Still here!

I am still here, life had caught up with me big time during 2013 with family problems (my mum got seriously ill and nearly passed away), other problems and a new job. I'd not been out birding since the Bluethroat back in March! Hopefully 2014 will be better!

This year I am going back to Australia for three weeks in March and early April although, this time, I won't be stopping off anywhere, this is a straight out and straight back trip. Obviously I am planning to do some birding and photography while I am out there which, of course, will appear here. I am hoping this trip will be more of a success than my last one in 2009 was...while it was not a complete disaster, it wasn't entirely successful either.

Forest Kingfisher, from my 2009 Australia trip

In addition to my Canon 6D I've got a 70D which, as it has an APS-C sensor, will be better for birding. However, I think most of my photos will be more for blog illustration purposes rather than pure photography, we'll see. That said, I'll always try to take the best photos possible but I think I've got a bit discouraged by websites with cracking close ups of rarities and common birds alike, all taken on Canon 1D-series cameras and 5/600mm telephoto lenses which cost as much as a decent second-hand car and which completely blow my efforts from the water. Yes, I have got a bad case of 'lens envy'!
I am also going to try to get back into doing a bit of sketching.

I've not renewed the hosting for my website because it was a pain to maintain but I am planning to get a new Flickr site, which I'll put all my old - and new - photos on.

Bluethroat

One of my all-time most wanted birds has been the Bluethroat, a scarce vagrant to the British Isles but so far I'd never seen one, as they mostly appear on Shetland, North Norfolk or Portland (the latter is close but not easy to get to in a hurry from here).
I had a text yesterday from my friend Bob to say there was a Bluethroat at St Helens Duver, an area of sand dunes in the north east of the Isle of Wight, but as I was stuck at work there was nothing I could do about it at the time. I arranged to meet Bob, who dipped yesterday, this morning at 0930.
Checking Derek Hale's website, the bird was a member of the southern European race, the White-spotted Bluethroat.
It had initially been sunny first thing but had quickly clouded over, was bitterly cold in the east wind and I soon regretted neglecting to bring a hat and gloves. Last year was horrible, gloomy, wet and cold and, so far, 2013 is shaping up to be as bad with the coldest spring for 50 years.
Bob and me walked around the area it'd had most recently been seen but saw only Dunnocks and Robins, both of which are around the same size as a Bluethroat. However, I spotted a movement and had a feeling it was *unusual* and, sure enough, there it was. We were soon joined by other birders and got excellent views of this bold little bird.

I took some photos but, these days I am using a full-frame camera (I have got into other forms of photography such as landscapes and maritime photography), so have had to crop them even more than normal but, at the same time, trying not to overdo things. On a full-frame camera, in this case the Canon 6D, a 400mm lens really is a 400mm lens and not effectively a 640mm! I had to trade in my 7D in order to afford the 6D but will save for the rumoured 7D Mk II when it comes out - if it comes out - or another crop camera to complement the 6D and for occasions such as this.

And here are the best of my shots from this morning, all cropped.

What a super little bird! A truly stunning little creature which has made 2013. It's shaping up to be a shit year for many reasons but this little bird has helped salvage it somewhat! A great start to the Easter weekend.

As I said, the day was cold and a bit grey. This is the view over the harbour looking towards Brading Marshes (beyond the row of coniferous trees) and Embankment Road.

Other birds included Teal, Brent Geese and Kestrel, plus the very common stuff such as the inevitable Blue Tits, Magpies and Woodpigeons.

Brent Geese

I hadn't been out birding in ages, for a variety of reasons, so as I had an unscheduled day off my temporary job and it is spring-like for February I headed to Seaview and Culver, where I met up with my friend Bob, another birder who I hadn't seen in ages.

The Brent Geese were out in force but no doubt thinking of flying back to Russia.

Culver was extremely quiet, with a few Meadow Pipits, plus the usual corvids and gulls. A lone Skylark was singing, pretty early for that I would have thought.

Starlings

The UK's Starling population has declined in recent years but, if you're wondering where they're gone, look no further than Newquay in Cornwall. There are loads of them in that town. These young ones were at Fistral Beach and were pretty tame, no doubt well-fed on handouts from surfers and other beach-goers.

Just got made redundant, so I should have plenty of time for birding should nothing else turn up.

A very rare bird

But a bird of a different kind. A Vulcan bomber flew over on its way from the Bournemouth Air Show to the Shoreham Air Show this afternoon. I knew it would be around but didn't think it would fly over here so, when I heard loud jet engines, I ran outside and then ran back in for my camera and just managed to get the shot below. The Vulcan, originally intended to drop nuclear bombs on the enemy in the event of war between the USA and the Soviet Union, was retired in 1984 and this one, Avro Vulcan XH558, is the last of its kind.

Kes

A male and female Kestrel have been around all day, at one point giving a Common Buzzard a hard time. I didn't manage to get the Buzzard as that had gone by the time I got my camera, but I did manage to take a photo of the female Kestrel

And the sky really was this colour. The south of the country is - at last! - having some great summer weather, at least until Friday.

Click for largest size

And a Meadow Brown butterfly in the hedge. Butterflies had suffered with the shite summer we've had, but it seems to have done Meadow Browns good as I have never seen as many as I have the past couple of days.

A(msterdam) to Zzzzzzzzzzzzz(eebrugge)

A couple of weeks ago I was in Amsterdam, NL, then the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, aboard the P&O ship Oriana. How I came to be aboard that ship was a matter of luck, a friend of a friend was supposed to be on that trip, he dropped out and I was asked if I wanted to come along instead. Why not, I had nothing else on at the time and, besides, I like ships and sea travel.

I took my new 100-400mm lens with me on this trip. There were plenty of birds about but most were out of camera range. The Noordzeekanaal to Amsterdam, during the first day of the cruise, was alive with birds, with gull and tern colonies at IJmuiden and lagoons along the canal holding waders - mostly Oystercatchers - and ducks. There was even a population of - presumably feral - Egyptian Geese. The Noordzeekanaal flows through an area which is a mixture of nature and industry in a predominantly man-made landscape, the surrounding area is almost completely flat. There were chemical factories, ships, docks, piles of coal, farms, villages and, of course, windmills (turbines), yet my impression was of the bird calls - terns, gulls and waders - being the most noticeable element in this landscape.

The Noordzeekanaal in the evening, as we headed back out to the North Sea

The following shots were taken at Zeebrugge. The terns were a challenge, they were fast little buggers but I managed to get a few acceptable shots of them. The 100-400 is good for bird photography and very sharp. However, I'll stick with my 400mm prime for birds-in-flight shots as the AF is faster although the 100-400 will be a travel and all-round lens. Mentioning travel, poncing around the North Sea on a cruise ship is one thing but I now have itchy feet for a long haul trip. Where - maybe Africa or Asia; when - no idea, maybe next year or 2014, depending on finances (as ever).

Click for largest.

I know. Boring. Roll on autumn migration...