Out with the big lens again

My 150-500 came back from Sigma this morning, so I was keen to get out and give it a whirl but short of ideas where to go. In the weeks it had been away things had changed. Birds had fledged and leaves filled out and darkened. Still lacking a decent photo of a reed bunting I thought I'd go look for one where I had seen some close to a path through a weedy field when hunting damsels. I chose to approach the field from the opposite direction as the path was less overgrown. I got out of the car after pulling off the tarmac, put my over trousers on in case I wanted to push through thistles or sit on the ground, got my camera and locked the car door. My right foot slid in that way a foot slides when it steps on dog leavings.

I scraped the worst off my boot in the grass and set off. Walking alongside a ditch I was stopped in my tracks by a red-legged partridge giving me the eye from the edge of the path. Normally red-leggeds slink away when you approach but this one froze and stared at me. I managed three shots, and was thinking of trying a different angle when the bird came to its senses and flew off.

The reed buntings were around, perching high on tall stems but too far off. I decided to carry on past the area where they were and try photographing them on my way back. When I reached the damselfly ditch I was surprised to see it totally covered in duckweed and just one damsel to be seen. Maybe it was a little late in the day for the damsels, or maybe the duckweed had moved them on, it possibly being impenetrable for their egg laying efforts.

Over the ditch and the skylarks were around still. I spooked a few without managing any photos, so I retraced my steps. Again the reed buntings were singing, not that it's much of a song, and perching in good view - too far away. I was in two minds as to staying and hoping for a shot or two or going to the pull-in where I'd seen a reed bunting and other birds on Saturday. I quite fancied sitting in the car with the camera to get out of the wind.

On arrival there was nothing in the bushes, but swallows were twittering and flying around in numbers. I tried for some flight shots without success but I noticed a young one being fed on the wing. I was just about to set off up the road when A swallow came down, amidst much twittering, and I saw it feed a young bird perched on a fence some twenty feet in front of my car. I hadn't noticed the perched swallow when I pulled up because of some rape that was obscuring it. This also made it tricky to get a clear shot at the bird, but I made a few attempts, and as I did so another juvenile landed on the fence. By walking round to the right I could get a clearer view of the birds, although I was slightly further away.

It wasn't long before an adult came in with a beakful of insects and the two young birds started calling and gaping their beaks wide. I spent an fascinating hour and a half watching the swallows coming and going and taking photos of the activity. There was another juvenile that landed but didn't stick around for some reason. And at one point there were six birds perched on the fence, three adults which seemed to be sleeping. Maybe they felt safer sleeping where there were other birds coming and going and the young ones keeping an eye out for their parents.

Huddled together against the wind

One of many feeding shots

As the light level started to drop I left the swallows to it and went to look for a barn owl by the river. As soon as I got out of the car I could see it in the distance working over the field I hoped to see it in. However it was a fair way off, I had arrived a few minutes too late. It was working away from me too. I watched it for some time hoping it might come towards me, but knowing it wouldn't. Too soon the light was too poor to make any worthwhile photos so I grudgingly headed home.

For more of the swallows check out Flickr.

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