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Okavanga — Bull Finch

#wildlifephotography #wildbirdphotography #ken_dee_marshes #bull_finch
Published: 2018-03-04 07:19:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 220; Favourites: 41; Downloads: 5
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Description Pushing It.I recently bought a new lens: the Canon Zoom EF 100-400 mm  1:4.5-5.6 L IS II USM. This is the Mark II version of my previous long zoom that I have used for wildlife work. While in Scotland recently, I gave it a test on a dismal, grey day at the Ken Dee Marshes, an RSPB reserve on the banks of Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway. I had preset the camera for bird photography with a Tv of 1/1000th second, a floating ISO that turned out to be 6400, and the widest aperture on the lens. The high ISO is a giveaway that the light was very poor and that I was pushing my luck to take anything half-way decent. However, this was a test run to see how the lens fared in adverse conditions. As it turned out, I was remarkably lucky in what I saw and captured even though the quality of the images certainly suffered from the poor light and high ISO.
As I slowly made my way along the track I saw movement in the far distance and a few seconds later a stoat in its winter coat came running towards me. T
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Comments: 27

thewolfcreek [2018-03-18 22:31:44 +0000 UTC]

Cute but a bit of a sloppy eater...good shot and capture...

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Okavanga In reply to thewolfcreek [2018-03-19 06:33:43 +0000 UTC]

 Yep - these guys are quick and messy when it comes to feeding!

Many Thanks, Steven.

David 

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thewolfcreek In reply to Okavanga [2018-04-04 05:38:40 +0000 UTC]

I'll bet...you are very welcome David...

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Okavanga In reply to thewolfcreek [2018-04-06 05:54:28 +0000 UTC]

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LindArtz [2018-03-16 15:21:29 +0000 UTC]

Great capture!  Pretty little guy; looks well fed too. lol !

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Okavanga In reply to LindArtz [2018-03-16 16:29:08 +0000 UTC]

They fluff up well, Linda! They seem bigger than they are because the cold weather causes thme to fluff. But, they should be eating well in this locality if the the weather holds.

Many thanks

David

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rdungan1918 [2018-03-15 19:17:17 +0000 UTC]

Hungry little bugger.  Nice shot.

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Okavanga In reply to rdungan1918 [2018-03-16 06:35:16 +0000 UTC]

Yep - they can strip a sapling of all its buds in the blink of an eye!

Many thanks

David

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33M [2018-03-06 21:23:52 +0000 UTC]

This coloring on the Finch is wonderful...
Ours usually have a red head, never saw one with the red belly...

Instant fav for sure

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Okavanga In reply to 33M [2018-03-07 06:45:59 +0000 UTC]

They are a most attractive species to watch, M, but lots of gardeners are not too keen on them as they can strip a tree of its buds in a blink of the eye.

Many thanks

David

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33M In reply to Okavanga [2018-03-07 13:46:18 +0000 UTC]

I have seen some of my finches eating the early magnolia buds also
in my trees and bushes.  I thought that mine were just really hungry,
I didn't know that maybe the new buds were actually a delicacy for them

Thank you so much, you really have the greatest info to share

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Okavanga In reply to 33M [2018-03-07 17:13:01 +0000 UTC]

Seems to be that bull finches are lovers of the fresh buds, while other finches have a more mixed diet.

David

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33M In reply to Okavanga [2018-03-07 22:51:24 +0000 UTC]

I will try to get a photo of a finch eating my magnolia buds and post it
and we can compare the two...

thank you David

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Okavanga In reply to 33M [2018-03-08 06:32:15 +0000 UTC]

That would be interesting - I guess they have their preferences by way of buds.

Cheers

David

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Scooby777 [2018-03-06 15:18:08 +0000 UTC]

Your bird photography has progressed to exceptional, David!

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Okavanga In reply to Scooby777 [2018-03-07 06:51:21 +0000 UTC]

That is very kind of you, Sheri, .  But, there is some way to go yet with this lens.

Many Thanks

David

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Scooby777 In reply to Okavanga [2018-03-08 02:19:10 +0000 UTC]

Hum...is it the glass or are you just getting used to it!

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Okavanga In reply to Scooby777 [2018-03-08 06:29:24 +0000 UTC]

Trying to figure out the best settings in camera and in lens for different wildlife work. 

David

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Scooby777 In reply to Okavanga [2018-03-10 04:54:11 +0000 UTC]

Ah!

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seek-and-hide [2018-03-04 14:25:31 +0000 UTC]

Gorgeous bird, I like the colors.

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Okavanga In reply to seek-and-hide [2018-03-04 16:03:01 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, Mayumi. The colours are quite well captured, so that is a success for this lens given poor lighting and a lot of noise.

Cheers

David

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seek-and-hide In reply to Okavanga [2018-03-06 08:13:19 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure, dear David.

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Captain-Art-Hero [2018-03-04 14:08:33 +0000 UTC]

Great capture.

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Okavanga In reply to Captain-Art-Hero [2018-03-04 16:03:41 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, Alex. Given the circumstances, this has turned out as not too bad.

Cheers

David

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Maria-Schreuders [2018-03-04 10:16:20 +0000 UTC]

Wonderful bird and photo

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Okavanga In reply to Maria-Schreuders [2018-03-04 16:04:00 +0000 UTC]

Thank you kindly, Maria.

Cheers

David

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Maria-Schreuders In reply to Okavanga [2018-03-05 06:09:04 +0000 UTC]

You're so welcome dear David  

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