Macro, my first foray into the small stuff



Finally managed to get out with the camera this morning, so

with my new macro lens in the bag I set off to Potteric Carr

to try and photograph some creepy crawlies. The lens is the

Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM which is ideal for the smaller

subjects like bugs and small flowers. So here are my first efforts

with this lens, I think it's going to be a steep learning curve, but it's

great fun, and looking at the weevil in Liveview on the 7D was

amazing, magnified 5x you could see every facet of it's compound

eye.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy... 

The Dawn Hunter

Just a quick post to keep the blog ticking over, Barn Owl hunting at first light.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Upland Birds - part 2

Here is the second installment of my upland birds blog, these shots are from
the same session as the Meadow Pipits in the last post. Red Grouse are in abundance
at this particular site, you can't go a 100yds without seeing one of these gorgeous
birds. I was pleased to capture some shots of the grouse on the dry stone wall, he put on a superb display, calling and flapping his wings for all to see.



This was my favourite Meadow Pipit shot from that morning, it's very similar to
the others but I like the slightly open beak as it's calling out to attract a mate.



Next is the Curlew, a species that I have had very little luck with, these birds
are almost impossible to approach, and as you can see from this shot he's already
legging it out of there.



Along the same stretch of wall as the Mipits was this beautiful Pied Wagtail, these are such smart birds, very active and constantly bobbing up and down.



And lastly we have the highlight of the morning, a Little Owl sat on his hunting post
keeping a lookout for breakfast. Unfortunately my 7D decided to punch me in the goolies on this shot, the tricky side lighting totally out-foxed the AF system and it failed to aquire focus, there are times when I could drop kick this camera, but there are times when it captures some incredible detail, but this wasn't one of those times and all I ended up with is a record shot :(

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Meadow Pipit

Just a short blog tonight, Meadow Pipit sat on a dry-stone wall.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Pheasant

I love photographing Pheasants, these birds are full of character and put on a fantastic display at this time of year. Given the right lighting, the colours of the male bird can be a sight to behold, especially the iridescent feathers around the neck and breast. My next visit will hopefully lead to some shots of two males doing battle, so fingers crossed.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Upland Birds

Here are some of the upland species I managed to photograph on a recent trip to the moors, my main target was Whinchat, but these seem to be very illusive at the moment. Maybe it's still a little early in the year for Whinchat, so with any luck i'll connect with some in a few months time.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

more Gannets

Just a short post today, Gannets doing what they do best, Flying.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Gannets

Made the trip to Bempton on Tuesday morning to catch up with my old
mate Steve Race, so it would have been plain rude not to photograph
the Gannets whilst I was there. Conditions were poor to say the least
with low cloud blocking out all signs of the sun, and it's a touch of
sunlight that you need to bring out the blue eye-ring and those lovely
lemon stripes on the feet. I know from experience that there are much
better shots to had when the conditions are right, so as the season
progresses I'll be back to try again.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Gold, Green and Chaff

Due to work commitments, I've not been out with the camera of late, so here are some finch shots from the other week, taken at my local NR. I would have liked better perches but thats out of my control unfortunately.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Snow Buntings

After the Barn Owl, this was the other species I was after on my recent trip to the North Norfolk coast. Snow Buntings are very smart little birds and this particular flock are very approachable and can be very confiding at times. The only downside is that these birds like to congregate in a very busy car park, which can make photographing them quite a frustrating experience, just as you're about to press the shutter along comes a car and scares them off, which happened all too often. If I'm honest I didn't get the shots I was after, but at least this gives me another excuse
to pay them another visit.

Until next time, thanks for dropping by.

Andy...

Barn Owls

Barn Owls from a recent trip to the North Norfolk coast, photographed in the early morning light. It had been a long time since my last visit to this beautiful part of the UK and I know that in a recent post I said I was going to stick to my local patch, but the pull of this place is something I just can't resist. Anyway, I hope you like the shots and thanks for dropping by.

Until next time

Andy...