Radipole Lake, Lodmoor and Portland Bill, Dorset

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Took a day down in Dorset to visit three well-known birding sites within a few miles of each other. My first stop was at Radipole Lake, and RSPB reserve in the middle of Weymouth. This reserve is a mix of reedbeds and open water, and is well known for bittern and bearded tits, neither of which I saw. I wandered through the reserve, having a good look at the gulls. there was several Mediterranean gulls (Larus melanocephalus; click for larger) , but few were close enough for photographing - this near-adult (second from right) was on the small island in front of the visitors' centre and I used a 1.4X converter with the 500 to get anything usable. The time I'd spent at Rainham looking through the gulls paid off, and when they're with black-headed gulls the differences are clear, even if the immatures require a bit more thought.

I spent some time wandering through the reedbeds. The Cetti's warblers were vocal, and one was giving moments of song - surprisingly loud when close by. This carrion crow (Corvus corone; click for larger) was more interested in calling than being bothered by me - they're surprisingly attractive close-up.


My main target for the day was to see the (in)famous hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus; click each for larger), which has been in the area for around 8 months. There's been a considerable debate about the provenance about this bird. While it looks impressive now, it was much less so as an immature when it was first found near Chesil beach. Irrespective of whether it's a genuine vagrant or not, this is a superb bird, which when I saw it was more interested in snoozing than performing...


I was very pleased with the shots I got - I managed to find a low viewpoint and the overcast day helped prevent blowing the whites while allowing me to retain detail in the darker tones.

After Radipole I headed to Lodmoor, another RSPB reserve just a few minutes drive away. This is another wetland, with more open water surrounded by reedbeds and scrubby vegetation. The main target here was the spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia; click for larger) which have been around for a while. Initially they were providing relatively close views (although still needing the converter), but after 10 minutes or so they flew to the back of the wetland, where people in the houses over-looking the reserve must have had a prime position - how much does that view add to the value of a house?!
After Lodmoor I headed to Portland Bill, partly because I fancied a decent sea view and partly to see if there were any black redstarts around. On the way I stopped at Chesil beach to see distant red brested mergansers and a mix of waders before heading on. No luck at Portland Bill with the black redstarts, and no sign of any divers or sea ducks, but this immature herring gull (Larus argentatus; click for larger posed nicely), as did this jackdaw (Corvus monedula; click for larger).


A pretty good day then - while I didn't see a huge number of species (55 or so), the hooded merganser was worth seeing, and spoonbills are always spectacular. Ending the day watching gannets fly past the lobster boats while the rock pipits flicked around wasn't bad either!

Whiteknights Park Bird Survey

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As an introduction to field ornithology, students studying zoology and related degrees at Reading University complete a survey of birds on campus, recording every bird seen in a one hour period. The students did a superb job this year, recording over 1900 individual birds, and 49 species. This reflects the superb biodiversity on campus due to the wide range of habitats (meadows, woodland, lake and gardens), and also the efforts of the surveyors to locate the birds within their patches.

The most common species recorded were wood pigeon, black headed gull, great tit, long-tailed tit and magpie. While no rare species were recorded, several red kites and a sparrowhawk were seen, and two large flocks of siskin were feeding on alders at the lakeside.

I took a few photographs, again using the Sigma 150-500mm OS. Neither was taken under ideal conditions - both hand-held under poor light. The nuthatch (Sitta europaea; click for larger) was one of a pair chasing each other, while the song thrush (Turdus philomelos; click for larger) was foraging among the leaf litter near the lake. Considering that these shots were taken at 1/160th of a second wide open at 500mm, they're not that bad - this lens is growing on me a little...

Later, I took this image of a red kite (Milvus milvius; click for larger) at dusk flying over with some carrion. It was late, so there was no point in trying for detail in the kite, and instead went for a silhouette against the evening sky, which I think is effective, and proved to be a good end to the day.

Sheet's Heath, Surrey

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I took a flying visit to Sheet's Heath, my local patch, to see if I could find any Dartford warblers. This species is notoriously susceptible to cold winters, and now that the weather has cleared I wanted to see if any had made it through. Last summer there were four singing males across this small area of heath - today I couldn't find any. Not a good sign.

Spring was definitely in the air. I saw my first bumblebees of the year, and there was lots of bird song - just no Dartford warblers.

Moor Green Lakes, Berkshire

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There is an inherent trade-off between image quality and cost/weight in camera lenses suitable for bird photography. The pro-lenses are big and expensive, and need a tripod with a decent gimbal-type head. They are not built for mobility and rapid use. In contrast, lighter consumer lenses are less robust, slower, (much) cheaper and lighter, but image quality is relatively poor. The benefits of light weight are also countered by the need to still use a tripod for longer focal lengths - exactly the type of lens needed for bird photography - which then removes part of the advantage of the lighter lens.

Until recently, there was a few consumer zoom lenses reaching 500mm focal length (the classic bird lens), but none was renowned for particularly fantastic image quality - OK, but not great. However, given their relatively low cost, they've proved popular and I've seen some fantastic images taken using them. Late last Autumn, Sigma brought out a new image stabilised consumer zoom reaching 500mm at the long end (the Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG APO OS HSM to give its full title). It was the image stabiliser that attracted my attention - could this be a decent birding walk-around lens?


I gave the Sigma its first trial on a trip to Moor Green Lakes, an nature reserve built on gravel extraction. The images below show one of the lakes and the current 'new workings', which will later join the rest of the reserve. A local birder kindly gave me a guided tour, pointing out the good spots. There were very good numbers of goosander, as well as gadwall, pochard, tufted duck and teal. Around the lake there was a large flock of siskins and a few redpolls, and a barn owl was standing in the door of a nest box.


My first trial run (all images below at 500mm and are approx. 70% of the original shot) came with a black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus, click for larger) feeding near the first hide, and this was followed by another dive-bombing a nearby grey heron (Ardea cinerea; click for larger).

I followed this with some flight shots of shoveler (Anas clypeta; click for larger) and a circling sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus; click for larger).



I also had distant but good views of a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus; click for larger), in very harsh light.

So - what's the lens like? The instant conclusion is that it's a long way from the standard of the primes I prefer, or even Sigma's superb 100-300F4 EX HSM. Resolution and contrast are OK, but given the price of the lens, it's not surprising that it doesn't reach the quality of a fast 500mm lens. Build quality is OK. This is a plastic consumer lens, and lacks the solidity of a pro-built lens. Nevertheless, it is robust and has that excellent Sigma finish which should be hard-wearing.

There is no evidence of colour abberation, even when images were taken against the sky, but images are not neutral, and do seem to have a subtle warmth. (That's being positive - a more negative view would be to say that it has a just about distinct yellow cast). Bokeh is poor, and that's predictable given the lens' MTF curves.

Focus speed is fairly quick and accurate in good light, but was hit and miss for birds in flight. The OS (optical stabiliser, Sigma's version of VR or IS) is relatively noisy when compared to the Nikon or Canon versions, but in the viewfinder seems to work well. Sigma claims a 4 stop difference - at best I'd guess a 2-stop effect under typical conditions, which while not what's advertised, is useful for handholding, and seemed most pronounced in effect at shutter speeds around 1/60th of a second.

The final image is a 100% crop (i.e. actual pixels) of another image of the sparrowhawk (click for larger), taken handheld at 1/60th of a second. This illustrates that the lens can produce usable images, and as a walk-around record-shot lens will do a good job. At the same time, you get what you pay for, and in terms of image quality this is no substitute for a fast prime. So - what do you want? Something supremely luggable with OS for decent record shots, or the very best in detail and contrast with the associated cost and bulk? My gut reaction is that the Sigma won't provide the sort of images I'm looking for, but will adequately fill a birding need.

Lavell's Lake, Berkshire

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Decided to drop in to Lavell's on the way home. Very poor dusk light, and I only spent about 15 minutes there, but it was pretty good! A water rail was on full show by the reeds - usually a fleeting glimpse is all you get, but this one was in full view. There were good numbers of gadwall, shoveler and teal, as well as mallard, tufted duck and pochard. Grey heron, great crested grebe and the usual passerines made up the rest of the common species. Best of all, a barn owl was at the doorway of the nest box, surveying its domain, giving excellent views. Not bad for a quarter of an hour hey?!

London Wetland Centre, Barnes

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I decided to head to the Wetland Centre in the hope of getting some close up images of ducks. As with other Wildfowl Trust sites, the Wetland Centre is not too bad for photographers. The hides have decent sized windows, hides are close to the water and seats are movable - all essential if you want to use a tripod and large lens.

In the end I didn't use them. I found some co-operative tufted ducks (Aythya fuligula; click for larger) and managed to get a near eye-level view point by laying on my stomach, with the tripod at its lowest level, just inches off the ground.


Later I came across a drake teal (Anas crecca; click for larger), which also allowed me to get a few images before disappearing.

There was lots of activity near the feeders, with ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri; click for larger) pushing everything else out of the way.

Nearby was a roosting woodcock (Scolopax rusticola; click for larger) hidden behind some reeds - only allowing a record shot. This really isn't a typical species for a wetland area (recent coppicing may explain its presence), but where ever you find them, getting a long good view in daylight is unusual.

After this I wandered to the other side of the site, trying to pick up the visiting common (mealy) redpolls, which were feeding on alders in a large mixed flock with lesser redpolls, siskins, goldfinch and tits, including a few long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus; click for larger) passing through.

Little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis; click for larger) are still in winter plumage and afforded close views.

A heron (Ardea cinerea; click for larger) was motionless across a small pond. After waiting to see if it would start hunting, I decided to call it a day and head home. I dropped into the nearest hide just in case something was about. As I was looking over some gulls, a bittern (Botaurus stellaris; click for larger) flew through my field of view. My last three images of the day are of the bittern flying past, with the local buildings in the background. I've never managed to see bittern at the Wetland Centre before, in spite of them being regular winter visitors - a great way to end the day!

Finally - great grey shrike!

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Adding all the attempts up, I've managed to dip out on great grey shrike something like 10 times this year. The first time I looked I got a fleeting view of a rapidly disappearing shrike flying over a hill in late December, and since then, nothing. Admittedly, it hasn't been all bad - I've visited some superb heathland, seen hen harrier, merlin, little owl, Dartford warbler, woodlark and crossbill.  And all of these at two only sites, the furthest of which is 15 minutes from home, while the other is only five minutes away. 

Nevertheless you do begin to wonder if you're just a bit jinxed (reminds me of the SEOs on Cow Down and the various failed attempts at waxwings), but today I just got lucky. We decided to have a family walk at Wishmoor Bottom, so obviously not aiming for serious hunting, but within five minutes there it was, perched on the top of a tree a few hundred yards away in decent light. We watched it for a couple of minutes before it headed over the border into Berkshire. We ambled on, and a few minutes later there it was again at the top of a pine tree, allowing pretty close views for a few more minutes, before it bounded off to a more distant perch. Classic views, classic behaviour and classic habitat. Well worth the effort! 

Wishmoor Bottom, Berkshire

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Decided to blow the cobwebs away with a late afternoon walk though the Berkshire side of Wishmoor Bottom (the county border runs through the middle), looking for the great grey shrike. I didn't have much time, but still came across a singing woodlark (a real local speciality), a hunting female merlin scattering reed buntings, and finally a flock of 38 roosting meadow pipits, settling down in a tree. It goes without saying that I didn't find the GGS - I'm obviously on a roll at the moment! The light as the sun went down was great for a few moments, and then the rain came in...

UPDATE!

Went back late Friday afternoon for another look. Still no luck with the GGS, but did pick up a small party of crossbills.

Rainham Marshes, Essex

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Yet another bitterly cold day, but at least the snow held off. Decided to head off to Rainham Marshes, a relatively new RSPB reserve on the outskirts of London I'd not visited before. On the way, I stopped off in Foots Cray to see if I could connect with some waxwings reported yesterday, but no luck (a theme that developed!).

Rainham Marshes are on the northern side of the upper Thames estuary, surrounded by industry and decay. The marshes used to be artillery and gunnery ranges, protecting them from development for over a century, and they are now part of the largest area of marshland remaining in the Thames estuary. Dotted around the reserve are the remains of its former military role; bunkers, cordite stores and targets are there to explore.

Birding was OK, with nothing spectacular. I added yellow-legged gull, Mediterranean gull (gull ID is something I'm trying to work on), Cetti's warbler and tawny owl (admittedly on the way home) to my year list, and there was decent numbers of golden plover, lapwing, pochard, wigeon, teal, pintail and shelduck. Apart from that, there was a few rock pipits, and this confiding stonechat (Saxicola torquata; click images for larger) was the only decent photographic subject.


Once I saw the huge landfill and the enormous numbers of gulls (those white dots in the picture) in the background, I'd hoped for glaucous or Iceland gull, but there was no sign. there was also no sign of the penduline tits which have been regularly seen over the past month (well there was, just that I wasn't there to see them, in spite of trying!). This later image (click for larger) illustrates where the penduline tits were hidden (they're there at the back!), and also just how developed the Rainham Marsh boundary is - that's a Eurostar train passing by.



Ultimately this was one of those days that just didn't work out as hoped, but such is life, and at least I got to try out somewhere new...

Snowfall and Sheet's Heath, Surrey

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Twelve inches of snow (I measured!) and the World is a different place - there's something about seeing snow which just makes me want to smile. It may be something to do with growing up in a place where snow was a really rare event, and even that light dusting disappeared by midday. The North Atlantic Drift affects psychology as well as climate.

I took a walk at lunchtime up onto the Heath. All Surrey schools are closed, so the sounds of snowball fights and laughter could be heard in the distance. There was plenty of bird activity, with lots of feeding parties of tits and goldcrests, as well as great spotted woodpeckers and redwings moving through the trees. Not so many finches - they all seem to have descended into my garden to gorge on the feeders - if I lean back from my computer I can see lots of activity, which is a pleasant distraction.

I just brought the ultra wide-angle lens today, aiming for landscape and texture shots suitable for black and white conversion (the new conversion algorithms in Photoshop CS4 are a huge improvement). I think that snowy conditions are just about perfect for this treatment - the enhanced contrast looks very atmospheric. Anyway - I'm currently going through a B & W phase, so no excuses. Below are a few images from today - click any for a larger version.

Wishmoor Bottom, Surrey

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Quick break today wandering through the Surrey side of Wishmoor Bottom (another part of the local heathland) in the driving wind topped-up with flurries of snow. I was hoping to catch the other local great grey shrike now that Ash Ranges is out of bounds, but in just over an hour I only managed 10 species - everything sensible had their heads down. The highlight was a possible raven calling as it passed over - not a common sight in Surrey. A solitary reed bunting was the only other species of interest...