20250319 Pallid Harrier, NE Norfolk

 

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Against very strong sunlight, initially an unidentified  silhouette in EVF...
Secondaries show as a dark wedge on upper side.

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Strong face pattern but in shade here.

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Breast streaks suddenly fade to white belly.

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Pinched in hand and broad arm to wing.

20250319 Pallid Harrier & CBuzzard

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Mobbed by local pair of Red Kite and 3 Buzzard soaring up high with them...
as the Strait of Messina... those were the days.

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Very pallid cf Buzzard.

20250320 Hen Harrier
Warham Greens
5 primaries show in a rounded and broad hand.
More contrast in the secondaries as bars easily visable.

20250320 Hen Harrier
Warham Greens

20250319 Marsh Harrier
Male twisting down onto prey.
Similar primary formula as Hen... 

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Gliding off W at great hight.
Strong head pattern and darker secondaries can be determined.

20250319 Pallid Harrier
Raised exposure. Secondaries remain dark.

20250314 Twite & Black-tailed Godwit Cley Marshes

 

20250314 Twite

20250314 Twite
Spring male with pink rump.
On ridge by Sea Pool. c12 got up flushed by Marsh Harrier.
Small as a mouse, against the light and heat haize...

20250314 Twite
Pleased with the weedy bokeh in background...

20250314 Ruff
Swan Lake.

20250314 Black-tailed Godwit 
Within the flock, a shot for the Godwit enthusiasts...

20250214 Pintail
Continually up-ending, 1/2000th to freeze head movement this close.
Note 1/2000th is a good starting point for range shots also with the MC14 so as
to freeze movement of largeish targets within the frame.

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose, Warham Fort & Cley Marshes

 

20250224 Cattle Egret 
2 wintering in Wighton area.
MC20 used but pulled back to within the range of the MC14...
F14 also used so no real need for x2 on the Big Black. 

20250224 Russian White-fronted Goose
Warham Fort, River Stiffkey flood plain.
At 1498mm again pulled back with MC20....

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose
9 birds here.

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose & Greylag Goose
Greylag 73% longer & 56% heavier...!
At 1436mm within MC14 reach...

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose & Greylag Goose
1722mm, F13.

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose & Greylag Goose
1372mm F13, all 3 birds framed and ideal for the MC14 at F10.

20250224 Lesser White-fronted Goose
2000mm, 1/1000th, F13, MC20. A good result.
Ideally a tripod should be used with this set up.

20250214 Lesser White-fronted Goose
Cley marshes.
Comparison with White Fronts. Larger gander at right end.

20240224 Lesser White-fronted Goose

20240224 Lesser White-fronted Goose
Note colour rings.

20240224 Lesser White-fronted Goose

20240224 Lesser White-fronted Goose

Avocet
Onto Pats.
Number increase in February.

20250219 Smew & Slavonian Grebe, Abberton Reservoir Essex

 

20250219 Smew
Male with 2 female type, Layer Breton causeway.
2400mm. Subject detection frequently pulls the focus point nearer off the target with the MC20...

20250219 Smew
An annual mid-winter excursion to Abberton Res is a must.
Nothing this big in Norfolk or Suffolk. 

20250219 Smew
2400mm equiv.

20250219 Smew
2400mm equiv.

20250219 Slavonian Grebe

20250219 Slavonian Grebe
Pair by VP on causeway.

20250219 Slavonian Grebe

20250219 Slavonian Grebe
2400mm, 1/1000th sec, F13, ISO8000....!!!
Overcast dull white cloud.

20250219 Slavonian Grebe
2400mm with MC20. Birds bobbing on choppy water causing subject detection in
C-AF to jump closer, as seen here. Most shots in burst missed like this....
Use of S-AF without subject detection gave good focus throughout burst.

20250219 Goosander
Abberton Res is the site for this species...
MC20 at 1570mm. Surely the MC14 gives enough reach with better detail at 1680mm...