Show us some bird shots....26

I just want to make a short comment about 'playback' as it is called in the birding world. Please make sure you are considerate of the birds when you use this device to attract them for photographs or any other purposes. I know from my participation in birding and in mailing lists that this technique can be extremely controversial nowadays (in Australia at least). Some people are quite hostile to it and may even pull you up on it (especially if they perceive you as 'just' a photographer and believe me, many 'twitchers' snort in derision at us if you don't have your tattiest khakis on, a big pair of bins, a pencil and notepad and can recall the Latin name of every bird you ever saw on your 'life list'!). Remember that the 'playback' is typically inducing a territorial, i.e. hostile, behaviour from the target and this may have the potential to be very stressful to the targeted individuals if used too much or for too long a period of time, or too frequent an interval (this can get prevalent for territorial species because it becomes known that a specific bird is at a particular location so many different people turn up there to get the 'tick' thus exposing the individual to more contact that other individuals of the same species).

To keep it on topic here's a pair of entirely common Pacific Black Ducks, no playback required, just hang around a lake shore with people who feed them bread (talk about a damaging activity!). I really like the lighting and expression on the face of the one in the centre:

Brandy wrote: I seem to be hogging this post but bear with me I'm on holiday and out everyday. Promise not to post any more for a while!! Cheers Brandy.

Just keep posting please!

As a potential owner of to 70-400G (in 5 days time and counting). I can't wait.

Your images are stunningly sharp and clear .....great stuff. It would be great if you could review this lens and post some of your images on the sample forum images. They deserve to be there to show the capabilities of this lens....(and the photographer behind!)

Ianb

Edited by ianb - 04 August 2009 at 06:12

punkskaphil wrote: For the 'lure' I used a book called "A Field Guide to the Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Northern Europe" by Dave Farrow. It has two CDs of bird calls with it, so I loaded them onto my iPod and bought myself a little speaker so I could play the Kingfisher call (a technique I first saw in action on a recent guided birding tour in Sweden). Being territorial birds, there's a good chance that they'll come to see off their 'rival'. I'd sat down by the stream with the iPod playing on repeat, practically resigned to yet another failed mission, when I looked up and it was just perched there a few feet away from me! I didn't hear or see it approach. Even when I turned the iPod off the bird stayed for a full fifteen minutes, ignoring the loud clicking of my a700.

Amazing, thanks for the tip!
We will get the book/CD's before our next narrowboat trip. They are always there, about 100-200ft away but just too much for my zoom lenses to create anything like your images, and I certainly would not have the courage to post them here!

Ianb

ianb wrote: [QUOTE=punkskaphil] After numerous trips over the last 16 months, I finally managed to snap a Kingfisher today. It stayed perched for a good 15 minutes, and I managed to get nearly 400 shots! One of my best ever photography experiences. Kinfishers I have never managed to get a good shot, elusive little birds.........Well done. Where did you get this opportunity? I notice Slimbridge is offering the opprotunity to capture them on camera. Ianb

Thanks Ian. It was at Hedgecourt Lake, in between Gatwick and East Grinstead. It's a reserve owned by the Surrey Wildlife Trust and it was a Trust member who told me about the Kingfishers there. I'd had two very brief sightings on the lake itself, but the photos were taken by a stream in the woods nearby. Last spring I tried at Russia Dock Parkland in South-East London but they were being too shy there! I've heard that the eastern section of the Regent's Canal between Islington and Victoria Park is also very good to see them.

For the 'lure' I used a book called "A Field Guide to the Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Northern Europe" by Dave Farrow. It has two CDs of bird calls with it, so I loaded them onto my iPod and bought myself a little speaker so I could play the Kingfisher call (a technique I first saw in action on a recent guided birding tour in Sweden). Being territorial birds, there's a good chance that they'll come to see off their 'rival'.

I'd sat down by the stream with the iPod playing on repeat, practically resigned to yet another failed mission, when I looked up and it was just perched there a few feet away from me! I didn't hear or see it approach. Even when I turned the iPod off the bird stayed for a full fifteen minutes, ignoring the loud clicking of my a700.

Bizarrely, the second time I went there I was questioned by a police officer because he thought I might be a terrorist photographing the flight paths of planes coming in to land at Gatwick!

Edited by punkskaphil - 04 August 2009 at 02:14

Shinke, absolutely stunning images......

The last few pages make me proud to be with the Alpha system.... and the talent of the photographers that use them.

Ianb

le_rez, love the chicks and mommy

schinke, wow such beautiful colours

wolfy, nice pelican and lesser spotted wolfy crawling through the undergrowth

A banded goose from me




Edited by jet_set_willy - 03 August 2009 at 20:05

Beautiful !!!! all

more "big"
Garça - a700 Minolta 400mm f4.5 HS APO G + TC 2x


Saíra-sete-cores - a700 Minolta 400mm f4.5 HS APO G


Saracura - a700 Minolta 400mm f4.5 HS APO G


baija-flor - a700 Minolta 400mm f4.5 HS APO G


beija-flor - a700 Minolta 400mm f4.5 HS APO G + TC 2x


bem-te-vi - a700 Sigma 150-500 HSM


maracana - a700 Minolta 400mm f4.5 HS APO G + TC 2x


Martim-pescador-grande (femea) - a700 Sigma 170-500mm


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