yhak bird photography
Very luck to get a reasonably sharp photo of this Avocet – the bird on RSPB’s logo – from a hide from quite a bit of a distance….
We had a nice beach outing in Margate, Kent, with some limited success bird‑wise. While we saw swallows flying in the evening, not a single photo of these…
A very short outing in Bushy Park today. I decided to try and catch a Black Headed Gull in flight with this deep blue and light green in the background….
Today’s outing was to Virginia Water, and by sheer luck I managed to capture a photo of this magnificent Black Swan. A few clearly local people were also taking…
A bit of a far-reaching photo today from our RSPB Pulborough Brooks outing a few weeks ago. There were quite a few Black-Tailed Godwits around, but unfortunately all of them…
Yesterday’s plan to arrive in Sheffield early enough to have a decent chance of snapping a bird for this morning’s email was shattered by the reality of travelling…
Run out of fresh photos, so back to the catalogue we go – this Blackcap was snapped on one of the very first outings with my latest camera…
Cannot remember much about this photo apart from where it was taken: in the far corner of Wisley Gardens, there is a two‑storey bird hide overlooking the small…
Carrion Crow is not the most exciting bird, as we see them quite often, but this particular one was perched high up in a tree framed by green…
This Chaffinch spent quite some time on a branch to ensure that the feeder below was safe to use.
Another nice find from the outing in Morden Hall Park – this lovely juvenile Chiffchaff. It was not singing, so from a distance I thought it might be…
I love the challenge of photographing small birds — they are very active. Yesterday was a really nice day for it, and I managed a few good shots…
Another photo from that hill where I was trying to get eye-level shots of birds of prey. This time it’s a Buzzard, though I caught it slightly higher…
Large parts of RSPB Pagham Harbour were closed off to give ground-nesting birds some privacy to build their nests and raise their chicks. Quite a few species roost…
A seemingly peaceful scene of a Coot family was actually captured in the hustle and bustle of the Italian Gardens in Hyde Park, Central London, on a hot…
Finally had a walk that went more or less as planned — and it ended with some great results. We were walking along the banks of the River…
We had a particularly fruitful outing to RSPB Pulborough Brooks today — double-digit decent photos to publish. Starting with this Dunnock, photographed right next to the entrance. It was…
I’m going to shamelessly publish a few photos that some of you might have already seen on my Instagram. One of my all-time favourites is this peaceful pair…
Continuing with the coastal bird theme with this lovely Gannet. These are pretty big birds, with a wingspan of up to 180 cm. They typically fly low over…
We had a very fruitful outing to RSPB The Lodge. I’ll kick off with this little Goldcrest — I couldn’t have asked for a better angle to identify this bird.
Continuing with the theme of improved-shot-thursday I’d like to present this Great Crested Parent carrying its chick on its back and relaxing in a small pond between the…
Another case of having only a short time for a photo outing. This time it was Cannizaro Park, very close to Wimbledon Common. I have a few interesting…
Epic fail today – had an outing in Cardiff, Wales, but I forgot to take my SD card reader, so no fresh photos… Instead, here is another shot,…
Today’s visit to Nonsuch Park was a lot less fruitful than the previous one in March. I blame the scorching heat – fewer birds were around, and the…
This photo of a Green Woodpecker nicely demonstrates how they balance on tree trunks — by using their tail feathers.
Some lovely autumn colours with this Greenfinch. This bush was right next to a feeder, and we hung around for about 10–15 minutes and managed to see the full…
Another properly wild bird today: the Greenshank. This shot was taken just a few minutes after yesterday’s, at a slightly closer distance. Greenshanks are reasonably rare, so I…
This lovely juvenile Grey Wagtail was photographed in the Peak District on the banks of the River Wye. There were a few small mossy islands in the stream,…
We visited RHS Wisley Gardens yesterday with the aim of getting some waterbird photos — and it was reasonably successful. First one out is this Greylag Goose, which…
This Herring Gull stands on the harbour arm with Margate Seafront in the background on the other side of it. Even though it was quite late – the…
Such a relief to have lifted the self-imposed rule of only sharing birds we have not seen before! Today we had a lovely walk in Regent’s Park, and…
Another reasonably fruitful outing today – to WWT London in Barnes. The absolute star of the day was this Kestrel, which flew in and sat like a statue not…
Typically, to see – or rather to have a chance of seeing – a Kingfisher, we travel to WWT Arundel, which is a 1 h 40 m drive…
Another photo from the Beverley Brook Walk yesterday. This Egret flew right toward us, then landed just past us in the middle of the brook and started hunting….
Finally had a proper outing to an RSPB reserve, so for the next few days I will be shuffling in some wilder birds.Today’s specimen is a Little Ringed…
As some might have guessed — today’s bird is the Little Tern, with its yellow beak and black tip. It’s actually physically smaller than the Sandwich Tern, which…
I could hear this Magpie chick complaining to its parent from quite far away. Shortly after I took this photo – and after further complaining – the parent…
Yet again, plans for an outing met reality and did not survive — on the way there, we got a puncture and had to make an unplanned stop….
Another notable bird on the same walk was the Meadow Pipit. It was living up to its name – we saw quite a few above beach level in…
Sunset is creeping earlier and earlier and even at 15:24 today I had to shoot at an ultra-slow 1/160th of a second with the lens fully open to…
A slightly older photo from the May heatwave, captured in Hyde Park at the Long Water corner nearest the Italian Gardens. The parent swan was diving for fresh…
An excellent outing to RSPB Pulborough Brooks yielded quite a few nice photos to share. The star of the show was the Nightingale — plenty could be heard…
Not the best angle to catch a Northern Pintail, as the most striking feature of this elegant duck is the much longer tail feathers, which are not visible here….
I had never seen a Nuthatch boring into bark until I made this photo: it was rummaging around like an actual woodpecker. Another thing I did not realise until this…
This Pied Wagtail joined us during our lunch break and was busy looking for a lunch of its own. It started with a small worm found in the…
At RSPB The Lodge reserve there was a section at the top of a small but steepish hill which, because of the winds or for whatever other reason,…
Strictly speaking, not a bird — but hopefully still an interesting photo. This pair of Red-eyed Damselflies were laying eggs in one of the ponds at the Italian…
From the very spot where I took this photo, I also spotted a Thrush (still trying to work out if it was a Mistle or a Song), a…
Another Reed Bunting from the same walk as the previous one: in Buckland Park. This one was done from much longer distance hence including a bit more of…
Running a bit low on high-quality photos in my back catalogue, I made a mid-week evening outing. The usual go-to place is Morden Hall Park – only about…
This Ring Necked Parakeet was perched on a tree in front of the entrance and was curiously observing passers-by.
A scene from life of the Rooks. Photographed from a bit of a distance with some directional sunset-ish light.
As promised, more sea birds — now from Chichester — kicking off with this Sandwich Tern. During the walk, I was largely ignoring these birds, having taken them…
Thursday is the day of the improved shot, and I think this one is a solid candidate. The previous version was already quite nice with a great backdrop, but it…
Skylarks are very hard to spot without hearing them — but the clue is in the name. Once you hear one, just look high up into the sky…
Not quite a bird, but still a beautiful creature — this was the first Speckled Wood butterfly I have seen this year. Definitely not the ideal angle, but…
Starlings, if photographed or seen from the right angle and in the right light, are actually stunning birds with very intricate colours. They are usually very active, though,…
It is getting increasingly hard to stick to the rule of sharing only a new bird each day — one we have not seen before — and I…
A few years ago, when I had just started bird photography, we visited RSPB Rainham Marshes, which has a large Swift population. With so many flying chaotically around…
Not one of the best photos I’ve ever made, but I still wanted to share it, as I spent about 30 minutes trying to identify this duck. It…
A very elusive little bird — the Treecreeper — lives up to its name, creeping diagonally up trees while collecting insects from the bark, then flying down to…
Some more water birds today — this time, a Tufted Duck. A group of five males were diving for food in one of the ponds at Wisley Gardens….
This little wren was spotted bringing nesting material into a tree wrapped in ivy. It would fly out a bush or two away, grab something, then bring it…
I have a few more good sea bird shots from RSPB Pagham Harbour to share, but will now start blending in some meadow and heathland birds too —…
