With so many slight variations and so many images its always going to be hard to pick one out but the biggest problem for these shots was actually the vegetation just in front of the hide that meant I could never get a completely unobscured shot. Slight tints from the large yellow flowers are quite obvious if you look carefully around the edges. Its quite a photogenic nest really.
These gulls are superb characters clamouring thuds on the hide roof, gliding and screaching as they fill the air all around the reserve. They dive-bomb anything, I saw one constantly dive-bombing a coot and they will also harass the harrier. The image is not 100% technically but still. Notice the feather near its foot, I like it when I occasionally find the little extra touches that I never realised were there add something to take an image slightly further.
Leighton Moss?
ReplyDeleteAye it is, like I said a few posts back I'm still posting 5 days worth of stuff. Really good there though if you like coots and black headed gulls. Both mornings with plenty of sun n mist, talk about good photography weather.
ReplyDeleteNo Marsh Harrier shots?
ReplyDeleteAfraid not. With the amount of times it was being mobbed it never stayed around each time I saw it. The two best chances I had was one where it perched for about a minutes in very clear view but my bins just reached comfortably n so the 400mm wouldn't touch. The second was from a hide I was recommended would be a good place to see it by RSPB staff. When the Harrier came into view it gained height, slowly soaring on the thermals classically buzzard like. Another good view through the bins but still not enough, maybe if I had been more proactive I should have quickly left the hide to get a shot but chances are it wouldn't have come to much. Was however told last time it flew nice n low In front of that hide by a visitor so looks like that's the hide to go for. All hides face the sun except one. Never saw the female. Also it tended to fly behind the hide most times.
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