Out and about in my local patch

[hedgepig]

The weather here has been great for the last few days and I've been out and about most days. Yesterday I went out without any plan at all - just to wander about and see what I could see. After my last thread http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30166 that got shifted because of gore this is a wholesome family thread

So what did I see?

Well there was a bramble patch where I spent about an hour watching rock pippets, linnets, and a stonechat family:

Mr Linnet (in winter colours still):

Baby Stonechat:

Mrs Stonechat:

Mr Stonechat:

Next post ... moving on round to 100 acre meadow ....

 

[hedgepig]

100 Acre Meadow is a place where I would normally expect to see plenty of wildlife, but it was strangely quiet - hey, that's ok though, let's stop and look at the new plants that have sprung up. That's the great thing about the change in seasons - there's always something new to look at:

 

[hedgepig]

Hey, this is nice, but the sun is a bit hot ... time to move to the woods:

The trees are filling out with leaves now and I can hear the birds, but they are getting more difficult to see - definite sightings of blue tits, coal (hmm possibly willow) tits, great tits, a long-tailed tit an unidentified warbler and best of all a pair of bullfinches - no photos though - its difficult to get photos of things through leaves ... so lets look at what's on the leaves instead:

 

[hedgepig]

Ah, its been a good day - my watch is broken too and so I have no idea of the real time, just been taking my cue from the sun and my belly ... which is now telling me to go home and get some grub.

I'm not the only one to have been enjoying the day. Nor is it necessary for people to be bushcrafty to enjoy the outdoors ... but it probably helps

Hope you enjoy the pictures and the (brief) narrative folks

Simon

 

[Tony]

Good stuff Simon, it's always great to get a feel for what people are doing and especially what they're seeing. Some great pictures there :You_Rock_

 

[JonnyP]

Cracking photo's there, I really like them all, and a good write up.... Thanks for sharing...

 

[Treeclipper]

I love the last photo, the detail is fantastic.

I really need to buy a good lens for my own camera & try for shots like that.


Tree

 

[philaw]

How did you get the photos so crisp? Maybe I need brighter light, or to use my tripod more, but I can't get photos that sharp.

Or should I have a drink to steady my hand!?

 

[Matt Weir]

Superb pics Simon, what kit are you using?

 

[hedgepig]

Good stuff Simon, it's always great to get a feel for what people are doing and especially what they're seeing. Some great pictures there :You_Rock_

Cheers Tony

Cracking photo's there, I really like them all, and a good write up.... Thanks for sharing...

Glad you like them

I love the last photo, the detail is fantastic.

I really need to buy a good lens for my own camera & try for shots like that.


Tree

Thanks - don't rush into spending money on a lens though. I've got much better images with a much cheaper lens Ultimately its what you do with it that counts. Having said that, I don't know what you have at the moment - I'd be happy to give you a suggestion or two if you want to PM me.

How did you get the photos so crisp? Maybe I need brighter light, or to use my tripod more, but I can't get photos that sharp.

Or should I have a drink to steady my hand!?

I normally try the drink route first - nah, seriously though. It's a combination of things. It very much depends on what you are taking a photo of and what you are using.

The rule for handheld shots is that the minimum shutter speed is one over the focal length of the lens ... so for a 50mm lens you should have at least 1/50 second shutter speed.

Using a tripod is the single best way of getting the most out of your lens, but using a tripod is not always an option. Learning to hold the camera properly and actuate the shutter smoothly helps a great deal.

However, for web display ... a HUGE aid to sharpness, is sizing the image to the size you want it displayed before you apply sharpening ... but we are getting technical here, so if you want to know more PM me and we can avoid boring the others

Superb pics Simon, what kit are you using?

Heheh, a variety of stuff Matt - these images were taken with either a 400mm tele or a 100mm macro on a couple of different bodies.

Glad you like the pics

 

[hedgepig]

Oh, I forgot to add ... the full write up is now online ...

http://www.northern-focus.com/articles_57656.html

Cheers!

 

[JonnyP]

Oh, I forgot to add ... the full write up is now online ...

http://www.northern-focus.com/articles_57656.html

Cheers!

Very nice and right up my street....I must find some time to get out and do a go slow... Its so easy to rush through life and miss much that is going on around...
I also think your second insect is a bee. Do you have any more shots of it, I have a good bee ID book..

 

[hedgepig]

Hi Jonny - thanks for the offer of help with the bee. Unfortunately, that's all I got before it flew off. It does seem to have bee features though.