Phal's house of pics

Phal · 25 Apr 2015 at 13:17

Some shots of one of the local Buzzards I saw on Thursday evening

Wonky neck!

Wonky Neck by Phal44, on Flickr

Straighter this time!

Soar by Phal44, on Flickr

Mid flap

Folded Flap by Phal44, on Flickr

Underwing

Sun Bleached by Phal44, on Flickr

I've got more shots of this Kestrel when it was closer but the weird haziness made this shot quite nice I thought

Hazy Hover by Phal44, on Flickr

Phal · 25 Apr 2015 at 20:14

Few more from this afternoon :/

Didn't realise there were two subjects in this shot until later!

Hidden Danger by Phal44, on Flickr

Not the bestestesttest shot in the world but about as good as I've managed so far with diving shots. Bit of a heavy crop here.

Dangly Legs by Phal44, on Flickr

Buzzard descending to look closer at potential lunch

Swooping Down by Phal44, on Flickr

Phal · 25 Apr 2015 at 21:35

I was just showing a friend where I'd seen this silly Robin that got really close and then it showed up... Either that or it was another overly attached Robin

The morning light was starting to get a bit bright but was still quite nice

Say "ARFGHGHGHGH" Robin by Phal44, on Flickr

Leaning Over Robin by Phal44, on Flickr

Peering Robin by Phal44, on Flickr

Head Tilt Robin by Phal44, on Flickr

Phal · 26 Apr 2015 at 19:31

Wasn't holding out much hope for anything worth keeping today with the light but this guy turned out alright. I caught him a bit further down river and got a few shots of him diving in but those weren't so great

Then he swam up a bit and got out on the other side where I got these

I got a few handheld shots with higher shutter speeds as he climbed out but then I rested on a nearby fencepost for these slower shots. This particular shot still had a slightly blurry face due to the whole 'shaking itself dry' thing so this is actually a frankenbird. I've taken the sharp head from another shot in this sequence and used it on this one

The more you look at the shot and the more it stands out but then again I'm sure if I hadn't said it then people wouldn't know lol

Self Drying by Phal44, on Flickr

Phal · 2 May 2015 at 01:35

Some more shots from one of my local haunts! I've been heading up there a lot since its 5 mins from work and from where I live! Been trying to practise my handheld shots. I also gave mode 3 IS a test since some people online reported good results (I find it's about the same as mode 2 with the added difficulty of having to track without IS which is about what you'd expect I guess).

This guy/girl has turned up recently when I've been up there for some target practise. On both occasions I've ended up with these shots without really knowing I'd gotten them! I'm just there trying to get better with my handheld shots so I just for anything that moves and is reasonably close.

Peregrine Falcon by Phal44, on Flickr

The good thing about this place is that it's the top of a steep hill so you can get some eye level shots of the birds in flight...The bad thing is that the wind is usually coming from down the hill so birds are pointing away and you're shooting into the sun for the afternoon.

Caught Eye by Phal44, on Flickr

These guys are quite fond of this area too and they do their best Buzzard impressions then I'm around by trying to glide about in the breeze as much as possible. This one looked especially tatty!

Flying Scarecrow by Phal44, on Flickr

I got the answer to that age old question - How does a Kestrel poo mid-flight? With it's little legs dangling down out of the way of course!

Bombs Away by Phal44, on Flickr

Saw it land to hunt quite a few times but this was the only catch I saw

Eye Contact Lunch by Phal44, on Flickr

Phal · 6 May 2015 at 20:49

Couple of old shots I hadn't processed from last year at Duxford. I'd missed the Lancasters all summer due to a holiday and the breakdown of an engine on the Canadian one so I wanted to get them! When I did it was a bit of a let down since the weather was so meh so I didn't process too many shots apart from the later ones when it perked up a bit.

There's a couple I've decided to go back and sort and here's two (both taken with my old 70d)

Bigbirds by Phal44, on Flickr

Lancaster flyby by Phal44, on Flickr

Phal · 12 May 2015 at 21:29

Latest shot that got Explored

These seem to be quite skittish but I managed to get closeish. Shame I didn't have my extension tube because I actually had to backup a little

Something Orange by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 13 May 2015 at 23:07

Not sure what it is and I'm too lazy to check so I'm sure someone will let me know soon enough!

I was too busy trying to keep the lens steady at this exposure that I missed the fact I wasn't zoomed in all the way

Might have gotten a bit more detail but nevermind! I turned out ok. It was one of about 30-40 shots though lol

What's Black and Red all over? by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

thelegend · 14 May 2015 at 11:05

Some nice shots in this thread Phal. Keep up the good work. What setup are you using for your bird shots?

Lee

Phal · 14 May 2015 at 12:18

thelegend said:
Some nice shots in this thread Phal. Keep up the good work. What setup are you using for your bird shots?

Lee

Anything recently is mostly handheld (a few of the smaller birds were shot from a little hide) with my 7d mk2 and 200-400mm F4L lens.

Phal · 16 May 2015 at 21:54

Bumper crop today!

Some flappy things!

Orange-tip

Orange-tip by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Something I found hiding in the grass

Mothy by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

This thing was pretty small but very shiny! Seems to be a moth or at least that's what I'm guessing! Has a long curly wurly tongue like a butterfly

Shiny Moth thingy? by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Spotted Wood

Spotted Wood Butterfly by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Another unknown moth?

Mothy Moth by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Brown Wall

Brown Wall Buttery by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Finally got some of these guys! Brimstone

Brimstone by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 16 May 2015 at 21:54

Hover Kestrel with a slowish exposure

Surprising Hover by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Wings out straight for some gliding

Gliding Kestrel by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

What is this? Something that likes hiding in the reeds and the beak almost looks silver

Birdy by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Birdy by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Moody looking Jackdaw

Moody by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

The best is last... Had rather unsuitable settings set from when I was shooting Butterflies but managed to get this shot handheld which was a pleasant surprise

Poor little furry fella doesn't look like he's enjoying the ride

Come With Me by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 21 May 2015 at 21:45

Some stuff from the last few days! It's nice to be able to do this after work

Winter sucks!

Wonky Blue by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Common Blue by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Brown Thingy by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Untidy Wings by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Pole Dancing by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Hanging Cinnabun Moth 1 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Cloudy Brimstone by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 21 May 2015 at 21:46

Chirpy Yellow by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Bunny McFlappyEars by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 24 May 2015 at 13:48

Some Kitesurfing and a dog!

Looking Where You're Going by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Surf Dog by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Lift Off by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Aerosol by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Splashy by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Rocketboard by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 25 May 2015 at 21:26

Found one of those snake things!

The Bushes Have Eyes by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 26 May 2015 at 22:40

Buzzard not long before sunset

Pouncing Like A Buzzard by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Another feathered thingy

Chirping At The Sunset by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 29 May 2015 at 21:05

I got some nice shots of a Kestrel hunting last night and had a little fun with one of the shots and the processing. I couldn't quite decide on something more natural or something a little more stylised and then I also realised that my more heavily processed shot worked well as a B&W shot

Here they are

#1 Fairly natural looking

Looming Kestrel 1 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

#2 Processed to accentuate the sun which was almost in shot

Looming Kestrel 3 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

#3 B&W version of the above with a few tweaks

Looming Kestrel 2 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 31 May 2015 at 14:26

This one was putting on a good show for me! Shots 3,4 and 5 are a sequence when it descended into a nearby bush

1

Why is that weirdo lying down with a camera by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

2

Ooh, what's that over there? by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

3

Begin The Descent by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

4

Prepare Claw Thingies by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

5

Primed by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

Phal · 31 May 2015 at 23:13

Here's the link to the album with a 'few' more pics. Flickr tries to arrange them in a nice mosaic but the quality suffers in some of the sizes so I find it's better checking each individually but maybe that's just me!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/phal44/sets/72157653786470561

Here's a few random shots picked from the list. There's better shots in there but I can't be bothered looking for them lol

1

JE5A8858 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

2

JE5A9070 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

3

JE5A9198 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

4

JE5A9221 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

5

JE5A9255 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

6

JE5A9587 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr

7

JE5A8760 by Etienne Fournier, on Flickr