So, it was time for another gentle walk around my local area; I covered about 2km on foot and took about 300 photographs. Some of the ground I covered was reconnaissance-based, as I was looking for convenient places to find birds of prey.
First up are the Carrion Crows (Corvus corone); this time, it seems to be just one of them high up in the trees, presumably somewhere near a nest.
"Carrion Crow in a bare winter tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 493mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 640, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.819", E 0º 0' 15.419", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:29
"Carrion Crow in a bare winter tree": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 493mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 640, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 47' 59.819", E 0º 0' 15.343", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:29
It was great to see Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) rather than simply Wood Pigeon's up in the trees:
"Collar Dove in ivy laden branches of a tree in winter": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 640, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 7.111", E 0º 0' 28.85", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:44
In between finding the Collared Doves, I did manage to spot Japan Airways Flight JL45 from Tokyo to Paris - I was amazed that I was able to read the tail number from under the right wing with my 600mm.
"Japan Airways Flight JL45 flys over Peacehaven, UK heading for Paris": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 400, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 7.537", E 0º 0' 26.932", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:45
Back to finding the Collared Doves, they are much smaller than Wood Pigeons and far more timid. Very rarely see them in my garden; typically, they get chased off the food by the larger and more aggressive birds.
"Collared Dove sits in on a telegraph wire": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 250, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 8.649", E 0º 0' 23.396", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:47
"Close up of Collar Dove's red eyes": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 250, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 8.649", E 0º 0' 23.396", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:47
I have been trying to catch more shots of this Magpie for a while, but it always stays a decent distance from me, not even risking flying close to me. Frequently, it will watch me as I walk, a little bit like Alfred Hitchcock, but I'm okay with it.
"A magpie by a path": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 5000, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 7.386", E 0º 0' 18.785", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:51
Found a Herring Gull (*Larus argentatus) in its natural habitat, sitting on a car generally being a nuisance.
"A herring gull stands on a car roof": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 1250, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 6.946", E 0º 0' 18.299", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:52
I wanted to try my astrophotography with this lens when the nights are clear, and the moon was super crisp today; I'm pretty pleased with this shot as you can zoom in and see the details.
"The moon during the day": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/6.3, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 160, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 5.381", E 0º 0' 24.739", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 12:55
When I got home, I put more food out on the feeders for the birds, and I spotted this Fox (*Vulpes vulpes); I managed to catch this shot just before - this specific fox is very bold; we've seen her (I think) in the area, she will frequently come and investigate an open door.
"A fox explores back gardens": Photographer: @richardslater, F-Stop: f/16, Focal Length: 600mm, Exposure: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 12800, Camera: Sony α7R V, Lens: Sony 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens, Location: N 50º 48' 5.298", E 0º 0' 26.413", Taken: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 13:03
Thank you for joining me on my photo walk today; I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. I greatly appreciate any support you give on the post, however small it may be.
I came here as you are featured on this weeks Hotshots. I don't regret it and I must say your photographs are superb! My favorite shots are of the plane but my #1 for this post in particular is the fox picture.
Thank you so much for your comment, the support I get on Hive is fantastic. I'm glad you enjoyed the plane and the fox, wasn't expecting to get either shot, but I'm glad I took the chance.
Love the zoomed picture with the plane!
I also met two foxes last night on the way to the gym but failed terribly taking pictures of them especially since it was night outside.
I rarely catch pictures of Foxes, it is as you say often dark and they don't hang around long enough to get the ISO and shutter speed right even if you are already at the fasted aperture. Thank you for your kind comment.
Happy you've managed to capture them though! Is definitely not an occasion that one can enjoy every day. Have a beautiful day!
Wow, 300 photos in just 2 km? That's impressive! It's a testament to your wonder at nature and your keen sense of observation.
I bought a digital book to help me recognize birds, but it's extremely difficult because so many of them look alike. My next goal is to get binoculars and take the time to observe them. Nature is so beautiful, and I've neglected it for too long, whereas it's in the great outdoors that I really feel at home.
There are a lot of turtle-doves around my house, although fewer at the moment. I also see a lot of small birds, but I can't name them. I'd have to get around to photographing them.
Your photos are incredible, and I can imagine how difficult it must have been to make a selection to show us only a small part of the shots taken that day!
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, I really appreciate the encouragement. It definitely takes time to learn how to differentiate the species, I use a combination of Google Lens and the RSPB website to help me identify them, hence why all of my links are to the charities website.
One of my rules for photography is take lots of photos, but delete most of them, it's a luxury that I didn't have with film but with digital the only cost is the time to weed out the bad photos.
Thanks again for your comment :)
Okay, now I understand. It's true that I never thought of using Google Lens or other applications to recognize birds.
But it's a good idea!
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Thank you buddy <3
I love the photo of a fox. It looks like it would be trying to catch something...
Also, the birds photos are nice. I wish I could take such photos, but I'm way too slow for bird photography 😊
Have a lovely day!
I think it's possibly a Vixen (Female Fox) as they tend to roam their territory looking for food and digging dens, they dig many of them so they can move their cubs if they feel threatened. It could also just be a Dog Fox (Male Fox) searching for food though, not exactly good at figuring out what gender foxes are.
In terms of bird photos, it's about patience and persistence; I post the best of the best (with honours sir) from a specific day, but that excludes the 95% that were blurry, underexposed, overexposed, too high noise, eyes not in shot, looking the wrong way, too tightly cropped, etc. - what I'm saying is don't give up, the most important thing is enjoying the process.
Thanks for your comment.
Fantastic shots! Very well done!
Thank you for your kind words :)
Yay! 🤗
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Wait! Are foxes not supposed to be dangerous? I can see one over there on the roof 🙄
Those white birds are regal especially the herring gull.
The Moon doing what it knows best.🤗
Wonderful pictures, all.
Foxes are not dangerous, there is a small risk with any wild animal that Rabies (rabies lyssavirus) could change their behaviour but Rabies is exceptionally rare in the UK and for the most part Foxes will run rather than fight. There is a lot of love in the UK for the Red Fox, in many ways it's very British.
There are no shortages of Seaguls round here, the Herring Gull in particular is hard to avoid (especially when they attack you to during nesting season) - so in many ways I'm more concerned about being attacked by the gull than a fox.
Thanks again for your comment :)
This is very interesting, thank you for the enlightenment.
Wow... Such a beautiful pictures 🖼️😍
Thank you so much <3
🙏🙏🙏