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Post by peterob on May 14, 2023 19:12:34 GMT
Don’t expect too much, I’ll need more than one week to get used to it. Sometimes I still think I am learning the AF systems of the 7Dii and the 1DX. Perhaps if I keep to landscapes, it would be easier and cheaper. Don't let me put you off! It will be different but fun! We'll catch up again sometime to compare notes! |
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2023 20:14:47 GMT
Don’t expect too much, I’ll need more than one week to get used to it. Sometimes I still think I am learning the AF systems of the 7Dii and the 1DX. Perhaps if I keep to landscapes, it would be easier and cheaper. Don't let me put you off! It will be different but fun! We'll catch up again sometime to compare notes! I’ll look forward to that. Hopefully you are recovering from the stroke, I had the same issue 15 years ago. |
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Post by peterba on May 14, 2023 20:19:17 GMT
I had a great afternoon at RSPB Ham Wall (Glastonbury) today.
Excellent..... a great set, Martin. Ham Wall is superb for wildlife. We used to live fairly close, which made it easy to visit, but I haven't been there for years.
You were honoured to see (and photograph) the bittern. Last time we went to Westhay Moor a short distance from Ham Wall, we heard the bittern booming, but despite our best efforts, we didn't manage even a glimpse.  However, we were treated to a truly spectacular starling murmuration.  |
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Post by kate on May 15, 2023 12:51:40 GMT
For any twitchers out there. A Hoopoe has been seen in Ness ((North part of the Isle of Lewis). What a bird!
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Post by zou on May 15, 2023 13:28:05 GMT
For any twitchers out there. A Hoopoe has been seen in Ness ((North part of the Isle of Lewis). What a bird! There was one on the Isle of May last week. Apparently not quite as rare as we might think, they overshoot when returning north. |
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Post by zou on May 15, 2023 13:28:58 GMT
One of my annoyingly-digitised-as-jpg-not-raw slides, from Isle of May a good number of years ago. Today's 'test' was to compare versus scanner, and I think it is safe to say, the camera wins.  |
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Post by peterob on May 15, 2023 14:46:47 GMT
For any twitchers out there. A Hoopoe has been seen in Ness ((North part of the Isle of Lewis). What a bird! They must be a remarkable sight. Closest I've been to seeing one was asking some birdwatchers what they were looking for. Apparently a Hoopoe had been seen in the particular field the day before and they were hoping that it was still around. I think this was Formby in April 2018. We didn't see it. |
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Post by MJB on May 18, 2023 19:22:22 GMT
Lots of buzzards and kites soaring around at the moment, unfortunatly the combination of hot weather and a reasonable breeze means they've been getting terrific height. The buzzards never came close enough to get a shot but the kites did stay a bit lower.  kite1 by Martin Bone, on Flickr  kite3 by Martin Bone, on Flickr |
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Post by peterob on May 18, 2023 20:50:42 GMT
Lots of buzzards and kites soaring around at the moment, unfortunatly the combination of hot weather and a reasonable breeze means they've been getting terrific height. The buzzards never came close enough to get a shot but the kites did stay a bit lower I had a good sighting of a red Kite at Powis Castle on Tuesday but a 16-35 zoom was not the right lens for the task. It always amazes me to see so many of them when driving South on the M40 from ~Oxford onward, they are rare here. |
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Post by gray1720 on May 18, 2023 21:33:45 GMT
I saw them for the first time in Germany in 1994, then for the first time in England in early 2001. That was hugely exciting, now they are everywhere. Even had one part SWMBOs hair in the garden once. Good looking critters, though.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2023 23:00:52 GMT
Lots of buzzards and kites soaring around at the moment, unfortunatly the combination of hot weather and a reasonable breeze means they've been getting terrific height. The buzzards never came close enough to get a shot but the kites did stay a bit lower I had a good sighting of a red Kite at Powis Castle on Tuesday but a 16-35 zoom was not the right lens for the task. It always amazes me to see so many of them when driving South on the M40 from ~Oxford onward, they are rare here. They are very common in Berks but for some reason there seems to be fewer this year in my area. My twitcher friend said she got very excited 20 years ago when she spotted one but now they are everywhere. Some of my neighbours feed them, not something I agree with but it means they appear at regular times and it is fun to see them feed in age order. If you see one low down they are big birds. A few years ago I went to Gigrin Farm and it was fun to see the few buzzards feeding on the ground seemingly ignoring the dive bombing red kites who never landed. |
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Post by peterob on May 19, 2023 6:13:45 GMT
I had a good sighting of a red Kite at Powis Castle on Tuesday but a 16-35 zoom was not the right lens for the task. It always amazes me to see so many of them when driving South on the M40 from ~Oxford onward, they are rare here. They are very common in Berks but for some reason there seems to be fewer this year in my area. My twitcher friend said she got very excited 20 years ago when she spotted one but now they are everywhere. Some of my neighbours feed them, not something I agree with but it means they appear at regular times and it is fun to see them feed in age order. If you see one low down they are big birds. A few years ago I went to Gigrin Farm and it was fun to see the few buzzards feeding on the ground seemingly ignoring the dive bombing red kites who never landed. Yes indeed, lots and lots and lots in Berks and Oxon. I'm usually going to Bracknell when I go South and it is the approach to the Chilterns where the numbers really go up but sightings increase from Bicester. Kites should not be fed. They are in a different league to the robin/sparrow begging a crumb from the outdoor meal. I think, without looking it up to check, that they are bigger than buzzards and easily habituated to humans. |
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Post by MJB on May 19, 2023 8:45:22 GMT
The Kites around here are from a couple of reintroduction programs in the late nineties/early noughties using birds from Scandinavia. The further south and west you head from here the less likely you are to see one. I've yet to see one south of Blandford. There's certainly good numbers along the A303 and heading north up the A34 the numbers seriously increase when you get to Whitchurch and the Kingsclere downs. The good news is that the Hants/Wiltshire population has linked up with the Oxford birds.
A couple of weeks ago when we were silage making we had 4 Kites, 3 Buzzards, and 2 Ravens sharing the same thermal but the best sight I've ever seen was a mixed flock of about 30 Kites and Buzzards on a recently cultivated field near East Ilsley on the A34.
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Post by andy on May 19, 2023 10:15:07 GMT
They are very common in Berks but for some reason there seems to be fewer this year in my area. My twitcher friend said she got very excited 20 years ago when she spotted one but now they are everywhere. Some of my neighbours feed them, not something I agree with but it means they appear at regular times and it is fun to see them feed in age order. If you see one low down they are big birds. A few years ago I went to Gigrin Farm and it was fun to see the few buzzards feeding on the ground seemingly ignoring the dive bombing red kites who never landed. Yes indeed, lots and lots and lots in Berks and Oxon. I'm usually going to Bracknell when I go South and it is the approach to the Chilterns where the numbers really go up but sightings increase from Bicester. Kites should not be fed. They are in a different league to the robin/sparrow begging a crumb from the outdoor meal. I think, without looking it up to check, that they are bigger than buzzards and easily habituated to humans. I agree, they shouldn't be fed and it appears to be why their numbers are artificially high in places. They might spread out more if they needed to go further to find food. I don't feed garden birds normally either. Food scraps maybe but intensively farmed bird food wrapped in single use plastic and transported half way round the world is part of the problem not part of the solution. |
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Post by gray1720 on May 19, 2023 12:14:06 GMT
A couple of weeks ago when we were silage making we had 4 Kites, 3 Buzzards, and 2 Ravens sharing the same thermal but the best sight I've ever seen was a mixed flock of about 30 Kites and Buzzards on a recently cultivated field near East Ilsley on the A34. I'd be chuffed with either of those, especially as East Ilsley is my old stamping ground, used to live in the next village. Kites used to be city birds. Round here, they definitely congregate round towns and villages, but out in the countryside there are definitely more Buzzards. Mind you, I bet the Kites have followed the tractor when Martin has been silaging, they take advantage of the critters that have been disturbed. Ravens are definitely thinner on the ground, but I have seen them over North Oxford. |
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However, we were treated to a truly spectacular starling murmuration. 
