Osprey surely needs to go soon

still around the pits but with the weather deteriorating this juvenile needs to be getting going

Hobby still there

at least one of the two juvenile Hobbies still making a living from the Migrant Hawkers today on the patch but the light was pretty terrible for most of the afternoon!

autumn Chiffchaff

this Chiffchaff at Alkborough raises the eternal autumn question where is it from? with an odd sounding call and pretty dull plumage could it be abietenus or is it just a local juvenile?

Pink-feet

good numbers building up locally in the last week

Coot Moorhen and BH Gull

more soft target tests for the 500

soft targets

easy close Mute Swans but they show the quality of the 500 f4 with sharpness, IQ in general, contrast and colour balance

Meadow and Tree contrasting Pipits

migrants from the coast today

Red-breasted Flycatcher

an elusive and uncooperative first winter bird on the Lincs coast 

coastal odds

a rather quite day on the coast; Yellow-broweds just not showing enough and few other birds to point the camera at; Long-tailed Tit and a Chiffchaff which had the typical plaintive chick like plueeee call but looked totally bormal; Pied and Spotted Flycatchers

Osprey juv

Osprey juvenile

a few more shots from this morning of the now semi-resident Osprey on the local patch; two juvenile Hobbies were on the same electric wires just before the perched photos; this looks like a dangerous place to sit

Ruff

not a good day for light -- this juvenile Ruff took exception to the Canon shutter

juvenile Hobby

as I drove home I stopped to have a look at a buzzard when an adult Hobby came across the field in front of me on the edge of the Wolds; back around the pits I was looking for the Osprey when I noticed a juvenile Hobby hawking dragonflies over one of the pits; it was brilliant coming so close at times I could hear its wings; I was very impressed with the 500 f4, all these hand held, and the 1DIII performed well as well with 65% of head on shots in focus and most of the feeding shots sharp

Hobby 2

what amazing birds; it was mainly catching Migrant Hawkers but also a few Common Darters

How many Ospreys?

I had assumed that just one Osprey was still around the local patch but seeing two together on Saturday confirmed that there were two on that date; today's sighting of a bird flying off with a big fish followed by a bird fishing 30 minutes later seemed odd but then this bird turned up on what is apparently a regular perch and from the primary nicks it appears to be the juvenile male from Saturday rather than the long staying juvenile female;