The weather in September in the UK has been characterised by heavy westerly winds; the aftermath of the hurricanes that hit USA's Eastern seaboard. These winds have displaced a number of rare American vagrants, which have turned up at rarity hotspots across the country, and also a number of pelagic bird species normally expected to be migrating at sea at this time of year. One of those latter species is the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and after missing one in Lincolnshire in early September, I couldnt resist trying my new Canon 500mm L IS lens on these normally confiding birds. Whilst the weather was'nt ideal with cloud cover and wind making the reservoir very choppy and thus making difficult photographic conditions, the new lens was impressive and I managed a series of new images for the portfolio. The bird on some occasions came as close as a metre to me rendering any telephoto lens useless due to focusing distance - oh well, you can't win them all. I hope you like the set below.
Lovely pictures and awesome photography.
ReplyDeleteMatt. Your new lens has worked well !! Excellent shots of the phalarope riding the waves,.They are such beautiful confiding birds.Love the one on the crest of the wave.It is amazing how these tiny birds survive life out on the ocean. Well done.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new lens.. is this the IS II version or the old one? Cant wait for my lens to arrive, the 600mm :) Lovely images you got there Matt!!
ReplyDelete