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UK Bird Pics Autumn/Winter 2024/25

  Short-eared Owl, Gloucestershire.

3 December 2024

Although there were plenty of owls around from 13:00 onwards at least (all day according to some present), initially they were all too distant. It was only when I moved a little further east along the lane that I had some closer approaches.

This and the following two shots are from the closest approach, with some favourable light late in the afternoon.

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Short-eared Owl, Gloucestershire.

3 December 2024

Getting closer...

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Short-eared Owl, Gloucestershire.

3 December 2024

Just before it dropped into the long grass.

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  Black-tailed Godwit, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk.

28 November 2024

This bird was pottering around in the harbour as the tide was coming in, as the sun was setting behind me.The water was calm but not flat enough for a good reflection. Nevertheless the golden-hour light was lovely.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here    
  Sanderling, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk.

28 November 2024

Titchwell beach is somewhere I always aim to go when we're in Norfolk, preferably at low tide in mid afternoon on a sunny day. This visit I got two out of three of these conditions, but low tide was nearer midday than mid afternoon.

This was also an opportunity to try out my new R5 Mk II, using the 100-500 lens with the x1.5 converter on. Generally it performed well, but could be distracted off the bird onto the surf behind. Nevertheless, I think this was of the best sessions I've had here.

This photo shows a quite close Sanderling which I got early in the session. Later birds tended to be more distant.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here   
  Grey Plover, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk.

28 November 2024

This bird was quite distant but this photo has cropped quite well.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here    
  Bar-tailed Godwit, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk.

28 November 2024

My main aim on this beach is to get a close Barwit shot, but on this day there were very few to be seen, and none came close. This is another fairly distant shot that has cropped well.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here  
  Oystercatcher, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk.

28 November 2024

In contrast to the Barwits above, Oystercatchers were the commonest wader flying past that day.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here   
  Redshank, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk.

26 November 2024

As I've found before, the harbour here can be good for photos, using the car as a hide. For this trip, the tide was near full at the end of the day, when the light is at its best. Hence for this visit I tried for some flight shots of the various waders around. Not easy!

Thie Redshank is just coming into the land and caught the very last rays of sun that day.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here 
  Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk.

22 November 2024

For the first time in our near annual early winter visits to Welney, there was a fair amount of ice around, and less flooding than last year. It was also sunny, with largely blue skies.

This bird is flying in to roost, in the last light of the day.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk.

22 November 2024

One of a flight of four juveniles that came close to the hide we were in at the time, in nice light. Nothing else did!

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk.

22 November 2024

An incoming adult preparing to land in an open stretch of water, with ice in the background.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk.

22 November 2024

An adult in the partially frozen water in front of the main hide.

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To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
  Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

Here are some photos from a very good session at Pete Whieldon's Kingfisher hide. Quite by chance, the day was mostly bright and sunny - just what I needed for trying out the pre-capture option on my new R5m2!

Getting the focus to follow the bird as it left the perch was a bit hit and miss, and it failed on nearly all the diving sequences.

However it was more successful when the bird flew off, as shown here, with the bonus of a fish still in its bill.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here.
Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

Another pre-capture photo but this time from a nearer perch.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here 
  Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

Another pre-capture photo! I was very impressed that the AF stayed on the bird as it flew almost straight at me.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here  
Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

One of the very few diviing photos that worked. Her the bird was in direct sun, but the background was in shade.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here   
Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

This shot was from my orignal R5 without pre-capture.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here 
Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

Emerging from the water with a fish This bird was a very successful fisher, getting a fish almost every dive.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here  
Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire.

20 November 2024

Stunnng the fish before swallowing it.

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To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here   
  Turnstone, Weymouth Harbour, Dorset.

25 September 2024

In our previous visits to Weymouth, I had noticed a small flock of Turnstone were often present at the south side of the harbour entrance. Typically they tended to be on a small rocky beach immediately to the south of the start of the pier or even on the pier itself.

For this visit, which turned out very wet indeed, they were again on the rocky beach but I found the photos I was getting there weren't that notable, due to the jumbled background. I then noticed a single bird on a small grassy area which proved very confiding.

Here are a couple of shots of it.

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Turnstone, Weymouth Harbour, Dorset.

25 September 2024

Another photo of the bird above.

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  Wood Sandpiper, Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset.

22 September 2024

A record shot of this distant scarcity. Included as it is a long time since I've seen a Wood Sandpiper and it is one of my favourite waders!


© All pictures copyright Stephen Burch

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