Weekly Photo Challenge: Dinnertime

The sky is blue, not a cloud in the sky. Terrible for landscape photography, that’s for sure, because the light is too harsh. But lots of light means I can use one my favourite slower lenses to do a little bit of bird photography and where better than the Spinnies. That slower lens by the way is the amazing “El Cheapo” OLYMPUS M.40-150mm F4.0-5.6 R. Honestly for such a cheap lens £89 (US$ 128) I’ve had amazing results with it. Far better than when I used to use that big old 150-500mm that cost a fortune and weighed a ton.

The Spinnies is a mixture of wetland and woodland, bordering the coast, in an area that is internationally important for birds. Most of the land around the Spinnies is agricultural and so the Spinnies and sites like it in the area act as important high water roosts and feeding areas for many types of ducks and waders. The reserve is a popular bird-watching spot which has 2 hides giving views over the lagoons and the Menai Strait. In the photograph above you can see the lagoon, which normally is quite busy.

Anyway my plan was to photograph some of the birds on the shore line feeding, but it was very quiet, Considering it was high tide I expected there to be plenty of waders and ducks but all I saw were a few terns. All of these were with the OLYMPUS M.40-150mm F4.0-5.6 R

Well I think they are terns. My bird identification skills have never been great. So after checking out the shore line and fining nothing I thought I would turn inland to the woods. First thing I saw was this little blue tit gathering nesting material. The nest was probably near because it was prepared to wait me out so I moved on and let it get on with it’s work. The best part of this picture for me is the way the light is catching the business end of the tit. It’s head with the nest material is lit up, whilst most of it’s body is in shadow.

This post was supposed to be about dinnertime but I was having a hard time finding any birds that were feeding naturally. The Spinnies has several bird feeders next to the hides and they were all making a bee-line for these. Another Blue Tit just waiting it’s turn to get into the nuts and seeds. What I like about this photograph is the way the Blue Tit stands out from that blue background.

I photograph all my birds and animals in the wild, in their natural environment. Some photographers will cut branches from nearby trees and bolt them to a small table. They’ll then put food at the bottom of the branches and sit back, behind a blind, with a long lens, and wait. To me, that may be bird photography, but it isn’t wildlife photography. – David Young

I have used this quote before and I strongly believe what David says here. For me anyway, this isn’t wildlife photography.they’re too easy to capture. You sit in the hide, in the warmth, wait until the birds fly onto the feeders and just click the shutter. Easy. Don’t get me wrong here. I like the photographs, all of them, but the biggest challenge is getting them in focus.

My next photograph is of a lovely little Nuthatch sitting on the bird feeder. Most of the time it had it’s back to me and although I had shot a few photographs. I still wasn’t happy. Then it turned just this way. I love the way the light is playing on the bird.

In many ways the photograph of the Chiffchaff below is similar to the Nuthatch, the difference being it always presented it’s back to me. Once again it was just the way the light was playing on the bird that attracted me to this photograph.

That’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed the photographs and as usual here’s what other bloggers are saying about this weeks challenge.

The World Is a Book… Art of Dumpling Making
Dinnertime – Daily Post Photo Challenge – grahamisjustmyname
Anthony Shaughnessy Summer’s a bummer for landscape shooters
moonstonemaiden Weekly Photo Challenge- Dinnertime
Babsje Heron Who’s a good Great Blue Heron- You are! You are a good Great Blue Heron! (Post #300
la floralie 2 241 Flora’s menu, the spice of Life for a curry banquet
The Eye of a Thieving Magpie And Then Dinner Wandered By
Pudding Perfection- Castello Taverna – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
Dinnertime – Senk Photography
Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry – Bedlam & Daisies