Playing with the big boys

This common sandpiper was so well camouflaged, it had been nearly invisible, until it decided to take a walk along the spit towards the duck and geese.

Local wildlife photography

Over the last 18 months I have been introduced to the delights of local sites for wildlife photography. A friend of mine, a birder, has been introducing me to some of the many sites across Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. As they are so local, provide a variety of habitats, and have a wide range of wildlife (mostly birds), it has been a opportunity to polish my skills, and use a range of different photographic equipment. In addition, I learn a lot from their knowledge of birding, even on one occasion photographing blind, under instruction, to capture a rarity that had been spotted. As our emphasis is different, (birding, and photography), we complement each other in these excursions.

The pictures above were captured at a nature reserve which has become a regular haunt. While I am quite pleased with these shots, the second does show one of my continued technical issues: I tend to frame so tightly that I cut off parts of the subject. (In this case about 2mm of tail.) Still learning.