Breeding Plumaged Dunlin

Another of the breeding waders from the Uists was the Dunlin. I seem to have gone a little overboard with them, with nearly a thousand images to sort through I finally narrowed them down to eighty six to add to my website. Here are a chosen few.

Glossy Ibis

Having not photographed a Glossy Ibis before I was keen to try and get some shots of one of the many in the country at the moment.  The weather forecast said sun but heavy cloud was outside, I was undecided whether to make the trip.  Late morning it started to brighten and I headed off to Horwich, near Bolton.  As I arrived the sun was just starting to break through the clouds, I parked the car and could immediately see two of the four birds, right next to the road in a field.  They carried on feeding, five or six metres away, regardless of the large group of birders and photographers looking over the wall.  Forty five minutes later they decided to fly off and the job was done.  One of the easiest photo sessions I have done, especially for a rarity and I achieved much better results than expected.

Ptarmigan

Every time I have photographed Ptarmigan it has been a relatively short session, usually two or three hours at the most. This is because, having made the effort to climb the mountain, I like to get shots of as many of the different species that live there as possible, such as Dotterel and Snow Bunting. Often is the case though, that no other species were photographed and I may as well have stayed with the Ptarmigan.

This year I decided to spend more time with them and do the job properly. The hardest part is finding them, as they blend in so well with their surroundings. Once found though, you can settle down with them as they are very obliging and will wander around within metres of the camera.

Lots more added to my website - Steven Round Bird Photography

Bumble Bees on Flowers

A quick post of a couple of shots I did in the garden recently.

Juvenile Buzzards

The Buzzards in my garden have bred and the two noisy youngsters have now discovered the food I put out for the adults. I popped into the hide this afternoon to photograph one of them.

Buzzard Close-ups

A quick session in the garden yesterday with the Buzzards. When I do one of these sessions I have to decide which lens to use - whether I want the whole bird in the frame or just part of it, I opted for the latter this time for some moody, full frame close-ups with a nice dark, shaded background.

Purple Sandpipers

More waders from the Uists. The Purple Sandpiper is another species that over-winters, with its purple plumage, here on The Wirral. These shots show it's contrasting spring colours. I have added an image of a winter bird for comparison.

I have added 42 new Purple Sandpiper images to my main site - Steven Round Bird Photography.com