with the Owl ...
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Thank you all.
Photographing our local Tawny Owl will be a challenge, no doubting. I don't have easy access to the wooded area I can hear it in. One day (or night/early morning) it may decide to land in our oak tree.
I am very pleased with the next set of photos I took this morning. The dragonflies were in front of Colebrook lake (north) viewing screens; I'd say about 10 yards from me. I think I am pushing the limits of my Sigma 150-600mm lens. Funnily enough, light is never particularly brilliant around the viewing screens, even with the sun approaching its zenith.
The female was laying eggs. Trouble was that they moved very, very quickly when zipping down to permit the female to deposit her egg in the water. This fast dip, couple with my R7 getting a little confused as to what it was supposed to focus on, meant blurry images.
Arrgh! See what I mean? Blurry image every time they did this.
This is more typical of the light conditions around Colebrook lake (north) viewing screens. It's very peculiar.
A little bit of sunbathing today from the WW
Nice to see it sit still for a mo lol