I’m actually a birdwatcher, not a chicken photographer, although lately I normally carry a digital camera. I accomplish that for a wide range of causes, however I admit to a powerful searching intuition, so I take pleasure in capturing pictures (trophies?), of the birds I encounter. It’s satisfying to return again from a day’s birding, obtain my images on to my iPad, and relive the thrill of every encounter.
Like most individuals who {photograph} birds, I take advantage of a protracted lens to allow me to seize portraits of the birds I level the digital camera at. OK, that sounds as if I’m stating the apparent, however it’s satisfying to see my topic fill the body. It’s why I take advantage of a protracted lens, and I usually want it was even longer. Nonetheless, it was studying my fellow contributor Faraaz Abool’s latest account of his exploits in Costa Rica (Birding the slopes of the Turiabla Volcano) that jogged my memory that photos of birds of their habitat let you know an amazing deal that pure portraits fail to do.
Faraaz’s model is to image a chicken in its panorama, and as his work exhibits, such images could be each efficient and evocative. It prompted me to trawl by means of my image library and pull out a collection of birds in landscapes. I’ve by no means printed any of them earlier than. None are significantly thrilling, however I hope that you simply discover them fascinating, and would welcome feedback on them. Maybe I ought to put extra effort into taking extra of those photos, or ought to I persist with portraits?
A Whimbrel on migration. North Norfolk, UK, Might. We consider Whimbrels as shore birds, however on migration they usually come inland
Larger Flamingoes. Greece, December. The sky was threatening a storm, however the Flamingoes had been illuminated by a low solar
Searching Barn Owl. Suffolk, UK, June. In England Barn Owls steadily hunt in daylight. This chicken was photographed late on a protracted June night
Cuckoo, Southern Caucasus, Might. A uncommon alternative to {photograph} a Cuckoo from above. The immense mountains are a reminder of the obstacles dealing with migrant birds
Pied Wheatear, southern Georgia, Might. These wheatears had been breeding in an intensive space of scrubby, arid steppe that jogged my memory of elements of East Africa
Frequent Redstart, Georgia, Might. The leaves had been simply beginning to unfurl. In one other week it will have been a lot more durable to identify, and {photograph}, this chicken
Migrating Swallow, Halkadiki, Greece, Might. A reminder that migrating Swallows must cross nice expanses of sea
Chiffchaff, Suffolk, UK, October. This one was in my backyard. The yellow leaves of autumn gave it close to excellent camouflage
Nice Gray Shrike, Rajasthan, India, March. Shrikes are typical birds of open areas. That is quite a boring {photograph}, however it jogs my memory of the remarkably bird-rich agricultural panorama of this a part of northern India
A Northern Wheatear on its breeding grounds, Galicia, June. Galicia is called Inexperienced Spain for motive, as this {photograph} exhibits
Northern Wheatear, Menorca, Spain, September. A migrant, heading south. The dry-stone wall makes a pretty perch
Noticed Flycatcher, Poland, Might. In early spring Polish woods are a particular vibrant shade of inexperienced
White-eyed Kestrels, Etosha, Namibia, February. Have been they nesting right here?
Jackdaws accumulating fur for his or her nest, Andalucía, Spain, April. Digiscoped. The cow appeared fairly unbothered by the Jackdaws
Blackgrouse, Arctic Finland, March. This was additionally digiscoped – the birds had been very distant. It’s an image that evokes, for me, the coolness of the Arctic in winter
White-throated Kingfisher, Sultanpur Fowl Sanctuary, India, early February. Winter days right here are sometimes uninteresting and misty
The identical chicken as above – not cropped. I walked nearer. I discover the panorama image extra fascinating
Kittiwake, Lowestoft, UK, April. Kittiwakes are ocean-going birds, however they nest on buildings in Lowestoft, so you’ve the weird sight of a correct sea chicken flying alongside city streets
Frequent Tern, Peraia, Greece, April. I’ve significantly better pictures of the tern, however I just like the setting
Low tide, with Little Egret and Black-headed Gull. North Norfolk, July. It’s an image of mud and water, the birds are incidental
A Curlew on the tideline. North Norfolk, November. Not an amazing shot of the Curlew, however that is how we so usually see them
