Kingfisher blues, Fuzzy Foxes and a great weekend!...Thanks Harry!

Hello All,

Wow, what an interesting weekend I had and although it didn't go to plan (as usual) it was very enjoyable! So in pictures and words here's a quick run down.....

My weekend was planned around trying to get some decent pictures of a Kingfisher which has eluded me so far. You might remember but I posted a little while ago that I had been given a tip off of a great "Kingfisher spot" by a friend of mine and after several weeks of trying and many long hours I drew a big fat 'HIGGY ZERO!'

From this disaster I followed up by failing on my quest with badgers and of course that darn buzzard who I see all the time but just won't 'pose' for the camera!

Having located the above mentioned badgers set situated in a small wood around large pond, I spent many hours down there with absolutely no luck! I was however overwhelmed by the richness of the bird life witin this wood so told my 'Kingfisher' friend about this little unknown gem. He went for a visit last week which prompted an exciting phone call where he relaid to me his fantastic morning trip to this wood where he spent a ages watching a Kingfisher!!!....He even described the exact spot where I could set the camera up and get a "perfect picture" as there was a small island of stones in the middle of the pond with an old branch sticking out which it was using as it's perch to hunt from!..... 

Excited???....You bet and in true Higgy fashion I packed the car and come Saturday drove straight down there. Parking the truck up I couldn't get everything unpacked quick enough! Over the gate I went and hiked across the field, only to get half way across and find this lot and some of their mates running at me!...

Last time I was there the field was empty and as it is very large I was stranded with no where to go!......Following some quick thinking a bit of shouting and a lot of waving my tripod around like a Samurai sword they stopped and decided to just stalk me the rest of the way in stead!....Whilst this was happening my friend 'Harry' the buzzard flew over and I'm sure he was laughing at me again!

Finally, down at the lake I settled myself in and waited for the turquoise & orange beauty to turn up and pose nicely for all my lovely expensive and high tech camera gear....and waited....and waited...2 hours...waited... You guessed it....NOWT!!

Three hours into my mission I did have a stroke of luck as whilst waiting a Tree Creeper landed on the Oak tree I was hiding behind and was literally only two feet away from me (what a pretty bird!) Unfortunately 'higgy's luck' struck again and as I was using my 300mm lens I was to close and couldn't focus on it!!!.....had I been quicker to react I could have taken my mobile phone out and probably got my best ever bird shot!!! LOL

Over four hours later all I had in the bag was my 'end of the day picture'...It really was getting really late at this point and dark!....

Sunday I knew would be better and the excitement got the better of me and bizarrely I was awake just after 5am! Well not one to waste an opportunity I was out of bed and heading for the wood by 5:20am! When I arrived it was still dark and I opted to follow the hedge line along in the next field to avoid waking & spooking my new best 'bullock' friends and frightening away anything else which might be out and about at this ridiculous hour! 

Thinking about my past photography failures I set the camera with my 'low light' settings and proceeded across the field. I didn't get any more than 100 yards when a fox came out of the hedge and proceeded to casually 'stroll' across the field, obviously on his way home, belly full from a nights hunting.....panic stations...no time for tripod...clang...right down on your belly camera ready....snap, snap, snap...three quick shots like a professionally trained SAS sniper.....

DRAT!!!......FUZZY FOX!.............

I think my 'low light' photography needs some work!!???....

Any way forget about another failure, the sun is rising so for a change a 'start of the day' shot this time...

7am, it's going to be hot and sunny and I'm behind my favourite Oak tree camera on tripod focused on the perch, there is now way I can fail in my mission this time is there??........

10:30am....movement across the pond....here we go camera ready......"oh drat, MOOR HEN!.....

Midday and still nothing, I'm not sure who is border now, me or that darn stick I've been staring at for the last five hours!!....To top it all 'Harry' has flown over several times and I've missed it as the cameras either been on the tripod set up or as I get it ready he flies back over into the tree canopy!!!....."Damn Buzzard!!"

Now I'm at the stage of about 12hours into this farcical 'Kingfisher' hunt now and I've just about had enough of it, my backs in agony, my eyes hurt and to just about sum it all up I've got sunburnt on my leg but it's just a lovely even 2" band around my knees where my wellies and shorts didn't quite meet!!!....how sexy!! LOL

"That's it I've had enough can't take it any more"....teddies firmly out of the pram!!.....grab the camera and I'm off for a walk to stretch my back....

"Hey there's Harry"......"drat not got my tripod!"....."oh well"....Snap....Snap....Snap....

The end to a great weekend......THANKS HARRY!!!!.....