So the other day I told you that my goal for the year was to photograph a Dipper one of the most amazing songbirds in Britain, not because of its song but because of its amazing swimming ability. Due to the current lockdown it was starting to look like I would miss out. On my first trip out with the intention of photographing one I managed just one fleeting glimpse as an adult bird flew past me downstream.
A couple of days later I headed back to the River Wye in Derbyshire and this time in Chee Dale I was so excited to see this little beauty. I watched it feeding and then as it perched on this mossy log I was able to get some shots. I am always super critical of my pictures and I know I can do better so I will definitely be on the lookout for more opportunities but I am pleased with these images and the memories that go with them.
A little further downstream I heard the noisy chatter of two more dippers, an adult bird feeding a hungry youngster. It is scenes like that that really underline why I love being outdoors and why I love nature and wildlife photography.
A couple of days before this I had unsuccessfully tried to get a good shot of a whitethroat.
Like the blackcap I showed you the other day these birds have a beautiful song and they fly about the trees and hedgerows and they are very difficult to spot. I got a couple of shots taken at distance but nothing that I was really thrilled with. Then, as I was heading back to the car park I spotted this little fella perched at the top of a tree singing his heart out. I was able to get several shots and I have to say I am really pleased with them. I love the pose in this picture as he is looking around. I think you will agree he is a handsome little bird.
Another soft focus today for this shot of a male Linnet(Linaria cannabina) in breeding plumage. These birds have a beautiful song and were once very popular as cage birds. Apparently they derive their scientific name from the fact that they like to feed on hemp and their English name from another favourite food which is Flax from which linen is made.
There was a 57% decline in numbers in the UK between the 1970's and 2008 but happily in some parts of the UK they are seeing an increase and I was pleased to see this little beauty helping to brighten up a wet morning at Brockholes. I recall reading a novel in school many years ago where one of the characters had a linnet on her hat, sadly I can't remember which book so actually that was quite a useless bit of trivia, never mind .
I know this isn't the sharpest picture I have ever posted that is because it was shot in very poor light and has a high ISO so it is a bit soft and grainy but it is still a nice image and if I printed it onto a photorag paper it would look a bit like a watercolour so the softness would work well.
This little song bird is a whitethroat and it flits about over hedges and scrub land and it will perch on low branches or thickets and sing its little head off.
It also has a really interesting song flight in that it seems to bob through the air whilst in full song. It flies upwards and then drops down as if it has stalled mid-air and then it flies up again and drops again and then it will find a perch to settle on before resuming this bouncing musical display.
The bird in this picture is a male, the female is more brown in colour but equally as beautiful.
I know that Robins are really popular with a lot of people. There is something very special about them and they're definitely one of my favourite birds. I love listening to their beautiful song, whenever I hear it it makes me smile and feel really good.
I have called today's post Stage Fright because this little chap was singing beautifully and I managed to get a few shots with its head back and beak open trilling away and then he just stopped. My son suggested that it was because he realised he was being photographed hence the title. While it works as a funny title I can exclusively reveal that he was simply pausing for breath and soon after the second shot he started singing once again. Beautiful!
