Having spent most of yesterday and today nursing damaged knee ligaments after I slipped and fell on Bluebell leaves in the wood yesterday afternoon, I was somewhat incapcitated. I decided that I could sit in the caravan and photograph the birds coming in to feed without too much discomfort once I had limped there. I had a really nice afternoon with the Nuthatch pair who came in repeatedly as well as Coal, Blue and Great Tits. The Jays put in an appearance as well and all around me birds were singing constantly. I could hear two Green Woodpeckers very close at times for most of the afternoon as well as a Song Thrush, Blackcap and a Stock Dove off and on.
I have said several times before that photographing these small woodland birds is a real challenge. If there is not enough brightness then forget it.
Today was one of my best for inflight shots but it's always very hard to adjust the camera correctly. You are looking for a shutter speed of at least 1/4000 of a second..... and reflexes that a fighter pilot would be proud of.
You need to use a high ISO to achieve the shutter speed. Nuthatch do fly slower, just a fraction and consequently are slightly easier to get shots of than Coal Tits for example.
I cant begin to tell you how pleased I am with this picture. Coal Tits fly incredibly quickly and this is where your reflexes really come in to play. You need to spot the incomming bird in the branches above and then the moment the bird makes it's move, press the shutter and fire off a few shots. One in 30 photos will hopefully be the lucky one.
Great Tits fly slightly slower and you will consequently have a little more success with this species.
Jays being bigger always fly more slowly and consequently are easier to freeze in flight but because they are massively bigger in comparison then you need to be set up for this species or you will only capture half of the bird in the frame.
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