tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44330557779966614332024-03-18T09:47:39.013+00:00The Tall BirderStephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-74229484903108662282024-02-11T15:34:00.007+00:002024-02-11T15:39:15.468+00:00Kingfisher - Otterbourne, nr Winchester - 15 January 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oXZfZ0ydqzUpvjppwG4T871SBxYrTATB3tXMLBLqaedlsBzvhl2nbfQ9fP8OnG0_Y63NWuYGr6ohT0q34aarARol240af1xTiji2HkbYnyIL-mTFV6WBc5TNJGRxfIAupZ1SdILkGIFvhNnne4DLmmsX9wvUwWbNwTfqpTECYj1oc1pIpWK2RLi8AIQ/s100/Kingfisher%20D3%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_sq_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="94" data-original-width="100" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oXZfZ0ydqzUpvjppwG4T871SBxYrTATB3tXMLBLqaedlsBzvhl2nbfQ9fP8OnG0_Y63NWuYGr6ohT0q34aarARol240af1xTiji2HkbYnyIL-mTFV6WBc5TNJGRxfIAupZ1SdILkGIFvhNnne4DLmmsX9wvUwWbNwTfqpTECYj1oc1pIpWK2RLi8AIQ/s1600/Kingfisher%20D3%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_sq_100.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>It was as long ago as summer 2021 that I last visited <a href="https://www.petewhieldonphotography.co.uk/" target="_blank">Pete Whieldon's Kingfisher hide at Otterbourne</a>, near Winchester, so another session was long overdue. Despite the bird being present since last summer, the hide was still quite popular, so I needed to book well in advance. Hence I had no control of the weather on the day.</p><p>This proved be very dull with low light levels more or less all day. It did brighten up around midday but at that time the bird was on an extended (4hr) lunch break! Hence most of the visits were relatively early morning and late afternoon when it was very dull indeed. </p><p>This turned out to be a mixed blessing as the dull conditions from this hide produced nice soft lighting conditions for photos of the perched bird. Action shots were however challenging and, to freeze the bird's motion, I had to use up to ISO 25,600 on both the Canon R5 and R7. As the photographers among you will know, such a high ISO generates very high noise levels, especially on images from the cropped sensor on the R7. </p><p>But it is amazing what the latest AI noise reduction software can do with these types of image. My preferred combination for such photos is to use DxO Pure Raw 3, followed, if necessary, by Topaz AI noise reduction.</p><p>I was also keen to try out to the pre-capture option on the R7 - which allows collection of images taken before the shutter button is pressed - potentially useful for Kingfishers diving in a fixed direction off a perch. </p><p>Here is a selection of photos I took through the day. <b>Click on any of the captions to go to my website and see larger images. </b></p><p>Also, go to my <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingind.htm" target="_blank">Kingfisher gallery</a> for more high res. versions of all the photos from this and other occasions. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitexQvA4lazLK_Koeo5x51ujhnLUj4Bqj1WD2dx42UWp77snWM0g-I7JS5q1yUhfZ0BKwpjWXgcX4RTF-P2rj6w4bBu5MeAelVTksov0GfW9hc9kpMuSZ4zBBU97W1qbJ9R55wkPVLUv5YIZa32LVb84rxYtnHLKkyzVKtkmT9FGWLBamXS5A6X17VT-U/s907/Kingfisher%20D2%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitexQvA4lazLK_Koeo5x51ujhnLUj4Bqj1WD2dx42UWp77snWM0g-I7JS5q1yUhfZ0BKwpjWXgcX4RTF-P2rj6w4bBu5MeAelVTksov0GfW9hc9kpMuSZ4zBBU97W1qbJ9R55wkPVLUv5YIZa32LVb84rxYtnHLKkyzVKtkmT9FGWLBamXS5A6X17VT-U/w564-h640/Kingfisher%20D2%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2023_800.jpg" width="564" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_D2.htm" target="_blank">Kingfisher just of the perch, taken with the R7's pre-capture </a> © Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGzsCl7y9O-9zelfkUIN8vVGV_xHw1lBJsQklGZMmD9ta7iOeFn_K2j6IK44jfthSkgArmOOcrXQYA7VpNtJ-iIQ6_FEJkxOf6FcZdy0nkczNiKwLgZK0DBOHOox4IMe14Dtj4KKdgygtdRv9kbTtqVuNW0wCOS6X4otag8JXmI7WliqAkqR6EZ_qhv0/s876/Kingfisher%20D1a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGzsCl7y9O-9zelfkUIN8vVGV_xHw1lBJsQklGZMmD9ta7iOeFn_K2j6IK44jfthSkgArmOOcrXQYA7VpNtJ-iIQ6_FEJkxOf6FcZdy0nkczNiKwLgZK0DBOHOox4IMe14Dtj4KKdgygtdRv9kbTtqVuNW0wCOS6X4otag8JXmI7WliqAkqR6EZ_qhv0/w584-h640/Kingfisher%20D1a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2023_800.jpg" width="584" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_D1.htm" target="_blank">A couple of frames later by which time it had drifted slightly out of focus</a> © Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_D3.htm" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY45H9RIPad0PFSopQZqDcjmzep2QPAn_cKjZODvhEm-Gbrs9qCsqnVMI4M4D8_5I4eRwU-DozUJyNhjn58gr4Ptw01gELAPVdgwJ6mu8M3hkrTx6GSc71PSmaighCZwQBz3ZF4Na9UQV4WdKphYj1XdwlXwftXwfvebWEvWMqA5qcYtYXbeWZR-X4hvE/w421-h640/Kingfisher%20D3%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" width="421" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_D3.htm" target="_blank">Contact! Taken with the R5 by pre-focussing and blasting away at 20 fps!</a> © Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmSSWSztMINuOt5k7HOsWKSPPfvw1q87nrLf1xCDF1l-NImMqXcivHOphRHEta3XNHK6Jvx-tsI1sjUycEZoGor2EFJwXmeHxkyXUPYPrNA0sF7SNDoHyIb4PIroMpaDg0ia3toCG_wZTdeuihFjFyzTED-3ulehkp7FYJFykBG0mQ97jHid7LVU-n3M/s800/Kingfisher%20D4%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="800" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmSSWSztMINuOt5k7HOsWKSPPfvw1q87nrLf1xCDF1l-NImMqXcivHOphRHEta3XNHK6Jvx-tsI1sjUycEZoGor2EFJwXmeHxkyXUPYPrNA0sF7SNDoHyIb4PIroMpaDg0ia3toCG_wZTdeuihFjFyzTED-3ulehkp7FYJFykBG0mQ97jHid7LVU-n3M/w640-h440/Kingfisher%20D4%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_D4.htm#b1" target="_blank">Just about to return to the perch with a fish (R5)</a> © Stephen Burch! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4ZiBsJXdoL8vdcYhrP_QFfr4On0bYOXRK2NXDZrWUHotkJ3xPOjij2O6Jp-V7cyVgOZ1eOudOFrmisiPoLzQSqB6RnB_pF_jEFal8bnyTW-HSvhzjafbeFZ3r9KnW718jGsumjHmXHbRTFYFGBozgCu744Eoso1tuWO1nWObEcUFK04-qy89e8ivCmM/s800/Kingfisher%20P1%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="800" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4ZiBsJXdoL8vdcYhrP_QFfr4On0bYOXRK2NXDZrWUHotkJ3xPOjij2O6Jp-V7cyVgOZ1eOudOFrmisiPoLzQSqB6RnB_pF_jEFal8bnyTW-HSvhzjafbeFZ3r9KnW718jGsumjHmXHbRTFYFGBozgCu744Eoso1tuWO1nWObEcUFK04-qy89e8ivCmM/w640-h510/Kingfisher%20P1%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_P1.htm" target="_blank">Early morning perched. </a>© Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ynNZJ87EnTRadx-SBZ5o2XVYW2jZhos4QIi82TgmlSbGBcHDk_6jnm0vLl19hkZSBSn9HXAiJMEKYebmtJFlc0dKEwK4a4kF5in5WDcroqU5HqiLkkTJzeXhBrChJelQdkauZG7DDXNWnlLXF5c196Ewkmo1c_Zf2GMEKgYWUYP-3xcJl1vdbmkXtLs/s800/Kingfisher%20P4%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="800" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ynNZJ87EnTRadx-SBZ5o2XVYW2jZhos4QIi82TgmlSbGBcHDk_6jnm0vLl19hkZSBSn9HXAiJMEKYebmtJFlc0dKEwK4a4kF5in5WDcroqU5HqiLkkTJzeXhBrChJelQdkauZG7DDXNWnlLXF5c196Ewkmo1c_Zf2GMEKgYWUYP-3xcJl1vdbmkXtLs/w640-h548/Kingfisher%20P4%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_P4.htm" target="_blank">Early morning with a fish.</a> © Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUyHPipGXW87GKC9v2bpEXw8QbF4ceyjxARDPz9I5oijcsKs8ipWXo3jQYcawPGIXB6CgaoALFRRyrqe9tiSy8CnBT1J1v28rn0MK3GPCfr5lS86mB-7SO2KmwOkl5fshUYAae-l7Kl-F08ijThxDGhog-nDwGzTqHeODpwNgKa8xsbW1wDV5mei_sUs/s800/Kingfisher%20P2%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="800" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUyHPipGXW87GKC9v2bpEXw8QbF4ceyjxARDPz9I5oijcsKs8ipWXo3jQYcawPGIXB6CgaoALFRRyrqe9tiSy8CnBT1J1v28rn0MK3GPCfr5lS86mB-7SO2KmwOkl5fshUYAae-l7Kl-F08ijThxDGhog-nDwGzTqHeODpwNgKa8xsbW1wDV5mei_sUs/w640-h502/Kingfisher%20P2%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jan%2024_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher24_25%20Jan_P2.htm" target="_blank">Later on in the day.</a> © Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-88700886435187845312023-08-30T13:48:00.003+01:002023-08-30T13:51:23.874+01:00Barn Owl near Market Harborough - 23 August 2023<p>Earlier in the year, I watched a YouTube video by Mike Lane which covered a session he had at <a href="https://www.desong.co.uk/" target="_blank">Des Ong's raptor/Barn Owl hide</a> near Market Harborough. During the day he had been able to photo a Kestrel and later on, Barn Owls appeared, initially in daylight and then after dark. </p><p>This got my attention as I'd never heard of this hide before, and I had never previously had the chance to photo Barn Owls from a hide. So I quickly arranged a date in July with Des. Unfortunately the forecast for that session was atrocious so I asked to postpone it. The next mutually convenient date was 23 August - much later than I had hoped for. </p><p>By August, all of the session, which started at 20:30, was in darkness, so there was no chance of any daylight photos. After dark, lighting is provided not by flash but continuous LED lights which limits the max shutter speed to 1/100 sec, so there was no chance of any action shots. </p><p>When we arrived, we were told that the pair of Barn Owls, which nest very close to the hide, were onto a second brood, but this was at the egg/small young stage. </p><p>Once installed in the "trailer hide" we were told to be as quiet as possible and not to use any light. This was somewhat challenging and the odd brief use of the torch was needed. It was also a warm and very still night.</p><p>All started well, as one of the owls arrived almost immediately we were settled in at 21:00 and stayed for about ten minutes. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, there were then no further visits for the remainder of the session, which ended abruptly at 23:00. So a somewhat tedious couple of hours - although every so often an owl would fly into a nearby tree to get our hopes up. But it always then just flew off. </p><p>However, that one visit did provide a reasonable range of shots, as shown below. </p><p>Because of the dearth of visits, Des has agreed we can return for a free session. So hopefully next year some day time photos will be possible, and there will be more visits, if we time it right. </p><p><b>Click on the captions to see large images on my website</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY_t7zuADQdlC4Nw5QjHlX1xgzrGu4V2Vx-h31rT2JsrYEbhaUGdXwcE760QmYHzOt-Dsce6k4v6RLR3HvvEwnFsAa1u7-mg6vKQ24ZL_d9MPmEI0fnMEKSFBgQNf9f8-NNqYvL0bnS5h1bHrh9Wymz11FmXiYdSiHZZEbvEOylumB9eUI44Ez9by2_s/s904/Barn%20Owl%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY_t7zuADQdlC4Nw5QjHlX1xgzrGu4V2Vx-h31rT2JsrYEbhaUGdXwcE760QmYHzOt-Dsce6k4v6RLR3HvvEwnFsAa1u7-mg6vKQ24ZL_d9MPmEI0fnMEKSFBgQNf9f8-NNqYvL0bnS5h1bHrh9Wymz11FmXiYdSiHZZEbvEOylumB9eUI44Ez9by2_s/w566-h640/Barn%20Owl%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" width="566" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/barnowl_23_MH_1.htm" target="_blank">Barn Owl at the end of a post © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcJ2CYhW1KaPCx5e2Cd_JJuSlIzt1SDvQioTQg5PrJuntLFi061-xZoUzFhwlNSfsD7Qk37mldfWm2sEbMqWXGcfdDiMQKpJ0Nr2_JBx9M7rB9Yu0uka3Uk7BOF_EFaVpeyE2F8ZgdqlX7yoAt7YDD0H_LIHzkrRMJLAGskEjYccy7JI7hFH1hB6WSjA/s800/Barn%20Owl%202%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="800" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcJ2CYhW1KaPCx5e2Cd_JJuSlIzt1SDvQioTQg5PrJuntLFi061-xZoUzFhwlNSfsD7Qk37mldfWm2sEbMqWXGcfdDiMQKpJ0Nr2_JBx9M7rB9Yu0uka3Uk7BOF_EFaVpeyE2F8ZgdqlX7yoAt7YDD0H_LIHzkrRMJLAGskEjYccy7JI7hFH1hB6WSjA/w640-h578/Barn%20Owl%202%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/barnowl_23_MH_2.htm" target="_blank">Barn Owl face on © Stephen Burch</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAxFU4cFTCQtFf8qGIVQp-0CDvIMDEUcYnXFucoVfTPwwpLTYh7G_c_3NKFdarA-rktHrTsKMKnRPCBX963qp50EdUpfBNpax5eVzBR7D1Y8VgEYPRnoGpFb31hiGyjJWt0FwsETRiwbvNr9K8vtqRQUq6dCrW5F88qSlkH20LcTAZZA34XCEprhyQa8/s800/Barn%20Owl%203%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="800" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAxFU4cFTCQtFf8qGIVQp-0CDvIMDEUcYnXFucoVfTPwwpLTYh7G_c_3NKFdarA-rktHrTsKMKnRPCBX963qp50EdUpfBNpax5eVzBR7D1Y8VgEYPRnoGpFb31hiGyjJWt0FwsETRiwbvNr9K8vtqRQUq6dCrW5F88qSlkH20LcTAZZA34XCEprhyQa8/w640-h496/Barn%20Owl%203%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/barnowl_23_MH_3.htm" target="_blank">Barn Owl sideways on © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafaVvDNrYi0-nHJ9fq43aHtUOwsK6au2Vtp7BbzHEOb-LE0TPx8UnCjA7LjZoRoKkJYEu-YVhL083nqEG1JN6beuhntIxr5pGrFcP4pMpYRh3ulOJvxef8V-z6-dTnZc6g58HAbNzKT6b872Noie5G58mdoyYpwj_tgP0E8BIXcNYTH83bdZrIAdmZM8/s945/Barn%20Owl%204%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafaVvDNrYi0-nHJ9fq43aHtUOwsK6au2Vtp7BbzHEOb-LE0TPx8UnCjA7LjZoRoKkJYEu-YVhL083nqEG1JN6beuhntIxr5pGrFcP4pMpYRh3ulOJvxef8V-z6-dTnZc6g58HAbNzKT6b872Noie5G58mdoyYpwj_tgP0E8BIXcNYTH83bdZrIAdmZM8/w542-h640/Barn%20Owl%204%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" width="542" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/barnowl_23_MH_4.htm" target="_blank">Barn Owl front view © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkLoKfT7GD3eTOU8b8Yfx1lBw1QMIue1bEBEJNZzdIAl8oLo913QRqzlu9sreOyabAN6E3uCfQlPedA6ddLir1yxzeRuaERLK1CRuVzvMaRbTFLOf_ocv9lPXAlEilNOgdjzlhseRL4Hwx-YiMDsqZ8tjeesGlmn_uYUERA7_ux25Wo1H1r6WefPsuIQ/s800/Barn%20Owl%205_crop%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="800" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkLoKfT7GD3eTOU8b8Yfx1lBw1QMIue1bEBEJNZzdIAl8oLo913QRqzlu9sreOyabAN6E3uCfQlPedA6ddLir1yxzeRuaERLK1CRuVzvMaRbTFLOf_ocv9lPXAlEilNOgdjzlhseRL4Hwx-YiMDsqZ8tjeesGlmn_uYUERA7_ux25Wo1H1r6WefPsuIQ/w640-h522/Barn%20Owl%205_crop%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/barnowl_23_MH_5.htm" target="_blank">Barn Owl close up © Stephen Burch</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aPZYb1h--tEVMibSpLNo441tXf3NoqV9Sl4Q0v4Ajl7IrwvRWLYqvtGTn-fKRrljI8laxt1knswhKZZq3jSYvm07DHAAuF7-zOE5pto55hAN0skFy_qYU0Sti8kMeUe6goonlGDJjVIpkcKYImJTN_lnpGls0qj7gN483UqLAuToSmLaqB0ZpkjRN2Q/s800/Barn%20Owl%206%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="800" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aPZYb1h--tEVMibSpLNo441tXf3NoqV9Sl4Q0v4Ajl7IrwvRWLYqvtGTn-fKRrljI8laxt1knswhKZZq3jSYvm07DHAAuF7-zOE5pto55hAN0skFy_qYU0Sti8kMeUe6goonlGDJjVIpkcKYImJTN_lnpGls0qj7gN483UqLAuToSmLaqB0ZpkjRN2Q/w640-h508/Barn%20Owl%206%20Market%20Harborough%2023%20Aug%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/barnowl_23_MH_6.htm" target="_blank">Barn Owl with large mouse © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-9842698752435324872023-07-22T14:20:00.001+01:002023-07-23T10:55:30.549+01:00Somerset Wildlife Hides - 5 July 2023<p>This was my first visit to Peter Spencer's raptor hide near Yeovil. This was somewhat further afield than my normal range and required an overnight stay the night before. [Peter doesn't appear to have a website, but does maintain an active <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2157783041153950/" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a>].</p><p>The key attraction of his raptor hide at this time of year is a family of Kestrels that nests nearby. With the young having recently emerged, all were coming down to the perches. Hence there could be the amazing sight of up to about 4 of the 5 juveniles and one adult (usually the male) present at the same time!</p><p>This hide faces NE and so with a sunny morning, the lighting was very difficult. However after a few hours it become more cloudy which helped. In the afternoon it stayed cloudy when I would have preferred some sun! Such are the vagaries of photography from a fixed location on a day booked months in advance. It least it wasn't pouring down with rain all day, as it had been doing the day before! </p><p>This hide features a large range of perches, but many had rather close backgrounds which I prefer to avoid. There was however one post where the background was some distance away. The hide also had a reflection "table" very close to the hide but none of the birds went in it when I was there. </p><p>There were frequent visits during the day, especially the morning, so I took a huge number of photos. </p><p><b>I show a few of them below (click on the captions for larger versions).</b></p><p>Also, there are <b>more photo on my website</b>, which can be found by going to this gallery:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/Kestrelind.htm" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="1210" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFtwUFd5OSbUa1B3tZBO2SWfGhZvyJzS-PmoxQU2Q0HveAuzCtMmVlkqP4XWl4BRu-JG3bnZbCq-SDCE9HxSM7ONvFt709LB7x9yBwUKJ-XqHWSYY2vadmua2j5Ozc6UiHkLS8o-QOh48TCtpxMZnfQUzP6JbmXDyEyQD0_-jvDpI2biV44urmR1YFvE/w640-h154/yeovil%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/Kestrelind.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel Gallery</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>For this shot, these two juveniles were on this post, and briefly were both looking in roughly the same direction towards me. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViOxw3IDA33Y7TURBUaZnyiHrH8_mw2gVBz_Ti1_Jl5Q9HJ5F2epe07I7h8bn2D8FuUG1jxu69-RYui3wSy2WCaengJSV1ar5IKnuqx-bvJfhxxk6jnQbUsfm2MRjpnYZGiTUfwf3cjhCEbl9S9OucIBefPdOE6nO9krmHiINm4GO2RqTQnro8Ctsb8s/s800/Kestrels%201a%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="800" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViOxw3IDA33Y7TURBUaZnyiHrH8_mw2gVBz_Ti1_Jl5Q9HJ5F2epe07I7h8bn2D8FuUG1jxu69-RYui3wSy2WCaengJSV1ar5IKnuqx-bvJfhxxk6jnQbUsfm2MRjpnYZGiTUfwf3cjhCEbl9S9OucIBefPdOE6nO9krmHiINm4GO2RqTQnro8Ctsb8s/w640-h492/Kestrels%201a%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrels_jul23_1.htm" target="_blank">Two juvenile Kestrel together © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I never find flight shots easy with the restricted viewing at most hides and this was no exception, especially when using the rear screen all the time and not the EVF. However this one worked out although I'm not too sure about the background.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFHcFZRVWDdc4h0f3CWisqqLIzcc5G_Z180V0wq6NyKptehghZmOiHNweYXiPBuU12dhBD26tqnk7LxM3RA0VzSbPL1gmmS1xsdTPDB_Yi5glIg29TIU8bGhYcz9wd9NLx1AMWXcQFpMCPeVjQVPzLkHzpjkrbyyq6Httq8Ky8xIKs-PAvGCwxrJySMM/s800/Kestrel%20flight%201%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="800" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFHcFZRVWDdc4h0f3CWisqqLIzcc5G_Z180V0wq6NyKptehghZmOiHNweYXiPBuU12dhBD26tqnk7LxM3RA0VzSbPL1gmmS1xsdTPDB_Yi5glIg29TIU8bGhYcz9wd9NLx1AMWXcQFpMCPeVjQVPzLkHzpjkrbyyq6Httq8Ky8xIKs-PAvGCwxrJySMM/w640-h566/Kestrel%20flight%201%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_fl_jul23_1.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel in flight © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For this shot, I tried the
pre-capture facility on the R7 which worked for once: </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixukr0s-zExoWtXcMtbMyi5Jn7r6HVyfiBIW1QZ6oT0EcSAA13xINRn3u-IXYvZrPJ6BImSJA_TFkGYNZ_T3OC8g-yrrKQ6kF6ofi4BTqXU5sZwtfZTNwzdqVJPyjZbL0mHWKYZs7Loictv9j39LMBLrYJ65OlONaasRfbMXQwqfxlQqlnypgloMIWdsI/s800/Kestrel%20flight%202%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixukr0s-zExoWtXcMtbMyi5Jn7r6HVyfiBIW1QZ6oT0EcSAA13xINRn3u-IXYvZrPJ6BImSJA_TFkGYNZ_T3OC8g-yrrKQ6kF6ofi4BTqXU5sZwtfZTNwzdqVJPyjZbL0mHWKYZs7Loictv9j39LMBLrYJ65OlONaasRfbMXQwqfxlQqlnypgloMIWdsI/w640-h430/Kestrel%20flight%202%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_fl_jul23_2.htm" target="_blank">Incoming Kestrel © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below is a portrait of the fine male. A very well coloured bird:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafxEHpEo9S0qi8pJQyjHPW8stMC-MTm33phepJhhBJ0L-0JnWRvx6BOz_p6gtouoOg_9nCZ6iI_YW5H6FMuz9pBvu0IhyNYE7dP9b22FsZHD2Kh9W2zDPlWAbaTVumBY0V0_5R52_U41lNVbVOqZmhszHEM9f8XVLz9JOqNSUljgelL0FjJ6mmGm5g9E/s800/Kestrel%201%20male%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafxEHpEo9S0qi8pJQyjHPW8stMC-MTm33phepJhhBJ0L-0JnWRvx6BOz_p6gtouoOg_9nCZ6iI_YW5H6FMuz9pBvu0IhyNYE7dP9b22FsZHD2Kh9W2zDPlWAbaTVumBY0V0_5R52_U41lNVbVOqZmhszHEM9f8XVLz9JOqNSUljgelL0FjJ6mmGm5g9E/w640-h512/Kestrel%201%20male%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_m_jul23_1.htm" target="_blank">Male Kestrel © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I believe this is the female - about to depart:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbdUyAUNvmz3UuGhpibXT5it3lErmlyDuDoSU8dqP9FeBbBfyELKvQmqu4VwG7FiYAiXLOD-_ob1FVSTnXu5atJqbLZm2c78cnMOH2cU1td7HzfZHed5Dt-Ng2vKMDvNHNE2vv2I3Q4UXyJ6-V5deWfZnTDX98-ZFcoA64AeJM_2hbb0PEDyNX-_5ppA/s800/Kestrel%20f%201%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="800" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbdUyAUNvmz3UuGhpibXT5it3lErmlyDuDoSU8dqP9FeBbBfyELKvQmqu4VwG7FiYAiXLOD-_ob1FVSTnXu5atJqbLZm2c78cnMOH2cU1td7HzfZHed5Dt-Ng2vKMDvNHNE2vv2I3Q4UXyJ6-V5deWfZnTDX98-ZFcoA64AeJM_2hbb0PEDyNX-_5ppA/w640-h492/Kestrel%20f%201%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_f_jul23_1.htm" target="_blank">Female Kestrel © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>One of juveniles calling to be fed, even though they could all do this themselves perfectly well!</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxDxyplFx3Ae1Y4J20LLCPaIIk--qGd1eXwvjUEHz3Phmu-f0yI_mzPq85o0n2q2VZiBJ166sjEvUmGjLifoo7Y0-7LoSx0PK3lSZSXYhknqlxHyLAZHTVBI7gkOTeqGFr6bj7yvEtYO6o3JgzJYyL5eZr6YJustO5TLJSJ9D6Lr4zoXNXZEcEflCbX8/s800/Kestrel%201%20juv%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="800" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxDxyplFx3Ae1Y4J20LLCPaIIk--qGd1eXwvjUEHz3Phmu-f0yI_mzPq85o0n2q2VZiBJ166sjEvUmGjLifoo7Y0-7LoSx0PK3lSZSXYhknqlxHyLAZHTVBI7gkOTeqGFr6bj7yvEtYO6o3JgzJYyL5eZr6YJustO5TLJSJ9D6Lr4zoXNXZEcEflCbX8/w640-h450/Kestrel%201%20juv%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_juv_jul23_1.htm" target="_blank">Juvenile Kestrel © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>A juvenile on a different perch:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8wydTGnq47XjIr8EoTo-XSyVqM137rKX3NEQZRusife6fT8R-wmeksQTusP3LsYIF4B_HuaHW82vY_FT47GG6-KekgkWbImwSNk9M9mu7LROAbxDq58YRufHtlHyOu4lQueV1t1VupSEMkUHnX2-FWJMQEx0yIiZ2OQIyHrNoVAorN0OeB523qpe5o4/s800/Kestrel%202%20juv%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="800" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8wydTGnq47XjIr8EoTo-XSyVqM137rKX3NEQZRusife6fT8R-wmeksQTusP3LsYIF4B_HuaHW82vY_FT47GG6-KekgkWbImwSNk9M9mu7LROAbxDq58YRufHtlHyOu4lQueV1t1VupSEMkUHnX2-FWJMQEx0yIiZ2OQIyHrNoVAorN0OeB523qpe5o4/w640-h412/Kestrel%202%20juv%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_juv_jul23_2.htm" target="_blank">Juvenile Kestrel © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>A juvenile on the hedge in a bit of sun:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAaeP1NzB-iig67GtZGLCBY1XFJ3kUsozW7bXGDcqlj-hGWOfnBOA2XKLCf7iheHDqidt0tyvj7jgicLYyFtKoPpzNdgG8Ut_jIXLvcWzsn1dxgMUhgiAvVdaRqYNn7_bf_YCw0V_Q7-xj-RTugbVzTBwY8-twAVQaCxatE6THklSGkE1jxhe6t2_xkQ/s800/Kestrel%204%20juv%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="800" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAaeP1NzB-iig67GtZGLCBY1XFJ3kUsozW7bXGDcqlj-hGWOfnBOA2XKLCf7iheHDqidt0tyvj7jgicLYyFtKoPpzNdgG8Ut_jIXLvcWzsn1dxgMUhgiAvVdaRqYNn7_bf_YCw0V_Q7-xj-RTugbVzTBwY8-twAVQaCxatE6THklSGkE1jxhe6t2_xkQ/w640-h448/Kestrel%204%20juv%20Yeovil%205%20Jul%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_juv_jul23_4.htm" target="_blank">Juvenile Kestrel © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-38924893972521588422023-07-09T10:28:00.012+01:002023-07-09T12:03:16.069+01:00Scotland May 2023 - North Uist and Mull<p style="text-align: center;"><b>I show a small selection of the photos from this trip below, but for more of them go to <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/scot23ind.htm" target="_blank">my gallery of photos</a>:</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/scot23ind.htm" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1454" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XOuoZk1MC9HIvUN_Fa9Jo29Gynr2VZtw4djlzzMBtR_G0gVKEsIsUc7qdUFB6R_gkICI4vByQr180YDf0Rhtuys087dLC27Jfp0Q6_QSgogJacecW5hI16_VkoTZPM1SvCtgHCOBx0P8TT3H3Np4SkIZXrYwpQ7QaSuVKaP8MT4P762J5xeJW-yLq4s/s320/gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/scot23ind.htm" target="_blank">Photo Gallery</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b>For larger versions of each of the photos below, click on the captions.</b></p><p>In May, we spent a couple of weeks on islands off the west coast of Scotland, with a week each on North Uist and then Mull. </p><p><b><u>North Uist</u></b></p><p>Overall it was a better than expected trip photographically, especially on North Uist, where we were blessed by reasonable weather. In addition, there was an amazing rough road side field a few hundred metres from our rented house on the west coast, which had daily Short-eared Owls and, even better, the odd hunting male Hen Harrier. </p><p>Almost daily morning visits to this field led to some memorable close encounters, as shown below. The best conditions were sunny, with the wind blowing from the east - so that the birds tended to be flying towards me.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtp9EML8hjqPc7Aw_M60eSu9eFHYpWtJgedV1Zd6mV5C-K7TGPQR6AhzO7YHq57bH276fGHjZhyZLCKaCG_x8BkbqRl_0JcSY9VYU4dnIv2-NyBsv_tgh7m9tf--B_63hmFAVRzW6Heafur8qRLIqsVO6PDtI-0elIeoc3WbaRGCp1t0_Te-_e0PmLp_U/s800/SEO%202%20Kirkibost%20N%20Uist%2011%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="800" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtp9EML8hjqPc7Aw_M60eSu9eFHYpWtJgedV1Zd6mV5C-K7TGPQR6AhzO7YHq57bH276fGHjZhyZLCKaCG_x8BkbqRl_0JcSY9VYU4dnIv2-NyBsv_tgh7m9tf--B_63hmFAVRzW6Heafur8qRLIqsVO6PDtI-0elIeoc3WbaRGCp1t0_Te-_e0PmLp_U/w640-h438/SEO%202%20Kirkibost%20N%20Uist%2011%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/seo6.htm" target="_blank">Short-eared Owl close up. © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxSU4AUA_ZqX-xI93QjW2W5S7TOBr5jqH6SMej-XKFduMM957mOpjA9_TmQDhsWAQXCjpajfuP5OwHC-k_d4ksWbkrM7E7NURuBUOz3TlJ1oG3gn7OjkgjdFqN9qywMbew1nkWcSH7rGgMRtwGU6cmO82NkS036Q9YMD4hwKcbhrvNt1k-VXGfi9Kc7c/s800/Hen%20Harrier%201a%20Kirkibost%20N%20Uist%2012%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="800" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxSU4AUA_ZqX-xI93QjW2W5S7TOBr5jqH6SMej-XKFduMM957mOpjA9_TmQDhsWAQXCjpajfuP5OwHC-k_d4ksWbkrM7E7NURuBUOz3TlJ1oG3gn7OjkgjdFqN9qywMbew1nkWcSH7rGgMRtwGU6cmO82NkS036Q9YMD4hwKcbhrvNt1k-VXGfi9Kc7c/w640-h520/Hen%20Harrier%201a%20Kirkibost%20N%20Uist%2012%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/hh1.htm" target="_blank">Hen Harrier © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Elsewhere on North Uist and its adjacent islands also produced some photo opportunities, including the machair of Berneray. Here I managed to use the car as a hide to photo waders that were feeding in a very wary flock just by the road.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3oDHjpXJXA192O5Na6KOEmDnltmANF2ZeD0GxrEbWvcQ5yOWIsSNNSEFK9jDIpnzksFkAw3F6E9jCoWdnZH47Fgz6TD9RC4cj-_AEU3gs8RWBL7jAcRQnSHB0ibKW5NLmFG9PtBGJ1gtxUekKnpiCEiy5kC0JDPdJOHghBLUqlPDfaHAwZaDbh_tcqM/s800/Dunlin%20Bernaray%2010%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="800" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3oDHjpXJXA192O5Na6KOEmDnltmANF2ZeD0GxrEbWvcQ5yOWIsSNNSEFK9jDIpnzksFkAw3F6E9jCoWdnZH47Fgz6TD9RC4cj-_AEU3gs8RWBL7jAcRQnSHB0ibKW5NLmFG9PtBGJ1gtxUekKnpiCEiy5kC0JDPdJOHghBLUqlPDfaHAwZaDbh_tcqM/w640-h464/Dunlin%20Bernaray%2010%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/dunlin.htm" target="_blank">Dunlin © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVCGUmIQElVK7hvkw2pZTUe1PF-T1gOULsrJj989IAc1jZ-vf6jy7juY1vp-Hy9l968a4Oak3iUnbppHfM8i7pQSZR8gsMFbA70YSQhxe9p4sUP0Tf5GPEA9ZQAHdUITMFr8rHiTcGXaRNKzCogsQjX3fs5pU3UCEaK_jwgkCuOwurIBCofdq-eZaITg/s800/Ringed%20Plover%20Bernaray%2010%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="800" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVCGUmIQElVK7hvkw2pZTUe1PF-T1gOULsrJj989IAc1jZ-vf6jy7juY1vp-Hy9l968a4Oak3iUnbppHfM8i7pQSZR8gsMFbA70YSQhxe9p4sUP0Tf5GPEA9ZQAHdUITMFr8rHiTcGXaRNKzCogsQjX3fs5pU3UCEaK_jwgkCuOwurIBCofdq-eZaITg/w640-h498/Ringed%20Plover%20Bernaray%2010%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/rplover.htm" target="_blank">Ringed Plover © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>There was another unexpected bonus in the form of some very confiding Twite at the end of the minor road along the south shore of Loch Euphort. A hunting male Hen Harrier also flew past, but not nearly as close as the one shown above!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDpx0BBk6Ikl5_rk7ok-iD4Rx2amjJckX2bKvoiT2VOUp8YgJ2J2t2jaZfoO4if2nFA7PANUOxH8Gxvzn9C8EqvQgSBP2N6thr2SheSblC7365H1BFZ5MjYEsQOsFa9UHugLtvE9VjXV5AAuZnqnPmejN8AuuGSdIoEDCTvn--DXh6nnjdE3aNAFgBQM/s800/Twite%20L%20Euphort%20N%20Uist%2011%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="800" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDpx0BBk6Ikl5_rk7ok-iD4Rx2amjJckX2bKvoiT2VOUp8YgJ2J2t2jaZfoO4if2nFA7PANUOxH8Gxvzn9C8EqvQgSBP2N6thr2SheSblC7365H1BFZ5MjYEsQOsFa9UHugLtvE9VjXV5AAuZnqnPmejN8AuuGSdIoEDCTvn--DXh6nnjdE3aNAFgBQM/w640-h572/Twite%20L%20Euphort%20N%20Uist%2011%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/twite1.htm" target="_blank">Male Twite © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>More expected was a close encounter with a White-tailed Eagle from the Lady Anne boat trip that sails from a small harbour off Grimsay. Apparently last year, the birds weren't performing at all, but this year one was more obliging. This is the highlight of the boat trip which those running the trip seem to be surprisingly coy about, only announcing it to the other passengers just before it happened! Unlike on the Mull boat trip (see below), there were no other photographers on this tour. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62xT44NWz3EUrx90UyvxNoxo9RdGf0RIfqCoQAFMHDkz9OlSrhGOldv27AykGtQqfdDCNy17CV2WdsQK23TJXTHNgv6KtdlS3PD5Qk_H86EXjVFKqOjI3mHE6rCNHMPFbN5avoUWaO1yU8vdd-QeRL_Ol6_IMWOMUmGQ-ctcZKwZGR0bJa3Li1Bp2tDo/s800/W%20T%20Eagle%202b%20N%20Uist%209%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="800" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62xT44NWz3EUrx90UyvxNoxo9RdGf0RIfqCoQAFMHDkz9OlSrhGOldv27AykGtQqfdDCNy17CV2WdsQK23TJXTHNgv6KtdlS3PD5Qk_H86EXjVFKqOjI3mHE6rCNHMPFbN5avoUWaO1yU8vdd-QeRL_Ol6_IMWOMUmGQ-ctcZKwZGR0bJa3Li1Bp2tDo/w640-h484/W%20T%20Eagle%202b%20N%20Uist%209%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/wteagle_nuist2.htm" target="_blank">White-tailed Eagle © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u>Mull</u></b></p><p>Well satisfied with the photo opportunities on North Uist, Mull turned out to be less productive. We did however have another great boat trip, on the Mull Charters Lady Jayne for White-tailed Eagle. Despite some camera issues, which caused me to miss several of the dives with a full buffer, I still got a fair selection of shots to process, including this one. See <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/scot23ind.htm" target="_blank">the gallery</a> for more shots.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT99HXoGfvu2M5NQZf5XY6LgCKkk5Fftxavvm2v76RJmyvJdKH2UWQ1-zyd2Zzctyq9PD-1k0oXvpBn3wYEk-QNtzRpudf7jbFRQsPJDmbIECO5WuYalgwiRmk0TE6I9zIdJN4hcbSbQoGznvrD6zxwXXnQvM81fxkML68TMJBDDHQ_eT2uMfvRStLbQ/s800/W%20T%20Eagle%20Mull%2015%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT99HXoGfvu2M5NQZf5XY6LgCKkk5Fftxavvm2v76RJmyvJdKH2UWQ1-zyd2Zzctyq9PD-1k0oXvpBn3wYEk-QNtzRpudf7jbFRQsPJDmbIECO5WuYalgwiRmk0TE6I9zIdJN4hcbSbQoGznvrD6zxwXXnQvM81fxkML68TMJBDDHQ_eT2uMfvRStLbQ/w640-h426/W%20T%20Eagle%20Mull%2015%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/wteagle_mull1.htm" target="_blank">White-tailed Eagle © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Shortly after we arrived on Mull, news of an American Wigeon on Loch na Keal came through. By using the car as a hide, I was again able to get some close shots as the bird came ashore and proceeded to walk towards us. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnV0MIbeX8i37qvv9XJo0hAnXPbsECbsbXL0c65sx5KFJP3BJtaHNqn4cA0FHZOQOEAzMd7SVS0WjyTaBcrnVjsqmnn1M9nPLpvCV2rjV3pW_hESxSWWxHiGh4R7LzBKmrHnfabzgEp-5BgThwuwdcOqJZzj_nxF5QHOEIUnTZqtXH49kawVu-esByLE/s800/American%20Wigeon%202%20Loch%20na%20Keal%20Mull%2016%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="800" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnV0MIbeX8i37qvv9XJo0hAnXPbsECbsbXL0c65sx5KFJP3BJtaHNqn4cA0FHZOQOEAzMd7SVS0WjyTaBcrnVjsqmnn1M9nPLpvCV2rjV3pW_hESxSWWxHiGh4R7LzBKmrHnfabzgEp-5BgThwuwdcOqJZzj_nxF5QHOEIUnTZqtXH49kawVu-esByLE/w640-h516/American%20Wigeon%202%20Loch%20na%20Keal%20Mull%2016%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/awigeon1.htm" target="_blank">American Wigeon © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Elsewhere on Mull, I didn't find a great deal of note to photo, other than the odd snap shot such as this Oystercatcher on the southern shore of Loch Spelve at Croggan. This bird posed nicely in great late afternoon light.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpVAVGKsX2lf2SNR6zGdooNgBdOR16Y_w6pGk6dQ7tB5V9Nckm89AbsUmZA1OixteOq54w7UWF4CnEkma8QouXHqeMbRqSLUv6Azvh4IJXhCuBdDyCZuGbrnKd5HTZn-mx0jE8osKnVNOWLSq0J0MKiRbtBgrBJsGdoT3jlrqRavLruDOBPla-SZpdjg/s800/Oystercatcher%20Croggan%20Mull%2016%20May%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="800" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpVAVGKsX2lf2SNR6zGdooNgBdOR16Y_w6pGk6dQ7tB5V9Nckm89AbsUmZA1OixteOq54w7UWF4CnEkma8QouXHqeMbRqSLUv6Azvh4IJXhCuBdDyCZuGbrnKd5HTZn-mx0jE8osKnVNOWLSq0J0MKiRbtBgrBJsGdoT3jlrqRavLruDOBPla-SZpdjg/w640-h462/Oystercatcher%20Croggan%20Mull%2016%20May%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/ocatcher2.htm" target="_blank">Oystercatcher © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We spent some time somewhat casually looking for Otters. Although we spotted a few, they were all distant and elusive. Indeed we encountered more otter watchers than otters! Many seemed disappointed and there were some suggestions the otters were being less obliging than previously.</p><p>It was very good to get back to Scotland after an absence of several years, due to Covid and other issues. It is however a long way to drive, with our house on North Uist being 600 miles from southern Oxfordshire! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo Gallery</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/scot23ind.htm" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1454" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzar0RLIMkdiOMpQCKcuaGuu96-CM1mg7L1-8MJ_lDVNMxDbxtf8MaAaojHqtJFjRN9kdYMC1iwofiRF5Wm-GteUXKjU18JwYLNKGno3O0jMU7sEOLNFJycUMSdBXmdcdy7fcu_33i-nCcTESssux43tudQawQhNjzvqInAjOcucFqeENqUNm1dpPfeX4/w640-h382/gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Scotland23/scot23ind.htm" target="_blank">Gallery of photos - click here to access</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-74085401262673048022023-05-03T12:47:00.003+01:002023-05-03T12:49:10.262+01:00Hobby close encounters in Oxon - April 2023<p>One late morning last week, these birds were coming very very close, almost within touching distance at times! These photos are a remarkable testament to the auto-focus capabilities of modern mirrorless cameras, in particular the Canon R5 with the RF 100-500 lens.</p><p>To see larger versions of all these images, click on the captions. </p><p>For a gallery of all these photos and more, <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobbyind.htm" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvdsJuK_42VET_H5kaWvo7ET06_gT4O6dkFGRnqZ_TqDy2Vu20XGl4PJTSjjKpo6Jow_DZ7cnJh_81amfNlYMhgbF-gCwk60_oSFswrXEa9tacuOfjc6414j_WrDmZPPUUPOGpXKkMbF6qwTzGcCb1dDWmK_VZ_62jJTZfrxxGgaLDLYOEKXYyTeI/s800/Hobby%205%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_crop_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="800" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvdsJuK_42VET_H5kaWvo7ET06_gT4O6dkFGRnqZ_TqDy2Vu20XGl4PJTSjjKpo6Jow_DZ7cnJh_81amfNlYMhgbF-gCwk60_oSFswrXEa9tacuOfjc6414j_WrDmZPPUUPOGpXKkMbF6qwTzGcCb1dDWmK_VZ_62jJTZfrxxGgaLDLYOEKXYyTeI/w640-h524/Hobby%205%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_crop_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobby_28Apr23_5_crop.htm" target="_blank">Crop of the photo below. © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuNyTupI6n4CeSOsRZod3vuRTzSFt1K_Y6PFm85O1XDuLEgn4ISCjE3zfDjS6aqO-Llk12ux-NKdntGPPlAonxyT3-FVvniOXcJQWgjKHwi3SvWmHcjZL-btUTs_maxcM3_VX8KuJ3q8X3b5eVNHQUH91RxCJ-d7Cs9UfYAXqQ7CkN5sfDswFBhJS/s800/Hobby%205%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="800" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuNyTupI6n4CeSOsRZod3vuRTzSFt1K_Y6PFm85O1XDuLEgn4ISCjE3zfDjS6aqO-Llk12ux-NKdntGPPlAonxyT3-FVvniOXcJQWgjKHwi3SvWmHcjZL-btUTs_maxcM3_VX8KuJ3q8X3b5eVNHQUH91RxCJ-d7Cs9UfYAXqQ7CkN5sfDswFBhJS/w640-h592/Hobby%205%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobby_28Apr23_5.htm#b1" target="_blank">Almost frame filling! © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUK_mh2ePmmfnS3J65H4PKRPltQaeeJ59tOdHBdIWFwIbfNNl5sHUXnm7wj-j2XAJbSPF48ADy6indWO871p4OIO_WvBSQqUE_roBWZfc4D9JvHmzDZfMen4UyU-vV-i7LzdsVQ4WsmDBR1asS6PrN6fyU1klDhrjd3CH-LHqAT3ra9kUYdEv-VHe/s800/Hobby%203%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="800" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUK_mh2ePmmfnS3J65H4PKRPltQaeeJ59tOdHBdIWFwIbfNNl5sHUXnm7wj-j2XAJbSPF48ADy6indWO871p4OIO_WvBSQqUE_roBWZfc4D9JvHmzDZfMen4UyU-vV-i7LzdsVQ4WsmDBR1asS6PrN6fyU1klDhrjd3CH-LHqAT3ra9kUYdEv-VHe/w640-h564/Hobby%203%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobby_28Apr23_3.htm" target="_blank">Turning this way. © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3SwbuZ_IdB-J5AjUwdoFGyWjDxzmWn_dP9cGOx4YfdOrZTFf0u0UUor8pEc1k4KESlbaw3joTWxNqjLkF3_GGkkZ1P81kNrxOrrWfLS0EuCV_uJvzmReAoPbd6YvrElGUK0LKdnt5K0TW066SnrK5IV_BRXtgXCQT65T6DV1RVkiRmu9UFFMWMWE/s800/Hobby%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="800" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3SwbuZ_IdB-J5AjUwdoFGyWjDxzmWn_dP9cGOx4YfdOrZTFf0u0UUor8pEc1k4KESlbaw3joTWxNqjLkF3_GGkkZ1P81kNrxOrrWfLS0EuCV_uJvzmReAoPbd6YvrElGUK0LKdnt5K0TW066SnrK5IV_BRXtgXCQT65T6DV1RVkiRmu9UFFMWMWE/w640-h484/Hobby%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobby_28Apr23_1.htm" target="_blank">Approaching.... The next shot was the photo at the top of the page © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShaRh-vB8ofma_il6h9Otlp3vEPhwhKpIE4XsVN1-bCoTRawWPACH66eHUWUcLbMzshZyWeofg4OycILcxaKXQJBuAm-jlhoGMWgZProtO34rNTCJ9iGPo1IvnkCu3jcju1teeKpgDpoPlvVgOyWOcVSDzs4fhGwZbNO74VWiIYiZSUbR_2h5UW_M/s800/Hobby%202b%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShaRh-vB8ofma_il6h9Otlp3vEPhwhKpIE4XsVN1-bCoTRawWPACH66eHUWUcLbMzshZyWeofg4OycILcxaKXQJBuAm-jlhoGMWgZProtO34rNTCJ9iGPo1IvnkCu3jcju1teeKpgDpoPlvVgOyWOcVSDzs4fhGwZbNO74VWiIYiZSUbR_2h5UW_M/w640-h426/Hobby%202b%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobby_28Apr23_2.htm" target="_blank">Cruising past. © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-yvPZG6kLL8NrHkvgdDV_YgPwqWiYA90mFGII6SHdLNGjTnw8kfkKp8zb7beHdLcs_Ud3zwPs4jadF2pg8W72WXcwxj278oMgR2lK4tL1lgMF_YmKzKlD32d6EvNbv8UeqoXgX7_ZGycFjSAhikfcIBRossfAu408xLKI52voXChyTUXJ19VN7rj/s800/Hobby%204%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="800" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-yvPZG6kLL8NrHkvgdDV_YgPwqWiYA90mFGII6SHdLNGjTnw8kfkKp8zb7beHdLcs_Ud3zwPs4jadF2pg8W72WXcwxj278oMgR2lK4tL1lgMF_YmKzKlD32d6EvNbv8UeqoXgX7_ZGycFjSAhikfcIBRossfAu408xLKI52voXChyTUXJ19VN7rj/w640-h588/Hobby%204%20Pit%2060%2028%20Apr%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Hobby/hobby_28Apr23_4.htm" target="_blank">Zeroing in on an insect. © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-90836175355825685312023-04-07T13:11:00.004+01:002023-04-07T13:17:43.864+01:00Marlborough Downs, 9 February 2023<p>Here are some photos from a memorable visit to <a href="http://www.wildlife-photography-hides.co.uk/" target="_blank">David White's winter Buzzard hide</a>, high on the Marlborough Downs near Berwick Bassett. Since my previous two visits, the hide had been relocated and fitted with a fully glass front window. This gave much more freedom when photographing the action but at the slight expense of always shooting through the glass. This was however specially imported from Spain and designed to give minimal loss of image quality. Note at this hide, you have to be installed well before dawn, and then wait inside until dusk. It was however a very comfortable hide, with a small kitchen and even a WC (the first hide I have ever found with one of these!).</p><p>Unlike previously at this location, this visit benefitted from intermittent sunlight from about midday, with glorious "golden hour" conditions in the late afternoon. With the on-line booking, I found I was able to wait until the forecast for a week hence was favourable. In the event, forecasts at that range are not very reliable and the morning was very dull and misty before it burnt off later.</p><p>From mid/late morning onwards, multiple Buzzards were present, which gave some opportunities for photos of them fighting over the food. The supporting cast included fly over Red Kites that were difficult to get onto despite the unrestricted window. There was also a confiding pair of Ravens present on and off almost all day.</p><p>To see links to more photos, go to <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/ukpics/autumn22.htm" target="_blank">this page on my website</a>. Also click on any of the captions below to enlarge the photos.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35O9VRRt3ymmMfT84apN835odKM1NHBXBP-dmsraBJFVpH9f8mB7rpHeby-GtCpeYOX89p7Hg0KIJ9TGh6j21wQWPY_hrTo7VrAHoiGexS5BlqHCKxcsqF8FzqQVAohannm578zJD1zkIgF2Yq-Y8Vhpp91JAx4eGVJc1kwXkrtoN_93ORQyiiVfT/s800/Buzzard%202a%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35O9VRRt3ymmMfT84apN835odKM1NHBXBP-dmsraBJFVpH9f8mB7rpHeby-GtCpeYOX89p7Hg0KIJ9TGh6j21wQWPY_hrTo7VrAHoiGexS5BlqHCKxcsqF8FzqQVAohannm578zJD1zkIgF2Yq-Y8Vhpp91JAx4eGVJc1kwXkrtoN_93ORQyiiVfT/w640-h512/Buzzard%202a%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_1.htm" target="_blank">A couple of Buzzards in a tussle, before the sun came out</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08H3cY0zNE3AC0X2koy0NzZAeF8taNKy1DOf7L-zWtF8WLLwz0NnfHt6-DTYKBMXEUnfuTwTYNhu1PQpNfgqhvZJN6AVQ1PbmGYcLkcxI_Xxple6RLtjGNMiKayXLWVJmVgZ1ncbPR3lcwOfkPPispzRgRmAfgdN7sE94rF8lBniTKAcfbBLmC0NB/s800/Buzzards%203%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="800" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08H3cY0zNE3AC0X2koy0NzZAeF8taNKy1DOf7L-zWtF8WLLwz0NnfHt6-DTYKBMXEUnfuTwTYNhu1PQpNfgqhvZJN6AVQ1PbmGYcLkcxI_Xxple6RLtjGNMiKayXLWVJmVgZ1ncbPR3lcwOfkPPispzRgRmAfgdN7sE94rF8lBniTKAcfbBLmC0NB/w640-h530/Buzzards%203%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_3.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard confrontation in the late afternoon sun</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixe8_p458BgYiY1H6sJ06FxE99vlbyNrltUVUxGdTyS3OPoJQLF4IxoFWozhlT7p0Iiza2J6tDFQet9tb1eUxwOFe61vslwslEpB5srYMoJpB5apLqPWPj6yuIau6Tkyos83boi0KWdGXueQ65h-L-9ujmi_3ohlQnBNNwLwZfSlBXhJ7NznmQbJh/s800/Buzzard%203%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="800" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixe8_p458BgYiY1H6sJ06FxE99vlbyNrltUVUxGdTyS3OPoJQLF4IxoFWozhlT7p0Iiza2J6tDFQet9tb1eUxwOFe61vslwslEpB5srYMoJpB5apLqPWPj6yuIau6Tkyos83boi0KWdGXueQ65h-L-9ujmi_3ohlQnBNNwLwZfSlBXhJ7NznmQbJh/w640-h476/Buzzard%203%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_5.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard fly past in great light</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQUUjRvLN-zWyWi7zUg_iZDujQDeNvWvGY7rW_3SgaO6DfTIdXCakPZuyvFRJOg5uEHa_XEkTtNkvmMPJZ-n7KSZUZldodnt29GivdtiQWE7VHaRtCns-gbuDIQ7AXhrSOjQRp2PjbWiZJoIgsZsT-rWErE8nNcPUsEjbBAHGp3rc5amsImKu8dTv/s800/Buzzard%204%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="800" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQUUjRvLN-zWyWi7zUg_iZDujQDeNvWvGY7rW_3SgaO6DfTIdXCakPZuyvFRJOg5uEHa_XEkTtNkvmMPJZ-n7KSZUZldodnt29GivdtiQWE7VHaRtCns-gbuDIQ7AXhrSOjQRp2PjbWiZJoIgsZsT-rWErE8nNcPUsEjbBAHGp3rc5amsImKu8dTv/w640-h604/Buzzard%204%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_6.htm" target="_blank">Another flight shot in the late afternoon</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Dtg2lgyuYvoSwa-ef8G_O1rzCJ9w94-RJe85LKwEXFFm7j2ijWMfWmtGL2pjma0m8f_a26zIY8BB4gz6LK1ZLpWD3Z7sR1CCEMpqTo0vY0fFpy2NDyGbzMiW9-qGKRnm21PlEF-ROjtakC5rogUGUWyt0gMqAx-XWnKEtQ9dM5G0l2kZGxaqxTvu/s800/Buzzard%206a%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="800" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Dtg2lgyuYvoSwa-ef8G_O1rzCJ9w94-RJe85LKwEXFFm7j2ijWMfWmtGL2pjma0m8f_a26zIY8BB4gz6LK1ZLpWD3Z7sR1CCEMpqTo0vY0fFpy2NDyGbzMiW9-qGKRnm21PlEF-ROjtakC5rogUGUWyt0gMqAx-XWnKEtQ9dM5G0l2kZGxaqxTvu/w640-h624/Buzzard%206a%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_8.htm" target="_blank">Perched Buzzard </a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uBuv62GYNfp86L4tBHBlZ_jz5-8FLdXIJyd15HlBZ5KkSE1ffCUa2hMlve9JEEYqtVvoJ1k5ajs-VkMSITAw4j01PgoRKIeI6Lh6iGP6jSJ4NLzxc1aWAjwGBN3dz9Qdb8wmawwlwBeF6-z5_iv5chDe3AuWf3pSWKgjn9EXmn6CfGUXyYfD8wDv/s800/Buzzard%2010%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="800" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uBuv62GYNfp86L4tBHBlZ_jz5-8FLdXIJyd15HlBZ5KkSE1ffCUa2hMlve9JEEYqtVvoJ1k5ajs-VkMSITAw4j01PgoRKIeI6Lh6iGP6jSJ4NLzxc1aWAjwGBN3dz9Qdb8wmawwlwBeF6-z5_iv5chDe3AuWf3pSWKgjn9EXmn6CfGUXyYfD8wDv/w640-h434/Buzzard%2010%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_10.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard on the ground in lovely light</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeZDo9jcX0Mwh3_4YUPpTHjMmfjW9QdJM0Iz_ucwgE9K8pFJtWPn21yiT6aiRdvCghzL91_QSc4ACjubTFQ3aTvaf-EeOdgvDLzsG8QhdBwkwZkt1MbrmaLxp1eiyCjMGQfPlRiWktEGIzAiO-T4YaUZWZ-qM8OV9KnzJiKJvwUPK9GiCnf2-RPsH/s800/Buzzard%2014%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="800" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeZDo9jcX0Mwh3_4YUPpTHjMmfjW9QdJM0Iz_ucwgE9K8pFJtWPn21yiT6aiRdvCghzL91_QSc4ACjubTFQ3aTvaf-EeOdgvDLzsG8QhdBwkwZkt1MbrmaLxp1eiyCjMGQfPlRiWktEGIzAiO-T4YaUZWZ-qM8OV9KnzJiKJvwUPK9GiCnf2-RPsH/w640-h500/Buzzard%2014%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_13.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard on the ground without sunshine</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VBiKEiowD6IFwY1h_JZTuZkP8sKUwZgh-UYuiD-ZGH4C9qHTFO1w1RlxtAk7xO7p80OwYPUjZgQsWQs2FIS_J7lbtL-k_OchhfTiGtL-7foBLPuZGQXvrKAaOuMY_C5jjmCTxr7mdiBD9UI7p4RYewbpzGYZFI_kqF74qHZDRP8NsK_CWJCjZdUJ/s800/Buzzard%2018%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="800" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VBiKEiowD6IFwY1h_JZTuZkP8sKUwZgh-UYuiD-ZGH4C9qHTFO1w1RlxtAk7xO7p80OwYPUjZgQsWQs2FIS_J7lbtL-k_OchhfTiGtL-7foBLPuZGQXvrKAaOuMY_C5jjmCTxr7mdiBD9UI7p4RYewbpzGYZFI_kqF74qHZDRP8NsK_CWJCjZdUJ/w640-h604/Buzzard%2018%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_23_Feb_17.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard close-up</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTv9d9OankL2DCLcIo8lRn16wsxqe64-wky0OPKRxzfPAwgTHQ-0JpvMucR7bu1jhGwXg2AcN8DfWwP9ND3lHUFZqWDy_0Dkfqz0K5qZfoc7Kl-m_Ghs2SQRQVckuT1q80jQJQ68suJsTbEU9fK2oWHOcjBWJ6oBcgEXBJNyjJo-98IuwX6UPgft0/s800/Red%20Kite%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTv9d9OankL2DCLcIo8lRn16wsxqe64-wky0OPKRxzfPAwgTHQ-0JpvMucR7bu1jhGwXg2AcN8DfWwP9ND3lHUFZqWDy_0Dkfqz0K5qZfoc7Kl-m_Ghs2SQRQVckuT1q80jQJQ68suJsTbEU9fK2oWHOcjBWJ6oBcgEXBJNyjJo-98IuwX6UPgft0/w640-h512/Red%20Kite%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitebb23_Feb_1.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite cruising past late on</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL9bPmq2KIIOETCKVsI67obZHkncMP3Wpfoiq6L8_qPCsw3YrufkafGzFMfgHucX2d9Nw48WpMnUftYW2TxkMGrgqmiBu29m2EfZ20dwZkzZTFm2_NXKfQRSMdvfqSkvNeELV7fPGgRHKKg9YutJFiiAUpckPD--7FjZ2CG_FBfQOHe9JT2Kaq8P_/s800/Raven%202%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL9bPmq2KIIOETCKVsI67obZHkncMP3Wpfoiq6L8_qPCsw3YrufkafGzFMfgHucX2d9Nw48WpMnUftYW2TxkMGrgqmiBu29m2EfZ20dwZkzZTFm2_NXKfQRSMdvfqSkvNeELV7fPGgRHKKg9YutJFiiAUpckPD--7FjZ2CG_FBfQOHe9JT2Kaq8P_/w640-h426/Raven%202%20BB%209%20Feb%2023_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/raven_23_1.htm" target="_blank">Raven</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-86241189705104703642023-03-03T08:55:00.002+00:002023-03-03T08:55:54.081+00:00Letcombe Valley BBOWT reserve - 2 March & 26 February 2023<p>On Sunday late morning, there was a good amount of frog action, in the cool sunny conditions, on the small pool near the north entrance to the reserve. Perhaps because of the NE wind however they were mostly keeping to the far side and were usually obscured by vegetation.</p><p>On Thursday afternoon, there was less activity but several were still present, but again mostly keeping to the vegetation. It was again sunny but with a cool N wind. </p><p>Plenty of frogspawn seen on both visits!</p><p>Here are a few photos of ones that were briefly clear of vegetation and other frogs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTGY95RtVh9iH6a7msPny_SXB0_FK4TYd1VK4OqEzoZr6FSstShYPfQcB9tS2aqkNkbe1A79JnjqMVimc6qeIYzZSHGs--HeLI6Pk7DMUsOE5v2Sl5NlTIBd-GA4becj915jQrS1RZkOD0gmnWmypTa9P-B8fRJRLdFzOsLGNtK1PB7raa687Ixzp/s1200/Common%20Frog%20LV%2026%20Feb%2023_crop_1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1200" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTGY95RtVh9iH6a7msPny_SXB0_FK4TYd1VK4OqEzoZr6FSstShYPfQcB9tS2aqkNkbe1A79JnjqMVimc6qeIYzZSHGs--HeLI6Pk7DMUsOE5v2Sl5NlTIBd-GA4becj915jQrS1RZkOD0gmnWmypTa9P-B8fRJRLdFzOsLGNtK1PB7raa687Ixzp/w640-h474/Common%20Frog%20LV%2026%20Feb%2023_crop_1200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUm6lKQe2CFn6uGE-44faq5Tp_1rAhRfr5mEnmOpB9HmMcgOkSbxVknnJ620yl8zob6xwo5KM6ty6CC1J-COJf6jmH36LYA-E6zpHgKXTXPqb1ii1kYzUPqxScXPe_HPieM_uyU0Kv1aKazLwPhpBnbZ3OlBNQO5cmyPRp4kX7vBn_XQi78B8C6xS/s1200/Common%20Frog%202%20LV%202%20Mar%2023_1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1200" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUm6lKQe2CFn6uGE-44faq5Tp_1rAhRfr5mEnmOpB9HmMcgOkSbxVknnJ620yl8zob6xwo5KM6ty6CC1J-COJf6jmH36LYA-E6zpHgKXTXPqb1ii1kYzUPqxScXPe_HPieM_uyU0Kv1aKazLwPhpBnbZ3OlBNQO5cmyPRp4kX7vBn_XQi78B8C6xS/w640-h406/Common%20Frog%202%20LV%202%20Mar%2023_1200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcrJM-LDNVV0rqeiV55AmJzXwqJEP72zIfrYYfFCgJo_JxEL32Im0vTb88EP6bX2T990drWrP6JRLhg_tshSGUceZOcd3NY6ZIC4K83HLI-9QuVpDKUIOcOVly2i3E9f4nvG92pexwELvmRB9HF0w2WUQAoHgoOlLyWiABZw-l-cp70BvCPF4IjXA/s1200/Common%20Frog%20LV%202%20Mar%2023_1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1200" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcrJM-LDNVV0rqeiV55AmJzXwqJEP72zIfrYYfFCgJo_JxEL32Im0vTb88EP6bX2T990drWrP6JRLhg_tshSGUceZOcd3NY6ZIC4K83HLI-9QuVpDKUIOcOVly2i3E9f4nvG92pexwELvmRB9HF0w2WUQAoHgoOlLyWiABZw-l-cp70BvCPF4IjXA/w640-h466/Common%20Frog%20LV%202%20Mar%2023_1200.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frogs at Letcombe Valley BBOWT © Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-50168844093679983222022-08-06T13:23:00.004+01:002022-08-06T13:29:06.552+01:00Otterbourne, nr Winchester - 25 July<p>Pete Whieldon was offering a Tawny Owl evening workshop that sounded really good back in May/June. However my session was unfortunately abruptly cancelled as the bird had suddenly gone AWOL Fortunately it started showing again a month or so later, so I got this rearranged session. This is the first time I've photographed Tawny Owl at his hides and the setup was excellent.</p><p>Even though the bird didn't quite live up to expectations, there was a busy 45mins or so after dusk when the bird showed repeatedly, with very brief visits each time. After that, it suddenly went very quiet. Pete speculated that the female had taken the young off into the fields for a hunting lesson. Whatever the reason, there was only one further visit at around 23:00, which I missed completely having setup on the wrong perch! </p><p>Pete provided all the flash equipment needed for the three photographers at this session. Note that the flash didn't appear to bother the birds at all. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>As usual, click on any of the captions for larger images.</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsYGaTYSFLG54FUhtdh_GbQryNlyYfvg-JbTJsyGykMqNPA-y5AmoT0ClpaeG2_IXEfdYKFzO6nquJyNiACgh0L4ZZ-TiTjz5G4X_aPI6FcuHGvQdx7EH1GQ5fQC_jTNMjdoopInd8b7VXWSxasuAqN-S81fNcmSnPfod3utLRQIZK_Qjxsh-yQoR/s868/Tawny%20Owl%201a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_crop_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsYGaTYSFLG54FUhtdh_GbQryNlyYfvg-JbTJsyGykMqNPA-y5AmoT0ClpaeG2_IXEfdYKFzO6nquJyNiACgh0L4ZZ-TiTjz5G4X_aPI6FcuHGvQdx7EH1GQ5fQC_jTNMjdoopInd8b7VXWSxasuAqN-S81fNcmSnPfod3utLRQIZK_Qjxsh-yQoR/w590-h640/Tawny%20Owl%201a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_crop_800.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_1.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl perched momentarily on a mossy post © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wT-vSmZRiAhE3cIAU9cC3xYa1UhZkkWISzPBSu_I2OZMNFKaxspEMClV5_C9ul6xQhNBQ-Zj3FMyAddhV9onzcMrpE4b-_C-6w-6I_8I-zmTpd3B18RxMk2sZq-5ecjaBogQG8TyjTuNWvDzzpfbBCI50UYOC5AFQoBQDk4yAdKm2Z-7cmdlDcq5/s817/Tawny%20Owl%202c%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wT-vSmZRiAhE3cIAU9cC3xYa1UhZkkWISzPBSu_I2OZMNFKaxspEMClV5_C9ul6xQhNBQ-Zj3FMyAddhV9onzcMrpE4b-_C-6w-6I_8I-zmTpd3B18RxMk2sZq-5ecjaBogQG8TyjTuNWvDzzpfbBCI50UYOC5AFQoBQDk4yAdKm2Z-7cmdlDcq5/w626-h640/Tawny%20Owl%202c%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" width="626" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_2.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl incoming © Stephen Burch</a></span><div style="text-align: left;"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wy-6Ts1sZblcE-BzyJKibsjSnCY_4GtmM-xM0Y5EPqgKH02hAEiNt0mbE9G4F9djVpDePbZay8JZyLcIaivmGNamXKeHlIVacpYlUjsqmcd1S9mNsTssQ-qr2_XCl1kCo-bX49fPt3-mdhwZd5cLwg6DEKLpei8Sye6H9KuOFpm48BQhG4OZGtHs/s834/Tawny%20Owl%203a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wy-6Ts1sZblcE-BzyJKibsjSnCY_4GtmM-xM0Y5EPqgKH02hAEiNt0mbE9G4F9djVpDePbZay8JZyLcIaivmGNamXKeHlIVacpYlUjsqmcd1S9mNsTssQ-qr2_XCl1kCo-bX49fPt3-mdhwZd5cLwg6DEKLpei8Sye6H9KuOFpm48BQhG4OZGtHs/w614-h640/Tawny%20Owl%203a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" width="614" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_3.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl about to land © Stephen Burch</a><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mqIotK-FzV9tQUFJX5d-xCuV5rvW9Nq4Z8ahzeoAD72c9K3nanyQylXZW0fFR5l0vdN9Di-v1GYa6Ru8LHkBArc9EvLDlnGsmT0xhgV7wdTffa8URAsNDoHzVhkYiU1-4l1W-ZNKKACj2yedmxfZ9zK4jXubYiXGbXGIv2TqUmMbIhmFIm67qaCC/s811/Tawny%20Owl%204a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mqIotK-FzV9tQUFJX5d-xCuV5rvW9Nq4Z8ahzeoAD72c9K3nanyQylXZW0fFR5l0vdN9Di-v1GYa6Ru8LHkBArc9EvLDlnGsmT0xhgV7wdTffa8URAsNDoHzVhkYiU1-4l1W-ZNKKACj2yedmxfZ9zK4jXubYiXGbXGIv2TqUmMbIhmFIm67qaCC/w632-h640/Tawny%20Owl%204a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" width="632" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_4.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl departing with food © Stephen Burch</a><br style="color: #0000ee;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbRlAdepimBagaXAQD6DCAgSvKUH-ECdHyoMC75fQPdeWiW-FqZi1eBQUIT-FA3mvALZE9eCwOObUxNCyCAq0TgZfkiHp9dKawOuhzdRvCUkBZocHIM6fd7IWO8e7cN0pCto8LTqmSsKL2f0fOwMozRXSS2DM5cxKI69ux5YHaJYuPyHTuQRnuOeN/s805/Tawny%20Owl%205a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbRlAdepimBagaXAQD6DCAgSvKUH-ECdHyoMC75fQPdeWiW-FqZi1eBQUIT-FA3mvALZE9eCwOObUxNCyCAq0TgZfkiHp9dKawOuhzdRvCUkBZocHIM6fd7IWO8e7cN0pCto8LTqmSsKL2f0fOwMozRXSS2DM5cxKI69ux5YHaJYuPyHTuQRnuOeN/w636-h640/Tawny%20Owl%205a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" width="636" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_5.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl on a higher perch to the side © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRAxRbEsgjcwIAk5epvm8ZlXhIURYe4ZXD7y4v2O11U2HGOKFUBWXMBG12C8q2BTfT4ebvq5y1tNiCZM2I3VHsZmrJteXAKUhN8b0pEuSwPip--xfB-xDsiVM9c9e-xK8slEiXnZCFGYrSyLHOLW1ologT2czmRvN_zoqJ3er8PEtDet6muUmWo_c/s800/Tawny%20Owl%206%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="800" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRAxRbEsgjcwIAk5epvm8ZlXhIURYe4ZXD7y4v2O11U2HGOKFUBWXMBG12C8q2BTfT4ebvq5y1tNiCZM2I3VHsZmrJteXAKUhN8b0pEuSwPip--xfB-xDsiVM9c9e-xK8slEiXnZCFGYrSyLHOLW1ologT2czmRvN_zoqJ3er8PEtDet6muUmWo_c/w640-h604/Tawny%20Owl%206%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_6.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl grabbing a mouse © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7jMpK7A_2qjBARh2_2tY9VB91YqNsnYL2RHTgbpSneC7ZnJMVmMXnJm7kBSC9sY5Xu2s9NaQN8C6DS8m_AxgoHQ58Z7EaxepuDyb1bOurohjdHr0IFQwj_b_cA5npSqr0iIGWMCoDx4EsdFxt1b_eRWAjlB3qrhUL-xxqQcWwvIgodORNvyq7K-8/s800/Tawny%20Owl%207a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="800" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7jMpK7A_2qjBARh2_2tY9VB91YqNsnYL2RHTgbpSneC7ZnJMVmMXnJm7kBSC9sY5Xu2s9NaQN8C6DS8m_AxgoHQ58Z7EaxepuDyb1bOurohjdHr0IFQwj_b_cA5npSqr0iIGWMCoDx4EsdFxt1b_eRWAjlB3qrhUL-xxqQcWwvIgodORNvyq7K-8/w640-h556/Tawny%20Owl%207a%20Otterbourne%2025%20Jul%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl22_7.htm" target="_blank">Tawny Owl side view © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-37039486577115320052022-07-17T12:36:00.000+01:002022-07-17T12:36:02.650+01:00Brine Pit Hides, Droitwich - 21 June<p>There has been a "Kestrel" hide at Brine Pit, near Droitwich for several years, but sightings were generally so infrequent that a session wasn't worthwhile. That all changed suddenly in mid June, which prompted me to make an immediate booking.</p><p>Unlike the Little Owl hide, this one faces north east, so by mid afternoon the sun is directly behind the hide. In fact the light for the whole afternoon and early evening was from a reasonable direction but with full sun all day the light was very harsh for much of the time. Not so good all morning of course, unless you like backlit shots, which I generally don't. </p><p>For this session, the bird visited numerous times; presumably it had some hungry mouths to feed nearby. Another long day, but more satisfying than my earlier Little Owl session due mainly to the better hide direction, combined with the very frequent visits mostly of a reasonable duration. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>As usual, click on the captions for larger images.</b> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3TCEvttALmAvZXT2RIDxgtM3ROrfTsjSdKPiRchw5XpmzHif0Gjn3r4AvIsyJDmLYGjCZVuUocN70I1S-5fYy6RXsiiSx2pzrRcn4umcL7NB8seObG_gU0rt5c_kt3vdeGbLcwSAGAyJKY61HqjkYioq4QLgY9KlQJoMcUwFDbFWI0Mo20SmDYDo/s800/Kestrel%201d%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="800" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3TCEvttALmAvZXT2RIDxgtM3ROrfTsjSdKPiRchw5XpmzHif0Gjn3r4AvIsyJDmLYGjCZVuUocN70I1S-5fYy6RXsiiSx2pzrRcn4umcL7NB8seObG_gU0rt5c_kt3vdeGbLcwSAGAyJKY61HqjkYioq4QLgY9KlQJoMcUwFDbFWI0Mo20SmDYDo/w640-h588/Kestrel%201d%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_1.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel with raised wings © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AEYedIjWLN7Vk_-YjeUBiTSKGk67QZbh66Im8LR9DWfpgKUerFhZgGsrs04Yx3iLrPDtcxwh8gjCOj28uiHIF-z2Ks4XdB49HSt9Hr8xoopB01sx7FS6kFUd_QShAh_5upQwUrywofxFL8kgio0HdJyJzSTh1v9k1ClqK5JKL0qqLtQvPLXUTGzf/s800/Kestrel%203%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="800" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AEYedIjWLN7Vk_-YjeUBiTSKGk67QZbh66Im8LR9DWfpgKUerFhZgGsrs04Yx3iLrPDtcxwh8gjCOj28uiHIF-z2Ks4XdB49HSt9Hr8xoopB01sx7FS6kFUd_QShAh_5upQwUrywofxFL8kgio0HdJyJzSTh1v9k1ClqK5JKL0qqLtQvPLXUTGzf/w640-h484/Kestrel%203%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_3.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel departing © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcHarzCG2aG8UNmPPB-Or-SIQvwBwg5ZZgY8CaSf2Yy6A1hK_2EYnIG8R8jZfT6T_uEIkmV6cNFU-flvc_lyQhQnhIN4EvvAabYmk6Mzka_IfIig6HLchkOUsCOPxp9-S6Bs15eCqpPNU1-kwGI05bqnojDO48OVawLY3ln4CJzh5LTDnpzWzod9d/s800/Kestrel%204%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="800" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcHarzCG2aG8UNmPPB-Or-SIQvwBwg5ZZgY8CaSf2Yy6A1hK_2EYnIG8R8jZfT6T_uEIkmV6cNFU-flvc_lyQhQnhIN4EvvAabYmk6Mzka_IfIig6HLchkOUsCOPxp9-S6Bs15eCqpPNU1-kwGI05bqnojDO48OVawLY3ln4CJzh5LTDnpzWzod9d/w640-h514/Kestrel%204%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_4.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel in flight © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tbhrNBjd_FUugcJxo6sYNWCQS19O5gd6P9XFm12uRtITr468BmHzRnHiSLeGiV3OPx7zDDex4u1dPuBezW0H5rF9Dryb46bfp5Bul21cfKttJcyXbTPvfstB5dNLpxUUTbbZJ6G9yKSbksRs1ZMTYnAO_qMoefvI9pg4DJSpmeAUGFGUhqfUizIN/s800/Kestrel%205%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="800" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tbhrNBjd_FUugcJxo6sYNWCQS19O5gd6P9XFm12uRtITr468BmHzRnHiSLeGiV3OPx7zDDex4u1dPuBezW0H5rF9Dryb46bfp5Bul21cfKttJcyXbTPvfstB5dNLpxUUTbbZJ6G9yKSbksRs1ZMTYnAO_qMoefvI9pg4DJSpmeAUGFGUhqfUizIN/w640-h602/Kestrel%205%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_5.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel with mouse © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuCtTHMRZsz_YL59Xy5ATqCK3s5Gzy4upHeQ9mx6l8Ft16ZKOHsI5uZjg8oQBkPNWqYMinxJm6jnG4n0PFA9mGQ4jTjtSfQ9tWUVE3lIZy-F5_Gc0UIRTVH-oL73sr2KzOAhcq3Oc39Kn7RvnOb-_cGjmqwZYJ2wYByVnTVrCoEGCKlP4vggTQ6rZ/s800/Kestrel%209%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="800" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuCtTHMRZsz_YL59Xy5ATqCK3s5Gzy4upHeQ9mx6l8Ft16ZKOHsI5uZjg8oQBkPNWqYMinxJm6jnG4n0PFA9mGQ4jTjtSfQ9tWUVE3lIZy-F5_Gc0UIRTVH-oL73sr2KzOAhcq3Oc39Kn7RvnOb-_cGjmqwZYJ2wYByVnTVrCoEGCKlP4vggTQ6rZ/w640-h526/Kestrel%209%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_9.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel incoming © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSU8KYqvzd02x718db1s9qXp-Fl9SBYCKrwkp_8QsIoDOIm4hKYzswTPYe0dAl0VsQL66_F2JPG1LVR5T3qd0_DVAWfpLlhfXwYdNGJTIjTzsccezd09cikza3GtXRJxWM9ZlxGk0h6xDXNZULnTpgtb6mhJToIYQrySrUZ8653xenA5jkI9_lKmN/s800/Kestrel%202a%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="800" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSU8KYqvzd02x718db1s9qXp-Fl9SBYCKrwkp_8QsIoDOIm4hKYzswTPYe0dAl0VsQL66_F2JPG1LVR5T3qd0_DVAWfpLlhfXwYdNGJTIjTzsccezd09cikza3GtXRJxWM9ZlxGk0h6xDXNZULnTpgtb6mhJToIYQrySrUZ8653xenA5jkI9_lKmN/w640-h500/Kestrel%202a%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_2.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel portrait © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznEOp7LDcsYcfmQWTLKojhpbOchTcxAR-ednp5Lqpn27axjvDXoRvrJMpqv8G-WFRYqlcEkxeFsvQhCBO-HDZp_saZHWIVbjrciZSJNQ95bjUFsD_F376BVbtmHpYl3igin9jhJxGUNAB96wFxTRPl6WKm1FmOw7dKDRhToM64KqRGHP2TzUnYisu/s800/Kestrel%206a%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="800" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznEOp7LDcsYcfmQWTLKojhpbOchTcxAR-ednp5Lqpn27axjvDXoRvrJMpqv8G-WFRYqlcEkxeFsvQhCBO-HDZp_saZHWIVbjrciZSJNQ95bjUFsD_F376BVbtmHpYl3igin9jhJxGUNAB96wFxTRPl6WKm1FmOw7dKDRhToM64KqRGHP2TzUnYisu/w640-h582/Kestrel%206a%20Brine%20Pit%2021%20Jun%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kestrel/kestrel_jun22_6.htm" target="_blank">Kestrel stare © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-17759658840954872882022-07-03T15:26:00.000+01:002022-07-03T15:26:52.074+01:00Red Kites and a Buzzard at Gigrin Farm, nr Rhayader - 30 May <p>An afternoon trying to photograph the Red Kites from the Large Tower Hide at the Gigrin Farm feeding station, near Rhayder in deepest mid-Wales. </p><p>There were many birds, even at this time of year, but getting photos of them is not as easy at it might seem. Much depends on the light and the wind direction, as the birds always fly into the wind. I always prefer sun for Red Kite photos but unfortunately there was very little of that during this session. </p><p>We found this hide was better than the lower hides we used last year for getting shots either level with the birds or looking down on them. </p><p>As usual, click on any caption for a larger image. For a gallery of all my recent Red Kite photos, <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/redkiteind.htm" target="_blank">click here.</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoMv3kPS_zrIW2FXG0ysyVDoxahd8sto8bOd1MZ58dAR0Z0CgbQqrbbDaPo2MdZ_Oo13eqsoL9dOSo29QD_7jmHC8tvvwc2B2_PSR9mIFYDnQEiAbvjhFmr6NKEz1lXEkbQpLCAghNB1RQysqFSbwqjbd3Wy7Bh_0Ebwshg7xmh1M976IGF0HhzBk/s800/Red%20Kite%201%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="800" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoMv3kPS_zrIW2FXG0ysyVDoxahd8sto8bOd1MZ58dAR0Z0CgbQqrbbDaPo2MdZ_Oo13eqsoL9dOSo29QD_7jmHC8tvvwc2B2_PSR9mIFYDnQEiAbvjhFmr6NKEz1lXEkbQpLCAghNB1RQysqFSbwqjbd3Wy7Bh_0Ebwshg7xmh1M976IGF0HhzBk/w640-h490/Red%20Kite%201%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_1.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite passing quite close against a plain green background</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsD-a3_ea4DYAGXjOMOR4pdGKo0wp2CnIIfkbXPcLM6teflG537W-9rffANXIcpDqlQ_V5vd_yOI-bID0uRtvGDvP_jZ5EgunCsYq2TfrO56zbDP8Ob8ZVsBYJrzF2SPiaJku3nLwLaWUI5o4RGykN3tzCpqF1ZP1dk1W9NFeA2A1mBDt3usID7ty/s800/Red%20Kite%202a%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsD-a3_ea4DYAGXjOMOR4pdGKo0wp2CnIIfkbXPcLM6teflG537W-9rffANXIcpDqlQ_V5vd_yOI-bID0uRtvGDvP_jZ5EgunCsYq2TfrO56zbDP8Ob8ZVsBYJrzF2SPiaJku3nLwLaWUI5o4RGykN3tzCpqF1ZP1dk1W9NFeA2A1mBDt3usID7ty/w640-h482/Red%20Kite%202a%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_2.htm" target="_blank">Approaching head-on with the sky the background</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo_U8B2n6oChN_jizeTh8h-k7Jks_t_4B3Qf_UZvKNU-BOtPqUsadDcNjYLaV-5Lwxd-LvbhKUU0DwFat3LuwAN-YjNC-eWvfbQYYmqi3mabCZz2Rfspt2THRrx_0Zbylqg3JkEtNgSjgPkngjgDqnDiUZkOdzFwpyoP8ZocLKIdIj6NJi3jYbFJj/s800/Red%20Kite%203%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="800" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo_U8B2n6oChN_jizeTh8h-k7Jks_t_4B3Qf_UZvKNU-BOtPqUsadDcNjYLaV-5Lwxd-LvbhKUU0DwFat3LuwAN-YjNC-eWvfbQYYmqi3mabCZz2Rfspt2THRrx_0Zbylqg3JkEtNgSjgPkngjgDqnDiUZkOdzFwpyoP8ZocLKIdIj6NJi3jYbFJj/w640-h542/Red%20Kite%203%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_3.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite coming up at me! </a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCcsfh1xWfR130W_r5jl2hdHF-8AwCc1B-1I-yY9H4RDzvIqh4wNbZErNcPm51uFUmiiRq4r6RSFRbRwLAKK_1n3T3yb_EFJR-GijVU5VpmeA1ZJXRLxYncQpadjGmRKe5-KyWxX_Y6aw1s6d3Ep62ghApRqdtOQDgnbt22ox7qO52rCEbUKLIk8v/s800/Red%20Kite%207%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCcsfh1xWfR130W_r5jl2hdHF-8AwCc1B-1I-yY9H4RDzvIqh4wNbZErNcPm51uFUmiiRq4r6RSFRbRwLAKK_1n3T3yb_EFJR-GijVU5VpmeA1ZJXRLxYncQpadjGmRKe5-KyWxX_Y6aw1s6d3Ep62ghApRqdtOQDgnbt22ox7qO52rCEbUKLIk8v/w640-h426/Red%20Kite%207%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_7.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite zeroing in on a snack!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx0z41sRkiMihvGFd90CS8XQnEVQO9k-a-sCh_-HdiZv_MALeaZKIVeJuTQitX1TIbitMLRs-hhv0D3mUmJ50ha0dn8xc80lUFSaGDuyoAryd4_tXbYwR3dcxY26iE4E7IVfcIpaToC-c2TB_j4b2DCp88csuXc3DlxpQom6BhrGP_-BQvmpXau1k/s800/Red%20Kite%204%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_crop_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="800" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx0z41sRkiMihvGFd90CS8XQnEVQO9k-a-sCh_-HdiZv_MALeaZKIVeJuTQitX1TIbitMLRs-hhv0D3mUmJ50ha0dn8xc80lUFSaGDuyoAryd4_tXbYwR3dcxY26iE4E7IVfcIpaToC-c2TB_j4b2DCp88csuXc3DlxpQom6BhrGP_-BQvmpXau1k/w640-h518/Red%20Kite%204%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_crop_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_4_crop.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite close up</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8PlMl-jfG1hsb8YidODG1aVrZSm_2K_dVdL4v-tADGAH3uJMyUiZZ39MqZ7cCg2yJ8C-t4nSoLr8CZQ6Lii0E0aDtQx-38Lu7Op1O24oMCrpTR7vnKySb8RvbmZq06OmEahcrmo9C1IWRaO85WP_fTNwY__TEQU2oayvbcqOK9oJC7gr-eQRaZ5A/s1019/Red%20Kite%205%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8PlMl-jfG1hsb8YidODG1aVrZSm_2K_dVdL4v-tADGAH3uJMyUiZZ39MqZ7cCg2yJ8C-t4nSoLr8CZQ6Lii0E0aDtQx-38Lu7Op1O24oMCrpTR7vnKySb8RvbmZq06OmEahcrmo9C1IWRaO85WP_fTNwY__TEQU2oayvbcqOK9oJC7gr-eQRaZ5A/w502-h640/Red%20Kite%205%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_5.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite diving down at speed</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuGsTIYN3FBffd1usgNpp-4qzAXHBOTOHEZL5xQrBbi9PCH_s1XGvQlGZ3ZSIv6GKjWhZGoGO4wL6M2oRDc0B6ewhyR_uX1JRxdcB85pmpBCQTzL_U2KxJJnvqhzQD_FDE_jDYQB8HDdOXZFQi_aYpb-bv3vtD7iDvd6csKwLsghPK2qbBx4ajUK6/s800/Red%20Kite%209%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="800" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuGsTIYN3FBffd1usgNpp-4qzAXHBOTOHEZL5xQrBbi9PCH_s1XGvQlGZ3ZSIv6GKjWhZGoGO4wL6M2oRDc0B6ewhyR_uX1JRxdcB85pmpBCQTzL_U2KxJJnvqhzQD_FDE_jDYQB8HDdOXZFQi_aYpb-bv3vtD7iDvd6csKwLsghPK2qbBx4ajUK6/w640-h576/Red%20Kite%209%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_9.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite almost frame filling</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXGICY6fDAJ9Z-Kx03OXV-dxuBaMdrBGzVGizz56vYdSY16XuAOl-ypilwUCsolgCbHy0fNTEqtBDyLAiwPu57HqqRoguKHppUzfi5FPbUMhhshqERt-U2z3m4aS6tHfSFuFbMnezV0v-xg4A5uorAXn3KwxuJfXYwCAwoT3XNLk3KFgA_aRfUZsv/s800/Red%20Kite%2010%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="800" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXGICY6fDAJ9Z-Kx03OXV-dxuBaMdrBGzVGizz56vYdSY16XuAOl-ypilwUCsolgCbHy0fNTEqtBDyLAiwPu57HqqRoguKHppUzfi5FPbUMhhshqERt-U2z3m4aS6tHfSFuFbMnezV0v-xg4A5uorAXn3KwxuJfXYwCAwoT3XNLk3KFgA_aRfUZsv/w640-h380/Red%20Kite%2010%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitegig22_May_10.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite on a food run</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvExzQy6w5RGvRORr1aTgbMAyAbsAOc3vHoYGNNiXyGNVpdmMBTKpT7iKDg7smHUXCdN5hur_r_wTG0LK_JwmlNBBAEr2hXvUL3sscsBBYiXiD3LXIKm4olGq4AooDe0tPFOI9JIavAprkR6Fu7w_G6LzsvzWt4DabVli3qN3d6kntakn_MiYDKeTF/s800/Buzzard%201a%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="800" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvExzQy6w5RGvRORr1aTgbMAyAbsAOc3vHoYGNNiXyGNVpdmMBTKpT7iKDg7smHUXCdN5hur_r_wTG0LK_JwmlNBBAEr2hXvUL3sscsBBYiXiD3LXIKm4olGq4AooDe0tPFOI9JIavAprkR6Fu7w_G6LzsvzWt4DabVli3qN3d6kntakn_MiYDKeTF/w640-h560/Buzzard%201a%20Gigrin%20Farm%2030%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_gig_22_1.htm" target="_blank">Looking down on a Buzzard! One of a few around.</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-87125281885405689862022-06-19T17:13:00.002+01:002022-06-19T17:13:20.222+01:00Brine Pit Hides, Droitwich - 18 May<p> A long day out for a nesting Little Owl. As the hides (there are now two, side-by-side) face south or south-east, the light was difficult during the day but better first thing in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening. </p><p>There were plenty of visits by the Owl, but many were very fleeting. Trying for action shots was tricky, but I did think two were worth processing, as shown below.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>As usual, click on the captions for larger images.</b> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmJTlnDDbEkuiJng-9Nqamf9eg9AleT9xO_e-TvY1HR0FcvjUO1JSvh4VJmsVwCIRaeLx2yAFw9RvxAIxWwGP6FFO5lrAdWNlK_yi6ErENF4ATM7ilgrBQdcZ7zV46UUQewHZ14jxMT-oP5rzKSHYPo63Dv1MWdIssBBHv2MfXLEZeNKY2VUBVGIQ/s800/Little%20Owl%20flight%201a%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="800" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmJTlnDDbEkuiJng-9Nqamf9eg9AleT9xO_e-TvY1HR0FcvjUO1JSvh4VJmsVwCIRaeLx2yAFw9RvxAIxWwGP6FFO5lrAdWNlK_yi6ErENF4ATM7ilgrBQdcZ7zV46UUQewHZ14jxMT-oP5rzKSHYPo63Dv1MWdIssBBHv2MfXLEZeNKY2VUBVGIQ/w640-h540/Little%20Owl%20flight%201a%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl22f_1.htm" target="_blank">Little Owl in flight with mouse & green background © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKki64BttrxkOyr9ptkkTQ3IaLwQGioCR6Cv9i2gAlOlWyGpnDU1bDw8u5mOchFVLEHp7SsAgizBckFluhsMz6sCF5Tcj3usGesm-k-02PgN35B99_nZzFIU2lIVUTOiVPz-SVXoGJ9I4Oha5yyp9PkyFmHIs5k1khEm_21dc6xyJ2qbKtMQ0ecI6/s800/Little%20Owl%20flight%202b%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="800" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKki64BttrxkOyr9ptkkTQ3IaLwQGioCR6Cv9i2gAlOlWyGpnDU1bDw8u5mOchFVLEHp7SsAgizBckFluhsMz6sCF5Tcj3usGesm-k-02PgN35B99_nZzFIU2lIVUTOiVPz-SVXoGJ9I4Oha5yyp9PkyFmHIs5k1khEm_21dc6xyJ2qbKtMQ0ecI6/w640-h460/Little%20Owl%20flight%202b%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl22f_2.htm#b1" target="_blank">Little Owl in flight from one perch to another © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId2Uwe6bTWNoBL1ok7JRx0-SjV9XqIkYbjlYhvzFMqXvcB651YBQ9PcivNgs1lrFsyAz2t3ppk9yQc9VCARPfGNy1zTQGILmnIRaEomFcU6pa1MPQMVMjdRy6aQTX56KmpNz4nxlIs2BY2BDgxyJrBgFR14PT-GJhOmVnv_L9wE1Urxla17383Xdm/s800/Little%20Owl%201%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="800" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId2Uwe6bTWNoBL1ok7JRx0-SjV9XqIkYbjlYhvzFMqXvcB651YBQ9PcivNgs1lrFsyAz2t3ppk9yQc9VCARPfGNy1zTQGILmnIRaEomFcU6pa1MPQMVMjdRy6aQTX56KmpNz4nxlIs2BY2BDgxyJrBgFR14PT-GJhOmVnv_L9wE1Urxla17383Xdm/w640-h580/Little%20Owl%201%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl22_1.htm" target="_blank">Little Owl early on in the day © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQQwYvJh8XfpsTC8gI7_jjDghborNR_F0EaUT0Yi9NaZKXJbSWV4zULqM9k_GWBYCYdvjM-r0pZLnucxN_BN1UOxZLMLyuIdAQiYQhcglzfZf5emhdAQ_3Q-Qwn246lSl6nEntgTjqpx0S17ZKR9j_ESFGNfHg7kAZHdQTYHKNcP8wDD-EEVl66fR/s800/Little%20Owl%202a%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="800" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQQwYvJh8XfpsTC8gI7_jjDghborNR_F0EaUT0Yi9NaZKXJbSWV4zULqM9k_GWBYCYdvjM-r0pZLnucxN_BN1UOxZLMLyuIdAQiYQhcglzfZf5emhdAQ_3Q-Qwn246lSl6nEntgTjqpx0S17ZKR9j_ESFGNfHg7kAZHdQTYHKNcP8wDD-EEVl66fR/w640-h598/Little%20Owl%202a%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl22_2.htm" target="_blank">Little Owl in middle of day © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp00WRXDTJQji7_l2SUhhQCOCElz0Ig8Ve7NqQLgU7ehr2a4_rvzFrvxyL2eepKIEkZb7pIPr_CQqI1paXKhEMWCZxVQ5Wmmdz2eZZBEoMm15lgsHtx2AZKnU99aLzgpZ0cAB-7Ch6MTULUeoxcQ1DYvXXiuIawOqQAbe61NnfQZg86Nwc_aQjgKq/s800/Little%20Owl%203%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="800" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp00WRXDTJQji7_l2SUhhQCOCElz0Ig8Ve7NqQLgU7ehr2a4_rvzFrvxyL2eepKIEkZb7pIPr_CQqI1paXKhEMWCZxVQ5Wmmdz2eZZBEoMm15lgsHtx2AZKnU99aLzgpZ0cAB-7Ch6MTULUeoxcQ1DYvXXiuIawOqQAbe61NnfQZg86Nwc_aQjgKq/w640-h516/Little%20Owl%203%20Brine%20Pits%2018%20May%2022_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl22_3.htm" target="_blank">Little Owl in the afternoon © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-59653244345747339802022-03-16T10:06:00.001+00:002022-03-16T10:07:09.558+00:00The Old Farm Shop, Milton Hill 11 March <p>The Cattle Egret eventually showed well - better than the Letcombe bird last winter. </p><p><b><i>Click any caption to enlarge</i></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghFvEPGEdYCFe_M9Oyrzb6rqmlV_8uH7Bf3lfL7Qru0Hn8aceCWbGVRyKHnnvh7iYCRH02YqqopAUErg7zfOJ23XZzLf7-dlZAjy7rxkPV6PZZtZSDGS0GZrclJNB5ZzKnfEHKakZV5hc1w1NjB23crOqcBgPCt2Gqs2Cz96Tws2i6WhFjkmoZI4al=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="800" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghFvEPGEdYCFe_M9Oyrzb6rqmlV_8uH7Bf3lfL7Qru0Hn8aceCWbGVRyKHnnvh7iYCRH02YqqopAUErg7zfOJ23XZzLf7-dlZAjy7rxkPV6PZZtZSDGS0GZrclJNB5ZzKnfEHKakZV5hc1w1NjB23crOqcBgPCt2Gqs2Cz96Tws2i6WhFjkmoZI4al=w640-h628" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/cegret_22_1.htm" target="_blank">Cattle Egret in the cattle field © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEWWxECRSjiYv9EkiQ7yV2klTWb-PB6oC6vSVBc2Ti0IbUHeLwGA6O6oF-uS6q9uByEfJrmdLA5zupPHpx-OOOiw53szOBeU-FPQRg4C-Tg1pL-xKUNfhlEa999PKunFnGEp8MsiCBt-tpS3JsajUHCgdDjKT10FnlvW9nIIN05S3oiPJI3LRTQkHO=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="800" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEWWxECRSjiYv9EkiQ7yV2klTWb-PB6oC6vSVBc2Ti0IbUHeLwGA6O6oF-uS6q9uByEfJrmdLA5zupPHpx-OOOiw53szOBeU-FPQRg4C-Tg1pL-xKUNfhlEa999PKunFnGEp8MsiCBt-tpS3JsajUHCgdDjKT10FnlvW9nIIN05S3oiPJI3LRTQkHO=w640-h582" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/cegret_22_2.htm" target="_blank">Cattle Egret in flight © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyObdMAkYW8LcMCg6GbyD0RWvQwfyFyeikqX48hgRYzSdLpR0mu7GHqPuDhHNZqNcHSeMJ1X6bvXhz76Fnm-l4xx0lKm7V0VCmG2IxLORIUcancjIOfne-PH9K_0NVr-vbCc29Q5DI_en2DXnSfd7YWvsgBwOLe9UodsJ2iyrISo3qou7q5GV9OZDk=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="800" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyObdMAkYW8LcMCg6GbyD0RWvQwfyFyeikqX48hgRYzSdLpR0mu7GHqPuDhHNZqNcHSeMJ1X6bvXhz76Fnm-l4xx0lKm7V0VCmG2IxLORIUcancjIOfne-PH9K_0NVr-vbCc29Q5DI_en2DXnSfd7YWvsgBwOLe9UodsJ2iyrISo3qou7q5GV9OZDk=w640-h530" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/cegret_22_4.htm" target="_blank">Cattle Egret in with the sheep © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTh1UFzotVNP8muXuCaBeaExkIs7V_T5rL6wVri75YGbB8JgrcUV0DW5PigtqsH0fJHXJfOk8r_ASvu5SqQ4D6ial19ohp-DZNplKM_58EwY_fhpRb2LG_scZQw7IaCN2aZhG-QMVT6mPxUWiYL2lsAXxU3QguFDq2o7rQtPdEif5N7tz395GkWSm_=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="800" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTh1UFzotVNP8muXuCaBeaExkIs7V_T5rL6wVri75YGbB8JgrcUV0DW5PigtqsH0fJHXJfOk8r_ASvu5SqQ4D6ial19ohp-DZNplKM_58EwY_fhpRb2LG_scZQw7IaCN2aZhG-QMVT6mPxUWiYL2lsAXxU3QguFDq2o7rQtPdEif5N7tz395GkWSm_=w640-h510" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/cegret_22_3.htm" target="_blank">Cattle Egret in the grassy chicken field © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-17900692176119308162022-02-22T09:20:00.004+00:002022-02-22T09:20:43.163+00:00Woodland Birds<p> A selection of woodland bird photos taken recently in central Oxon. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>As usual click on any of the captions to enlarge.</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEDPSgjbA_b1kay2LTbd2h7-P7tGiJihBo7ZMXdN0LRDmDNnuOWiFD4UYnRks3bto47y650qweOvm-mC6peNWpFDBwcasaDSj-o2cc8jFXuAWjhMo_dmF0Dyq0YNGYPSDtuq3CVe3QmkeF57XF470bRUSwVS201GuH-YQcftpq_bwRz_t4XsZDcFMQ=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="800" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEDPSgjbA_b1kay2LTbd2h7-P7tGiJihBo7ZMXdN0LRDmDNnuOWiFD4UYnRks3bto47y650qweOvm-mC6peNWpFDBwcasaDSj-o2cc8jFXuAWjhMo_dmF0Dyq0YNGYPSDtuq3CVe3QmkeF57XF470bRUSwVS201GuH-YQcftpq_bwRz_t4XsZDcFMQ=w640-h516" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/mtit_22_1.htm" target="_blank">Marsh Tit © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrm5rMtLbZUzcYhpGzLTQMTdmWvPQzjuHgz9AbxI1P3gogkLvxBGISUxaJ0zr6yckKvttk7P5v6rIXyRG66Sy1cVuv_KiYyQMZZKY8oy1S0rGd1EfHfy3Pa9lfBOr-5exBOJcLCzdWG72ydIUDZphG-jzTSFRiqj5AOOLh9b6zDO9JcIAWWPGUQ8P3=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrm5rMtLbZUzcYhpGzLTQMTdmWvPQzjuHgz9AbxI1P3gogkLvxBGISUxaJ0zr6yckKvttk7P5v6rIXyRG66Sy1cVuv_KiYyQMZZKY8oy1S0rGd1EfHfy3Pa9lfBOr-5exBOJcLCzdWG72ydIUDZphG-jzTSFRiqj5AOOLh9b6zDO9JcIAWWPGUQ8P3=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/mtit_22_2.htm" target="_blank">Marsh Tit © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhI8fVVEmxKAlyw6VyUX5Hy0sQCBh_cVDb7OKMmAjsR2zDy8Nz9vAT8EPKQu3pk1x4WrAzUTGB2tWzkSAgpuC0SWpPCcn7tAYAMmfC3x5s309cAq3EV6dUTwRXBjA2NyM9MHvcXL6VJr2M92vu7yqIMNMR8a-dv5_vwTs19jOabsaTcHprLi-r2Za_D=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="800" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhI8fVVEmxKAlyw6VyUX5Hy0sQCBh_cVDb7OKMmAjsR2zDy8Nz9vAT8EPKQu3pk1x4WrAzUTGB2tWzkSAgpuC0SWpPCcn7tAYAMmfC3x5s309cAq3EV6dUTwRXBjA2NyM9MHvcXL6VJr2M92vu7yqIMNMR8a-dv5_vwTs19jOabsaTcHprLi-r2Za_D=w640-h566" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/nuthatch_22_1.htm" target="_blank">Fleeting Nuthatch © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-s2OA8aEOsaP3oRzPmZZWv2Wg-qNEEFn5ZPw1-VSYWHKj6aEqtIUerDCkdR7fxRNPBfUUnZf3J6FexxxBk6jeWLKnf1cwnigfcgAXLv5jtq1lyEXcO6oem5Nk2KK94ZrTgms2Sy7DlgehaWXwFu-x1_xWSrq_dCKzxsWlUm2GFZbsJuU1WNErf3Rq=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="800" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-s2OA8aEOsaP3oRzPmZZWv2Wg-qNEEFn5ZPw1-VSYWHKj6aEqtIUerDCkdR7fxRNPBfUUnZf3J6FexxxBk6jeWLKnf1cwnigfcgAXLv5jtq1lyEXcO6oem5Nk2KK94ZrTgms2Sy7DlgehaWXwFu-x1_xWSrq_dCKzxsWlUm2GFZbsJuU1WNErf3Rq=w640-h462" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/btit_22_1.htm" target="_blank">Blue Tit © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-68172557254005915432021-11-23T16:26:00.000+00:002021-11-23T16:26:10.450+00:00Buzzards and Red Kites close-up! 26 October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkxa5wB9jHdS9okVrtbF_RGX44bG2ca3FKq-Pm7mDi3tKmRkIqBKfUWE4At9QqwLLBq4R5MmUGM_rcvBPw6e1bhyphenhyphenOruMLqgg1pz7E0rgN4nXLKn82U65lZVaGK4JrTNnWL36gcQxJ7Ik/s100/Red+Kite+1+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_crop_h100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="93" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkxa5wB9jHdS9okVrtbF_RGX44bG2ca3FKq-Pm7mDi3tKmRkIqBKfUWE4At9QqwLLBq4R5MmUGM_rcvBPw6e1bhyphenhyphenOruMLqgg1pz7E0rgN4nXLKn82U65lZVaGK4JrTNnWL36gcQxJ7Ik/s0/Red+Kite+1+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_crop_h100.jpg" width="93" /></a></div><br /><p>In December 2020, I had <a href="http://tallbirder.blogspot.com/2020/12/buzzard-hide-near-swindon-10-december.html" target="_blank">my first visit</a> to this excellent hide, high on the Marlborough Downs near Swindon. It is bookable through <a href="http://www.wildlife-photography-hides.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wildlife Photography Hides</a> and is operated by David White a local farmer who is also a keen photographer. The hide, like the WPH hide at Bourne, is well equipped with a heater and a toilet in a side room. It even has unlimited WIFI!</p><p>Last year, I had very good session with multiple Buzzards close-up and even fighting when the food supply dwindled. Red Kites also showed briefly, but the weather could have been much better as it was heavily overcast all day, with light rain at times.</p><p>I was hoping for better conditions this year, but it is always pot luck on the day, as it is necessary to book many weeks in advance. In the event, the weather was only slightly better being marginally less heavily overcast, with one brief brighter spell around midday, and no appreciable rain. There was no chance of the hoped for early morning sun, which I was sure would produce spectacular photographic results. </p><p>As last year, I was required to be in the hide well before dawn (meet time is 1hr before) and to remain there until dusk or slightly earlier if all the birds had left the area. With the easing of Covid restrictions, I was spared the 600m walk in the dark up a track on arrival, as I was given a lift by David in his 4x4. </p><p>The first Buzzards came in around dawn, and were a constant presence until most of the food had been eaten around midday. Thereafter occasional birds put in an appearance at intervals through the afternoon, usually finding some scraps to pick over. Red Kites were more numerous than last year, and came in regularly to feed on the ground - a relatively unusual sight as they usually just dip down and grab small pieces without stopping.</p><p>At its peak, there were at least 5 raptors on the ground at once tucking into the food provided with others nearby on posts. Disappointingly this year there was little "activity" in the way of fighting, nor did anything bathe in the nice pool provided. </p><p>For a gallery of all my Buzzard photos from this session, <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzardind.htm" target="_blank">go to this page on my website</a>. My Red Kite images <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/redkiteind.htm" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.</p><p><b>For larger versions of those shown below, click on the captions.</b></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepopqB27ER4mKOanCVyAX3FdsIQWjjczV73bg_NCxlRgmlSxBTE7b7pHovps8-Meb3lJp7Q2bOw4QrjX3AYJYyPu0e1b4yoQJU9HIkyGWSsVnKQkwAojU_U6H-nNA9sax3Hhz7rZHVAk/s800/Buzzard+1a+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="800" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepopqB27ER4mKOanCVyAX3FdsIQWjjczV73bg_NCxlRgmlSxBTE7b7pHovps8-Meb3lJp7Q2bOw4QrjX3AYJYyPu0e1b4yoQJU9HIkyGWSsVnKQkwAojU_U6H-nNA9sax3Hhz7rZHVAk/w640-h508/Buzzard+1a+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_21_1.htm" target="_blank">A spectacular pale Buzzard © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VVcXfElAlHqjvRA_YeeCbp2QA8NGAtkORiSsTTgh4noIJuiHyLpo_S6sh3bSc6bdq_liN4gi8CTefTUL19Cr0Mxs0AG80S5PoUNDVRn-mPZT6fhxDDfkflMWBz3V5f2Z4iSTm2IT5ZA/s888/Buzzard+1a+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_crop_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VVcXfElAlHqjvRA_YeeCbp2QA8NGAtkORiSsTTgh4noIJuiHyLpo_S6sh3bSc6bdq_liN4gi8CTefTUL19Cr0Mxs0AG80S5PoUNDVRn-mPZT6fhxDDfkflMWBz3V5f2Z4iSTm2IT5ZA/w576-h640/Buzzard+1a+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_crop_800.jpg" width="576" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_21_1_crop.htm" target="_blank">A crop of the photo above © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpQvNiVV-Y0pdNQVfTtCxQQ-pEtwi0cGwPUXwzLF86ADMZSTfOq7_bcivd8RKIzk0lHVvhV41bFga-Ca5soHrH_dgNL0jp8UgKaXazfxXlVdsqYrsKjjOhaljADq1YqyndOMvPlw1o-8/s800/Buzzard+2+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="800" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpQvNiVV-Y0pdNQVfTtCxQQ-pEtwi0cGwPUXwzLF86ADMZSTfOq7_bcivd8RKIzk0lHVvhV41bFga-Ca5soHrH_dgNL0jp8UgKaXazfxXlVdsqYrsKjjOhaljADq1YqyndOMvPlw1o-8/w640-h442/Buzzard+2+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_21_2.htm" target="_blank">A more normal plumaged Buzzard calling © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoePI2m4k2Kku3T63AdskN-7YeTMTtfMOuT4XpyZzdMRutlKcP7MGTwpIvR4Et7vidzucNSytaF52fAnZeM_PQgBxdrsDiUAjZt2xXasOwlffD1lHT8t2-gw979WCxTkRMiQx0qmZUjw/s800/Buzzard+4+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="800" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoePI2m4k2Kku3T63AdskN-7YeTMTtfMOuT4XpyZzdMRutlKcP7MGTwpIvR4Et7vidzucNSytaF52fAnZeM_PQgBxdrsDiUAjZt2xXasOwlffD1lHT8t2-gw979WCxTkRMiQx0qmZUjw/w640-h488/Buzzard+4+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_21_4.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard looking at the lens © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyn7efMXGN0RxXTBfZ2YXWH3KhHe0T2xz43ANGzz9yPFHliAEoz1cyoawgKpiiYiTRok6KgHjmlFo0n9aSGSB6vw9R4Pwa3SEfoZfNDGEWZ-DQ-KhJNTTlLn0p9UHEo7HWeebjIEUYaw/s800/Buzzard+1F+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="800" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyn7efMXGN0RxXTBfZ2YXWH3KhHe0T2xz43ANGzz9yPFHliAEoz1cyoawgKpiiYiTRok6KgHjmlFo0n9aSGSB6vw9R4Pwa3SEfoZfNDGEWZ-DQ-KhJNTTlLn0p9UHEo7HWeebjIEUYaw/w640-h448/Buzzard+1F+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Buzzard/Buzzard_BB_21_1f.htm" target="_blank">Buzzard in flight © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zJ8kpeBiXYL-mp7szptj7Uo6PvJhgE9J-3oaYS-ABnlkuDO810sNKREO7yT-h7w9luP4OT3HYTNxPEHV5BEf9KGvqJhOclq5lHm7MUxIvXHLPiIOojZPJiFUXPH9hyPqEti0W70KTm8/s800/Red+Kite+1+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zJ8kpeBiXYL-mp7szptj7Uo6PvJhgE9J-3oaYS-ABnlkuDO810sNKREO7yT-h7w9luP4OT3HYTNxPEHV5BEf9KGvqJhOclq5lHm7MUxIvXHLPiIOojZPJiFUXPH9hyPqEti0W70KTm8/w640-h426/Red+Kite+1+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitebb_21_1.htm" target="_blank">Frame filling Red Kite on a nearby post © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc4eZF1j1EWj6cY0tUCzvQlT_bRliIOmT-Q03ld_3RgtDdrY4yO1mgtuPbyNFycWc3RcPdeL6HuCod3uhACuSh6X_BvjwOT_kOF75CXWx_SCl_cEM5Z0MFs-9CQ7G-lD_J_GKb9GhKOk/s864/Red+Kite+1+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_crop_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc4eZF1j1EWj6cY0tUCzvQlT_bRliIOmT-Q03ld_3RgtDdrY4yO1mgtuPbyNFycWc3RcPdeL6HuCod3uhACuSh6X_BvjwOT_kOF75CXWx_SCl_cEM5Z0MFs-9CQ7G-lD_J_GKb9GhKOk/w592-h640/Red+Kite+1+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_crop_800.jpg" width="592" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitebb_21_1_crop.htm" target="_blank">Crop of the Red Kite photo above © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2PVQgt8kYxgfSpAOf2KqGQ_xpl_MW_lVGdmL6lxdST3uvj7DoP4miG-dUx9Z1KIcXCXIYSq5W4TUjQYifp-qF9Cpaa7mG5HbPxMVA9vJ4RL7T99HWaea7YBDjjy24Rt0UzNdZcuQsCg/s800/Red+Kite+2+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2PVQgt8kYxgfSpAOf2KqGQ_xpl_MW_lVGdmL6lxdST3uvj7DoP4miG-dUx9Z1KIcXCXIYSq5W4TUjQYifp-qF9Cpaa7mG5HbPxMVA9vJ4RL7T99HWaea7YBDjjy24Rt0UzNdZcuQsCg/w640-h426/Red+Kite+2+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitebb_21_2.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite on the ground © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvueln5ZiZzPoixps00KnF2a82fdJcipvHV-u52hfjyIk1NYNcy1mATXYugAfcuXI6-vTlmQ7_x8O7QsKYASNTFW9rWwkgo5eJY6cCWmo8GrRdi4i2LJ7HWWKlNyYQieiowQWAhb8F3M/s800/Red+Kite+3+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="800" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvueln5ZiZzPoixps00KnF2a82fdJcipvHV-u52hfjyIk1NYNcy1mATXYugAfcuXI6-vTlmQ7_x8O7QsKYASNTFW9rWwkgo5eJY6cCWmo8GrRdi4i2LJ7HWWKlNyYQieiowQWAhb8F3M/w640-h510/Red+Kite+3+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitebb_21_3.htm" target="_blank">Head on Red Kite © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBQCUiQvspq0wKJsicVpCZl8NjCpnURSJ5_l2TBOhYTuU4jo9sOzD7MBTIXzkOf8DjCQfcqamx4v-6jy26GAOTMCzYKD3LmYX2F-Iq2TbF7W9iA4WaaoZ4RDAJB3Eb1WqaBzqz58P470/s800/Red+Kite+1F+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="800" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBQCUiQvspq0wKJsicVpCZl8NjCpnURSJ5_l2TBOhYTuU4jo9sOzD7MBTIXzkOf8DjCQfcqamx4v-6jy26GAOTMCzYKD3LmYX2F-Iq2TbF7W9iA4WaaoZ4RDAJB3Eb1WqaBzqz58P470/w640-h404/Red+Kite+1F+Bewick+Bassett+26+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/RedKite/rkitebb_21_1f.htm" target="_blank">Red Kite in flight with the distant countryside behind © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-7966358809859968832021-11-06T09:59:00.004+00:002021-11-06T09:59:58.412+00:00Sparrowhawk and others in South Wales - 21 October<p>It was time for another trip to Ian Howells' hide in South Wales. I was hoping for more photos of the juvenile Goshawk, in better weather than last time! But unfortunately it hadn't been seen for about a week when I visited. </p><p>However the male Sparrowhawk had finished its moult and was looking very smart in the superb light. It was sunny more or less all day. Unprecedented at this site, in my experience! There were also some other attractions which included some momentary Buzzard visits around dawn, as well as woodland birds including very active Jays and a Great-spotted Woodpecker. </p><p>All in all another great day out at this hide! </p><p>For a gallery of all my recent Sparrowhawk pics, <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Sparrowhawkind.htm" target="_blank">click here</a>. </p><p>Click on the captions for larger versions of each of the images below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNddPCHtzCbIlBfh4Gk_4IOP0AZZvsidTr3CvsZywGTTQpqIYpsYTUA6xYknE3FgRNwrh32Pc5lANjTvBqak1fgw9mFZr7He1Z61tpFSMWBDlvOOTke-b8OezR6zkhmpLAxFBLtWVxqBU/s800/Sparrowhawk+1a+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="800" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNddPCHtzCbIlBfh4Gk_4IOP0AZZvsidTr3CvsZywGTTQpqIYpsYTUA6xYknE3FgRNwrh32Pc5lANjTvBqak1fgw9mFZr7He1Z61tpFSMWBDlvOOTke-b8OezR6zkhmpLAxFBLtWVxqBU/w640-h596/Sparrowhawk+1a+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Shawk_Oct21_1.htm" target="_blank">About to depart! © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk05novnIPJxPe6x9V3-oWZQlbSGb4WgLkaYGgZbcvptcGC5wMsdfu2V6EuQsLfY-DT8BI44hfWENM_Cz5gZnRXdivi5AuWbBYDwbzV73TYc7xAQDXf3jpAv3IdKnASaU9BSSE5xI-WK4/s800/Sparrowhawk+2+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="800" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk05novnIPJxPe6x9V3-oWZQlbSGb4WgLkaYGgZbcvptcGC5wMsdfu2V6EuQsLfY-DT8BI44hfWENM_Cz5gZnRXdivi5AuWbBYDwbzV73TYc7xAQDXf3jpAv3IdKnASaU9BSSE5xI-WK4/w640-h442/Sparrowhawk+2+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Shawk_Oct21_2.htm" target="_blank">On the post © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDmDvG5Lwr565AsQQdgAn7pdS8LN6xhv5KANwFo4kJx03HMI1M8zJHQ22oZZCdxMeGhSOaSTHPPID1vwS9dABUN_HXKOEBBp1x0rQ2_fBIYgjVpT306207T3HsovQW2_wHX3kVHTnCHo/s800/Sparrowhawk+3+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="800" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDmDvG5Lwr565AsQQdgAn7pdS8LN6xhv5KANwFo4kJx03HMI1M8zJHQ22oZZCdxMeGhSOaSTHPPID1vwS9dABUN_HXKOEBBp1x0rQ2_fBIYgjVpT306207T3HsovQW2_wHX3kVHTnCHo/w640-h576/Sparrowhawk+3+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Shawk_Oct21_3.htm" target="_blank">On the end of the branch - again sideways on © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwziIwTKqLAQiKO_jEaRdeXTGyZSoRPFIPmkr9LOUTsbD0fks_HBrLgHmXSfpyVIIzYYFSESiLSnTN6WHA9kTJyc8edSRwGSqvZFRwV5GfMPWdbE9po20DZP82fRK_3gVE6Om-n0q6V2g/s800/Sparrowhawk+4a+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_crop_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="800" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwziIwTKqLAQiKO_jEaRdeXTGyZSoRPFIPmkr9LOUTsbD0fks_HBrLgHmXSfpyVIIzYYFSESiLSnTN6WHA9kTJyc8edSRwGSqvZFRwV5GfMPWdbE9po20DZP82fRK_3gVE6Om-n0q6V2g/w640-h622/Sparrowhawk+4a+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_crop_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Shawk_Oct21_4_crop.htm" target="_blank">Very close! © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGXcUlSgYh1ybUyAtVwCj-wIJ1b8bdx2ifZhdw0s0Ef99a_0Pglocy7cjUBt5TAmhIDPok7t0ZDvancRgtAkpIIWUUvwBdLuNBq5hMs2JU8rE6zsiNwKbZsc0OOq6wzrkGFo_h2NKCqk/s800/Sparrowhawk+7+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="800" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGXcUlSgYh1ybUyAtVwCj-wIJ1b8bdx2ifZhdw0s0Ef99a_0Pglocy7cjUBt5TAmhIDPok7t0ZDvancRgtAkpIIWUUvwBdLuNBq5hMs2JU8rE6zsiNwKbZsc0OOq6wzrkGFo_h2NKCqk/w640-h492/Sparrowhawk+7+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Shawk_Oct21_7.htm" target="_blank">The stare! © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYVvJ6o8XjRO2vGqACeeWP4hvzSkSJoMecHZaSsz-yJe0GXeZG_wwQhCSAWaA91On9_9dKTLgmdtLJyuFovDDN9ksGq8kkqW2ONB6mcA49NJk_yWg5rlVxSr70SThweBamLBWeybZ5d8/s800/Jay+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYVvJ6o8XjRO2vGqACeeWP4hvzSkSJoMecHZaSsz-yJe0GXeZG_wwQhCSAWaA91On9_9dKTLgmdtLJyuFovDDN9ksGq8kkqW2ONB6mcA49NJk_yWg5rlVxSr70SThweBamLBWeybZ5d8/w640-h472/Jay+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/jay_21_1.htm" target="_blank">One of the very active Jays early on © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhForn-yBmDAUL4jtUXFAuHOY5f_BpBaa-V5b9_fD80NewJGvT7cIpsZMlfoD7-XEJGlYDixPqDsxPdSphhhtWaQUVVPoE2kEnOlHFuKBdz7iFvGlACx8oCNMzuAjQWssNNcisGSzNEDOw/s939/G+S+Woodpecker+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhForn-yBmDAUL4jtUXFAuHOY5f_BpBaa-V5b9_fD80NewJGvT7cIpsZMlfoD7-XEJGlYDixPqDsxPdSphhhtWaQUVVPoE2kEnOlHFuKBdz7iFvGlACx8oCNMzuAjQWssNNcisGSzNEDOw/w546-h640/G+S+Woodpecker+South+Wales+21+Oct+21_800.jpg" width="546" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/gsw_21_1.htm" target="_blank">Great-spotted Woodpecker very close in full sun © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-74099625484229978362021-09-27T19:46:00.005+01:002021-09-27T19:51:14.606+01:00GOSHAWK in South Wales - 9 September!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkoWzN7rr5-cTeIF5_vm4r2L2xh4p0KgUrJ7HVAeTe2zWXZJO70s273uFjH8030Tu3MZFtEsp4kAyjfbMHpElVwXvl6vtRFZnpz6sWYWDN7crRtWpqY78Whq4PZZupShbc4L934BoBOf8/s123/Goshawk+2a+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_crop_h100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="123" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkoWzN7rr5-cTeIF5_vm4r2L2xh4p0KgUrJ7HVAeTe2zWXZJO70s273uFjH8030Tu3MZFtEsp4kAyjfbMHpElVwXvl6vtRFZnpz6sWYWDN7crRtWpqY78Whq4PZZupShbc4L934BoBOf8/s0/Goshawk+2a+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_crop_h100.jpg" width="123" /></a></div><p>Another trip to Ian Howells' hide in South Wales but this time the target was an awesome and rare juvenile Goshawk that had started showing just the week before. Last year an adult had appeared in August, but I didn't manage to see it despite one extended 12+ hour session. Hence this year I was very keen for another opportunity! </p><p>I was very fortunate to get a cancellation for this session for which an early start was needed to arrive by 07:00. By around 07:20 I was all setup and ready. Remarkably soon, at 07:45, in flew the star bird which stayed for about 25mins, tearing into the Woodpigeon!</p><p><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Goshawk/gosind.htm" target="_blank">For a gallery of all my photos from this session, click here.</a></p><p><b>As usual, click on any of the captions for larger images.</b></p><p>This is one of the first photos I got, before the feathers started to fly and the rain set in:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qqXkpvP5evuc-7ukJmeRO4D44HeGtvnL2jL03GKBPVV9YIK1zGHQ3B2tMMCGbMP0tFiwwRjX_1TFTa9szPSgxcFHPuWGB0DjZfFtt1PoQRykEZpgSZkU-OzSrc1Eip8YfJOuR9ciadQ/s800/Goshawk+5+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="800" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qqXkpvP5evuc-7ukJmeRO4D44HeGtvnL2jL03GKBPVV9YIK1zGHQ3B2tMMCGbMP0tFiwwRjX_1TFTa9szPSgxcFHPuWGB0DjZfFtt1PoQRykEZpgSZkU-OzSrc1Eip8YfJOuR9ciadQ/w640-h494/Goshawk+5+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Goshawk/gos_sw21_1.htm" target="_blank">Goshawk - first shot © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Shortly after its arrival, the rain started which I think made some of these photos more atmospheric, despite the rotten light. </p><p>I feel this photo captures well the power of this awesome raptor:</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_8jsB_MZFfqYtkaPxCdGhDFAy4OTOEExSz7NwmtEEG0iZuvf0Ld_k30zUdeSBe39Dsi4F6MhPzMBX28FTwBpIf5IrM3_2G9izxgO2-3WiaO7-ZSQ8y28wcXVNAcvZceqwMJ5zlgtZ_g/s800/Goshawk+2a+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="800" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_8jsB_MZFfqYtkaPxCdGhDFAy4OTOEExSz7NwmtEEG0iZuvf0Ld_k30zUdeSBe39Dsi4F6MhPzMBX28FTwBpIf5IrM3_2G9izxgO2-3WiaO7-ZSQ8y28wcXVNAcvZceqwMJ5zlgtZ_g/w640-h528/Goshawk+2a+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Goshawk/gos_sw21_6.htm" target="_blank">Goshawk - in some rain © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0WFPb_6tzD-nu0s3755FfCmEDw4RS2gqZ0RgpQag44PWqhyphenhyphenG-hw7jNmglNNbT8Y4_w_fo-oG06mx54ks__mvIgAuMCrdtsLncKNaGErO-100Hb88eNdriIdGbfUPqUhUKhL5C-4IGjc/s800/Goshawk+2a+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_crop_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="800" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0WFPb_6tzD-nu0s3755FfCmEDw4RS2gqZ0RgpQag44PWqhyphenhyphenG-hw7jNmglNNbT8Y4_w_fo-oG06mx54ks__mvIgAuMCrdtsLncKNaGErO-100Hb88eNdriIdGbfUPqUhUKhL5C-4IGjc/w640-h522/Goshawk+2a+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_crop_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Goshawk/gos_sw21_6_crop.htm" target="_blank">Crop of the photo above © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSnEk_PwcYaV7x74UVgCYn1zJ81sxZW0aRsCQsBB0QGnjcFcgvYZ5uYphV7_p4yrpWeypB7INMGPlSBJo8U-5vljwzAd8ln6cTSWS6g1c9Wq12Mklhk6Nifs8N-d1m_jfw-iV7kuEbao/s800/Goshawk+7+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="800" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSnEk_PwcYaV7x74UVgCYn1zJ81sxZW0aRsCQsBB0QGnjcFcgvYZ5uYphV7_p4yrpWeypB7INMGPlSBJo8U-5vljwzAd8ln6cTSWS6g1c9Wq12Mklhk6Nifs8N-d1m_jfw-iV7kuEbao/w640-h464/Goshawk+7+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Goshawk/gos_sw21_4.htm" target="_blank">Goshawk - in heavy rain © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>After the Goshawk departed early morning, I had a considerable wait until the male Sparrowhawk decided to put in an appearance, first at around midday and then again just before I departed at 17:15. There was no sign today of any Buzzards, that had also been coming in recently. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxTlot7NIIs9DS-zLe52qzKzqOFeLINYNPLeGATJe2JoWk-yJUfG4DeBsqFurzjwj3MCkQi9Q0veFb1Wx1kZ4QQCnviE5mLEP7zBwcKNrTTVgrOdHwspWiLeytimCyzxyuXFjdzx3M-Y/s800/Sparrowhawk+1+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="800" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxTlot7NIIs9DS-zLe52qzKzqOFeLINYNPLeGATJe2JoWk-yJUfG4DeBsqFurzjwj3MCkQi9Q0veFb1Wx1kZ4QQCnviE5mLEP7zBwcKNrTTVgrOdHwspWiLeytimCyzxyuXFjdzx3M-Y/w640-h584/Sparrowhawk+1+South+Wales+9+Sept+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Sparrowhawk/Shawk_Sep21_1.htm" target="_blank">Sparrowhawk © Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-43098262275549278492021-09-15T11:31:00.000+01:002021-09-15T11:31:03.916+01:00Kingfisher - 10 August<p>It was time for a another visit to Pete Whieldon's excellent setup at Otterbourne near Winchester for Kingfisher photography, now that a juvenile has returned to the pool and its perches. </p><p>Light conditions were very variable through the day, but the bird appeared plenty of times.</p><p><b>As usual, click on the captions to enlarge the image.</b></p><p>For a gallery of all my photos from this and other occasions, <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingind.htm" target="_blank">click here.</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZJ4fJ8hZsYXV0ALPlldJRF1ceaoyWhgMBm_nNS1Q9AtL3ku01YAqay3couXqfNLbIshdifsTtjKtIPBjBjmHfzI8b8KbNRnssRBxVnTCDop0_D-4qTjr3CwgYqQV1-docxuav63xlIs/s1126/Kingfisher+D2a+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_crop_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZJ4fJ8hZsYXV0ALPlldJRF1ceaoyWhgMBm_nNS1Q9AtL3ku01YAqay3couXqfNLbIshdifsTtjKtIPBjBjmHfzI8b8KbNRnssRBxVnTCDop0_D-4qTjr3CwgYqQV1-docxuav63xlIs/w454-h640/Kingfisher+D2a+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_crop_800.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher21_OT_Aug_1.htm" target="_blank">Diving down - first contact between the bill and the water!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOUgry84u_o_S7w7GNobmkgOLnXztUf204OFk5nz4-ayoQG2iTIx0xoIB3Uy0gWOXcMf5M7x2SVQ2hp27IdH0nMLoKztRzjx6L3fbZ_ll1PgMLRWI79vRY4KpZG5bmjrf1kN_uql5_5s/s882/Kingfisher+D1a+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOUgry84u_o_S7w7GNobmkgOLnXztUf204OFk5nz4-ayoQG2iTIx0xoIB3Uy0gWOXcMf5M7x2SVQ2hp27IdH0nMLoKztRzjx6L3fbZ_ll1PgMLRWI79vRY4KpZG5bmjrf1kN_uql5_5s/w580-h640/Kingfisher+D1a+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_800.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher21_OT_Aug_2.htm" target="_blank">Coming up without a fish</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIyGrqMIvpNxSZ0dgHhqkqDxUWn76vRLhKwcxHcJCIUNCuaq9eXPTWdXpgpGt9LYrZs1QKCcBiTx2x4o330TsiuKPvz95M1LfWWMHH6ElkOVY_nRNwZYl5vDon4bJnKfVexAou9N1E4I/s800/Kingfisher+8P+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="800" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIyGrqMIvpNxSZ0dgHhqkqDxUWn76vRLhKwcxHcJCIUNCuaq9eXPTWdXpgpGt9LYrZs1QKCcBiTx2x4o330TsiuKPvz95M1LfWWMHH6ElkOVY_nRNwZYl5vDon4bJnKfVexAou9N1E4I/w640-h492/Kingfisher+8P+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher21_OT_Aug_11.htm" target="_blank">Perched with fish</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg026Fa1gIJ_Vnvlej3XwC1s4ejkiSuRb2FLE57LxNEIRMCKvbWYVgvHaizZlxTw5zpZKH6q2L8eFIn2lhhu9FnU2I1hkQUgaUe3uYaT2ilLalm_nGR0rH_OC3GZbM9eESpPqSiZc3aRsk/s800/Kingfisher+1P+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="800" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg026Fa1gIJ_Vnvlej3XwC1s4ejkiSuRb2FLE57LxNEIRMCKvbWYVgvHaizZlxTw5zpZKH6q2L8eFIn2lhhu9FnU2I1hkQUgaUe3uYaT2ilLalm_nGR0rH_OC3GZbM9eESpPqSiZc3aRsk/w640-h504/Kingfisher+1P+Otterbourne+10+Aug+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Kingfisher/kingfisher21_OT_Aug_4.htm" target="_blank">Waiting for the right moment to dive</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-72438041521744889392021-09-03T16:39:00.001+01:002021-09-03T16:39:31.348+01:00Farmoor - 3rd September<p> Nice to find the obliging Ruff still present on the causeway this morning.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjuFzopyf0O0ldlwvwkK9voG67zgTDl2x7dT56FeEEH0R7QsUpiCCm9V83MNmVlufckRYfUouR-hJq8qjMfICaBnDJEfac3nuaijbvtUH6X7T37NOgO-BWG_5JpcX1JhXNtwx0w_2ghA/s640/Ruff+Farmoor+3+Sept+21_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="640" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjuFzopyf0O0ldlwvwkK9voG67zgTDl2x7dT56FeEEH0R7QsUpiCCm9V83MNmVlufckRYfUouR-hJq8qjMfICaBnDJEfac3nuaijbvtUH6X7T37NOgO-BWG_5JpcX1JhXNtwx0w_2ghA/w640-h532/Ruff+Farmoor+3+Sept+21_640.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruff (c) Stephen Burch. <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/ruff_21.htm" target="_blank">Click here to enlarge</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUzFpc9fnGMlInB1Y6FXtP10xtrcIVs2rbcvSocm3G6EPKX8U6E5krqLXrwP7vEVNrcK466SLnF3nv7VN0Tuivg2jybR_GckulVQ_avA7VENb_iZwLUG81ZwLf2MVrFwPcfNqof3iim8/s673/Ruff+Farmoor+3+Sept+21_crop_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUzFpc9fnGMlInB1Y6FXtP10xtrcIVs2rbcvSocm3G6EPKX8U6E5krqLXrwP7vEVNrcK466SLnF3nv7VN0Tuivg2jybR_GckulVQ_avA7VENb_iZwLUG81ZwLf2MVrFwPcfNqof3iim8/w608-h640/Ruff+Farmoor+3+Sept+21_crop_640.jpg" width="608" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crop of the image above (c) Stephen Burch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-86999639144265804882021-08-19T09:16:00.001+01:002021-08-19T09:16:44.226+01:00Farmoor - 18 August<p>I got lucky on my first visit to Farmoor in months! An early report of waders prompted me to go, but when I got there all I could find initially was a juvenile Oystercatcher.</p><p>However, shortly afterwards, Isaac West kindly told me that there was an Osprey was about! This bird hung around for some time, but it was often extremely distant. However it came closer to the causeway a few times. </p><p>This shot was taken on its last and closest approach, just as it was starting to brighten up. I was using the 500f4 with the x2 TC, hand held for this shot - not something I would normally attempt but with the bird almost overhead it was the only option.</p><p><b>As usual, click on the captions for larger images!</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYyYZhQVCfEJnR64XKlz9Yuu__SrT-iYeHj0FvDtErVczNGqjPROe7j8RozEwbPSyNUP8DHDHQTR7Pvj7OqjGj4lQ4wtpY-iyTdItSMgci-bX0rnpYej9VqYjvkM0FccPieagyf-G2qM/s878/Osprey+Farmoor+18+Aug+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYyYZhQVCfEJnR64XKlz9Yuu__SrT-iYeHj0FvDtErVczNGqjPROe7j8RozEwbPSyNUP8DHDHQTR7Pvj7OqjGj4lQ4wtpY-iyTdItSMgci-bX0rnpYej9VqYjvkM0FccPieagyf-G2qM/w584-h640/Osprey+Farmoor+18+Aug+21_800.jpg" width="584" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Osprey_21_1.htm" target="_blank">Osprey (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />For the photo below, the bird was a bit more distant and this was taken before the sun made a brief appearance.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0ACgUq_FzONeFPoS3oMQF50zi4peqTOan1OSF8wLduzMHsH1JnvtpiRBOljxwusjvWKSjmF6mlQKdf0km1uMZw6QJ1nDj6qfbTx5P4cKAA47L9WwvPXvNMsWQdIy5S1B_tO6Mxek-08/s1342/Osprey+2+Farmoor+18+Aug+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0ACgUq_FzONeFPoS3oMQF50zi4peqTOan1OSF8wLduzMHsH1JnvtpiRBOljxwusjvWKSjmF6mlQKdf0km1uMZw6QJ1nDj6qfbTx5P4cKAA47L9WwvPXvNMsWQdIy5S1B_tO6Mxek-08/w382-h640/Osprey+2+Farmoor+18+Aug+21_800.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/oxonpics/spring21.htm#b15a" target="_blank">Osprey (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-65809728847318082182021-08-15T13:08:00.004+01:002021-08-15T13:08:37.797+01:00South Wales - 9 July 2021<p>Reports of Tawny Owlet(s) at Ian Howells' hide in South Wales prompted me to book another session there - some two years after my first visit back in the<a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/ukpics/spring19.htm#b14" target="_blank"> pre-Covid era of 2019</a>. </p><p>Ian had changed his setup somewhat to have a perch that would accommodate multiple birds in the flash "zone" at once. However in the event the owlet(s) never showed and even this adult only stayed a second or two on each of its four or so visits. </p><p>Prior to my departure at 00:30, I only managed one useable burst of shots of the incoming bird, of which I show two of the frames here. Not really what I was hoping for, but that's wildlife for you. It is possible some nearby Badgers had spooked the owls that night.</p><p>Click on the captions for larger images</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8x5duPXmRqJXFEneXuXAMjX24oFa7NWSvvO5jfdkrgYa0owYVxsftYfThG36lNBNLAC_DEojjEvJxuLAAywtcGuOD-B7pD0kTglMLzj_mJ-HDQLDRTnyqFgxoB37yAdeiOwjVbpgGq4/s800/Tawny+Owl+South+Wales+9+Jul+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="800" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8x5duPXmRqJXFEneXuXAMjX24oFa7NWSvvO5jfdkrgYa0owYVxsftYfThG36lNBNLAC_DEojjEvJxuLAAywtcGuOD-B7pD0kTglMLzj_mJ-HDQLDRTnyqFgxoB37yAdeiOwjVbpgGq4/w640-h554/Tawny+Owl+South+Wales+9+Jul+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl21_1.htm" target="_blank">Incoming Tawny Owl (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM9mae5S7IDgsMnrwt_BLHKgp5BHoAB3-4uVYpj-Aag8E_AKYPbwPXCHeNPLgCrrrrJau6R8ZHcGxz4pMbQsi3HQCigFCuTL287n4LlNqQAmlX_uwMRP3ngYh3gChf1675ZnUGk4TDEQ/s800/Tawny+Owl+3+South+Wales+9+Jul+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="800" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM9mae5S7IDgsMnrwt_BLHKgp5BHoAB3-4uVYpj-Aag8E_AKYPbwPXCHeNPLgCrrrrJau6R8ZHcGxz4pMbQsi3HQCigFCuTL287n4LlNqQAmlX_uwMRP3ngYh3gChf1675ZnUGk4TDEQ/w640-h522/Tawny+Owl+3+South+Wales+9+Jul+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/tawnyowl21_3.htm" target="_blank">Incoming Tawny Owl a couple of frames later. (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-66636541540922592772021-07-20T17:20:00.008+01:002021-07-20T20:11:45.404+01:00Droitwich - 15 June<p>Following <a href="http://tallbirder.blogspot.com/2021/05/droitwich-21-may.html">my wet and windy visit in May</a>, I returned to the Brine Pit hide near Droitwich for another attempt at the Little Owls. However due to heavy demand, the next available opportunity wasn't until mid June, by which time the Owlets had emerged from the nest hole. They were even reported to be coming onto the perches in front of the hide...</p><p>The weather was the complete opposite this time, with full sun virtually all day. This posed its own challenges with harsh lighting and backlit images on the provided artificial perches, given the hide faces south or south east. However by setting up some of my own, using a handy pile of cut branches beneath a tree over on the north side of the field, I was able to get some alternative angles and more interesting natural looking shots (in my view). </p><p>I even took one of my branches round the back of the hide, so the sun was behind me from mid morning to mid afternoon. The only way to get photos here was by shooting through the partially open hide door, but that didn't seem to bother the female much. Amazingly the bird took to this new location pretty quickly, with suitable inducement!</p><p>There were reported to be up to 4 owlets around, with two having moved away from the nest hole. I never had them on the perches, unlike some photographers including just the day before, but I noticed two briefly at the entrance once. </p><p>For a gallery of all the photos from this session,<a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/Owls_ind.htm#b2"> click here.</a></p><p>Alternatively, click on any of the captions to enlarge</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEOTiBsIw-iwd-IULUdua0aqyEAo2eWS2qkOcYGUkwgCvrRmM2QsUw5L21o7DffVty9R0fXsiwFCSUNcdi22swtL_VpRVC1I0ZWbi3Z9robOcL5QNsZ4ZqmxTJay94Njgug_KaV4XfoQ/s873/LIttle+Owl+3+BPH+Droitwich+15+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEOTiBsIw-iwd-IULUdua0aqyEAo2eWS2qkOcYGUkwgCvrRmM2QsUw5L21o7DffVty9R0fXsiwFCSUNcdi22swtL_VpRVC1I0ZWbi3Z9robOcL5QNsZ4ZqmxTJay94Njgug_KaV4XfoQ/w586-h640/LIttle+Owl+3+BPH+Droitwich+15+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="586" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21a_3.htm">On the perch behind the hide</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhHJynUrsu8cTKVN7LhLKxo3gSe4kMOrFK8OJLhMqpvT2Mh8qjteuB4DuKcE02rvW4VOoB8eE7vBfipwKa4a9gNjWK3nfgfbpjeeH5NcioXn89f8sW7zegIZev_z5o-tdFgGmXf7SSUM/s800/LIttle+Owl+8+BPH+Droitwich+15+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="800" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhHJynUrsu8cTKVN7LhLKxo3gSe4kMOrFK8OJLhMqpvT2Mh8qjteuB4DuKcE02rvW4VOoB8eE7vBfipwKa4a9gNjWK3nfgfbpjeeH5NcioXn89f8sW7zegIZev_z5o-tdFgGmXf7SSUM/w640-h608/LIttle+Owl+8+BPH+Droitwich+15+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21a_8.htm">Same perch behind the hide</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihM22BUkyCfq3oShmHVDwncRRYw9D48opiH83i2jZARcaYFiuD0eJJWcK2a1QgblsR59x51xMI6wjC4TA2ocrPJBe21zMROaG21EKighSEGEQpm6bW31eRBSdRQm5PZbUqC_3-wuaV9yU/s800/Little+Owl+flight+1+BPH+15+June+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="800" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihM22BUkyCfq3oShmHVDwncRRYw9D48opiH83i2jZARcaYFiuD0eJJWcK2a1QgblsR59x51xMI6wjC4TA2ocrPJBe21zMROaG21EKighSEGEQpm6bW31eRBSdRQm5PZbUqC_3-wuaV9yU/w640-h516/Little+Owl+flight+1+BPH+15+June+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21a_1.htm" target="_blank">In flight behind the hide</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihym8ZTJXySIkTkANCIgkdCUODWqjdyBlR14sgvRZ6QFNHT8jwE9864MkiNVRFO5O-YNNMXKM0MtuN7pSrDxgsHGRE0tXAuvghw6oSWzRTn47YlAaArXLIkb6298NXLPZ1Z4CJhQqpFXE/s800/Little+Owl+7+BPH+Droitwich+15+June+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="800" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihym8ZTJXySIkTkANCIgkdCUODWqjdyBlR14sgvRZ6QFNHT8jwE9864MkiNVRFO5O-YNNMXKM0MtuN7pSrDxgsHGRE0tXAuvghw6oSWzRTn47YlAaArXLIkb6298NXLPZ1Z4CJhQqpFXE/w640-h466/Little+Owl+7+BPH+Droitwich+15+June+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21a_7.htm" target="_blank">Strongly side-lit in the morning using a natural perch added to the provided "structure</a>"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2xrXoAExIdrD6CV7fjOXoJfqCXumNEFPrCzgbR4MwEMhIvb17afA7jt-nfcAY4_4Pfe9vERrOPpt1u075XH2JlQUpNTmL1NyNG3UMrQj7H3xTMfxz6Xz9FlX7MFuGZp4Bpk8IwsPr_U/s800/Little+Owl+4+BPH+Droitwich+15+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="800" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2xrXoAExIdrD6CV7fjOXoJfqCXumNEFPrCzgbR4MwEMhIvb17afA7jt-nfcAY4_4Pfe9vERrOPpt1u075XH2JlQUpNTmL1NyNG3UMrQj7H3xTMfxz6Xz9FlX7MFuGZp4Bpk8IwsPr_U/w640-h504/Little+Owl+4+BPH+Droitwich+15+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21a_4.htm" target="_blank">Same perch but with the late afternoon sun lighting the front of the bird</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva0hAi75p93iNJmU4l-2MFheuWvCbXE54aSLbQV2-vPQ3EtHQziO9YC5FC1SI42rNS_4mGI_Dt9Xdyg9yeQvXjIqeWUil9vCLc16RA-9N8f-pjBX-khO-guNrX50PaFKBViw5dZkuTnw/s800/Little+Owl+6+BPH+Droitwich+15+June+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="800" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva0hAi75p93iNJmU4l-2MFheuWvCbXE54aSLbQV2-vPQ3EtHQziO9YC5FC1SI42rNS_4mGI_Dt9Xdyg9yeQvXjIqeWUil9vCLc16RA-9N8f-pjBX-khO-guNrX50PaFKBViw5dZkuTnw/w640-h518/Little+Owl+6+BPH+Droitwich+15+June+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21a_6.htm" target="_blank">Another added perch, in the afternoon</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTHrY9pjrEy4za6F6LVW0Sw4NiSzd-dk7I3c91Fnpm1oVtkn50HS7thRNMVOxUjFiNIsx8N9BBDfXDOJfICnR2YyRBm3yOpNAbgO7nhC4UZuKCO0Hhp9YD5fWUYPBoQubiI4j4ecX_S8/s800/Little+Owlet+1+BPH+Droitwich+15+June+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="800" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTHrY9pjrEy4za6F6LVW0Sw4NiSzd-dk7I3c91Fnpm1oVtkn50HS7thRNMVOxUjFiNIsx8N9BBDfXDOJfICnR2YyRBm3yOpNAbgO7nhC4UZuKCO0Hhp9YD5fWUYPBoQubiI4j4ecX_S8/w640-h520/Little+Owlet+1+BPH+Droitwich+15+June+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowlet21a_1.htm#b1" target="_blank">Owlet at the entrance to the nest hole</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-48029993567022130062021-07-09T16:42:00.001+01:002021-07-09T16:43:39.902+01:00Otmoor - 8 July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYapqt4deGgGhQxPGrAd6vbQ347Zz4DrFHoH5eERhkwiLhEqjCxx6HyitO3biyR4E_c1ilKNoQTOTJlOYX6MdgTzQodmxES4DY-Tx53uOURdk0VeXZzotLAivUjK__PVDPyE7oEcEz_jI/s100/Bittern+2+Otmoor+8+Jul+21_crop_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYapqt4deGgGhQxPGrAd6vbQ347Zz4DrFHoH5eERhkwiLhEqjCxx6HyitO3biyR4E_c1ilKNoQTOTJlOYX6MdgTzQodmxES4DY-Tx53uOURdk0VeXZzotLAivUjK__PVDPyE7oEcEz_jI/s0/Bittern+2+Otmoor+8+Jul+21_crop_100.jpg" /></a></div><p>Eventually, after a three hour wait I got some relatively distant shots of the Bittern in flight that has been showing from time to time from the bridleway:</p><p><b>As usual, click on the captions for larger images</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP23m5DH3u8p9h07lLVwUlJBdXmrVDKWDzUZYZV78vaAH70hsV4Zercts56zOnHbyQMyr-pDB8PU9UyQ77oFdixQyMNSFGNLZzaiUFH6y1O5yaZcEyUCEpsH5oMihvWGdm7KA4OvStCE/s800/Bittern+2+Otmoor+8+Jul+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="800" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP23m5DH3u8p9h07lLVwUlJBdXmrVDKWDzUZYZV78vaAH70hsV4Zercts56zOnHbyQMyr-pDB8PU9UyQ77oFdixQyMNSFGNLZzaiUFH6y1O5yaZcEyUCEpsH5oMihvWGdm7KA4OvStCE/w640-h540/Bittern+2+Otmoor+8+Jul+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Bittern_21_2.htm" target="_blank">Bittern with wings raised (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZkr63zios3GCccVylVU9nyDVxHeDNVPSLRGfkf_kBg-vPt8NbkVuyVrwm7iHkquWj-o7bfdRtPp6ehZFu3R0JzRB_kZMXOu-i7TuQsXKbthU4wHpxIHiVksg7_rP9jobOtiOdmvPKAM/s800/Bittern+Otmoor+8+Jul+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="800" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZkr63zios3GCccVylVU9nyDVxHeDNVPSLRGfkf_kBg-vPt8NbkVuyVrwm7iHkquWj-o7bfdRtPp6ehZFu3R0JzRB_kZMXOu-i7TuQsXKbthU4wHpxIHiVksg7_rP9jobOtiOdmvPKAM/w640-h520/Bittern+Otmoor+8+Jul+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Bittern_21_1.htm" target="_blank">Bittern with wings lowered (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-12727175893788086102021-06-25T10:47:00.001+01:002021-06-25T11:01:35.721+01:00Thursley Common - 6 June<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPagDGRFsDzrFQLg6CHbvU914iN5yEXu45pjiG0tD9wPZLhaOlIKbfO3M2_fhIEj_eEIsWs8PsdIszUq91PinbHmxUz1x9zMUqOn2Vgu9WGhfw082IzzuEuYv5gGnxuCJpTTCXdXuKyZQ/s100/Redstart+4+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_crop_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPagDGRFsDzrFQLg6CHbvU914iN5yEXu45pjiG0tD9wPZLhaOlIKbfO3M2_fhIEj_eEIsWs8PsdIszUq91PinbHmxUz1x9zMUqOn2Vgu9WGhfw082IzzuEuYv5gGnxuCJpTTCXdXuKyZQ/s0/Redstart+4+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_crop_100.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>After Colin the Cuckoo's brilliant showing on 26 May, I went back a couple of weeks later hoping for more with better lighting conditions given the forecast for full sun. Arriving around 4pm, I was surprised to find only a very small number of other photographers present. Apparently there was a reason for this, and it wasn't good! Colin had become very erratic in the last few days and so clearly many had decided it wasn't worth trying for him again. I was told that today, since 9am, he had been in once for about 20min at around 3pm. </p><p>Very shortly after I arrived, three of the others departed leaving just one other person and myself! After awhile even he departed, so I had the last 45mins of sun on the perch with the place to myself!!</p><p>Unfortunately while I was there there was no sign of the star performer. This showy Redstart was however considerable compensation in the superb early evening light. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Click on any caption to enlarge</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtimdWuqwiKEZ0NDwBznXPTH0RYxD1M-gE6lHivUMFqYpb6F3mOQrqVn4Y2P2HY_5olEBujXEH_aLrjDTBdHtU5W_ClF4DYGEqwyP27BFDiLK-Uign1AXFqkoaX-95OehZEfMt5XbTzd0/s800/Redstart+1b+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="800" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtimdWuqwiKEZ0NDwBznXPTH0RYxD1M-gE6lHivUMFqYpb6F3mOQrqVn4Y2P2HY_5olEBujXEH_aLrjDTBdHtU5W_ClF4DYGEqwyP27BFDiLK-Uign1AXFqkoaX-95OehZEfMt5XbTzd0/w640-h530/Redstart+1b+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/redstart_21_1.htm" target="_blank">Redstart (1) (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXhDAO5hk9ISlSwkTeoeGJzd8dw-W5so7sJdJns7Mle6mX3bNyezplkiMr7cP6ch0wl5fAsSpPHJRnhWvX_6CWsC_0V7Fo3htxj69T_YMzB_HX4eoiBGdHk9-ouf4XmIyHag89KvK95E/s800/Redstart+2+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="800" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXhDAO5hk9ISlSwkTeoeGJzd8dw-W5so7sJdJns7Mle6mX3bNyezplkiMr7cP6ch0wl5fAsSpPHJRnhWvX_6CWsC_0V7Fo3htxj69T_YMzB_HX4eoiBGdHk9-ouf4XmIyHag89KvK95E/w640-h520/Redstart+2+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUgGetbEfrVlpK3X22eDEkeINsohmzERTlwRbtyyAwqTGIkPLzmPKI8uSlp5tVWeCFnnD9TkAxgFAhBaEKAF1jc-Nr5_FaS7q-uzai9yJT82e4wIh3rNeHJcUh0xeu3HGNiXh3eQYQ30/s800/Redstart+3a+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="800" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUgGetbEfrVlpK3X22eDEkeINsohmzERTlwRbtyyAwqTGIkPLzmPKI8uSlp5tVWeCFnnD9TkAxgFAhBaEKAF1jc-Nr5_FaS7q-uzai9yJT82e4wIh3rNeHJcUh0xeu3HGNiXh3eQYQ30/w640-h486/Redstart+3a+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRi8xrU-6LqQnA8B21z6hYpM7Hr25Gden0FTGLc0IRt3CMnOKeMCJgmSQgN9DO_Tkg2PHmoM9dGagUtffIr2NhdexNDE54wjjmhINm2JeC5GqQ3QjBhKAX450qIpFfp6_ZbBUlfYdw_g/s800/Redstart+4+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="800" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRi8xrU-6LqQnA8B21z6hYpM7Hr25Gden0FTGLc0IRt3CMnOKeMCJgmSQgN9DO_Tkg2PHmoM9dGagUtffIr2NhdexNDE54wjjmhINm2JeC5GqQ3QjBhKAX450qIpFfp6_ZbBUlfYdw_g/w640-h500/Redstart+4+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDSRjJXMbBB2gWwn80GEPUzwCYQmYAe5WW8ajidJSWR-3C4fZ6zU7kL2DmGTcySkVbTliPXVesuymhvsqfrkeF6_bC3GCcvuaxuFZXoDJ-otvBUPJzHN6_UueoQH09gJt-G4vx0O7TYw/s802/Redstart+4+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_crop_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDSRjJXMbBB2gWwn80GEPUzwCYQmYAe5WW8ajidJSWR-3C4fZ6zU7kL2DmGTcySkVbTliPXVesuymhvsqfrkeF6_bC3GCcvuaxuFZXoDJ-otvBUPJzHN6_UueoQH09gJt-G4vx0O7TYw/w638-h640/Redstart+4+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_crop_800.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/redstart_21_2.htm" target="_blank">Redstart close-up (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-wa9-VueTThwPLdw_c8Bpq7JOpMOGZxG083WK-0RQpL-TSmM5eanS-loWv8YFmdhhNqFm0Tg_oaKQlamOjg6ox0VFILSyBZdacDWhR-6Zg-af_NqmW16bSEhq3_pwB_VLoToQVEvgeU/s800/Redstart+5+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="800" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-wa9-VueTThwPLdw_c8Bpq7JOpMOGZxG083WK-0RQpL-TSmM5eanS-loWv8YFmdhhNqFm0Tg_oaKQlamOjg6ox0VFILSyBZdacDWhR-6Zg-af_NqmW16bSEhq3_pwB_VLoToQVEvgeU/w640-h634/Redstart+5+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CHxl4zSLj_C1WEoe3NSYgPe-BFvGptSX1Q7uiIuueaxHBVkyc_KxYarCD1aDgHCpKJePQLmzpfxS40_ZI8nG5do1PCV0OXNvLV_uTWl3KtjSsdmiqTTRyeoME6buEUIaxMF_h3cXLFA/s800/Redstart+6+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="800" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CHxl4zSLj_C1WEoe3NSYgPe-BFvGptSX1Q7uiIuueaxHBVkyc_KxYarCD1aDgHCpKJePQLmzpfxS40_ZI8nG5do1PCV0OXNvLV_uTWl3KtjSsdmiqTTRyeoME6buEUIaxMF_h3cXLFA/w640-h610/Redstart+6+Thursley+Common+8+Jun+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/redstart_21_3.htm" target="_blank">Redstart on a different perch (c) Stephen Burch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-212866642674658862021-06-10T19:06:00.005+01:002021-06-11T09:50:56.789+01:00Thursley Common - 26 May <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSoXJ6eN7acv_PBYF0jkO5FHqWU2sh_yuha5ftlHIB_Ll27acHJSTK_hC5pRz1ZaY6UZm5NmcrVG543-uK_algxsQotng-ltwAlBwRgQNTV1GEXp5YQPfEk7kadQh3m-Y6NFv0ZdquzA/s130/Cuckoo+1a+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_h100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSoXJ6eN7acv_PBYF0jkO5FHqWU2sh_yuha5ftlHIB_Ll27acHJSTK_hC5pRz1ZaY6UZm5NmcrVG543-uK_algxsQotng-ltwAlBwRgQNTV1GEXp5YQPfEk7kadQh3m-Y6NFv0ZdquzA/s0/Cuckoo+1a+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_h100.jpg" /></a></div><p>As many of you will know, Thursley Common in Surrey is the site where a Cuckoo, nicknamed Colin, has been returning to for many years now. He is remarkably tame having become used to all his admirers who keep him well fed with meal worms.</p><p>This year he again returned in early April, but I heard that large numbers of people (up to 50) were present early in the season. Also his appearances during the day sounded more erratic than previously. This didn't sound good, so I decided to wait until well into May. </p><p>Based on last year's experiences, I found it best to arrive mid/late afternoon and wait until the sun sets below the surrounding trees as he usually visited late afternoon/early evening from around 17:00 onwards.</p><p>So it wasn't until 26 May this year that I decided on the gamble of another late afternoon/early evening visit, arriving around 16:30. On arrival I was told Colin hadn't been seen since lunchtime and that he generally hadn't been performing "properly" this year. </p><p>However at around 17:30, in he flew for what turned out to be mammoth stay, not finally departing the area until around 20:00, i.e. a remarkable 2 and a half hours later, by which time of course the light was very poor.</p><p>The one downside today was that the weather generally wasn't as good as forecast with much more cloud than I would have liked, and only a few brief sunny interludes. </p><p>As well as staying for a remarkable length of time, I was extremely fortunate to find only around 7 other photographers present, virtually all of whom were trying for flight shots as Colin flew between the perch and the ground and back again. </p><p>Prior to this session, I had thought it would be interesting to try my new Canon R5 for flight shots. As it turned out, I was amazed at how well it performed. If I could keep the bird in the frame (not easy), the camera's amazing auto focus would usually do the rest, resulting in large numbers of in focus flight shots. This would have been completely impossible with my old Canon 7D Mark II, which would have simply found the background and focussed on that virtually every time. </p><p>As the light wasn't great most of the time, very high ISO settings were needed, especially towards the end of the session, but another of the R5's benefits is <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gear/R5.htm#b8" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">its relatively low noise levels, compared with the 7DII</span></a>, and I've managed to supress the noise reasonably well in the post processing.</p><p><b>Postscript</b>: I returned on Tuesday (8th June) but regrettably there was to be no repeat of this amazing performance as he did not appear while I was there. There had been only one 20min showing at around 15:00 all day. A showy Redstart in the gorgeous early evening light was some compensation, I suppose. </p><p>For a gallery of all my photos from this amazing session, <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/Cuckooind.htm"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">click here</span></a>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>For larger images of any the photos below, just click on the captions. </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAMVUrDLEmTKi96KtjLLbaRAY7Jl8M1FUQ7LYZxsr30ws-CliUg81kXcPY-47F63Wq952OqyKH_Ch_4T4DgG_hzUA6BeHf4u79Mv0JxRUGA1yw1zS0JUnQhM34Fcj9xEjhVZu_BpAnMI/s800/Cuckoo+1a+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="800" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAMVUrDLEmTKi96KtjLLbaRAY7Jl8M1FUQ7LYZxsr30ws-CliUg81kXcPY-47F63Wq952OqyKH_Ch_4T4DgG_hzUA6BeHf4u79Mv0JxRUGA1yw1zS0JUnQhM34Fcj9xEjhVZu_BpAnMI/w640-h492/Cuckoo+1a+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo1_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">Underside view</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7Dc1k_0mjMgqWiRNAStm060GfQ-nrJS1DG402CkwpLj69XGb25Gu4lxsoMZVYH7QttedgUo5yRKz5q3EfjQa6L-ud70N5x7PuCXbserRBDndK1MPFaGy48CnvLlwGWgzv6GjCSGluFE/s800/Cuckoo+2+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="800" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7Dc1k_0mjMgqWiRNAStm060GfQ-nrJS1DG402CkwpLj69XGb25Gu4lxsoMZVYH7QttedgUo5yRKz5q3EfjQa6L-ud70N5x7PuCXbserRBDndK1MPFaGy48CnvLlwGWgzv6GjCSGluFE/w640-h492/Cuckoo+2+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo2_27%20May%2021.htm#b1" target="_blank">Unusual flight mode!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OKAasgcW70E-5dReP4WDCsJUcsb03KXeHgzqV4l_ouFTJzaUaV0McWctybSZ_O8DuF3aPCy3CtDITK32LR-6dX4xOCeqwOyIEmwh3nr3byZD9yMjAdOwKgkYuO712ki7cywloDUslYw/s800/Cuckoo+12+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="800" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OKAasgcW70E-5dReP4WDCsJUcsb03KXeHgzqV4l_ouFTJzaUaV0McWctybSZ_O8DuF3aPCy3CtDITK32LR-6dX4xOCeqwOyIEmwh3nr3byZD9yMjAdOwKgkYuO712ki7cywloDUslYw/w640-h494/Cuckoo+12+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo12_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">Direct flight</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7Gwd2LVu8H_orXQxjTGsjjlcbjwXxP9_x_WCCdch-Il_l1BTnlNqzCAx2rz-o5neErIWfU4ah1RTsVdSBXXTMdBn5lxA3GtaOaCmr8IJEEbfA048GrQSGlRxikL3q2gWPDSDGcFKnMY/s800/Cuckoo+6+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="800" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7Gwd2LVu8H_orXQxjTGsjjlcbjwXxP9_x_WCCdch-Il_l1BTnlNqzCAx2rz-o5neErIWfU4ah1RTsVdSBXXTMdBn5lxA3GtaOaCmr8IJEEbfA048GrQSGlRxikL3q2gWPDSDGcFKnMY/w640-h356/Cuckoo+6+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo6_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">Close approach in a brighter spell</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOyFKxK9il_JN9-8HsHjIGmhJpdQ-2zxfYYb2UufEBGOMoOg9wWizyfKUp1wRUKqQSFaZtlprbRmVFVz8Lt1tv0jCTIeAHQyIIyqbTwgkGmNoF5Olt_CPihznsIwNGfsOsOjYA3WbGc4/s800/Cuckoo+3+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="800" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOyFKxK9il_JN9-8HsHjIGmhJpdQ-2zxfYYb2UufEBGOMoOg9wWizyfKUp1wRUKqQSFaZtlprbRmVFVz8Lt1tv0jCTIeAHQyIIyqbTwgkGmNoF5Olt_CPihznsIwNGfsOsOjYA3WbGc4/w640-h586/Cuckoo+3+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo3_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">Trying for a backlit shot in the last of the light</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tIL-SVHT24nVK4rEOM08PxhJ76yJm1TFV0gCIzy8dbf13WHunUI5KunTMRfS0lBDm-R2OaF8nL53efrTyn4Drhp_Yi4G2G88dAolPcuQs254R4559zCL77OVHS5tAjnQGyrqM2rSJP0/s800/Cuckoo+5+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="800" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tIL-SVHT24nVK4rEOM08PxhJ76yJm1TFV0gCIzy8dbf13WHunUI5KunTMRfS0lBDm-R2OaF8nL53efrTyn4Drhp_Yi4G2G88dAolPcuQs254R4559zCL77OVHS5tAjnQGyrqM2rSJP0/w640-h488/Cuckoo+5+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo5_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">Incoming with the light behind - but it was really dull by now ISO 25,600!!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ERD4BPxIJffslTKSoiTGNy7CBjj9toqQ2G_kBJ4nTcyKA4M_5eb2XRobYNMiw5adtAAwkOqJLu4TYp5VJCv4yWlVKpeV25vHR0YtmRK4I6Q-drFWbtdnpdCfrIgKkLaelg9tuXoaQ_M/s800/Cuckoo+9+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="800" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ERD4BPxIJffslTKSoiTGNy7CBjj9toqQ2G_kBJ4nTcyKA4M_5eb2XRobYNMiw5adtAAwkOqJLu4TYp5VJCv4yWlVKpeV25vHR0YtmRK4I6Q-drFWbtdnpdCfrIgKkLaelg9tuXoaQ_M/w640-h582/Cuckoo+9+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo9_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">Perched shot in a brighter "golden hour" spell.</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOEMvFLaDXaQP9MfuUumAedgNbRlo_sLrsa00RcLNE7j2OPjl3A1qZ1j1AcQTvHYOn-9f0HHADfmhB00fzAbGab29dxW_BJnHm1Oc2Y6TnWLOCLupxLPdWKB8OsaDBidE0zAXKfxpcBo/s800/Cuckoo+10+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="800" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOEMvFLaDXaQP9MfuUumAedgNbRlo_sLrsa00RcLNE7j2OPjl3A1qZ1j1AcQTvHYOn-9f0HHADfmhB00fzAbGab29dxW_BJnHm1Oc2Y6TnWLOCLupxLPdWKB8OsaDBidE0zAXKfxpcBo/w640-h442/Cuckoo+10+Thursley+Common+27+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Cuckoo/cuckoo10_27%20May%2021.htm" target="_blank">On the ground</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433055777996661433.post-41054443294640782222021-05-30T09:29:00.004+01:002021-05-30T09:29:56.047+01:00Droitwich - 21 May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9G81iIEuRnq4DgfkZ-j1Y_vd3-S7-yP0bKuA1kkPkaQkV2mLFW38ukAdtIwMRctH0TyG43lT_Xx0n7_7dhW9IMUJsNU86O_Q1BDr7EWl7w06qM16lKT8XEd3tuz8-u6rDIjuSd5EIx7Q/s100/Little+Owl+1+BP+Droitwich+21+May+21_sq_crop_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="96" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9G81iIEuRnq4DgfkZ-j1Y_vd3-S7-yP0bKuA1kkPkaQkV2mLFW38ukAdtIwMRctH0TyG43lT_Xx0n7_7dhW9IMUJsNU86O_Q1BDr7EWl7w06qM16lKT8XEd3tuz8-u6rDIjuSd5EIx7Q/s0/Little+Owl+1+BP+Droitwich+21+May+21_sq_crop_100.jpg" /></a></div><p>Nature Photography hides, based near Droitwich, is now under new, improved management and has been renamed as <a href="https://www.brinepitwildlifephotography.co.uk/" target="_blank">Brine Pit Wildlife Photography.</a> New hides have been constructed on the sites of the old ones.</p><p>The day I visited for the Little Owl the weather was truly atrocious. Probably the worst I have ever had in a hide, with strong winds and rain, often heavy basically all day!</p><p>These conditions reduced the females activities but she still needed to feed the young in the nest, so made a reasonable number of visits. Unfortunately, the bird was also very bedraggled, especially the front view.</p><p>Still there were several visits to the perches and I managed to get a couple of "action" photos.</p><p>For a gallery of all my shots from this session <a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/Owls_ind.htm" target="_blank">click here</a>. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Once again click of any of the captions for larger images. </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_doEFkzyKoCZi8xsrwpJqP0DR-kY3J_kDTXuEBM0lLQ_51YH7L9HhYJmI80nHvbnmEPjjnTjVIYINAkHIM_Ba06fgzqwyNwExcF20f_hh5xtHlFEW02jcv7KnFlxAnw8OxCiHWBhT18A/s800/Little+Owl+1+BP+Droitwich+21+May+21_crop2_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_doEFkzyKoCZi8xsrwpJqP0DR-kY3J_kDTXuEBM0lLQ_51YH7L9HhYJmI80nHvbnmEPjjnTjVIYINAkHIM_Ba06fgzqwyNwExcF20f_hh5xtHlFEW02jcv7KnFlxAnw8OxCiHWBhT18A/w640-h512/Little+Owl+1+BP+Droitwich+21+May+21_crop2_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_1.htm" target="_blank">Take off!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7T3AwKvxQwgrp9bN_bgcPpgjkbp3KkQ5YYnaB5fz4PLOLUkMr4QUomftN9KZV6_W-laKXBLd45K5misXUjD8vpu-cOGmhkXOuj85qVf5vAoG6-yrKg0jDzDJrft_kTxEiu8Rql42ueI/s800/Little+Owl+7+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="800" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7T3AwKvxQwgrp9bN_bgcPpgjkbp3KkQ5YYnaB5fz4PLOLUkMr4QUomftN9KZV6_W-laKXBLd45K5misXUjD8vpu-cOGmhkXOuj85qVf5vAoG6-yrKg0jDzDJrft_kTxEiu8Rql42ueI/w640-h500/Little+Owl+7+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_7.htm" target="_blank">In flight</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vM3l5-HCDcINplT-ZvXLFt__OmxG67rIyDbeSde71o0HvS8eA0pfWDEYRy7B1v7wcyaPQnSUNIk35vRyru23QMG6BVA6JNRfLZ_SUzZTVXiBy8DeP8oaSaPuATrqN3DLQl45aRh5Xg8/s800/Little+Owl+2+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="800" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vM3l5-HCDcINplT-ZvXLFt__OmxG67rIyDbeSde71o0HvS8eA0pfWDEYRy7B1v7wcyaPQnSUNIk35vRyru23QMG6BVA6JNRfLZ_SUzZTVXiBy8DeP8oaSaPuATrqN3DLQl45aRh5Xg8/w640-h494/Little+Owl+2+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_2.htm" target="_blank">At the nest hole</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTl9qSpnSJAqvjSu8NZvCij4pLNRke8RncTXjsNqzqZyCYcHVDYu6z6w3Yj-AiTaXgdnO5K0p-YSLFTOr6KompK71J1S_bSVRRMMkyITjitG975UQbdnsTZpl5sobt2DkGz_l8-a_ssI/s800/Little+Owl+3+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="800" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTl9qSpnSJAqvjSu8NZvCij4pLNRke8RncTXjsNqzqZyCYcHVDYu6z6w3Yj-AiTaXgdnO5K0p-YSLFTOr6KompK71J1S_bSVRRMMkyITjitG975UQbdnsTZpl5sobt2DkGz_l8-a_ssI/w640-h466/Little+Owl+3+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_3.htm" target="_blank">Just before departing to the nest</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46upmCFrMS4BTdE6s94CTbskkfbU9qffn5X6U6a259PIKoOc7w3PNOrcEHElxPU38e6E3YtjQyx9G5ETa2RV_TkDJxdixxf-kynbx7q6ZPW510e6JUoneThv9-wA6YrOYavHOSTJmKcY/s800/Little+Owl+4+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="800" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46upmCFrMS4BTdE6s94CTbskkfbU9qffn5X6U6a259PIKoOc7w3PNOrcEHElxPU38e6E3YtjQyx9G5ETa2RV_TkDJxdixxf-kynbx7q6ZPW510e6JUoneThv9-wA6YrOYavHOSTJmKcY/w640-h628/Little+Owl+4+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_4.htm" target="_blank">A less bedraggled angle</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwMlWOrzUw7VVqdRm_Sd2PKyOsDnwg-rIs9Vf1pHtD_gXeBr1jBbPPyavGKCyVueDrNo0jU8cE1z7rKNf3qezX6RceeHXS1eaCpTMtfD6i3a4iO0Tuq0kbdILxE79t6A24UerK4o3jaw/s800/Little+Owl+5+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="800" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwMlWOrzUw7VVqdRm_Sd2PKyOsDnwg-rIs9Vf1pHtD_gXeBr1jBbPPyavGKCyVueDrNo0jU8cE1z7rKNf3qezX6RceeHXS1eaCpTMtfD6i3a4iO0Tuq0kbdILxE79t6A24UerK4o3jaw/w640-h544/Little+Owl+5+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_5.htm" target="_blank">A look in keeping with the conditions!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G7Z6KaG2Pjtj-TlATNYgvPgxKdLaCxHPGZ4BqlA-luGLD9JZuKysSW0FsnFEf3DsyYXPvsIEWcHHQGAq0FtC_JOp6zNdzb-C-dwyw-Zv5V3G3HEu5uCjsy9eDh-9cPPZZloloOmmsJg/s800/Little+Owl+6+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="800" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G7Z6KaG2Pjtj-TlATNYgvPgxKdLaCxHPGZ4BqlA-luGLD9JZuKysSW0FsnFEf3DsyYXPvsIEWcHHQGAq0FtC_JOp6zNdzb-C-dwyw-Zv5V3G3HEu5uCjsy9eDh-9cPPZZloloOmmsJg/w640-h468/Little+Owl+6+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_6.htm" target="_blank">A windswept view in the rain!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF1NE0NEqLaetfdO-pZoq3GPyxz6NvMqYEqSngWZ9OJM80YxenWWdXZQJ6NcQ8N_pHPETmkXCWIT26S4xjtruert4egYBuG83YMaairfL3waXU9sqHP6aKd7Ok0LIqBjrAMYRWZuwm6c/s800/Little+Owl+8+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="800" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF1NE0NEqLaetfdO-pZoq3GPyxz6NvMqYEqSngWZ9OJM80YxenWWdXZQJ6NcQ8N_pHPETmkXCWIT26S4xjtruert4egYBuG83YMaairfL3waXU9sqHP6aKd7Ok0LIqBjrAMYRWZuwm6c/w640-h528/Little+Owl+8+Droitwich+21+May+21_800.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenburch.com/gallery/Owls/littleowl21_8.htm" target="_blank">The bedraggled front view in the rain</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Stephen Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941152737845587982noreply@blogger.com0