Snipe in flight

with the severe frosts persisting a lot of Snipe are being forced into the open looking for frost free feeding areas so a good time to try some flight shots -- not the easiest species but a good challenge -- I am often baffled by the operation of camera AF systems -- the last two shots show the full frame image of the cropped one above them -- note where the central active AF point was at the time the snipe was in focus -- it is not even covered by any of the outer AF points -- just fire the shutter and hope

wildfowl today

common birds from slightly different perspectives

Merlin and Barn Owl with 7D

trying the 7D again - these from large JPegs

Skylarks and oilseed rape

a good back up food in the snow

mammals in the snow

Red-throated Diver

Great Northern Divers

light and angle make  the difference between a nice shot and a better shot -- water can be a very exacting medium -- the last two shots show the differences between the two birds - sometimes aggressive to each other at other times they seem to socialize -- at one stage one was calling with head down and bill open in aggressive pose tot eh second bird