Just a Tick

Slim pickings at Labrador Bay

I went to this RSPB reserve for the first time on Sunday. It is a strip of fields and grassland on the Devon coast, between Teignmouth and Torquay. The site slopes steeply down to Lyme Bay, so it is quite a spectacular. The main attraction is the cirl bunting and the notice board advised looking in the stubble fields: so I wandered north from the car park on the path beside the first stubble field., after about 20 metres a few birds flew up from the corner of the field. The first one looked like a fieldfare, but it flew right away. Half a dozen others perched in the hedge and looked at me. The first three were chaffinches but the other three were genuine cirl buntings. A life tick - too easy!
I noticed a couple more foraging on the ground in the field. Time for photos, but my camera was in my bag, so I had to take a minute to get it out; the birds just sat and watched me. Then I had to look down to mount it on my monopod and when I looked up again, everything had disappeared!
I got my boots very muddy as I walked around the field and around the next one, but I only saw crows. At the end of that field I spotted a falcon flying in the distance which one of the crows mobbed half-heartedly - I thought it was a young peregrine and a couple of very bad photos eventually confirmed this. A minute or two later I glimpsed another falcon and I heard the unmistakable cry of the peregrine. But that was the end of the excitement: the wind got fresher, the clouds built up and nothing else was happened.
I will return, but my camera gear will be at the ready before I step off the car park.

A Quickie at Slimbridge

 A bit of luck

Driving south through snowy England, I broke my journey at Slimbridge (much nicer than any of the motorway service areas). It was dull and grey, but the now made flat lighting more interesting. I only stopped for an hour or so, but it was well worth the effort. There wasn't much to see, indeed I have never seen fewer birds on Tack Piece in 39 years of irregular visiting, just a handful of sleepy Bewick's swans and a hungry looking buzzard.
The feeding station next to the Robbie Garnett hide had more activity, a couple of birders were photographing the tits and jackdaws on the feeders, but just after I arrived a water rail walked out of the reeds to join the moorhens in the shallow water around the feeders. I drew the nearer birder's attention to it as quietly as I could and then got out my camera with the 500mm lens and rested it on my beanbag. Fortunately the rail was reasonably co-operative and stayed around for at least 5 minutes, finding a couple of morsels worth eating. I had to use a very slow shutter speed at 200 ISO but I took 110 photos to give myself the best chance to make the most of the opportunity. Looking at the results, I was surprised to see how much the bird moved its head, even when its body was quite still. This shot was by far the best (1/60s at f/5).

I got a few more shots of Bewick's swans and pintails at the Rushy. But these are high key images which will need careful processing, so I won't rush to post them.
I then drove on through a heavy snowfall in Somerset. Conditions were so bad that a military Chinook helicopter (the big 2 rotor job) throbbed north up the motorway at about 50 feet as I was making a phone call at Taunton Dean services: I assume the pilot had to use the motorway to navigate in the white-out conditions.

Challenged by a Barn Owl

Flight shots in twilight and the photographer's dilemma

Until Wednesday I had never watched a barn owl. I had seen them occasionally but that’s not the same thing: for me, watching isn’t just using my eyes and binoculars but my camera too. I want the best photos that I can take. There are three simple rules for taking good photos in natural light

1     use a fast shutter speed to avoid subject movement and camera shake

2     use a small aperture for good depth of field and good lens performance

3     use a low ISO setting for good sensor performance

The problem is that these three choices are mutually exclusive: the photographer's dilemma is choosing right compromise for the situation.

My situation was the Ron Barker hide at Martin Mere WWT reserve just after 3pm, with a couple of other snappers waiting for the owl. I had glimpsed it flying back to its barn at 9.45am. The rest of the day had been dull, icy and unmemorable so all my hopes rested on the owl when I returned to the hide.

For a flying bird in good light, I like to set my D300s at 200 ISO and 1/1000s hoping to have the aperture of my 500mm prime Nikkor at about f/8; I think that’s the compromise that gives me the best chance. Obviously I couldn't chose these settings even for record shots of the owl. When it reappeared I took some shots at around 1/640s, f/6.3 and 640 ISO. Then I did some chimping (I love that term) to check the images and histograms. As the owl was quartering the far end of the field its image in the frame was very small. I decided to try more focal length by fitting my 1.4 converter to make my 500mm f/4 lens into a 700mm f/5.6.

That change gave me a better image size, but the light was getting worse. My camera is set up for shutter priority as I think that the shutter speed is the most important choice. Could I risk a slower one? Fortunately owls do not fly fast and our barn owl’s hunting strategy meant that it was frequently flying towards the hide, before vanishing behind two hawthorns in the hedge. I knew I’d see blurred wingtips (at least) unless I could catch a moment when the owl had a short glide. I caught one here, 640 ISO, 1/320s and f/5.6 (the dark shapes in the background are longhorn cattle).

That image needed considerable cropping, but it was far better than any of my other shots. A small subject moving in poor light is a tough test for an autofocus system and I got very blurred results when I experimented with even slower shutter speeds. By the time the owl disappeared after 25 minutes, I was working at 1600 ISO.

The other photographers left while I was sorting out my camera bag and closing the windows of the hide. Then the owl reappeared and sat on the fence at the bottom of the field. It was 3.50pm and quite dark when it started to hunt again. I removed the converter, set the ISO to 3200 (my camera's maximum value) and shot a few more frames. After 5 minutes it flew over the hedge and behind the hide. I ran to the other end of the hide and took a few more shots, this time it came closer and gave a flypast before it disappeared (1/500s at f/4 and f/5.6).

I wasn’t sure if any of these images would be satisfactory and I wondered if the owl might be seen from the Kingfisher hide which is close to the path back to the main entrance. I was in luck. I got a few more shots of the owl perched on a gate near the Kingfisher hide, although I missed some more flight shots.

All these shots needed quite a bit of processing with Capture NX2 to reduce the noise and to control the contrast and the colours, and then some minor retouching with cropping and resizing using Photoshop CS5.

On reflection I am quite pleased with these images, but I think I could have done a little better if I had started by setting exposure compensation at -1/3 or -2/3 stop to give slightly darker images with a more natural impression of the twilight. I tried to give a hint of this in the processing, but doing it in camera would have been easier and better and it would have eased the shutter speed/aperture dilemma a little. I also wish that I had reduced the ISO for the final shots of the owl on the gate, as I could have used a shutter speed of 1/200s for those.

Now I want another chance to try for better owl pictures.

Selected Images from 2012

I did not have as many opportunities for photography as I wanted in 2012, but I have chosen a few images of wildlife and of zoo animals to show what I managed to achieve.

Wildlife

 Greenfinch

16th May, Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire; from the path between the Eric Morecambe and Allen hides. 500mm lens and 1.4x converter.
Early morning light makes this image special, it shows the shape of the finch and brings out its coloration.

Avocet feeding

21st May, Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire; from the Allen hide. 500mm lens and 1.4x converter.
Several pairs of pairs of avocets nested on this brackish lagoon beside Morecambe Bay. I can remember when avocets were very rare in the UK and you had to go to East Anglia to see them.

 Male marsh harrier

21st May, Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire; from the Lower hide. 500mm lens.
My best BIF (bird in flight) image from 2012. I have spent many hours in this hide over the years, hoping for a shot like this. This male was a busy boy as he had to provide for three nests.

Emperor dragonfly male

8th July, Aylesbeare Common RSPB reserve, Devon; at a pool NW of the entrance. 500mm lens and 1.4x converter.
700 mm focal length would seem like overkill for a dragonfly, but Emperor males are large and very skittish. I took this shot from the opposite side of a small pool. This old male has worn wings and a damaged clasper.

Stoat in long grass

9th October, Martin Mere WWT reserve, Lancashire; from Ron Barker hide (Miller's Bridge).  500mm lens and 1.4x converter.
I watched this stoat hunting around the hide for several minutes and I was lucky to catch this pose. I tried to take some shots as it was bounding through the grass, reminding me of a dolphin 'porpoising' through a choppy sea, but they were total failures.

A murmuration of starlings

9th October, Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire; just before dusk from road overlooking the Lower hide. 105mm lens.
One of the spectacles of the British autumn and winter as our local starlings are joined by thousands of migrants from northern Europe.

Carrion crow

4th November, Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire; from the Eric Morecambe hide. 500mm lens and 1.4x converter.
This wild crow sat on the fence right in front of the hide and watched the birdwatchers. I like crows and I would far rather get a nice photo of a common bird like this than a fuzzy shot of a rarity.

Grey seal bull

11th November, Donna Nook NNR, Lincolnshire; from main footpath. 500mm.
Donna Nook gets thousands of visitors in November and December. Most people photograph the seal pups. I know the adult seals are not as cute, but they are more interesting; this big bull is looking out for rivals.

Zoo animals

Male Derbyan Parakeet

5th March, aviary attached to Elephant House, Chester Zoo. 300mm. Beautiful light showed the colours of this wonderful bird.

Common Tenrec

24th March, Tenrec House, Paignton Zoo. 105mm (through glass). I needed patience to shoot this unusual crepuscular species.

Black-headed village weaver male displaying

1st April, Tsavo Aviary, Chester Zoo. 500mm. I liked the contre jour lighting, but I had to take quite a few shots to get a clear view of the bird's eye with the wings in the position I wanted.

Tuatara male 'Pixie'

10th June, Tropical House, Chester Zoo. 500mm (through glass). A  very rare animal which is a true living fossil. With a little effort you can imagine that Pixie is 50 metres long, although his real length is only about 50cm.

Boelen's python

1st September, Islands in Danger, Chester Zoo. 105mm (through glass). The first species I go to see when I visit Chester Zoo, because they are most active as the zoo opens. This snake is my favourite because of the fantastic iridescence of its scales.

Spectacled bear female 'Franka'

1st September, Bear enclosure, Chester Zoo. 105mm. Franka has the most perfect spectacle markings that I have ever seen. I think she was looking for her keeper and hoping for another watermelon.

Gorilla infant 'Kukena'

22nd September, Gorilla Island, Bristol Zoo. 500mm plus 1.4x converter. I photographed Kukena running away from his mother Salome a few days before his first birthday. His game was to run about 4 metres as fast as he could, climb onto a log and turn to look at his mother, then to run back to her again.

Gorilla male 'Kumbuka'

27th September, Gorilla Island, Paignton Zoo. 500mm. I confess that gorillas are my favourite animals. This exceptionally handsome young silverback is due to become the leader of the group at London Zoo.

Belanger's tree shrew

3rd November, enclosure inside Elephant House, Chester Zoo. 105mm (through glass). It may look as though I used flash for this photo, but the little guy was actually illuminated by a spotlight in the roof of the enclosure.

More Fun with Grebes - Cue Dabchick Action!

11th December 2012

My second morning with the grebes also dawned bright and clear, but rather cold. Most of the surface of the pond at Dawlish Warren was covered by ice, leaving a strip of clear water about a metre wide along the northern edge. This was lucky for me as the black-necked grebe was confined to diving in this area, so I just had to wait as it worked its way towards me, although it couldn't come quite as close as the previous day. By the time it was in position the sunlight was slightly diffused by a thin veil of cloud, which was ideal for the showing the texture of its feathers. As previously I had my 500mm lens and converter on my monopod and I composed my shots to include all the bird's reflection, but I had set up my camera with a single focus point above the centre of the frame to hold focus on that fiery red eye.

The ice also constrained two of the dabchicks (little grebes) that I had only seen at a distance before. As my photos show they have similar proportions to the black-necked grebe although they are slightly smaller. Both species have wonderfully fluffy plumage when they take a rest from diving.

I love the old name of dabchick, because there is something rather like a day-old chick about the feathering and proportions of this bird, which is emphasised by their pale winter plumage. As it happened the one that came closest to me was more or less in breeding plumage. I was delighted because dabchicks can be quite elusive although they are common (unlike the black neck).

I knew I was really in luck when this dabchick came to the surface near me with a long pink object wriggling in its beak. I thought was that it was an earthworm for a moment, but I realised that was a silly idea - anyway I had to shoot first and ask questions afterwards. The grebe had quite a struggle and gave its meal a good shaking, which attracted the attention of its companion (perhaps its mate or offspring) which rushed out the reeds, presumably hoping for a free lunch. My grebe was not interested in this idea and swam towards me before making quick work of its meal near the edge of the ice.

I couldn't keep the dabchick in focus throughout the action, but I got enough shots to make this short sequence. I had my shutter speed set at 1/500s to capture the bird diving and surfacing; consequently the aperture was f/5.6, the maximum for this lens and converter combination, as I always try to maintain the minimum ISO setting of 200 to get the best colour and tonal quality in my images. In spite of the narrow depth of field I think I made the right choices here although the action was far faster and better than I could have reasonably expected. My first view of these photos revealed that the dabchick's meal was a newt, probably a palmate newt. This is an interesting observation as I don't think newts are often recorded as part of a grebe's diet and the textbooks say that they generally spend the winter on land too. It seems this newt was either unwise or unlucky, on the other hand the dabchick was lucky and of course I was lucky too!
I have been back to the pond a couple of times subsequently, all the grebes are still there but I  haven't been able to improve on these photos. 

Fun with Grebes, my first Black-necked Grebe

10th December 2012 

Nature photography can be a frustrating hobby; there are just so many things that can go wrong. The first problem is usually finding a subject: you need information, skill as a naturalist and often a touch of luck too. Then you need reasonable weather and decent light: which can be problematic in the UK. You also hope for an attractive setting which shows your subject's habitat. Obviously you need the right camera gear for the situation and the skill to use it properly (we all fail at that sooner or later). Of course your subject may not show up or it may appear and then disappear immediately or hide or go to sleep, so you have to be glad of one or two nice poses and any interesting behaviour is a real bonus.
I had never seen a black-necked grebe, so when I read about one on the Dawlish Warren website, I decided to go there at the first opportunity. December 10th dawned bright and clear and I spotted the grebe immediately I reached the pond. There are three vantage points where the vegetation has been cut back at the water's edge, but two were under water because of recent heavy rain. I waited quietly at the third point at the southern end of the pond, while the grebe was busy at the northern end and the sun rose in the sky. 
I knew that I needed my 500mm lens and 1.4 converter for good results, and when the grebe came to the middle of the pond I got a few record shots. I saw immediately that the bird was so small that I needed it to come closer. Checking these images and their histograms made it clear that there was no point in shooting unless the bright red eye was illuminated by the sun.
Then the magic happened. Everything just fell into place. That wonderful little bird came closer and closer, swimming across the smooth water and diving in front of the reeds where the light was brightest. I knew that I could have no excuses; if my photos were no good, it could only be my own fault. That's the final challenge of nature photography - are the photos as interesting  and as beautiful as they ought to be? You can judge for yourselves.

As I was taking the photos I kept telling myself to keep the camera as low as possible, although I was shooting over a low fence and some pruned willows and to watch the reflection as well as the bird. I think the reflection gives the photo a sense of the environment and adds greatly to the aesthetic effect. Unfortunately I missed it on the last shot because the little guy just came too close! This is not a common problem for bird photographers.
Technically speaking, I was disappointed that I had not got the focus exactly right on many of my photos. It took me some time to understand why. The basic rule is to focus on the eye, but I had my focus set on a single central point, But because I was including the reflection in each shot, this put the focus point on the bird's 'waterline'. Normally this wouldn't matter much, but this small grebe has a very broad beam, so my point of focus tended to be just in front of its eye and there was not enough depth of field as I was shooting at about 1/400s at f/7.1 with a 700mm focal length. I should have realised this while I was shooting, but the grebe was diving and surfacing so frequently and coming so close that I had to work hard to focus and compose each photo and I didn't have time to think things through 
I wanted to try again using a focus point above the centre of the image and ready to remove the converter if the grebe came very close.