Friday, 30 July 2010

Old Birds Return to Cornwall

Off topic again, however not getting shoots in as often as possible so I am posting these. Great to see the Vulcan Bomber in the air again over Cornwall.









Monday, 26 July 2010

Quiet Weekend

Well after a busy weekend last weekend I popped down to Stithians Resevoir and Hells Mouth. All very quiet animal wise. The yellow thing in the sky came out and so did about six million people (well a lot). So I guess it will back onto the less well known spots for the next few weeks. Holiday makers and dogs, just great when your trying to get pictures!!!! Still managed a couple from distance for the record. Also now a chance to catch up on the blogs over the next few days. Think I am about ten days behind.

Family Fulmar


Kestrel scours the cliffs for food.

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Off Topic

This weekend I have been busy assisting at a  charity event in Helston Cornwall. Hard work drinking "Spingo" the local ale in The Blue Anchor all  day, gets a bit blurry after a while!  A music event held over three days "Helstonbury" to raise  money to assist local kids. It was originally started ten years ago to raise £1700 for a local girl who needed an hi tech wheelchair and it sort of grew from there really.  Now in its tenth year, this year I tweaked some of the images using the presets in lightroom 3. Getting the right pre-set for the image is key here:

The Quarter Pounders, one of the colour pre-sets.


Not The Beatles , aged photo


Dizzy Lizzy, Black and white pre-set

Normal natural world images will be posted as normal when I next get out, hopefully a more in depth look at lightroom 3

Sunday, 11 July 2010

Porthgwarra

Headed out early today to Porthgwarra at 8am for some seabird photography. Unfortunately this wasn't early enough! I got there as the sun was on my left the birds were also coming from the left so two hours earlier and I would of been ok. Lots and lots of Gannets observed, and it is also good to see the coast in this area is a rejunvenated lush green full of life. When I went last year it was mostly brown and dried out.  Butterflies and small insects are in abundance so next time I visit I shall pop down on the heath instead of the cliffs and concentrate on some macro.


Gannet


Guillimot


A grey seal in one of the coves.


Gannets, there were many groups larger than this full of adults and youngsters.

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Rubbish light hits back!!!

After a couple of days this week where the light was superb for photography it is now Dullsville again in Cornwall. Just a couple of common shots today from Hayle.

Common Sandpiper


Blackbird bathtime


Egret flypast


Grey Heron

Friday, 9 July 2010

A mixed bag today with Kestrel Video

Original intentions were to visit Dartmoor Wildlife Park however this was scuppered by the last minute change to weather resulting in a cloudy forecast, which equates to poor light.  This coupled withthe collaspe of my potential house purchase at almost completion point costing me about £3k, I wasn't happy.  To escape from all of this I went out for some surf photography, nothing doing so as Hells Mouth was close by I ended up there again.  Still bugggered by crap light, but a least I was surrounded by rugged coastline and wildlife, ace, things are looking up. Amazinly Kestrels were still in attendance, so yes they feature again, as does one macro shot.  I now realised I miss the 5D full frame camera when it came to getting a picture of Hells Mouth for you.  Still it is my intention to switch to Nikon in the next couples of months hopefully getting a D3/D300S combination of DSLR bodies.


                                      
? Five Spot Burnett, thanks John Rowe


A record shot of the Oyster Catcher on nest taken at some distance hence the poor quality.


Razorbill, I am still trying to get a good shot of this in good lighting in this one the eye beak etc can be seen, just.


On my previous visits there was a drowned gull in the water, this one also looked likely unfortunately to succumb it just couldn't get out the sea.


A nice suprise on the way back to the car park.


This Fulmar has chosen a precarious position to nest, about a foot from the egg is about a fall of about 200ft to the ocean!!


Just one veiw of Hells Mouth a full frame digital slr and wide angle are really whats required here.

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Kestrels show off to the Camera

A revisit to Hells Mouth to retake the images I messed up yesterday. First off spotted an Oyster Catcher on its nest, bit far off for pictures.  Off around the cliffs to try and get seabirds again when I came across some Kestrels on the coastal path/cliff. With the 600mm and converter on camera I had to back off to get the shots.  Managed some but they didn't wait until I removed the converter for more pictures. Unbelievable how close though. Seen them on/off throughout the morning amongst others.  Also did a few shots a Godrevy but with the sun going in/out I called it a day. So back here, feel like I have been real lucky today. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and enlarge them to see them at their best.


Fulmar


Kestrel


Yep once he moved I was to close


Sometime later on the cliff path


One in flight


Razorbills


Feeding time for the Cormorants, I can see where the term "bit ones head off"comes from


Cormorant


Razorbills and Guillemots enjoying the sunshine


Guillemot

Kestrel obliging again


Another one behind me!!


Sand Martin Godrevy


Linnet after a dip

Monday, 5 July 2010

A windy Hells Mouth

Started today at Hayle no joy, dead at Marazion also.  Only place I found with any action was the North Coast at Hells Mouth. Photographing Swallows and Sand Martins in flight is diffucult but these sea birds are in a different league altogether.  So tripod mounted lens, AF that can't track these, so manual focus, gusting winds and birds travelling at a great rate of knots mean one thing. Lots of misses.  So here are the results not the normal standards but records shots, using new software Lightroom 3 also (just wizzed thrrough that so likely didn't help) All todays pictures from Hells Mouth, I shall revisit when the weather is better.

Guillemot


Guillemot


Cormorant


Razorbill




Guillemot

Sunday, 4 July 2010

Under a Cloud at Stithians

Had to visit B & Q at Falmouth Saturday so thought I would call in at Stithians for a couple of hours. Unfortunately for me there was a cloud mass which appeared to be tethered to Stithians, two miles either side and it was sunny. It remained pleasantly dull for the time I was there. (Argh)  There wasn't much activity either, Cormorants having a lazy afternoon and a Moorhen and youngsters to entertain me. A cloudy day today meant installing speakers and a  subwoofer in the van, done at last so back to photography weather permitting. So its a poor show tonight  but it is like this sometimes.

Young Moorhen


And again


Begging for food


The two Moorhen chicks in the land of giants next to the Cormorant


Cormorant departing


The Teal which is residing in front of the main hide a present.


One from Croft Pool earlier, taken with a 300mm f2.8 I just got the depth of field wrong here!!