Osprey

 Believe it or not, I have been quite restrained when selecting pictures for this post. I have more images of this beautiful Osprey but have held back a few. Enjoy the pictures and then see the story below...

I had gone to Utah Lake State Park to visit a farmers market, with no expectation that I would see anything remarkable given the noise from the PA system and the large number of people that were around. The market itself was a disappointment and had I not been waiting for other family members to arrive I would most likely have left pretty quickly without even venturing to the waterfront. However, I did have to wait and I was so glad because I was treated to a wonderful display as this majestic Osprey was flying over the marina and even fishing alongside pleasure boats allowing me the opportunity to get a few decent shots. 

I have only seen an Osprey once before in the UK and even then it was at a distance due to restrictions around the nest site (and although last year one did land on the beach close to where I live, I only heard about that after it had moved on). So, I was very excited to see this one up close and seemingly unperturbed by the large gathering of people. It made a few passes before flying off to find another fishing spot and perhaps to get away from the pesky Kingbird that was harassing it. 

These images were shot on my Canon 5D mk4 with Canon 100-400mm F4.5 - 5.6L IS ii USM plus 1.4x iii converter. The shutter speed was 1250/s and I think I should have used a faster speed for crisper images. I'll know for next time...

Right Place, Right Time

 Unless you are working in a studio or a prepared set of some kind a great deal of success in photography is about being in the right place at the right time. Of course you won't know what you have missed if you don't see it but there have been many times when I have been in the right place but I haven't been ready or I have just seen the bird I wanted to photograph fly away as I arrived or got set up. Imagine the frustration of arriving at a hide to be told by another photographer that a kingfisher has been about and seeing the fantastic images he has captured and then sitting for an hour or so afterwards and seeing nothing.

Last October I went down to Cornwall for a short break, I was mostly prepared to photograph the landscape and some sunsets. I was not expecting to do any wildlife photography, because it was short break I knew I wouldn't have the time to sit for a long time staking out my prey as it were.

On the last day of my trip I was visiting St Ives and after a spell sitting on the beach and paddling in the cold sea I went in search of a place to eat. I was walking around a small headland and got talking to a guy from Lancashire who was watching some birds on the rocks, they were Rock Pipits and he was excited because he had never seen them before. At this point in time my camera was packed away, food not photography was on my mind. As I left him to the pipits I walked around the path and spotted a small group of people with their mobile phones held high as they tried to photograph a kestrel that was hovering just above the path. I have rarely seen a wild kestrel so close and at first I just watched and then realised I was missing an opportunity. I got my camera out and started shooting before realising that the settings were all wrong. I soon rectified that and then gradually approached closer and closer to get what I think are some amazing shots. This chance encounter was certainly a case of being in the right place at the right time. I was buzzing, not just because I knew I had got some good photos but because being so close to this beautiful bird was a real treat and an experience I won't forget.

As an aside, you will know that kestrels and other birds of prey have exceptional vision, they can spot their prey from tiny movements from height and then approach almost silently before going in for the kill. But, did you know that they also have the ability to see in the ultraviolet spectrum and this allows them to see the urine/scent trails of mice and small rodents which reflect UV light and leave what can be described as a "glow trail" this can lead the kestrel to its prey by following the trail even if the mouse is hidden.

Anyway here are some of the shots I captured that evening, you can see from the first 2 images how close it was to the path.

On The Move

 I think I am spoiling you yet again with this selection.

This great white egret is such a stunning bird and having shared the pictures in my previous post of the bird actually feeding these shots show it in the process of hunting and were all taken moments before it caught a fish.

In flight the egret keeps its long neck tucked back over its body and its legs outstretched but when hunting it keeps its neck stretched forwards as it remains focused on its target.

There is so much that I like about these images, the graceful shape of the bird with wings outstretched, the movement in the feather; as they are affected by the updraft when it lands and the way the ends of the feathers curl upwards as they act as air brakes, I like the blue tint on the feathers in certain light, and the warm glow of the wings as they are backlit by the afternoon sun and then in the final image I like the shadow of the birds curled neck seen through the wing.

It was hard to walk away as this beautiful bird continued to fish close by but I hoe you will agree that the pictures I have shared over the last few days have made it worth the time I spent observing and photographing it. It felt like a real privilege to be there at just the right time.

Formation Flying... Keep Up Back There!

 I am told (via Google lens) that these ducks are Gadwall and my perusal of various guide books suggests that is correct. In one RSPB guide they are described as "a rather undistinguished duck" but in another RSPB guide they are described as "elegant, exquisitely marked birds at close range". It has a similar appearance to a Mallard but is smaller in size, they are seen in much fewer numbers than mallards so I am quite pleased to have witnessed this small flock flying around at Mere Sands Woods in Lancashire.

They were quite a way off so there is not much detail unfortunately but what I really like about these images is the shapes of the birds in flight as they swoop and turn looking for a good place to land or rather splash down. 

You can see that many of the birds have open beaks and as they were flying they made quite a racket. I wonder what they were communicating to each other, and which bird was leading the conversation, I noticed that the bird at the back in each photo was not joining in and perhaps they were being told to keep up!

Cat Face

 This selection of pictures are of a Eurasian Eagle Owl. This is the UK's largest species of owl and it is really quite magnificent. They were almost extinct in the UK now so long ago apart from those birds in private collections but in recent years there has been an increase in their numbers. This increase has received a mixed reception because they will take other birds of prey as part of their diet, including other endangered species so the conservation programme has to be carefully managed.

I think they are really splendid birds and I have been lucky enough to see one in the wild, it was a visitor at Burton Mere Wetlands a few years ago and it attracted a large number of twitchers  who were all lined up in the hope pf catching a glimpse.

I think there is something feline about these birds, at least in the shape of the face especially in flight, what do you think???

Black Headed Gull

 This is a pretty common sight around out coastline, a black headed gull. "Black headed ?"you say, "surely not! " But yes, it is a non breeding adult, the black head you would expect to see is actually the breeding plumage.

This might seem a fairly boring subject for my blog pictures when there are more exciting species to go in search of, and to be honest I would much rather be photographing more exotic species. However wildlife photography involves a lot of patience and a lot of effort and sometimes you just have to shoot what is there. 

I had gone out onto the beach waiting for the tide to come in and to see the flocks of waders that come in ahead of the tide. It was a little further out than I had expected so as I waited I tried to get some practice with the gulls.

In the first image you can see that it was calling out, maybe a warning to keep my distance, look at that long floppy tongue. In the second image it had walked a little further away before launching into the air as flying away as you can see in the final image.

Taking to the skies

 As the afternoon progressed upwards of 150 Red Kites arrived but this was one of the early arrivals that took a few moments to rest near the top of a tree. 

I really like this sequence of images, I could sense it was checking me out (look at the intense stare) before taking to the sky and showing off how agile it is.

Red Kite

 

Looking at these shots can you see why I love these birds so much?

They have such striking plumage and a piercing gaze, and in flight they are the most agile acrobats.

Watching them as they flew in over the hill tops they were performing somersaults and aerobatics.

Capturing images of these birds in flight is quite tricky as they move with such speed, it is hard to track them but even to get a few decent pictures is a good reward and enough to entice me to visit this wonderful location again.

In Flight

 I have recently been reading some articles about photographing birds in flight so while i was at Staithes I thought I would try a few shots of the gulls around the harbour. 

Sometimes gulls are relatively easy to capture because they can glide by slowly, or in strong winds they almost hover in the air allowing time to focus and plan the shot but on this particular day these birds were on a mission and they swooped past at high speed. I think is did quite well with these shots of Herring Gulls but think I could have done better with a faster shutter speed.

On the other side of the harbour there were even more gulls building nests on the cliffs but they were even harder to photograph, I may have one or two useable images to share but I will save those for another day.