Adrian Dancy
D20A7881 Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) , female , Holcombe Moor, Greater Manchester
Stonechat (full Frame)
0410,28.06.2023
I have to say I much prefer project work to legging it for different species in one day. When I was a kid I did not have binoculars (too expensive) so getting close to birds required a bit of ingenuity as well as patience (I lived on the edge of the fens). So, when I targeted a species I'd keep with it. I decided this year to spend time with a family of Stonechats then later Black Redstarts. The male was accommodating but the female was a 30 yarder. Getting near for photos was impossible with a direct approach. After a day I had the female within 3 feet of me and no hide. I did not use the birders guide to fieldcraft. If I had, I'd never got near! I did not use bait either although once I had the birds trust I did use mealworms for the project. I watched this family bring up chicks and out of 5 territories my pair was the only pair successful with a first brood. I personally get more out of seeing birds very close up. Watching their lives unfold...seeing their daily trials and their individual personalities as they react to you. Such things you will not find in books and sometimes you might discover the books wrong....it's discovering things for yourself and earning trust that is so satisfying....the bonus is you get great pictures some of a kind you do not normally see. If I have not bored you by now, I rarely do portrait mode shots hand held (I am too unsteady, hand ergonomics not suited). I have always secretly wanted to have a front cover image printed in the 'British Birds' magazine. The picture here is full frame and done in the style used by 'British Birds' and it is what I had in mind when I composed and took the image. I am not sure they would accept a female bird for a front cover. The image is not without fault. We shall see.
D20A7881 Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) , female , Holcombe Moor, Greater Manchester
Stonechat (full Frame)
0410,28.06.2023
I have to say I much prefer project work to legging it for different species in one day. When I was a kid I did not have binoculars (too expensive) so getting close to birds required a bit of ingenuity as well as patience (I lived on the edge of the fens). So, when I targeted a species I'd keep with it. I decided this year to spend time with a family of Stonechats then later Black Redstarts. The male was accommodating but the female was a 30 yarder. Getting near for photos was impossible with a direct approach. After a day I had the female within 3 feet of me and no hide. I did not use the birders guide to fieldcraft. If I had, I'd never got near! I did not use bait either although once I had the birds trust I did use mealworms for the project. I watched this family bring up chicks and out of 5 territories my pair was the only pair successful with a first brood. I personally get more out of seeing birds very close up. Watching their lives unfold...seeing their daily trials and their individual personalities as they react to you. Such things you will not find in books and sometimes you might discover the books wrong....it's discovering things for yourself and earning trust that is so satisfying....the bonus is you get great pictures some of a kind you do not normally see. If I have not bored you by now, I rarely do portrait mode shots hand held (I am too unsteady, hand ergonomics not suited). I have always secretly wanted to have a front cover image printed in the 'British Birds' magazine. The picture here is full frame and done in the style used by 'British Birds' and it is what I had in mind when I composed and took the image. I am not sure they would accept a female bird for a front cover. The image is not without fault. We shall see.