RSPB Old Moor & Park Springs

We had a ride over to RSPB Old Moor on Sunday, taking advantage of the dry weather in-between all this rain we've been having.

I find it incredibly frustrating that the hides there are such a long way from the birds and the bird garden is so dark. Still, it must benefit the wildlife even if it drives a budding wildlife photographer to despair!

We also dropped in at Park Springs, just down the road from Old Moor but by then the sun was beating a hasty retreat so we didn't stay there too long.

Debbie.

RSPB Fairburn Ings

Yesterday we went along to RSPB Fairburn Ings, we've not been here since June 2005. Paul persuaded me that it would be a good idea to go on the Kingfisher Walk but there were too many people in the group trying to squeeze into the hides for it to be enjoyable or to have much chance of seeing anything. We did find out where the best places were to look for them though and did get some good views during the afternoon when we went back round the reserve.

I tried my teleconverter on the 300mm lens but the manual focus was more trouble than it was worth, I don't think I've done bad at all without it. I did get some shots of the Kingfisher but it was just a little bit too far away, Paul managed a few shots with his monster lens.

I love the bird feeding areas at Fairburn, out in the open with plenty of light, even on a dull day like yesterday, not like at Old Moor where it's dark even in bright sunshine. The rats I'm not so keen on and they were everywhere you looked!

Debbie.

RSPB Old Moor

A few weeks ago both myself and Paul got a new camera lens, Tamron 28-300 and we've both been having real problems with them. Communication errors kept appearing and when they did work, the results were mostly rubbish. I had to trash a whole days pictures taken on Sunday at Adel Dam Nature Reserve so on Monday morning we took them both back to Jessops.

We were expecting a fight to get them to take them back but the chap didn't seem too surprised and mentioned that they had been recalled which is probably why they've vanished from their web site.

Anyway, I've now got a proper Canon lens, the 75-300mm USM which I took for a try out at RSPB Old Moor yesterday. While I'm still in the early stages of learning how to handle a DSLR, I can still see that the images I got with this new lens are in a totally different league than the ones I've been getting with the one that went back.

I'm really looking forward to getting out and about with this new lens during the rest of our holiday!

Debbie.

Bobbins Day!

On Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat and ear ache, on Saturday I was still the same so on the way to take some piccies we called at the chemist. I explained to the lady my ailments who then explained them to the pharmacist who then asked what age the patient was, I replied 38 at which point he popped up from behind the screen shocked and said "opps, sorry, I thought you were a child". It seems my voice hasn't aged the same as the rest of me!

We arrived at a dark and damp RSBP Old Moor, taking piccies weren't as easy as normal, all the birdies were just too far away and the feeding station was really dark. I did manage to get a couple of shots though :-)

Debbie.

Bempton To The Rescue

We set off on Saturday morning for a day at the coast, Ravenscar to be precise. We were hoping to get down to the beach there but after an hour walking through insect infested fields, we got nowhere. We even stumbled into an area with a warning sign to keep dogs on a lead due to Adders! I'm no fan of snakes, especially poisenoius ones so I made sure they all cleared off by stomping about until we escaped the snake pit!

Naffed off by the whole experience, we headed down the coast to RSPB Bempton, safe from snakes, buzzy things and paths leading to nowhere. The cliffs were still lively with Gannets, Kittiwakes, Puffins and gulls of all shapes and sizes going about their business.

Here is a collection of shots taken by Debbie.

Paul.

Old Moor

Having spent all yesterday on the sofa, we managed to pull ourselves away to get some shopping done and then spend a couple of hours down at RSPB Old Moor. Debbie hates me lugging the slr with the huge lens around and I must admit, I limit it's outings now to the back garden and Old Moor.

It was absolutely freezing in some of those hides with the breeze rushing across the water and into your face. Still, we both thoroughly enjoyed it and I ended up wanting to go first while Debbie was still snapping away with her little camera. We've bought some more bird food for the best fed garden birds in the country!

All the shots below are Debbie's, you can see mine next door.

Paul.