Kitchen Garden Forum

Primrose wrote:Magnificent!. I'm afraid the nearest raptor we're likely to see round here is a red kite who now seem to be becoming almost as common as blackbirds! I
Was wondering how long it took yiu to get that particular snap or was is just a case of being in the right place at the right time ? Being a good wildlife photographer takes a huge amount of patience.

I guess it's a mixture of all the above, been watching this pair for around 10 years and know a bit of their habits, there's always something not quite right, the light is always wrong lol. For long distance work(and photographing birds on a nest means not disturbing them) a half decent camera and lens can help cover a few sins. My camera was designed for the paparazzi, so it can shoot 10 frames a second if I wish to, that too can help get the right shot, but you need to be very accurate with the settings. Practice and if you can get a bit of advice from someone whose work you like can help.

I admire your persistence tiger, but I am totally dyslexic with photography speak! Thought I'd be supportive with Mr Westi's hobby & actually read the wee booklet that came with my camera but hadn't a clue as they used words like aperture - use this button? Doh would use that button/dial if I knew what aperture was! My phone camera saves me from that agony - point shoot & delete 90% of the ones with the big pink finger in the way or out of focus! Makes a good pic more exciting though, even if a fluke!

These are Twite, winter visitors round here

I've just taken a photo of the baby hedgehog but it just looks like fuzzy blob. It is still coming every night and looks quite round but I don't fancy it's chances getting through the winter if it's a bad one.

Lovely photo of twite, tigerburnie. We used to see (and hear!) flocks of them on Walney Island off Barrow-in-Furness but, alas, we no longer venture as far as that.
At the moment, our garden is regularly visited by a mixed flock of blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits with the occasional goldcrest. Having once found a firecrest amongst them, I scrutinise them very carefully, just in case .....

Lovely pic tigerburnie - especially the little bird that's looking completely the opposite direction to all the others. Wonder what he/she's seen in the distance.

You ain't seen me...right?



A Turnstone near Arbroath harbour

Another amazing picture tiger. You really should think about the Country File calendar as suggested, you've got the patience & the subject matter & the talent.

Incredible photo and wonderful camouflage . It reminds me of those puzzle pictures where yiu have to try and spot the hidden lady. Nature truly does an excellent job. (The photogrqpher isnt bad either !! )

Thanks for the kind comments, I have had a couple of pictures published in the Scottish Field magazine, but I don't get paid for them, just nice to know folk like them.

We really do appreciate them, Tigerburnie, they brighten up the dullest of days......not that I have dull days....

One to look out for this time of year


A male Siskin.

Another beautiful ohoto. You are spoiling us for choice. I'm thinking this is the nearest I'm going to be to seeing Siskin for the foreseeable future. We used to see them regularly when we first moved here but they have sadly completely disappeared in recent years.

There's a small home made hide in the forest close to where I live, you may recognize some of the trees and branches in the different pictures, it's a nice little place to spend a couple of hours, especially in the week when it's quiet.

The siskin is lovely Tiger. We're getting a small flock on the feeders every day at the moment. Your photos are better than a lot of wildlife pictures I've seen. You could publish your own wildlife calendar with your talent. The ones you've put on here are greatly appreciated.