20251230 Black-shouldered Kite, Ludham Bridge

 

20250201 Big Black, OM System 150-600mm test shots

 

20250201 BHGull
Big Black x1.4 telecon, 1108mm equiv.
Great bokeh.
At long range Bird Subject detection with C-AF fails to focus consistently enough... so far.
Use S-AF+MF for bang on focus in long range mode.

20250201 BHG
300mm F4 x2 Tele. 1200mm equiv.
 Very sharp but...Also Subject detection was left on at all times with this lens combination
 with a few misses all shots from monopod...

20250201 BHG
x2 telecon, 2400mm equiv... too soft??
As a past well pleased user of the Sigma 50-500mm with, adapter on an E-M1,
 The Big Black's spec appeal is exceptionally desirable.
After much testing the hit rate with the x2 telecon is too low and the magnification is
unnecessarily high, requiring a tripod &c &c....
Note using the x1.4 telcon effectively adds about 500mm to the set up,
a big lens plus a big lens therefore..! This is ample for long range twitching shots.

20250201 Mute Swan
680mm with x1.4 telecon, nice and easy shot, very smooth.

20250202 Bearded Reedling
x2 telecon,1896mm equiv. Note this converter gives ample reach to pull back the zoom.
Note lens still at a higher focal length than the x1.4 can reach...

20250204 Coot
Selbrigg Pond.
x1.4 telecon at 740mm. Composition options are great with the Big Black.
Smooth tones and sharp edges creates a nice image.

20250215 Fieldfare
Rain, dull and grey evening. 1200mm, F9,1/400th, ISO12800.
Vitariski as hide.

20250215 Fieldfare
Dull as above. 1680mm x1.4 tele, F9, 1/400th ISO10000.
Vitariski as hide.

20250222 Dunlin
The Ultimate test.
2400mm equiv. at back of Simmond's, a difficult shot...

20250222 Dunlin
2400mm equiv. At long range and with normal daylight the x2 telecon gives the desired reach
 for ID. Any drop off in light or heat haze caused too many issues to overcome with the MC20, 
used on a monopod.
The x1.4 telecon can be used in all lights, and the digital x2 used for ID at range.
After much testing the lower ISOs possible with the 1.4x makes up for the lack of reach.
Is The Big Black the ultimate twitching lens...??

20250221 Avocet
Flock off Pat's. x2 telecon at 846mm equiv.
Note within reach of MC14 telecon...??

20250314 Black-tailed Godwits
At 2400mm wader head and bill movement is an issue. Shutter speeds of 1/1600th + are required
to freeze this, and a sudden wing flap also gets captured! 
F16, 1/1600th sec, ISO12800.
Live within the flock.

20250330 Rook
Pull back to1050mm with MC20.
Close movement requires 1/1600th sec at least, this being shot from monopod.
Note this reach is easily achieved with the MC14 and at the native ISO level...
Using the MC20 with the Big Black requires a solid tripod if being sensible...
Obviously this is not an option for the light cavalry.
Conclusions: MC14, 1.4x telecon gives a magnification range of about 8 to 34 times,
 bins to scope, which is ideal for walk about birding. 
Native ISOs are frequently achieved at correct exposures.
For long range ID the x2 digital zoom is usable with the MC14. 
The MC20 requires very bright light and clear atmospherics to be usable on a monopod...
Response time acquiring close targets caused too many complete misses.
Also subject detection was not usable at range.

20250514 Dartford Warbler
MC14, 1680mm, 1/1000th sec, F13.
Bird unaware of presence.
Excellent bokeh not seen with 300mm.
Conclusions after a year of use on monopod:
Use the Big Black at F8 across zoom range in most situs...
dull days and atmospheric problems &c.
Use at F11 with x1.4 telecon for range shots... and on brighter days.
When in the presence of a sitting mega rarity though use F6.3 at 1200mm!  Burst away...qv:

20251225 Eastern Black Redstart
1200mm, F6.3, ISO400.
It should be considered that the Big White and the Big Black are rather heavy
for carrying dawn to dusk...for 3 or 4 days,
 and cross training is required for the mature of years...
not in the spirit of u4/3rds?...?? Nope.
The 100-400mm is less than half the weight and within the spirit....? Yep.
But for the fit young twitcher with photo-technique, go for the reach!!?

20251227 Russian White-fronted Goose, Cantley Marshes

 

20251227 Russian White-fronted Goose
With a cold Easterly blow the geese arrived.
 No telecon, 1200mm.

20251227 RW-fronted Goose
Became one with thin reed-bed and birds veered off at the last minute.
1.4x telecon unfortunately fitted here...

20251227 Russian White-fronted Goose
Bird with wing shots through... sure sign of Eastern European birds??

20251227 Russian White-fronted Goose
450+ birds and rising.

20251227 RW-fronted Goose
Family group flew over towards path across Marsh.

20251227 Cantley Marshes
Extension of Buckenham Marshes and favoured by White-fronts.

20251227 RW-fronted Goose
Individual variation in belly bars. 1st winter birds with minimal marks.

20251224 Eastern Black Redstart, Sheringham

 

20251224 Eastern Black Redstart
 1st winter male...
White edges of sec's forms wing panel which is less obvious in adult plumage of this race.

20251224 Eastern Black Redstart.
Ref: Hunt B. 2011. The Eastern Black Redstarts in Kent and Northumberland.
Birding World 24.

20251224 Eastern Black Redstart

20251224 Eastern Black Redstart
As one YouTube reviewer of the Big Black highlighted, full frame shots of relaxed birds are 
readily achievable at 1200mm.... this shot taken over a birder lying on the path, deploying
exceptional field craft...

20251225 Eastern Black Redstart
2nd bite of the cherry. A Christmas crippler....
Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides.

20251225 EB Redstart
Snow & magic on Christmas Day...!?

20251225 EB Redstart
In bright conditions the yellow gape line shows well, cf dull shots above.
Note broken white eye-ring.

20251224 Eastern Black Redstart
1st winter male foraged down on shingle beach.

20251214 Cirl Bunting & Raven, Labrador Bay Devon

 

20251214 Hopes Nose
Looking across Babbacombe Bay early morn.
As every Devon patch Birder would arguably say... 'its hardly worth it'... but was it?
Admiral Raptor's quote of the day: 'Not quite 'proper job' country, but near enough.'
An interesting point as most weekends were spent in Penwith after 10 years of Devon...

20251214 Cirl Bunting
Paired birds...

20251214 Cirl Bunting
3 males in song mid-winter...

20251214 Common Raven

20251212 Lesser Crested Tern & Northern Chiffchaff, Exe Estuary Devon

20251212 Lesser Crested Tern
Bird flew up estuary and landed on mud bank towards Lympstone Barracks.
Preferred to perch on low objects and buoys. 
Shot at 1680mm.

20251212 LC Tern
Shot taken with 1.4x telecon and x2 digi-zoom, effective 3360mm...
Very useful for in the field ID but much frowned upon by Photographers. 
And some Twitchers...
Bird 1.5Km off Turf at this point as above.

20251212 LC Tern
The bird, all of a sudden, flew over to Turf's buoys as billed...
The bill showed orange-ish with sunlight through it.

20251212 Lesser Crested Tern
Take off from one of the closer pink buoys.

20251212 Lesser Crested Tern
 Yellow bill becoming deeper towards base.

20251212 LC Tern

20251212 LC Tern
Paler grey rump.

20251212 Turf Quay
The bird is on the nearer green buoy.
28mm equiv.

20251213 Exe Estuary
Twitchers arriving on the fateful misty Saturday morn...
Greyscale.

20251213 Exe Estuary
Mist with colour.
Ice formed outside and inside the tent... after one very cold clear night the bird had gone.

20251213 Northern Chiffchaff
c10 in Warrens Carr. Palest bird shown.

20251213 Northern Chiffchaff
Same bird as above.