I’m not a birder or a twitcher or anything, but I like birds, and have taken a passing interest in them ever since getting drawn into the expensive habit of feeding wild birds. My favourites are the raptors and I can thoroughly recommend a day out doing the falconry experience at one of the various bird of prey centres around the country. Birds make good targets for the camera and they certainly help to hone the skills. A big lens helps!
Waxwings
A tip-off that there was a flock of more than 100 settled in Gullane resulted in a trip down there ot have a go. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when I set out, but by the time I got there, it was densely overcast, and by half way through getting a shoot in,…
Short-eared owls
Taken at the Musselburgh lagoons and Aberlady Nature Reserve.
Peregrines
Urban peregrines! Right at the foot of my road – didn’t even know there was an eyrie there. My neighbour heard them and pointed them out to me. Couldn’t get very close, so had to compromise with a crop sensor and x2 extender on my 100-400 mm lens. Rather higher ISO than ideal at a forced f11 wide open. Adult male on a high perch. One young still in the eyrie, and the other out on some superstructure. Pigeons all around them – don’t seem to recognise what they are.