Puffin bird (Loko glugger)

Here’s an old favourite- the sinister puffin bird.
I took this picture on a visit to the mystical island of Lundy, just off the coast of Swansea.

Lundy actually means ‘Land of the puffin bird’.
The islanders are fond of hunting the puffin birds, which live in underground burrows, and use specially bred terriers (puffin hounds) to flush them out. The practice is known as puffin baiting.
Of course, the puffin bird is associated with many superstitious beliefs.
The majority of puffin bird superstitions revolve around the sighting of a lone puffin bird. There are some curious customs associated with this. It is the most common of the puffin bird superstitions, and throughout the British Isles it is believed that it is unlucky to look upon a lone puffin bird and there are some interesting regional beliefs about what you should do to ward off any bad luck. For example: In Scotland and Northern Ireland one should shoot the lone puffin bird; whereas in some parts of England one should throw a stone at it! Puffin bird superstitions in Yorkshire suggests that the bird is associated with witchcraft and therefore an ill omen - one should make a sign of a cross or take off your clothes in respect to ward off any evil. Another from remote parts of the county suggests that an individual should imitate the lone puffin bird's missing partner – by making a loud squealing noise! Apparently the puffin bird has significance overseas as well - in Tristan da Cuhna, one of the more popular puffin bird superstitions has folk believing that the puffin bird can foretell people what they will be having for dinner.

What a load of nonsense.

Ducks

I'm not sure what type of ducks the small ones are, but they certainly are tenacious.
They were defending their territory against the large duck, and for the whole time I watched them they never gave up chasing it.

Welsh Ostrich (Struthio camelus Cambrenesis)

Ostrich Farming has been going on in Wales since the 1980's. Of course, over the years a number of birds have escaped from the farms and now several colonies of wild ostriches can be found in the west of the country.
This flock wandered onto the A484 when I was coming back from town the other afternoon, holding up traffic for a good ten minutes.
Never leave home without your camera!

A good reference library ...

A good reference library is indispensable. Try to get up to date books- new types of birds are being invented all the time.

I try not to spend too much on books, however, as it can turn into a bit of an obsession. My friend Matty used to be a keen ornithologist and photographer but now all he does is stay indoors studying bird books.

Badger Bird (Pica Meles)

Back to the serious business.
At first I wasn't sure what this black and white crow- like bird was, but having consulted some reference books and the internet I can confidently say that it is a Badger bird.
The Badger bird has been hunted to near extinction because of it's disastrous impact on the farming industry. Aparently the birds transmit deadly diseases amongst cattle (bovine tubercolosis). Luckily for our impoverished farmers the government provides them with substantial grants to fund the killing of the birds.
I was lucky enough to spot this one near our local shiny ring factory. There were no cattle around at the time...

When The Boat Comes In Appreciation Society...

You may have noticed from the photo in the previous post that I was wearing some rather old fashioned togs?
Perhaps I should explain that I am heavily involved in the West Wales branch of the When The Boat Comes In Appreciation Society...
Here's a pic of 'the lads' arriving at our last meeting.



We meet up regularly at the Conservative Club and discuss the TV series and ways of returning Britain to the austerity and poverty of the interwar years. We used to meet at the Labour Club but they don't want 'our type' there anymore apparently (perhaps Cllr Edgar Hughes would care to explain exactly what he means by this?) .
Sorry, this has got nothing to do with ornithology...

And just for good measure here are the real lads...

At the seaside...

The weather down here was really nice over the holiday weekend so Eddie and I went to the seaside in the hope of capturing some exciting bird shots.
Eddie had the brilliant idea of fastening some old crusts of bread to my hat- the birds, he said, would swoop in close.
Brilliant idea, Eddie! here's a great shot of some sort of seagull or tern type thing about to take the bread right off my forehead.


And here's a picture that Eddie took of me on our return.

Barn Owl (Tyto ferus caballus)

Everybody loves an owl! These sinister clock faced creatures of the night with their devilish horns and ghostly wails have been childrens' favourites for years.
When Farmer Wootton told me there were owls nesting in the old barn me and Eddie 'borrowed' some night vision surveilance equipment from his nephew in the local council (they use it for taking pictures of drunks smashing shop windows in poorly lit areas). The results are truly astonishing.
To the naked eye all that was visible was the outline of the bird, but the special gear enabled us to capture this vivid image.

In Action! Eurasian Greybellies.

This is me in action! Eddie took this picture of me down at the local park ... and here was the result of my efforts: a great shot of some Eurasian Greybellies.

Red Kite (Milvus mavis)

No Welsh bird site would be complete without this majestic bird- The Red Kite. These birds were virtually extinct fifty years ago, but thanks to the efforts of HRH Prince Charles and Sir Anthony 'Hannibal Lecter' Hopkins, there's now one perched on every lampost in the principality.

Ardderchog!*

Here we can see the distinctive red plumage and the forked tail that makes him instantly recognisable.

* excellent.

Cameras...

There are plenty of ornithology sites that will tell you that you need to buy expensive camera equipment in order to take decent bird pictures. I can assure you that this is not the case.
Mostly I use an ordinary digital camera.
I do, however, have a collection of literally hundreds of old cameras that i use. You can pick these up for a couple of quid in most charity shops. So you can just chuck them away when you've had a gutsfull of them. I also find that sometimes the frustration of waiting for hours to capture that perfect shot can make me smash up my gear in a fit of rage- so old second hand stuff is ideal.

Canadian Longneck (Zeltornis ginsburgi)

I was able to snap this Canadian Longneck in my neighbours garden just the other day. Canadian Longnecks come to the UK for the summer and this was the first one we've seen this year. My neighbour is such a lover of these gracefull predators that she has a specially stocked pond in her yard to attract them...

Hides

Hides- literally structures in which to hide- are a very important consideration for the serious wildlife photographer.
Here are some examples of hides that I have been able to build in the woods near my home.
Just a word of caution- do not build these constructions too close to residential areas or military establishments.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

The Peregrine Falcon is often stated to be the fastest animal on the planet because in its hunting dive it soars to a great height and then dives steeply at speeds commonly said to be over 199 mph. A study testing the flight physics of an 'ideal falcon' found a theoretical speed limit at 250 mph for low altitude flight and 390 mph for high altitude flight. In 2005, a falcon was recorded diving at 242 mph.

Camouflage

You can't expect to just stroll about the countryside and get up close and personal with birds. They are very shy. That's why it's important to adapt a discrete appearance and blend into the natural environment.
I have been lucky enough to have had some military training, as well as been quite keen on paramilitary activities, and i have been able to utilise these skills in my birdwatching activities.
Here is my typical 'multi purpose' get up:

If I'm just off for a walk on the heath or in the woods with nothing particular in mind I'll probably wear this discrete rig, and then if I happen to see an interesting bird I can just grab my camera and spring into action!
For other situations, when i have planned an expedition to photograph a particular bird, I might wear something like this:

General Franco

It's not all about the great outdoors!
Here's a photo of my friend Eddie and his cockatoo- General Franco.

Eddie says he can't imagine life without a cockatoo- he's kept them for years...
For this picture I used some Japanese camera- I think it was a Canon.

Birds in Flight...

When people ask me 'where's a good place to look for birds?' I reply 'the sky!'
But all joking aside of course the sky is where you do see most birds. Capturing a good shot of birds in flight can be highly satisfying...

I'm not too sure what birds these are? I took the picture by lying flat on my back and pointing the camera straight up at the sky.

Greetings.

Greetings fellow bird watchers!
In this blog i will be sharing some examples of my ornithological photography and posting a record of my birdwatching activities.
I'm no expert in this field, just a keen amateur- infact I took up the hobby only a few years ago in order to aid with my rehabilitation from agoraphobia.