Spoonbill

I started off shooting this bird from the car window, but when it went behind some reeds ran down to the waters edge to lie down. No hide or scim netting. Amazing how a low profile allows birds to come so close. It is taken in the Coto Donana NP in Southern Spain, but around the Bonanza area where you can get good access to the birds. Most of th epark is very restricted.

Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia, single bird in water, Spain, May 2018. Olympus Em1 Mk2. 300mm f4 lens. 1/2000th at f5.6. 800 iso.

Yellow-legged gulls

Yellow-legged gull, Larus cachinnans, two birds mating, Morocco, March 2018. Olympus EM1 Mk2. 300mm f4 lens plus 1.4 extender. 400 iso. 1/3200th at f5.6. This is my second trip to Morocco and neither has been great for photography. It is all car window photography and you can go many hours between photo opportunities. I did enjoy using the Olympus gear from the car as it is so much more manoeuvrable. Even better was the ease of getting my gear through the airport. I was below the weight limit for once.

Song thrush V Blackbird

Song thrush, Turdus philomelos, bird in snow fighting with Blackbird, Warwickshire, March 2018. Olympus Em1 Mk2. 40-150mm lens at 150mm. 1/4000th at f2.8. 3200 iso. Over exposed by 1.7 stops.

The last fall of snow did not last nearly long enough and I did not get as many images in it as I would have liked. This is my favourite. Two thrushes fighting over apples. The light was very dull, so I needed to overexpose by 1.7 stops and use the 40-150mm lens at f28. From a canvas hide.

I will probably buy a second 1.4 extender soon. I would like to have one fitted to both the 40-150mm and the 300mm lens.