This new dSLR has a video or "live view" mode. It really doesn't allow great results when hand-held, especially with the long lens on. However perhaps it might be useful for capturing fly-pasts during seawatching from a tripod. Here's a first attempt from the tripod - things can only get better!
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Testing a new camera!
After a recent trip to Spain with Oliva Rama Tours to look for Iberian Wolf (we saw 2 between us!) my camera was stolen from my checked in luggage!
It was a fantastic trip with Iberian Wolf, Wild Boar, 300+ Great Bustards, 3 Little Bustards, 5 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 3 Black-shouldered Kites etc. etc. etc. but I have no photos to show here. My memory card was in the camera - so there's a lesson - take your card out of the camera and put it safe on the way home!
Anyway, I already have my replacement camera from the insurance and it's a Nikon D90 - a slightly more modern model. So I took it out for a test drive today.
Here are one or two photos from Herrington Country Park:
Black-headed Gull
"nordic" Jackdaw
"nordic" Jackdaw with Jackdaw behind
Moorhen
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Found List
Seawatching has been a bit frustrating at Whitburn recently, at least in comparison with previous years. Seemingly permanent Westerlies finally started to have a hint of Northerly in them in the last three days.
Today looked like it had some promise early on - Kittiwakes seemed to be coming past with much more speed and purpose and large numbers of very distant Manx Shearwaters were bombing through.
Bird of the morning was a juvenile Sabines Gull - poor distant views as it was only picked up having almost passed us to the north. It was a landmark for me though seeing as it was a "find tick". Sabine's Gull is a species I have always wanted to find - ever since I started reading Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow 25 years ago!
So, my "found list" is the number of species I have found in the UK, for myself (or at east as part of a group having made a contribution to the finding) using punkbirder rules – and it is now at 263.
To be honest it is the only birding "list" I really care about - I get a thrill from discovering a bird for myself or discovering a bird with friend(s).
263 is not a great total but it's not terrible either. Here are the "easiest" species I have never found in the UK.
Today looked like it had some promise early on - Kittiwakes seemed to be coming past with much more speed and purpose and large numbers of very distant Manx Shearwaters were bombing through.
Bird of the morning was a juvenile Sabines Gull - poor distant views as it was only picked up having almost passed us to the north. It was a landmark for me though seeing as it was a "find tick". Sabine's Gull is a species I have always wanted to find - ever since I started reading Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow 25 years ago!
So, my "found list" is the number of species I have found in the UK, for myself (or at east as part of a group having made a contribution to the finding) using punkbirder rules – and it is now at 263.
To be honest it is the only birding "list" I really care about - I get a thrill from discovering a bird for myself or discovering a bird with friend(s).
263 is not a great total but it's not terrible either. Here are the "easiest" species I have never found in the UK.
- Common Crane
- Scarlet Rosefinch
- Rough-legged Buzzard
- Subalpine Warbler
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Red-footed Falcon
- Dusky Warbler
- Rustic Bunting
- Alpine Swift
- Marsh Warbler
- Ortolan
- Woodchat Shrike
- Short-toed Lark
- Hoopoe
- White Stork
- Desert Wheatear
- Bee-eater
- Green-winged Teal
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper
- Red-rumped Swallow
- American Wigeon
- Ring-necked Duck
- Great White Egret
- Corncrake
- Golden Oriole
- Kentish Plover
- Hume's Warbler
- Olive-backed Pipit
- Lesser Scaup
- Ring-billed Gull
- Tawny Pipit
- White-billed Diver
- Serin
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Booted Warbler
- Blyth's Reed Warbler
- American Golden Plover
- Arctic Redpoll
- Thrush Nightingale
- White-winged Black Tern
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Lesser Grey Shrike
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Pied Wheatear
- Blue-winged Teal
- Night Heron
- Cattle Egret
- Wilson's Phalarope
- Glossy Ibis
- Stone Curlew
- Ferruginous Duck
- Great Spotted Cuckoo
- Squacco Heron
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Snow Goose
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Desert Warbler
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Bonelli's Warbler
- Ross's Gull
- Red-flanked Bluetail
- Isabelline Shrike
- Sardinian Warbler
- Great Reed Warbler
- Boneparte's Gull
- Lanceolated Warbler
- Spotted Crake
- Pallid Harrier
- Citrine Wagtail
- Black Stork
- King Eider
Monday, 18 May 2009
Extremadura, May 2009
Some photos from my recent trip to Extremadura.
(click on the slide show to go through to the actual gallery)
The highlight of a visit to this region of Spain must be seeing birds of prey everywhere! Look up and you will almost certainly see a Black Kite or a Griffon Vulture and if not one of those perhaps a White Stork. This is completely unlike birding in most of the UK!
Other highlights included 5 new birds for me - White-rumped Swift, Great Bustard (including a flock of 21), Little Bustard, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Western Orphean Warbler.
But what about regular views of BeeEaters, Hoopoes and Red-rumped Swallows? Scope views of male Golden Oriole? Roller? Subalpine Warbler - there are too many brilliant birds to choose from.
Then there were butterflies, dragonflies, lizards, terrapins, frogs, bats, a preying mantis, glow-worms etc. etc.
Fantastic!
(click on the slide show to go through to the actual gallery)
The highlight of a visit to this region of Spain must be seeing birds of prey everywhere! Look up and you will almost certainly see a Black Kite or a Griffon Vulture and if not one of those perhaps a White Stork. This is completely unlike birding in most of the UK!
Other highlights included 5 new birds for me - White-rumped Swift, Great Bustard (including a flock of 21), Little Bustard, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Western Orphean Warbler.
But what about regular views of BeeEaters, Hoopoes and Red-rumped Swallows? Scope views of male Golden Oriole? Roller? Subalpine Warbler - there are too many brilliant birds to choose from.
Then there were butterflies, dragonflies, lizards, terrapins, frogs, bats, a preying mantis, glow-worms etc. etc.
Fantastic!
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Whooper Swans and Snow Buntings
A flock of 82 Whooper Swans turned up at Herrington Country Park last week and it turns out that this was the second biggest flock ever in Durham! Here's a small part of the flock.
Then today, Chairman of the Durham Bird Club found two gorgeous Snow Buntings in Hendon.
Two brilliant species, neither found by me - but who cares!
Then today, Chairman of the Durham Bird Club found two gorgeous Snow Buntings in Hendon.
Two brilliant species, neither found by me - but who cares!
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Brooklyn Birding
I have just arrived back from a week in Brooklyn, during which I was lucky enough to go birding in Prospect Park most mornings before breakfast. Temperatures were pretty low (close to freezing on some days) and the light was not that good for photography. But I had lots of fun and saw some great birds.
Thanks to the people at the Prospect Park Birding Blog for providing up-to-date sightings which whetted my appetite before I arrived. What a great local patch to have!
I have only seen a handful of Winter Wrens in the USA, so finding this chap in the undergrowth was a real thrill (despite seeing them all the time in the UK).
Winter Wren
Winter Wren - dodgy photos - it was nearly dark!
Another highlight were the woodpeckers - four species seen - and in particular the absolutely tiny Downy Woodpeckers. They are becoming one of my favourite species! This pair were trying to find food inside some pretty thin grass stems - fascinating to watch a sparrow-sized woodpecker at work:
Downy Woodpecker (male) - what a great pose - but this is what happens when you change the white-balance setting on the camera by mistake!
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Downy Woodpecker (female)
The two common Sparrow species were Song and White-throated, both of which can be pretty birds:
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
and here are some other miscellaneous birds from the park.
American Robin
Pied-billed Grebe
Belted Kingfisher
Ring-billed Gull
Thanks to the people at the Prospect Park Birding Blog for providing up-to-date sightings which whetted my appetite before I arrived. What a great local patch to have!
I have only seen a handful of Winter Wrens in the USA, so finding this chap in the undergrowth was a real thrill (despite seeing them all the time in the UK).
Winter Wren
Winter Wren - dodgy photos - it was nearly dark!
Another highlight were the woodpeckers - four species seen - and in particular the absolutely tiny Downy Woodpeckers. They are becoming one of my favourite species! This pair were trying to find food inside some pretty thin grass stems - fascinating to watch a sparrow-sized woodpecker at work:
Downy Woodpecker (male) - what a great pose - but this is what happens when you change the white-balance setting on the camera by mistake!
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Downy Woodpecker (female)
The two common Sparrow species were Song and White-throated, both of which can be pretty birds:
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
and here are some other miscellaneous birds from the park.
American Robin
Pied-billed Grebe
Belted Kingfisher
Ring-billed Gull
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