What started as a disappointing day for photos, ended up being rather good. I'd had high hope of getting some decent shots at lunchtime. Most of the morning we'd been blessed with blues skies and so I decide to head for the fields when I got a break. As fortune would have it, it began to cloud over almost as soon as I'd set out, and was pouring with rain by the time I'd reached my target area. There was little for it but to put the camera away and head back. I managed one washed-out shot of a goldfinch, and watched as a green woodpecker bulleted by. Those things are like low level missiles when they take to the wing, flying low, fast and straight as an arrow.
Things were better this evening. I spotted the wood mouse out on the feeder. It's been hiding away of late, but it stayed long enough for me to grab a couple of shots. This one is a 100% crop (i.e. full size), but you'll need to click on the image to see what I mean.
This is the full frame the previous image was taken from.
I managed one other shot of the mouse which is also in the Wood Mouse Files album. I did spot it (or one of its family) on the ground later on, scuttling under shrub, but it was too quick for the camera.
A little later on I looked outside again to be greeted by the old dog fox, looking splendid in his winter glory.
Camera note: mouse photographed with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens and 21mm extension tube; the fox was photographed with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens. I used the Canon 430EX flash unit for all the shots.
Vulpes vulpes
7 Jan 2008Love the mouse nose crop! The dog fox is looking great these days too!!
chthoniid
8 Jan 2008Nice shots- do your extension tubes preserve the electrical contacts between the camera and the lens? In other words, can you still adjust apertures via the camera, or do you have to do it manually?
phiznlil
8 Jan 2008the cute nose shot is so… cute 😀
Words
8 Jan 2008Vulpes, thanks! I couldn't resist cropping the shot.
Words
8 Jan 2008Phil, glad you liked it!
Words
8 Jan 2008Brendan, the tubes are a set of three (13mm, 21mm, 31mm). Used individually they retain all the auto functions (focus and aperture/shutter), though I am in manual mode for all my night shooting anyway. Once you stack all three you can lose some functionality but with that degree of magnification I would expect to manully focus and use a ring flash. With one tube I let the autofocus have a go at finding the sweet spot, let it lock and then move the camera to sharpen up. It worked ok last night! The one draw back is that you much reduce the maximum working distance so there's no chance of grabbing a quick shot of something half a dozen feet away.
SittingFox
8 Jan 2008Spectacular mouse nose! :yes: Just amazing to be able to see such detail. I am so jealous of your approachable mice! They are much more skittish around here.
Flying Red Fox Blog
8 Jan 2008Heart::love: That woodmouse is really beautiful, great shot:D and very nice to see the Old Dogfox still around as happy as ever:D
Words
8 Jan 2008Mark, thanks! The mouse was fleeting last night but worth it. The old fox stayed around for a little longer and is well settled in. It's the longest he's been showing up consistently for well over a year.
Words
8 Jan 2008Adele, they don't always co-operate. It depends how slowly I approach and possibly on how settled they are when I spot them. Saw one tonight but it was gone by the time I'd lined up a shot 🙁
Words
10 Jan 2008Probably about a foot away, maybe slightly less. Certainly in touching range! It doesn't always let me get that close, but on a good night I can hover around for 5 or 10 minutes before one of us gets bored 😉
Ukwildlife
10 Jan 2008Extreme close up of the mouse there! how close to the feeder were you when it was taken?