Time for the birds

The English weather continues to baffle. Bright sunshine and hail was on the menu today, and the temperature was less than ideal. The mix of light also makes selecting camera settings something of a lottery, but despite that it's been a good couple of days for bird watching.

Yesterday I finally caught up with one of the local green woodpeckers. I've had glimpses over the past week or so, and have heard them (they make an unbelievable noise), so finally to be fortunate enough to be in camera range was a treat.

I had another surprise today. Goldfinches are among the most beautiful of our birds, and I get plenty of opportunity to see them out along the edge of fields but have never seen them in the garden. That's changed. This morning I glanced up the garden (into the direct sun) and perched on a shrub – in near silhouette – were a pair. I managed two frames before they were gone. This is the second of them. It was quite a handful to process, but hopefully worth it.

Out in the local fields this afternoon I had a couple more firsts-of-the year. A lone swallow – proving it's not yet summer – swept overhead, and a pair of skylarks were cavorting over the shrub-land.

But the star was a kestrel.

It was hunting along the edge of the valley, sweeping along the skyline. And as with the goldfinch it was the wrong side of the sun, meaning I was once again shooting into the light. Most of the shots were taken at a distance…

But not all. As I was panning its path it came ever closer. One of those moments when you pray the camera settings are ok because you're not about to look away to check or change. You just fire away in bursts.

All these and more are in the April Birds album. It's turning into a good month!

Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens

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This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Mickeyjoe-Irl

    13 Apr 2008

    The goldfinch was definitley worth it, amazing view up at the wings.

  2. FrogBoots

    13 Apr 2008

    Fabulous shots! :up: What a treat to see them, and to read your notes. 🙂

  3. Vulpes vulpes

    13 Apr 2008

    WOW at that last Kestrel shot!!! 😎 The Goldfinch is another :star: shot. :up: Never seen one from underneath. I get them in the garden but don't see them in the local hedgerows.

  4. cakkleberrylane

    13 Apr 2008

    Beautiful shots! I love the green woodpecker especially from underneith like that. The Kestrel is positively amazing!

  5. Dudley

    13 Apr 2008

    Always a pleasure to visit. Excellent!

  6. SittingFox

    13 Apr 2008

    Spectacular! The goldfinch shot is unique and as for the kestrel… :faint: Superb!

  7. anonymous

    13 Apr 2008

    Ivywall writes:

    Lovely kezzie shots! Not easy to capture those little so and sos! And the finch shot is very artistic – I like it!

    Patx

  8. Words

    13 Apr 2008

    Thanks! I had fun and angst about the goldfinch shot. Here's the unedited original:

    As you can see I've made the whole shot a lot brighter, adjusted levels and saturated the colour. I also cloned out a stray branch and some of the shrub on the left of the picture. I've got a five versions of it now :insane:

    I was really pleased with the kestrel. And to follow up I had a sparrowhawk pass over the garden today. Hence the new Raptors 2008 album on my main site.

    I like April!

  9. BitzyMe

    14 Apr 2008

    Fantastic shots Words! The kestrel is a beautiful little bird.

    Versions.. I have Gigs of them. I had to spend an hour last night backing photos off to the backup drive. The puter was literally crawling.

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