A beautiful sunny day today, with blue skies and plenty of light. It won't last of course (it's already raining again), but it brought the birds out into the open, including flocks of herring gulls over the garden. It also meant that I was due a trip to the local recycling centre to dispose of some green waste (prunings). And that's always an excuse to head for the fields, which is where most of these shots were taken.
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
SittingFox
12 Jan 2008Great clean-cut magpie! :up: The head-on gull has a severe expression! I've seen quite a few up here today out on the local golf course but I almost never get chances for close-up shots of them here.
Words
12 Jan 2008I've been trying to get a head-on shot for ages, but they nearly always turn their head to one side at the vital moment. This one just kept coming at me, and then circled around (by the edge of a golf course as it happens). That was the best of many magpie shots. A pair of them were playing chase with the stonechat. :eyes:
Vulpes vulpes
13 Jan 2008Brilliant head-on gull shot!
BitzyMe
13 Jan 2008The head on gull shot is awsome. Seeing a bird in flight from that perspective really shows off the aerodynmics. the Magpie is a fairly downy bird by the looks. He would blend in nicely in a winter forest, black/white.
Words
13 Jan 2008Thanks! I'd have been more worried if a herring gull was heading at me like that though.:yikes:
BitzyMe
13 Jan 2008Same family… ohhhh Yes!! Now I see there is somewhat of a similarity in the beaks..magpie and crow, for tearing and puncturing their prey,,, OR roadkill. So they are both scavengers.
Words
13 Jan 2008Bitzy, fortunately those gulls are relatively sedate on the wing. Magpies have a bad reputation, but are incredibly graceful. They're from the same family (corvids) as the crow, and have the same mean streak about them.
Words
13 Jan 2008Indeed, scavengers and thieves. Magpies have a reputation for stealing objects (anything shiny), and will raid nests for eggs or chicks.
BitzyMe
13 Jan 2008😆 Years and years ago I had a tame cockatiel. He talked and was quite the little character.. SweetPea. He would steal my earrings and drop them into a wicker basket on top of my entertainment center. If I was ever misssing an earring, I knew where to look! 😉
gdare
13 Jan 2008Excellent photo of the seagull and magpie, seems to me like he was looking right to you 😀
CedarFox
13 Jan 2008Great photos of the birds! :up: The gull shot is superb, we don't have any of those gulls over here, but we have lots and lots of herring gulls
Words
14 Jan 2008Eric, thanks. Mainly we get herring gulls here. I generally have to go out to the fields to see the black-headeds. They're much prettier gulls, and always seem a bit quirky to me.
Words
14 Jan 2008Bitzy, we don't have too much problem with thefts by magpies, but we've had the foxes turn up with bedroom slippers!
Words
14 Jan 2008Thanks Darko. A moment earlier it had its head turned to one side, so the timing worked out well.
BitzyMe
14 Jan 2008Slippers??? 😆 My dogs take care of that, but only my sons, not mine. They don't DARE touch mine. :eyes: 😉
ALLY_G
15 Jan 2008sensational shots of the flying birds! :eyes: :up:
I have two favourites: the first and the fourth photo. 🙂
Flying Red Fox Blog
15 Jan 2008Thats a fantastic shot of the Gull heading towards you :yes: When its windy like its been for the last week its great for catching them as they glide slowly and almost seem to be suspended in flight!
Words
15 Jan 2008Mark, gulls are great for 'standing still' in the air. I still get a lot of missed shots, but it's a lot easier than trying to photograph blackbirds in flight. They're almost impossibly quick!
Words
15 Jan 2008Elke, thanks! I really like those two shots. The magpie was making it easy. It ws taking short glides and then resting again, so I had lots of chances to one shot!
Words
15 Jan 2008Bitzy, sounds like you've got your dogs well trained 😉