Shrikes!

May 3, 2014June 30, 2014Andrew 30 Comments

Yes, 2 of them in our garden today. Brown Shrikes both, Lanius cristatus. They speak for themselves. Enjoy.

Return of the Shrike

May 8, 2013Andrew 15 Comments

Frankly, this shrike is driving me potty. Call me demanding if you will but it has not yet performed in good light. It has not yet let me get within 30 feet and it has not yet sung I’m a yankee doodle dandy. C’mon shrike…….. give me a break. I may be willing to compromise on the last one but the first two are non-negotiable.

Let there be light, I shouted. I am still waiting.

I rattled off a few more frames today but could not get decent backgrounds. Any attempt to approach closer than about 30′ was greeted with a short flight. I would then retreat and the shrike would return to its perch. Basically it was taking the Michael. Poor light mean slow shutter speeds or image noise (think film grain) or a bit of both. I did a bit of my own mixing to see which ISO and shutter speed combination worked best. Answer: none of them.

A forward looking shrike.

Watching the Black Kite fly overhead.Peering over the hedge at the daft photographer.

It has been suggested – shock horror – that I am expecting too much to hit the photography jackpot each time I go out. Fair comment and I understand the vagaries of nature. But, as CJ famously said, I didn’t get where I am today by not being unreasonable. Or something like that. I am afraid that it is becoming like a drug. I need my fix of sharp focus, clean background and gorgeous light. It is not a lot to ask for, is it? I mean, why else did I retire?

Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away. I was happy that one of my wagtail photos had been chosen on a photography forum as ‘Photo of the Day’. Terrific, I thought. So I posted another couple of images. Both nice but one was an image of which I am quite proud. And I rarely admit that. But hey, I really like it. And I woke up in the morning to find I had won ‘Photo of the Day’ again. Fish and Barrels spring to mind. But no……… they chose the wrong one. Not a sausage for the Antarctic Prion but a big rosette for the egret. I am now thoroughly demoralised and both POTDs have been devalued in my eyes. How could they get it so wrong? And I discovered that POTD is a misnomer because there was another POTD yesterday. TWO in one day. So in fact not only did my Antarctic Prion not beat the egret it also didn’t beat the other winner. Now I am really hacked off.

Competitive? Me? Never. So rest assured I will be trying again tomorrow even if the observatory tells me that it will be same again on Thursday. At this rate I may even be tempted to go back to work. But not just yet.

All creatures small and smaller

April 23, 2013Andrew 25 Comments

With a few other bits and bobs thrown in. This morning I went to see if my phalaropes were still around. Pardon me, Madam. Have you seen my phalaropes? Not surprisingly they were not but the Tattlers were. I then spent a happy three hours just sitting, wandering, photographing and generally watching the world go by. Here are the results, in no particular order. First up the Grey-tailed Tattler, Heteroscelus brevipes.

And then a rather arty-farty Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, as the little tinker would not come close.

The Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea, however played ball and showed beautifully. The yellow behind him is some sort of government warning sign. I am deeply indebted to the Government of the Hong Kong SAR for providing such a complementary backdrop.