The Bank Holiday produced typically underwhelming weather… early mist followed by metal-grey skies and a touch of rain. For a short while this afternoon it looked as though things might brighten up. They didn't, but by that time I was already out in the field.
It was a relatively quiet day, but I did spy a kestrel in the distance. I had just started taking some shots when another bird cam into view. A hobby, a small-peregrine-like raptor which summers in England. So I have a first of sorts, a shot of a kestrel and a hobby together.
The hobby circled once or twice before moving away, but it was long enough to get a few more shots. In this one you can see the reddish rump, one of its identifying features (along with vertical barring).
This is a close crop from another frame.
The other birds making the most of the quiet skies were the swifts. I managed a decent vantage point at the top of a hill. As ever, their flight patterns were near impossible to follow, but with a good-sized flock I had plenty to pick from and there were a few usable shots at the end of the day. This is the best sequence. For those interested, I set the auto-focus to multiple points (I usually use a single centre-point for tracking birds, but a wider focusing field whcih self-adjusts is a help when they are moving quite so quickly and erratically).
The final shot today was taken late in the evening. The garden crows were making a racket out in the garden at just after 10.30pm. On investigation it appeared that a pair of them were circling low at the far end of the garden. I've no idea what had set them off (they do have a nest nearby). I set the camera to ISO 1600, focused on a nearby tree, held the focus, and waited until something came into range. This was a one shot opportunity and produced what I think is my most unusual shot of an extremely common subject.
Camera note: all daylight shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. The crow at night was taken with the EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS lens (at 70mm), ISO 1600, with the Canon 430EX flash unit for lighting.
gdare
31 May 2011Night stealth bird 😎
Words
31 May 2011Darko, it was odd seeing them out so late. And I was slightly wary of them as they seemed so angry with something.
Words
31 May 2011Erwin, thanks!
SittingFox
4 Jun 2011Night crow – cool 😎 Long ago, when I was watching foxes by night all the time, I saw the occasional magpie. But finding crows in the darkness is obviously hard!
Words
4 Jun 2011Adele, revealed by the incessant noise. They seem to be doing it quite a lot, but I haven't yet spotted which particular potential predator they are targeting… not that any of them are likely to get to their nest.
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Very nice shots