Candid Camera

Old age combined with bird photography in all sorts of weather in many parts of the world finally caught up with my now rough around the edges Canon EOS 80D. I listed it on Ebay as needing “tlc and attention” and it sold quickly for £200, enough dosh to kick-start the search for another camera. 

Now was the time to check under the floorboards for spare cash towards the new investment. Well there’s no point in keeping money in rip-off banks with their paltry interest rates is there? And in any case, and just this week, if a customer doesn’t conform to many banks’ increasingly odd world view they will simply close an account. Whatever happened to “The Customer is Always Right”? 

As luck would have it I found a stash of notes that Sue had forgotten about and then set to Googling digital SLRs. 

Mirror-less cameras are the new trend and destined to replace digital SLRs. I already have a mirror-less in the shape of a pocket sized Sony SLR used for street and landscape holiday shots, a camera that performs incredibly well. But I needed a camera to which I could seamlessly switch without learning a whole new set of function buttons and complicated menus, a feature in which the Sony excels. I love the little Sony with a passion but could never use it as a tool for bird photography, an ability that demands rapid changes of ISO, f numbers and zoom settings, mostly all at once, with one hand. 

Sony A Series

 

The upgrade had to be a camera that would take Canon and third party EF/EFS lenses, more especially an 18-55mm for birds in the hand and a Sigma 150-600mm telephoto for longer shots. Choices were limited but I settled on the next Canon up, an EOS 90D, probably the last of Canon’s digital SLRs before their recent move to a number of mirror-less cameras. 

The main reason for going for the 90D was extra megapixels, 33MP as opposed to 24MP, plus the aforementioned familiarity with Canon’s user friendly menus together with the layout of the camera back plate and the top buttons, both of which are satisfyingly similar in both cameras. I used HDEW Cameras who supplied me a grey import at £200 less than most retailers, and it came with a 3 year warranty. 

Canon EOS90D versus Canon EOS80D

It didn’t take long to get used to the 90D where a few shots in the garden confirmed the upgrade worked well until I could get out in the real world when the winds drop and sunny days return. 

Swallow

Blackbird scoffing the cherries

Collared Dove

Woodpigeon

And whilst on Ebay another camera sparked interest with memories of how cameras used to be: my old dad’s Box Brownie, the Kodak Instamatic, a useless Polaroid, and a pre-digital 35mm film camera, a Pentax ME Super. 

Loading a film camera

 

Those were the days - not. Open Up Your Camera. 

The first step is to open the back of your camera. ... 

Step 2: Prepare your film. Take your film out of the little container. ... 

Step 3: Secure the film leader in place 

Step 4: Wind the film forwards...ensuring your sprockets are aligned 

Step 5: Close the camera and take some photos! 

Step 6: Wind the film to the end and pray that the film captured half decent images that fully display your expertise as a photographer 

Step7: Put the film back in the little container and take it to Boots or a High Street photography shop where it will be sent off to experts who will transform your film into printed images. Hand over a large amount of money for the service 

Step 8: Pray again for about 7 or 8 days until the prints are ready 

Step 9: Save the one or two acceptable prints and bin the rest 

Step 10: Buy another roll of film and start all over again. 

The little camera on Ebay reeled me in. An Italian Job from 1953 - £15 including postage. What a find, a Bencini Comet “like new”.  Thanks Stuart.

The Bencini Comet was the first of a series of cameras made from 1948 into the 1950s. They were made by CMF Bencini in Milan, Italy. 

“Solidly built from polished metal castings with a sheet metal back. A viewfinder camera fitted with a 60mm meniscus lens and instantaneous & time shutter. The time function operates as 'Bulb'. The shutter release, which is on the body, is threaded to allow for the connection of a remote shutter release cable. The shutter function selector is unusual in that it is a tab that is pulled out from the lens barrel. The camera is capable of capturing sixteen half frame exposures (3 x 4 cm) on 127 film by the use of two red windows. It is a front focussing camera giving focus down to 3ft. A tripod mount is provided. The viewfinder is very small, the eye piece being only 3.5mm across.” 

Bencini Comet

Bencini Comet

Bencini comet

I have no intention of using this little gem. Cameras of this period and Art Deco looks can never replace a modern digital SLR. But it sure looks good on display in the lounge and provides a great talking point for visitors. 

Back soon with more news, views and photos from Another Bird Blog.

Linking on Saturday to Eileen's Saturday Blog.

A Tern For The Better

Friday morning proved too breezy for ringing so with the little sun I headed for Knott End village and the viewpoints of the jetty and promenade. From here are vistas across Morecambe Bay to the English Lakes, Barrow and on suitable days, The Isle of Man. There are many birds to be seen in most seasons except for high summer when grockles appear. 

It was just here on Monday that a lady and her dog were rescued after getting stuck in mud off the end of the slipway. I’m on safe ground in saying that because she had a dog with her, the lady was probably not a birder. 

Monday 2 August - Knott End, Lancashire - @LancsLive

The poor lady was pulled unceremoniously from the sticky mud by members of Knott End Coastguard with help from the crew of the Knott End/Fleetwood ferry. She was fortunate that a fast tide was not rushing in and that local people spotted her plight, as without their help, the seemingly innocent  walk could have ended in tragedy. 

The tides and sands of Morecambe Bay are incredibly dangerous but there is no accounting for stupid when warnings are clear and abundant.  

Knott End slipway - "Beware of sinking sand and mud. Check tides and weather"

My own walk along the river path was less eventful but dictated by the incoming tide which flooded the mud, sand and mussel beds. As the land disappeared about 450 Oystercatchers flew upstream to their roost. There was a steady flow of 55+ Sandwich Terns, their breeding season at an end with many now journeying to winter off the south and west coasts of Africa. 

Out of our own UK season of Sandwich Terns from March to September I have seen the species in the winter warmth of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gambia, West Africa, but wherever it is, Sandwich Terns seem to always retain their fear of man and keep a safe distance. 

This fear is not surprising when many past recoveries of ringed Sandwich Terns are from hunting in West African countries like Ghana, Senegal, Angola, Ivory Coast , Liberia and Sierra Leone. Here the trapping of terns for food is carried out by children setting noose traps on the beach baited with dead fish. Although this practice may be less prevalent than say the 1960, 70 and 80s, it is apparently still widespread in some areas. 

 

Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Tern

Oystercatchers

 

The best and certainly the rarest birds I saw were two other terns, Little Terns, on the beach and close to a gang of a dozen or more Sandwich Terns. Soon, the two smaller terns followed their cousins out over the incoming tide. 

Little Terns used to be much more common in Autumn in the days before the familiar story of falls in their UK population.    

Factors contributing to this low productivity include predation of chicks and eggs by, Kestrels  Foxes and the crow family. other losses from nest loss due to bad weather, food shortage, and, most significantly, disturbance by humans. Most Little Terns nest along the east and south coasts of England, adjacent to some of the most densely populated areas of Britain, although many sites are now guarded in an attempt to limit disturbance.

Little Tern

Early August is the best time to see Little Terns in Lancashire. Many years ago I counted more than 100 gathered on the shore at Cockersands on a single August morning.  Sad to say it is highly unlikely such a high number will be seen again in these parts but instead the norm becomes a count by fingers of one hand. 

There seemed few other species alongside the river and the edge of the golf course except for a handful of Greenfinches, Linnets and that rarity the House Sparrow.  A good number of Collared Doves look as though they have enjoyed a successful breeding season. There's been up to a dozen around our local gardens this last week. And of course the shore and the river provide lots of gulls.  

Greenfinch

House Sparrow

 

Collared Dove

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Near Sea Dyke Cottage (1754) two Grey Herons flew upriver, croaking in flight as the tide engulfed their feeding patch. 

Knott End, River Wyre

Grey Heron

 

Our summer weather is looking pretty poor to at least Monday. I’m thinking that Wednesday 11th might be my next birding and/or ringing day. Fingers crossed the experts have got it wrong again. 

Too Few Birds

Last week saw a combination of rain, northerly winds and cold temperatures that conspired to prevent early migrants moving our way.  Internet bird news confirmed the paucity of birds - a flurry of Chiffchaffs, the occasional Wheatear, and a smattering only of pipits and wagtails. Excitement arrived in the form of a few high flying Ospreys headed for Scotland. 

Tuesday's forecast looked likely to break the deadlock with southerly winds and temperatures forecast to be in the teens. If only.  I arranged to meet with Andy at Oakenclough at 0630 but stopped briefly for the obligatory Barn Owl. 

Barn Owl

The morning was 100% cloud with gradual clearance into a sunny but still chilly morning. Birds were few and far between and a miserly catch of just 6 birds, about as bad as it gets with neither rhyme nor reason to explain our disappointment. 

Visible migration seemed nil apart from a handful of Meadow Pipits and a high-fly flock of either Redpolls or Siskins that numbered about 25. Our catch comprised 2 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Robin, 1 Wren, 1 Dunnock and 1 Blue Tit. 

By 1100 hours we'd called time on the morning. 

Lesser Redpoll

Lesser Redpoll

Other birds seen - 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Buzzard, 15 Oystercatcher, 4 Lapwing. 

On the drive home back home via Rawcliffe Moss I stopped to watch a Kestrel and then spotted the pair of Highland Cattle, many miles from Scotland. 

Highland Cattle

Kestrel

Back home we have a regular Grey Squirrel looking for food and nest building Collared Doves, Woodpigeons and Greenfinches.

Grey Squirrel

Collared Dove

 

Greenfinch

More news soon I hope. "Things can only get better" for Another Bird Blog.

On reading the latest news back home it appears that migration was much more obvious in coastal locations with Sand Martins, Wheatears, Siskins and Willow Warblers in evidence.  

Still the weather stops me from birding so I'm hitting the memory trail from the warmer, drier days of Lanzarote and January 2015.

Remember to click the pics for bigger and better views of Lanzarote, Canary Islands.

We drove north and west heading for the coast at Famara hoping to find Houbara Bustard, Cream-coloured Courser, Stone Curlew and other bits & bobs along the way. After breakfast we said goodbye to the hotel’s Collared Doves and Spanish Sparrows, the two species which dominate the grounds and where the few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs stay mostly hidden amongst the greenery. Passing Kestrels may take a brief look at what’s on offer. 

Collared Dove

Kestrel

The male Spanish Sparrow is a rather handsome chap who inevitably bears the brunt of camera clicks while the less photogenic females look on. 

Spanish Sparrow

Spanish Sparrow

We took the road via La Geria, the wine growing area with its traditional methods of cultivation. Single vines are planted in pits 4–5 m wide and 2–3 m deep, with small stone walls around each pit. This agricultural technique is designed to harvest rainfall and overnight dew and to protect the plants from prevailing winds. The vineyards are part of the World Heritage Site as well as other sites on the island. This landscape is pretty much devoid of birds although the ubiquitous Berthelot’s Pipit or a patrolling Kestrel are often encountered. 

Lanzarote

La Geria, Lanzarote

Berthelot's Pipit

We passed through farmland near the centre of the island Teguise and drove north towards the spectacular cliffs of Famara, stopping or diverting the Corsa across rough tracks to look for speciality birds of Lanzarote. Near Teguise a Stone Curlew flew across the road and landed in an uncultivated patch of land near to a half-grown chick - a nice find indeed. The chick crouched in an attempt to become invisible while the adult walked off and tried to distract me from its offspring.

Stone Curlew

Stone Curlew

Stone Curlew chick

Johnny Cash fans will know of the Boy Named Sue. In Lanzarote there is also a place named Soo, not far away from the Riscos de Famara and it’s a good area in which to look for Houbara Bustards. With just a small population in the Canary Islands, this species is mainly found in mainland North Africa west of the Nile and in the western part of the Sahara desert region in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. 

A Town Named Soo, Lanzarote

Houbara Bustard

Near Famara, Lanzarote

Looking for bustards, Lanzarote

As you might expect from a species historically hunted in large numbers the Houbara Bustard is very shy and will either hide or run from a vehicle. The cryptic plumage gives a bird the chance of escaping detection. 

Houbara Bustard

Houbara Bustard

We stopped at the windy Wild West town of Famara to survey the rugged cliffs and sandy dunes where we found Yellow-legged Gulls and a single Little Egret along the rocky shore near the jetty. We followed up with a light lunch before hitting the road back south taking detours along the many dusty trails in search of more birds. 

Little Egret

Sand dunes at Famara, Lanzarote

Lanzarote lunch

The Desert Grey Shrike was a lucky find, the bird diving into a grey, thorny bush that upon inspection held a newly built, lined nest ready for eggs, and which from the female’s behaviour were the eggs surely imminent. I took a number of shots and left the bird to her domestic duties. 

Desert Grey Shrike

Desert Grey Shrike

It had been a great day of exploration and discovery but time to head back to Peurto Calero and a well-earned rest. 

The LZ2 road Lanzarote, 2015

There’s more news, views and photos soon from Another Bird Blog.