Posts Tagged: heusenstamm
Kingfisher once more!
I hadn’t expected the weather to hold up today. All the apps were showing clouds and cold. The latter was definitely true, and it was a real slippery ride to Heusenstamm by bike – especially the last stretch to the mill ruin, which was a sheet of ice. My new, “small” travel tripod from K&F (a clone of the Rolei Lion Rock) was with me – my Christmas present to myself. 😉
When I arrived, three colleagues were already sitting on the bench waiting for the kingfisher. He came, I took some photos, and I was particularly pleased with a shot where I’d captured him perfectly in flight, only to realize I’d left the SD card in the computer. The Nikon buffers the last few pictures, but if you switch the camera off after shooting, like I did, everything’s gone… that’s how it was today. Punishment was necessary, so I stayed for another hour while the other colleagues all headed inside to warm up, and sure enough, the female kingfisher came by again (it had been the male earlier). So here are a few pictures from today, which almost cost me my toes. Despite thick socks and waterproof, padded rubber boots, you get cold standing in the stream waiting until you reach the pools. At least the tripod saved me the long pauses and waiting, and it fits on the top tube of my bike. All’s well that ends well, though I’m still cold. 😉
My equipment, both technical and digital, is at its limit at these distances. My next lens has a 100mm longer focal length, and a teleconverter is on my shopping list.
Ice, ice, birdy!
After dragging my tired butt out too late to the kingfisher party yesterday—New Year’s Day, you know— I couldn’t stay home today with the crisp wind, frozen snow, and occasional bright sunshine. The birds must have felt the same way, because there were so many of them, all posing for my camera. Even yesterday’s little friend was there, and while my fingers and toes were freezing, he managed to get a good amount of food from the water and, in his typical fashion, beat it against the nearest branch. But first, here are a few pictures of his aerial acrobatics.
More focal length, a better field of view (he always dives into the water behind the tree), and more light… I hope he’s still around in the spring and that I manage to treat myself to the new lens and a teleconverter. Topaz saved the day again.
