Stephen Burch's Birding Website UK bird pics: Autumn/Winter 2024/25

UK Bird Pics Autumn/Winter 2024/25
	Starling, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Another trip to David White's raptor hides, which I last visited in 2023. This time a new reflection pool hide was said to be the more reliable one, so that is where I was installed well before dawn. The day was almost fully sunny, but as the hide faced east, it wasn't until after midday that the light was favourable. A long wait from before dawn! There were many Starlings visiting the reflection pool and their iridescence was making them look surprisingly colourful, so I spent sometime trying to get a photo showing this. Not what I was expecting to photograph! Click to enlarge
	Starling, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 After getting the photo above, I thought I'd try for some flight shots using the Canon R5II's precapture option. This was very hit and miss (mostly miss) but this one turned out OK, and is reasonably sharp. Click to enlarge
	Stock Dove, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Just after dawn, several Stock Doves arrived at the pool to drink and then abruptly vanished until dusk. This photo was taken on their second "showing" when the light was a little better. Click to enlarge
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Buzzards were the main target for this visit with also the possibility of Red Kites (which never showed). This bird was present in the gloom well before dawn and stayed around until around dawn which is when this photo was taken. The first light from the sun was just starting to hit the fence and the front of the bird in this photo. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here.
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Fast forward to early afternoon when the light was at last behind me, showing off the Buzzards which I think look so much better in sunlight. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here.
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Buzzard on the fence having a spat with another one. There was however much less interaction at this hide than there was at the nearby raptor hide in 2023. Any argy-bargy this time was very fleeting and I missed all of it, apart from this one shot. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Descending the short distance from the fence to the ground. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Looking impressive on the post. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Buzzard on the ground. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Another Buzzard on the ground photo. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Buzzard on the its food! Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 By the time this photo was taken the light had largely gone. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here

	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 One of the few flight shots I managed to get - a hasty one of a bird flying in which I noticed just in time. Taken late in the day after the sun had set and the light was rapidly fading. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Buzzard, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire. 6 February 2025 Taken moments later than the photo above, as the bird was closer and preparing to land. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Buzzard photos, click here
	Short-eared Owl, Gloucestershire. 3 December 2024 Although there were plenty of owls around from 13:00 onwards at least (all day according to some present), initially they were all too distant. It was only when I moved a little further east along the lane that I had some closer approaches. This and the following two shots are from the closest approach, with some favourable light late in the afternoon. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Owl photos, click here.
	Short-eared Owl, Gloucestershire. 3 December 2024 Getting closer... Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Owl photos, click here.
	Short-eared Owl, Gloucestershire. 3 December 2024 Just before it dropped into the long grass. Click to enlarge To see my Gallery of Owl photos, click here.
	Black-tailed Godwit, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk. 28 November 2024 This bird was pottering around in the harbour as the tide was coming in, as the sun was setting behind me.The water was calm but not flat enough for a good reflection. Nevertheless the golden-hour light was lovely. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Sanderling, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk. 28 November 2024 Titchwell beach is somewhere I always aim to go when we're in Norfolk, preferably at low tide in mid afternoon on a sunny day. This visit I got two out of three of these conditions, but low tide was nearer midday than mid afternoon. This was also an opportunity to try out my new R5 Mk II, using the 100-500 lens with the x1.5 converter on. Generally it performed well, but could be distracted off the bird onto the surf behind. Nevertheless, I think this was of the best sessions I've had here. This photo shows a quite close Sanderling which I got early in the session. Later birds tended to be more distant. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Grey Plover, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk. 28 November 2024 This bird was quite distant but this photo has cropped quite well. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Bar-tailed Godwit, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk. 28 November 2024 My main aim on this beach is to get a close Barwit shot, but on this day there were very few to be seen, and none came close. This is another fairly distant shot that has cropped well. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Oystercatcher, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk. 28 November 2024 In contrast to the Barwits above, Oystercatchers were the commonest wader flying past that day. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Redshank, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk. 26 November 2024 As I've found before, the harbour here can be good for photos, using the car as a hide. For this trip, the tide was near full at the end of the day, when the light is at its best. Hence for this visit I tried for some flight shots of the various waders around. Not easy! Thie Redshank is just coming into the land and caught the very last rays of sun that day. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk. 22 November 2024 For the first time in our near annual early winter visits to Welney, there was a fair amount of ice around, and less flooding than last year. It was also sunny, with largely blue skies. This bird is flying in to roost, in the last light of the day. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk. 22 November 2024 One of a flight of four juveniles that came close to the hide we were in at the time, in nice light. Nothing else did! Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk. 22 November 2024 An incoming adult preparing to land in an open stretch of water, with ice in the background. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Whooper Swan, Welney WWT, Norfolk. 22 November 2024 An adult in the partially frozen water in front of the main hide. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Norfiolk 2024 photos, click here
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 Here are some photos from a very good session at Pete Whieldon's Kingfisher hide. Quite by chance, the day was mostly bright and sunny - just what I needed for trying out the pre-capture option on my new R5m2! Getting the focus to follow the bird as it left the perch was a bit hit and miss, and it failed on nearly all the diving sequences. However it was more successful when the bird flew off, as shown here, with the bonus of a fish still in its bill. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here.
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 Another pre-capture photo but this time from a nearer perch. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 Another pre-capture photo! I was very impressed that the AF stayed on the bird as it flew almost straight at me. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 One of the very few diviing photos that worked. Her the bird was in direct sun, but the background was in shade. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 This shot was from my orignal R5 without pre-capture. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 Emerging from the water with a fish This bird was a very successful fisher, getting a fish almost every dive. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here
	Kingfisher, Otterbourne, Hampshire. 20 November 2024 Stunnng the fish before swallowing it. Click to enlarge To go to my gallery of Kingfisher photos, click here
	Turnstone, Weymouth Harbour, Dorset. 25 September 2024 In our previous visits to Weymouth, I had noticed a small flock of Turnstone were often present at the south side of the harbour entrance. Typically they tended to be on a small rocky beach immediately to the south of the start of the pier or even on the pier itself. For this visit, which turned out very wet indeed, they were again on the rocky beach but I found the photos I was getting there weren't that notable, due to the jumbled background. I then noticed a single bird on a small grassy area which proved very confiding. Here are a couple of shots of it. Click to enlarge
	Turnstone, Weymouth Harbour, Dorset. 25 September 2024 Another photo of the bird above. Click to enlarge
	Wood Sandpiper, Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset. 22 September 2024 A record shot of this distant scarcity. Included as it is a long time since I've seen a Wood Sandpiper and it is one of my favourite waders!
© All pictures copyright Stephen Burch

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