KevinFRK 21 hours ago • 100%
I should have added that I'd tried that and got nothing - which surprised me as usually very good (though Sound ID can be a bit addictive)
Google suggests a Duclair Duck (and so an escapee) but I'm unconvinced. Seen on the Thames at Reading. Canon R6 + 800mm
KevinFRK 3 days ago • 100%
And not entirely to my surprise, Windhover is even in the Oxford English Dictionary!
KevinFRK 3 days ago • 100%
Try this one - still messed with, but gives more of the shadows
Which, just cropped out of the camera's RAW format (suffering from the classic dark bird against white sky issue with auto-ISO) was
An alternative name for a kestrel, and definitely what this one was doing! Reading, UK, Canon R6 + RF800mm, 1/2000s, F10, ISO1000, Exposure Bias +1 1/3 Must have knocked the dial as that should have been F9. For most of its hover, its head was in the shadow of its wing , making for less than perfect shots needing drastic post processing, e.g. ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/6c92b0f2-55ad-4a82-ab64-ccb251cb20f9.jpeg)
KevinFRK 6 days ago • 100%
Since the swallows were back in roughly the same place, and same (decent) light today, I tried with 1/2000s - and got a couple of shots that were clear improvements. E.g.
So, Canon R6 + RF200-800mm lens at full length, F9, ISO 1250, Exposure bias on camera +1 step at the suggested 1/2000s
To give a sense of cropping/distance, that's 296 x 296 pixels from a camera whose full frame is 5472 x 3648
Trying for the photos hand held for twenty minutes or so (with rests) left me with extremely tired arms!
KevinFRK 6 days ago • 100%
Oh! Thank you.
I'd assumed you were just using it's standard nickname (e.g. Jenny Wren or Robin Redbreast). I wonder whether it is named from it's cousin's English nickname. As an example of that, Robins were once just "Redbreasts", got nicknamed Robin, and somehow, the nickname became the standard way to name them. As you can perhaps tell, this derivation amuses me
KevinFRK 7 days ago • 100%
This is actually the truly crazy (and heavy!) RF200-800mm, with F9 at 800mm (and they do one even madder at x4 the price or so).
Sadly, Canon don't let others use their RF interfaces, so I'd guess Sigma, etc. don't try hard to work with Canon anymore.
I know for birds the ideal is closer to the suggested 1/2000s, but in practice that seems out of reach without doing bad things to the ISO with this lens/body. While the camera was doing auto-ISO to 100-350, the photos needed quite a bit of increased brightness when processing (RAW of course) to bring out the bird, so there was little to spare. And this, in sunshine. If I'd been thinking, some exposure compensation on the camera would have been sensible, but I doubt the end result would be much better.
KevinFRK 1 week ago • 100%
Not that I'm aware of - just eats storage and battery! That said, with a heavy camera, you're unlikely to keep it firmly on target for much of the burst!
KevinFRK 1 week ago • 100%
I think what's happening is the long focal length allowing distant shots is giving a much greater depth of being in focus, combined with decent sunlight, and often trees in the full frame that are the right sort of distance way (these are massively cropped down from the full frames). This gives a better chance of the auto-focus getting it right. Also, swallows do have slower glide phases in their flight which can help to get on target. What I was forgetting is to try burst shooting to up my chances.
Reading, UK - today, which rather surprised me to still see a flock of Swallows around. I find them really hard to photo - they notoriously don't land, and fly fast, so this lot of photos is as good as I get. Canon R6 + RF 800mm, 1/1250s, ISO 100 or 350 for these
Always a delight to see flitting about, even more of a delight if they stay still long enough to photo. Reading,UK
Well, one symptom of it anyway - sunlight on dew on webs. Reading, UK
KevinFRK 2 weeks ago • 100%
Yes, there's both buzzards and kites around here - very similar life-styles.
Red Kite, Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF 800mm I like how the colours came out, especially as this was a dark bird on a white sky, which is always needs correction when on auto-ISO.
I'm reasonably sure this is a Chiffchaff, though it might be some other sort of warbler, and I was pleased to get such an action shot. (even if a bit obscured) Reading, UK.
KevinFRK 1 month ago • 100%
Nice shot, but are osprey nests always that rough & ready?
KevinFRK 1 month ago • 100%
I think it fairly obvious that the first European settlers in North America were far from Ornithologists :)
As you've most likely already seen to find those links, Red-tailed hawks and (what I think of as) a Buzzard share a genus Buteo.
KevinFRK 1 month ago • 100%
OK, that would be a danger to my wallet!
Just rejoicing in a moderately sharp shadow , and a slightly wistful look - yes, sunlight in Reading, UK! I'd guess an adult transitioning from breeding plumage.
St Mary's Churchyard, Reading UK I decided I was being snobbish by ignoring an obvious flock of "wild" birds in easy reach: in my local town centre - though sadly the light today was not that great. One of my books lists four broad types, all represented here: Chequered, Rock Dove type, Pied and Ginger.
KevinFRK 2 months ago • 100%
And look well-nigh identical to the UK Magpie - though the Latin name is different.
A young one from yesterday for contrast:
KevinFRK 2 months ago • 100%
No scolding that I noticed :)
I think this is a (probably young) Cetti's Warbler, which is a first time photo for me. They are certainly found in that area (Reading, UK), and Merlin Bird Photo ID points to it for the following photo taken at the same time and place: ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/39e07b77-b005-4167-af30-da4e83bcea69.jpeg) Canon R6 + RF800mm
KevinFRK 2 months ago • 100%
Happily, Prospect Park often gives a good distance view, so I can see them coming, especially if circling - even so, I often lose focus especially when "close" overhead. There's also the curse of shooting dark subjects against bright sky - my camera's auto settings would have this photo as little more than a silhouette, but happily shooting in RAW allowed a decent recovery.
I didn't actually intend to capture this robin in motion from tree trunk to branch, but this lucky accident amuses me. Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF800mm
Reading, UK Two proud parents and their almost adult goslings: nothing rare or fancy, just liked the group. Canon R6 + 200mm
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
Looking back at my old photos from various locations, that "not round pupil" thing in wood pigeons seems more often present than not. I wasn't something I'd looked previously out for.
Or just "Pigeon Post"? Or even "Recreational Route". Anyway, Wood Pigeon, UK, awaiting the best title I can give it.
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
Really nice to get that angle - I'd guess you were half way up a mountain at the time.
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
You will be shocked to know even the mother can walk through those bars.
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
Thanks - thought you'd have to have a huge pixel count otherwise.
Anyway, hoping to walk to a new spot when photoing birds, and not expecting it to flow off, is a mug's game :)
... well, a park fence round a pond, any way. Mandarin Duck Mother & Chicks. Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF800mm
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
I like the way you've shown the context in one photo, the bird in the other. Is that just digital zoom or two photos and an optical zoom?
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
The sparrow was just pure good luck, and a bit of a surprise when I reviewed the photo!
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
And I suppose to complete it, House Martins from the same group gathering the mud in the harbour
Saundersfoot, Wales Canon R6+RF800mm lens The House Martins were in the process of building this nest from harbour mud, though I think they gave up on it over the coming days. Why the sparrow was interested I do not know!
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
It is indeed a Canon, and using Canon's DPP4 to correct the over-exposed whites using the RAW format of pictures. I really ought to research it properly, but I'm guessing that different colours (YGB) are reaching over-exposed to different degrees and getting capped. E.g. Blue is very over-exposed, Yellow is a bit over-exposed and Green is only barely over-exposed. Then when I try to bring them back to properly exposed "as one" with the histogram tool or brigtness slider, those caps and degrees are getting messed up, giving a colour balance in a manner that doesn't reflect the original and I get a green tinge.
That, or pay more attention to whites in frame!
Black-backed gull in Saundersfoot, UK - far from a rare bird, but I'm always pleased when I get a bird in flight sharp. Canon R6 + RF800mm lens. Oh, and as a bonus, less action, more classic ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/f14269d2-692f-4e77-b0da-e47be438d99a.jpeg)
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
Thanks. What's worse, is that I lost quite a few attempts to this problem today: white gulls and the like, against dark backgrounds. Trying to remove over-exposure just leaves a vivid green discolouration,
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
Out of interest, is the green under its chin a result of trying to get light/histogram levels correct, or was it really "there". I often have trouble with over-exposed areas picking up a green or blue tinge when corrected.
KevinFRK 3 months ago • 100%
Yes, I've plenty of nice sharp "normal" images of young gulls, but as you say, this sort of thing stands out.
Sometimes it takes everything you've got to get those feathers correct! Young gull, probably either Black-backed or Herring. Canon R6 + RF800mm Saundersfoot, Wales
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
For those of us without the skill or kit (me!), Cornell Labs Merlin Bird ID can do the live identification part in quite a pleasing manner on an Android phone. However, the logging and kit that is practical to leave running for 24 hours is probably beyond it.
To OP, I'd have thought better mikes would allow identification of quieter calls, and be better at avoiding misidentifying non-bird noise, so might still have value.
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
I'm deeply sorry - I just left it to your imaginations :)
This pleases me as you can see everything you need to see, yet lots more is hidden. Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF800mm
I'm sure there's a good joke in there somewhere, but I can't think of it. Reading, UK, Canon R6 + RF637mm (due to inattention I wasn't zoomed to max), 1/1000s, ISO800 Oh, and a bonus quizzal look: ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5f89d6f1-6f71-4536-b4ca-55c274871221.jpeg)
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
Nice detail. Was it just to fat or stupid to move, or have you a long lens?
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
That's good for what I assume is one binocular eyepiece held over a mobile phone's camera lens.
The whole thing has something of a khaki tinge - was it just one of those days, or something that a bit of software magic might improve?
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
Heh, that's the ABC of photography: Always Bring Camera!
Though these days a mobile phone can be a useful way to address ABC, it's rarely good on birds.
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
It always amuses me that a Grey Wagtail has lots of yellow, but this is a fine reminder that the Yellow Wagtail has even more yellow!
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
You a quite probably right, given what I saw of the little drama (the corvids and the kites were squabbling all through the walk - alas I didn't seen enough of a mixed group of jackdaws and crows mobbing a kite to photo it), but the photo in isolation just had me foxed.
1/1250s speed, and stabilizer on, so I doubt movement distortion, but worth the question.
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
Perhaps a proper Kite photo to compensate, possibly even the same bird.
I mean, I guess it's a jackdaw at a very strange angle, but I can't make sense of it! Reading, UK, Canon R6 + RF800mm
This is all sorts of wrong, but for some reason I like it. Perhaps you will too. Not that you'd want to emulate, but Canon R6 + RF800mm
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
Oh, very well done - and if that level of camera shake is all you have to worry about, you're a far better photographer than I! Just a bit of a shame the file downloaded so slowly I didn't get to the end before other things called, but that's not on you.
KevinFRK 4 months ago • 100%
Oh yes, and also of only realising in post-propressing that the shot isn't quite as good as you hoped when you did it.
Just because I like a good glossy crow when I get lucky with sunlight. Reading, UK, Canon R6 + RF800mm
Male Mandarin Duck preening itself. The female was obscured by vegetation, which is a shame because they have a subtle beauty to them so different from the flashy male. Canon R6 + RF800mm, 1/1250s
I like the contrast. Reading, UK Horse Chestnut (I guess) and Blue Tit Canon R6 + RF800mm 1/1250s, ISO2500
Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 +RF 800mm, 1/1250s, F9
Or "In lieu of an interesting bird photo, a cute one" Greylag Goslings, River Kennet, Berkshire Canon R6 + RF800mm, F9, 1/1250s, ISO2000
Ever had one of those days when you spotted something interesting, but it wouldn't sit still, and certainly wasn't going to come out of focus-wrecking cover? Reading, UK, and I think this is a female Blackcap (which of course doesn't have a black cap, only the male does). The final shot is from significantly later in the walk, so is probably not the same bird - but gives you a sense of what I wanted (still not sharp enough though!).
Contact sheet form as it strikes me as a little more bandwidth friendly. Ludlow, UK, April 1st, with a Canon R6 + RF800mm
Song Thrush, clearly wanting it's photo taken :) Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF800mm
And as a bonus side shot (where the red poll is less obvious): ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/b887c7eb-5567-4ede-b9f4-b9ca6e2ce838.jpeg) Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + 800mm, F9, ISO1600/3200, 1/1250s First time I'm aware I've photoed or ID'd this bird! At first I wondered if it was a slightly odd sparrow - it wasn't till I got home I spotted the "poll".
Long-tailed Tit Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF 800mm, ISO1250, 1/1000s, F9 They always put a smile on my face.
Jackdaw, Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF800mm, 1/1000s, ISO2500, F9 Not technically great, in part as a grey day, but this amused me as a chance shot.
Redwing in Prospect Park, Reading, UK on a misty morning, behind some brambles - a good day to play with the histogram in post-processing to get rid of the washed-out mist effect. Canon R6 RF 800mm 1/1000s F9. Oh, and a Green Woodpecker with the same issues (but was further away) ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/bf61c873-a8e5-41f1-850c-4778b8a8689c.jpeg)
Prospect Part, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF 800mm, F9, 1/1250s I like the sequence presented as a Contact Sheet: the individual shots don't show much more (Pure Black & White in the same Photo rarely ends that well!)
And a more confused shot of the squabbling ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/340a41a8-fb61-416d-a1a7-2a00355499ab.jpeg) Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + 800mm, F9 1/1000s, Exposure Bias +1.7 steps (grey day, so against a grey sky - never kind to bird shots!) Since someone was asking EvilTed of file sizes, for comparison the RAW file here was 24,870KB, this JPG, cropped to about 1/4 of the area, is 2.47MB.
One of the local kites has the idea it wants to build a nest ... I'm not sure it knows much more than that! Still, the light has caught it in a manner that appeals to me. Reading, UK Canon R6 + 800mm