BIRDS
AND THE BERRIES
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Although
I'm happy to say that my landscape images are selling
well, it inevitably means less time for wildlife; so,
when I get the chance, I'm always happy to endulge in
some good wildlife photography. This little venture
was an autumn one, and based on a simple tip - off from
Nick, a friend of mine who works at a nearby reserve.
He'd told me about an area where he'd seen huge flocks
of fieldfare and redwing stripping the trees and hedgerows
of their vast collection of autumn berries. This is
always something I'd wanted to capture, and would make
useful images for possible articles.
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The location
was one I already knew - the local park where I had
often photographed ducks and geese... However, I hadn't
appreciated the sheer scale of the grounds, and the
little secluded spots where wildlife opportunities could
present themselves. It was a misty start to the day,
but a nice crispness to the air, and surprisingly warm
already. By 7.30am I was at the spot I thought Nick
had described. Not much about really... but I could
see the potential banquet for any member of the thrush
family - with lines of cherry, alder and rowan all anticipating
a flock invasion. I decided that the spot was less than
ideal - it was a little too open... And so I wandered
down the hill to see what I could find...
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The emerging parkland proved to be superb; a much quieter
spot, with randomly spaced trees, undulating ground and
the odd park bench here and there for camera support.
As I circled round an impressive birch tree, I saw my
first indication of the day, with a small flock of redwing
passing overhead. Definitely a chance here, I thought
to myself. The mext bird I saw took me somewhat by surprise,
as a speeding sparrowhawk flashed through the trees, under
a conifer and then up over a sycamore before seemingly
vanishing into thin air... I was quick to prepare my camera,
but the bird was soon long gone. Thankful just to witness
such a sight, I continued my search. |
As
I walked downhill, I spotted a number of trees, some which
were quiet low, and many simply brimming with berries
- magnets for the local population of blackbirds, thrushes
and redwings. It wasn't long before I saw my first diner
- a bold male blackbird which launched itself into a cherry
tree and began tucking in to those juicy cherries. Beautiful!
A wonderful sight to see, and the bird was almost in camera
range... but not quiet! The main difficulty was indeed
going to be getting close enough to take reasonable pictures,
even with my 300mm and 1.4x converter. I decided however,
that this tree was as good as any, and it had a bench
nearby for camera support, so I stuck with it. I watched
for about 20 minutes or so as blackbirds and redwings
and the odd starling would sporadically fly in. It wasn't
heaving, but there were certainly enough opportunities
to have a go. |
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From
the low park bench, I just couldn't get close enough...
but then I noticed a small tree closer by that might work
as a vantage point. Moving slowly, I approached from behind
the tree and then peered through the branches. Superb!
I was much closer, and I could already see a female blackbird
that was within camera range. Poking my lens through a
gap between the branches I could get a perfect view, and
I was pretty well concealed from the birds - I still reckon
they knew I was there, but sometimes wildlife just seems
to accept you if you're not quiet as obvious. So there
I stood... simply resting my camera on a branch whilst
partially hidden under the canopy - and it worked brilliantly!
More blackbirds and eventually redwings came flying in,
and I began to take pictures as they hopped amongst the
clumps of berries stuffing their faces. |
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By
now the morning mist had burnt away, and I was left with
nice strong sunshine to record the action, as well as
a useful blue sky backdrop. I was excited to photograph
the redwings, which I had never captured on camera before,
but perhaps my favourite image of all was the young blackbird
which positioned itself beautifully amongst the bright
red berries. From one morning spent on a tip - off, this
was indeed a 'fruitful' photo session, and a location
that I must visit again next year. |
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