Kicking off this year's odds and sods with Starlings in a rainbow on that extreme rarity: sunshine.
It was early morning, with the sun barely cresting the tree line. We were able to get out for our morning walk as it wasn't raining. This photo is my trusty Canon 80D and Sigma 18-300mm lens zoomed in at 300mm.
Pulling back a bit.
And finally all the way back.
Oh, 2024 got off to a good start with this.
So far my cat, perhaps two neighbouring cats visiting our garden, a local fox and Tawny owl, and this trap have accounted for at least five of the beasties. Sightings of rats in our garden are getting rarer, so I think I'm winning. Two rather timid and wary rats, that I know of, are proving more elusive to catch. I've resorted to buying a lethal trap. The trap was triggered, yesterday, but no rat, sadly. Though a mouse might have triggered it, and was small enough to be within the kill bar.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
Thanks, BD.
As an ex-IT bod, I'm lazy when typing, always trying to figure out the least number of keystrokes I need to do. Thus, with the old forum, I discovered that if I type in the first picture size dimension, the software was sensible enough to use it to calculate the second dimension. The new forum software expects both dimensions. If it doesn't find both then it uses default values i.e. big.
The trick is to enter both dimensions. What I do is...Enter one dimension as usual - the first one. Get image into edit screen. Submit the post. Immediately edit my post, edit the image. There is the second dimension calculated for me. Why the software doesn't use these dimensions is a mystery to me.
I copy the second dimension. Delete the image. Re-insert the image, but now enter both dimensions.
This is the neat bit. The software saves the dimensions I've used. When I enter another image, I simply erase the dimensions, press mouse button one in a dimension box, which then brings up a list of saved dimensions. Select one, and both boxes are filled.
Very handy when entering lots of images.
Unfortunately, saved dimensions are then reset when you log out.
Now, for something rather special. Two Kingfishers.
Three days ago, I glimpsed out of the corner of my eye, what I thought was a second Kingfisher around the pond, which we see on our morning walk. I couldn't be sure. I was concentrating on photographing a Kingfisher on the bridge handrail, and thought I saw a flash of blue to my right.
We saw both, yesterday morning. Sitting and flying around. It was raining, with heavy bursts predicted during our walk. It was cloudy, 10/10 stuff. I did not take either my DSLR or mirrorless. Instead, I took an ancient compact digital, a Canon PowerShot SX700 HS. Handy little thing, but with a small sensor.
It did remarkably well, considering the conditions and the fact that its lens was filthy; a discovery I made when I got home.
The birds flew around, but I couldn't tell if it was courtship or territorial in nature. I took this photo, just as they started zooming around. Essentially what you tend to see - a blurred flash of blue.
They landed on the pond's edge, though separated by about 20 feet. One remained for quite a bit of time, until I spooked it by tripping up when trying to get a little bit closer. This is what my ancient compact camera with filthy lens managed. Munged a bit in FastStone.
I've cleaned the front of the lens. Not sure how it got so filthy as the thing retracts into the camera's body when I turn the camera off.
I'll take my long lens with me this morning. Even though it is cloudy. SAT24's cloud radar does hint at sunny periods when we start our walk in an hour or so.
We have one Pyramidal Orchid growing in one of the flower beds. Very nice indeed.
Lucky you Angus. Well caught.
Just up at Leighton Moss rspb staying nearby overnight. Saw two, and quite possibly three Ospreys observed by others from Lower Hide today; a little distant with no extender on the 100-500mm but this new R5 allows dramatic cropping from CRAW so will post up a couple taken this afternoon. Guessing the osprey/s are from Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria.
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Regards, Hazel
Fabulous captures aitch, lucky you for seeing those Ospreys!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Wow...I would be delighted to see 1 never mind 3... lovely captures Hazel ;-)
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
I finally took the plunge and splashed out on a Canon 1.4x II extender. Secondhand from MPB. I read that there wasn't much difference between a MK II and III, especially with older lenses. Therefore why splash out over twice as much for a MK III?
I took the extender out on our walk. No Kingfisher, naturally. It was there, the old girl spotted the standard flash of blue streaking up from its pond, but it decided to go home. There were a few more willing victims lurking around, including this...
Feeding on a cul-de-sac between two footpaths we use. I guess it found an ants nest between the grass edge and kerb.
We do see (occasionally) and hear (more often) Green Woodpeckers along this short stretch of road. Never has one let us close enough for me to photograph it.
My R7, Sigma long lens and extender worked rather well in the overcast morning. I was using Gandalf's staff to steady the camera.
With no Kingfisher, I subjected other subjects to being photographed. The extender does add a fair amount of weight, but to my surprise it seem to make aiming the camera and holding it steady easier. Perhaps it's because the extender acts a dampener and shifts the centre of gravity closer to my body. Regardless, I did this long range effort of a carrion crow.
Out the grubby kitchen window, very early in the morning, which causes glare due to the sun being low. Quite a few Starlings, old and juvenile, visit my bird feeder.
The extender worked very well, I felt. It does mean I wont have to use the maximum zoom of my Sigma lens, where its images are a little soft. Fat chance!
Great captures Angus, the Green Woodie is a particular favourite of mine so very pleased all your tech gear worked well!
Very nice photos of the Green Woodpecker Angus and glad the new gear is working well for you.