Owl portraits

A travelling petting zoo visited the farm today as part of the Easter celebrations. I took the opportunity to get a couple of portraits of these exquisite owls. Both the Tawny and the Little Owl took to their roles as models beautifully and the ambient light worked magically.

Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/160th sec, f/8, ISO 400, focal length: 400mm

Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/160th sec, f/8, ISO 400, focal length: 400mm

Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/80th sec, f/8, ISO 400, focal length: 400mm

On the main stage...

This chap was very much on song this morning. The Blue Tit's repertoire may be limited, but what it lacked in variety it more than made up for in volume and stamina.

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/320th sec, f/10, ISO 500, focal length: 400mm

Partridge's early morning slot

Quick shot of a French Partridge on the wall outside my office window first thing this morning. The early morning light works well against the dark background.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/500th sec, f/5.6, ISO 500, focal length: 400mm

On the feeder now...

On the feeders this afternoon, when it was much greyer than appears here (the red brick of a neighbouring farm building is casting a hue over the background).

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/160th sec, f/10, ISO 640, focal length: 400mm

Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

A background that proved conducive to a simple but engaging portrait.

Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100-400mm IS L Lens, 1/1,250th sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, focal length: 400mm

Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100-400mm IS L Lens, 1/1,250th sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, focal length: 400mm

Coal Tit in flight

A nice vibe, I think, to this simple shot of a Coal Tit making off with its take-away from the feeding station.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/3,200th sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, focal length: 250mm

Siskin?

More ID assistance required, this time with this shot from yesterday afternoon in a beautifully sunny north Norfolk. I'm plumping for juvenile Siskin, but with very little confidence I'm right. Perhaps those who are much better at this than I am could enlighten me...

Canon 1Ds MkIII< Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1.640th sec, f/9, focal length: 400mm

Female Chaffinch?

Some ID help needed here. I reckon this is a juvenile female Chaffinch, but I'm just not sure. Either way, a simple composition that I think works well.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, 1/1,600th sec, f/9, ISO 800, focal length 400mm

Here comes summer

Who's looking forward to summer? I know I am. Long days spent in the company of nature trying to capture in some small way everyday miracles such as the act of pollination being performed last summer by this honey bee. For much of last year I found myself looking for the bigger picture by concentrating on the very small. I increasingly found myself drawn to macro photography – not the forensic detail of hyper close-ups (as fascinating as they are), but close enough to see more than is possible with the naked eye, as with the compound eyes in the second and third pictures.

Canon 1DS MkIII, Canon 100mm macro IS L lens, 1/250th sec, f/6.3, ISO 800, focal length 100mm

Canon 1DS MkIII, Canon 100mm macro IS L lens, 1/250th sec, f/6.3, ISO 800, focal length 100mm

Canon 1DS MkIII, Canon 100mm macro IS L lens, 1/250th sec, f/6.3, ISO 800, focal length 100mm

Pheasant skull

I found this skull – to my mind that of a pheasant – while on a recent dog walk. I can see a strange beauty in it; in the network of olfactory cavities, in the teeth-like beak tip and in the orbital cavity.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/50th sec, f/2.8, ISO 800, Canon 100mm f/2.8 L macro lens at 100mm focal length

Aerial ballet...

Around the feeders this afternoon, some aerial ballet from a Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus).

Canon 1Ds MkIII, 1/2,700th sec, f/7.1, ISO 1600, Canon 100-400mm IS L lens, focal length 250mm

Great Tit in flight

This shot of a Great Tit (Parus major) over a lake is no keeper (it's noisy and the subject isn't sharp) but there's something about the feel of the image I like. There is, I think, a painterly quality to the light and the composition and, more prosaically, I like that the bird is carrying a seed to consume later or perhaps to pass on to young.

Canon 1DS Mk III, 1/5000th sec, f/9, ISO 1600, focal length 200mm

Harvest Mouse

Delightful shot from the archives of a Harvest Mouse peering out from a pile of straw. Skittish and always on its guard, it was gone in moments.

Canon 1Ds Mk II, Canon 100-400mm IS USM lens, 1/1,000th sec, f/5.6, 400mm at ISO 800

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

With poor light this morning and a heavy mist shrouding the landscape, this Grey Squirrel obliged by posing perfectly. Good job, too, because the long and heavy 400mm lens was hand-held at just 1/100th second. The absence of camera/motion blur is sheer luck.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM L-series lens, 1/100th sec, f/5.6, 400mm at ISO 640

Robin

This image was shot through glass, so it's no keeper. I've posted it because I like the colours, especially the addition of the blue, caused by crates stacked up outside the farm shop next door.

Male Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

A simple but effective image made by the uncluttered composition and subtle lighting.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM L-series lens, 1/160th sec, f/5.6, 400mm at ISO 400

Female Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

I'm thrilled with this shot because the overall feel of the image was not an accident. On a relatively bright day, I noticed one branch shrouded in shadows where the occasional avian visitor caught just a sliver of sunlight. I had to wait, but the end result has, I think, a painterly feel and a wonderful vibe.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM L-series lens, 1/320th sec, f/5.6, 400mm at ISO 400

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

One of my favourite subjects – I love the tapestry of colours not always obvious in the bird's livery – and I'm particularly pleased with the opening shot.

Canon 1Ds MkIII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM L lens, 1/250th sec, f/5.6, 400mm at ISO 400

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

A trio of shots taken for my next column in The English Home magazine (January issue), where the focus will be on how these enchanting – but much-maligned – creatures are now seen much more frequently in towns and cities. This one (photographed in a Norfolk garden) is in fine fettle: alert, well fed and boasting a fabulous coat. Sadly, however, in many cases the fox seen in more urban areas is a shadow of its more rural counterparts, its diet of scavenged leftovers frequently leading to a distressingly scrawny, mangey appearance.

Garden Spider and prey

I wandered around the garden for an hour this afternoon and wasn't expecting to come across such a gory sight. There is something distinctly horror movie feel about these shots as the Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) cocoons its prey in its web to consumer sometime later.

All shots Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100mm prime L series macro lens + 35mm extension tubes