It's official Spring has Arrived??

Friday's 11th

Well not quite?

It's still cold in the nights, but day time temperatures are nice and comfortable as long as is sunny

White-headed Duck

Mixed messages from the El Clot today, 50+ White-headed Duck some showing the blue bill and displaying, also there Black necked Grebe's doing there courtship display of walking on water, and just outside the hide a winter visitor? a Grey Wagtail,

Black necked Grebe's

Black necked Grebe's

 lots of Shoveler Duck,  Marbled Teal, Common and Red crested Pochard  a few Common Teal looking very smart, Great crested Grebe doing the courtship display, 3 Marsh Harriers, but no sign of any Gadwall or Fudge Duck?

Grey Wagtail

White-headed Duck 

No Crag Martins or any aerial migrants to report

Quite a few Cetti Warblers which were also displaying and singing, not the easiest of birds to see but today it was easy,

Grey Wagtail

And so migration is almost on it way and I'm wondering what's going to turn up this Spring

Have a great week

Cheers Bryan

One Swallow doesn't make a Summer

Friday 4th

Beautiful Day nice and warm and in Tea Shirts and I should of put my shorts on?

And at El  Pinet I glimpse a Barn Swallow feeding over the water, it would be our first migrant of the year, but my claim was watered down as half a dozen Crag Martins  were flying over some pine trees close by? So i chalked it off the list? No big deal as we'll see them plenty of them due course but always nice to see the first one!

But anyway not a mega day but we did have some moment's? Around Santa Pola Salina's,  Great white Egrets.  Good numbers if Widgeon, but nothing out of the ordinary, Med Gulls, Audouin's Gull, Sender billed Gulls, Massive number of Cormorants and all the usual suspects.

Our day brightened up at the Monastery.  A  Blue rock Thrush stood its ground and put up with me taking a few photo's for a minute or two. This could also to be an interesting spot to watch as Little Owls have moved in and also Common Kestrel, so just wait till the European Rollers arrive could be fireworks over the nesting places?

Watch this space?

Little Owl
we can see you! 

 Blue rock Thrush

 Blue rock Thrush

Common Kestrel

Inland

Palm farm Road

Was crap 20+ Tree Sparrows Small groups of Meadow Pipits, Green Sandpiper, Linnet, Sky Lark, Blue Throat.

Of interest there were a few puddles along the track and around these puddles were hundreds of Bee's not sure what species of Bee and what they were doing?

Unknown Bee?

Unknown Bees?

We got as far as Santa Aguda

3  Common Snipe, 3 Blue Throat, Blackcaps singing, Fan-tailed Warbler some Booted Eagle and Marsh Harriers, Buzzard, Gloss Ibis.

And that was about it?

I've not mentioned every bird seen or heard

Have a great Day

Cheers Bryan

international station

 Sorry no photos

Watched it for 4 minutes over Gran Alacant brightest image in the sky

So fast 17.000 mph west to East?

Amazing

This Bad Boy came again this Afternoon

The last pandemic a look back n time

Photos from the last pandemic in 1918

Looks uncannily like this pandemic, but these are from another time.

 At this moment there seems there are a few exceptions to the rules though?

when is a party not a party, it's just not acceptable to behave this way, after what we have all sacrificed to stay safe and protect others?

I've not seen any of my family for 2 years. Like him or loath him, the line has been crossed. Boris Jonson and the Conservatives party, is untenable. to be honest, they will have little or no chance in the next general election.

Boris doesn't know his ass from his elbow how did he ever become the leader of the country.

Great idea Let Party!

Just look at our Queen and at the time the country was in mourning

You can see the Queens sadness

I don't normally do politics on my blog but it's an absolute disgrace, the behaviour of our politicians and civil servants.

Cheers

BT

Re up Digital Blasphemy

I thought I'd re-up this blog.

Richards Pipit

Isles of Scilly

Date: 27/08/2003

Model: Canon EOS-D60 Lens (600f4): 250 ISO: Aperture: 4.5

Shutter: 1/500 Exp. Comp.-0.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: AI Servo AF

Wilson's Petrel
At Sea Isles of Scilly
Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II  Lens (400f4 Do)

As I've just bid on one of canon ancient cameras that I use to own over twenty years ago   I've bid £10.00 on a Canon D60 6.3Mb.  I paid in 2002 £1.600+ for the camera, but my reason for the re-up is can you tell the difference between 6Mb and 24+mb?

So I didn't win the item on eBay, it sold for £15.00, but I have won/purchased on eBay a Canon 30d 8.2 MB ill 

A twenty-year review of my ancient Canon EOS Digital Cameras 

Blyth's Pipit
Isles of Scilly

Date: 19/10/2007

Time: 13:37:22 Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Lens (mm): 840 ISO: 200 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/2000

It's something that I've been planning to do.  A review of my Canon Digital cameras and the image quality.  So make your mind up and draw your conclusions. 

There are lots of photos to look back on from my archive of images from around the globe.  To be honest, my camera equipment is now showing its age, it's a bit like me getting old and creaky and banging on a bit.

Red-Throated Diver

Of

 interest, I was up to my waist in the sea photographing this Diver when it dived right between my legs.

Date: 27/08/2005 

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (300f4): 250 ISO: 160 Aperture: 4.5

Shutter: 1/1000 Exp. Comp.-0.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: AI Servo AF

Semipalmated Sandpiper
 Porth  Hellick
 Isles of Scilly

Date: 02/08/2003

Model: Canon EOS D60 Canon Lens (:300f4) and ISO: 100 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/400 Exp. Comp.:-.3

Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

 

Gannet
At Sea 
Isles of Scilly

Date: 27/08/2005 

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (300f4): 300 ISO: 160 Aperture: 4.5

Shutter: 1/5000 Exp. Comp.-0.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: AI Servo AF

You'd think with the advances made In digital SLR photography and Mirrorless cameras, megapixels, sensors, autofocus, lens optics, screens resolutions, and so on, you'd be thinking there'd be a massive improvement, in image quality. There has been in certain areas, an improvement, flip out, rotating screen and resolution, autofocus speeds, operating system, menus etc?  

I'm now starting to feel, a bit of a photography dinosaur, now after 50 years of photography, using a variety of different formats 35mm, 6cm x 6cm square images on 120, 126mm,  Slides, and print film, Polaroid's, medium format, Hasselblad's etc and finally Canon EOS Digital.  

Steve Young from Birdwatch Magazine ( my amigo) said back in the day,  digital photography, it's never gonna catch on.   In those days we'd sell prints to birders of rare birds, we've never let him forget what he said about it. Digital photography and how it is now mainstream.

Short-billed Dowitcher 
Isles of Scilly

Model: Canon EOS 550D ISO: 200 Aperture: 6.3 Shutter: 

1/640 Exp. Comp.: +0.3 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

 I owned full-frame cameras that we're at the time was the very best you could get,  I have other types that could rattle off 10 frames a second, which I rarely used the high frame rate, which would occasionally frighten off the bloody bird.  That's a good thing about mirrorless no shutter noise,  I've almost always had the latest high-end cameras from Canon. But for me at this moment in time, I seem to be reverting backwards in time.  All I'm using the camera and lens for is just to record what I've seen, I guess that's what most bird photographers do? 

Razorbill
Isles of Scilly

Date: 16/06/2004

Model: Canon EOS D60 Lens (300f4): 300 ISO: 200 Aperture: 5 Shutter: 1/2500

Exp. Comp.: -0.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: AI Servo AF

 I've never really felt the need to use all those bells and whistles that we're on offer in the sub-menus. I'm a bit of an instinctive photographer, a single shot at a time, when everything looks right, I Press the shutter

Black-capped Petrel
Off Auckland New Zealand

Date: 31/03/2008

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (300f4): ISO: 400 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/4000 Exp. Comp.: -0.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: AI Servo

But can I justify spending another £3.500+ on yet another Digital camera? for my very low-resolution Birding Costa Blanca blogs. 

White Chinned Petrel

Date: 12/11/2003

Model: Canon EOS D60 Lens (300f4): 300 ISO: 100 Aperture: 4 Shutter: 1/800 Program: Aperture Priority

Focus Mode: AI Servo AF

Arctic Tern.
At Sea South Atlantic.

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (400f4 DO) ISO: 200 Aperture: 10 Shutter: 1/200

Exp. Comp.: -1.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

  I don't think I'll be winning any more awards for my type of photography as nowadays as it's mostly from a car or a hide. I'm not getting down and dirty for a bird's eye view,  I find it hard just getting down there never mind getting up nowadays.  I'm not supplying rarity bird images for publishing and probably not reaching the minimum requirements needed, for publications.

Cream coloured Courser

Isles of Scilly

Date: 13/10/2004

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (600): ISO: 100 Aperture: 8 

Shutter: 1/500 Exp. Comp -0.3 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

My good friend and amigo Hadoram Shirihai, who's is the most brilliant photographer /writer/ researcher said to me this. .... His camera and lens is just a tool to help his research, which will forever wind me up no end, because of the fantastic photographs he takes. And the camera for him was just like a brush is to a painter/artist.

Montague's Harrier 

Extremadura Spain

Date: 14/05/2016

Model: Canon EOS 550D Lens ( 840) ISO: 200 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/1000

Exp. Comp.: -0.3 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

My question is this?

Can you see any difference between any of these photos taken with my various ancient relic Canon Digital Cameras close to the top is a photo of a Semipalmated Sandpiper is taken with a mere 6.3 megapixel D60  but it doesn't look any worse or any better than the Canon 760D 25 + megapixel Alpine Accentor photo?   Most images were taken canon L lenses

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Guadalentín Spain

Date: 17/04/2018

Model: Canon EOS 5D full-frame Lens (740) ISO: 100 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/800 Exp. Comp.: -0.7

Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-ShotAF

 I'm I going mad?  

Honestly, I'm not seeing any major difference in images quality?  considering the difference in pixels size, density, crop sensors, and full-frame, and very little difference between the cameras over the last twenty years of research and development.

 I must be missing something?

 I get it, that more pixels make bigger enlargements and finer detail possible, but do we need a 2 foot high Alpine Accentor photo?

Alpine Accentor
Pyrenees Spain
Date: 19/06/2017
Model: Canon EOS 760D Lens (600F4) ISO: 400 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/2000
Exp. Comp.: -0.3 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-ShotAF

 If anything digital noise looks a little bit worse on the Canon latest 1.6 crop sensors cameras.  (It might be different on the mirrorless camera? ) I guess because there cramming more pixels in the same crop sensor resulting in more noise.  Post-production noise reduction can be used with care, it does add a little softening and loss of image detail.

Wilson Snipe

Isles of Scilly

Date: 23/10/2007

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens ( 600F4) ISO: 100 Aperture: 8 Shutter: 1/32 Exp. Comp.: -1.0 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

Interesting comparison of images over time"

All images processed in the latest Adobe Camera RAW, only basic level's and sharpening applied, little or no noise reduction applied

Pied Wheatear
Isles of Scilly

Date: 16/10/2003

Model: Canon EOS D60 Lens (600f4) ISO: 100

Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/800 Program: Program AE Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

Desert Wheatear
Isles of Scilly

Date: 12/10/2010

Model: Canon EOS 40D lens (600f4) ISO: 400 Aperture: f8 Shutter: 1/3200 Exp. Comp.: -1.0 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

American Golden-Plover
Tresco 
Isles of Scilly

Date: 04/10/2006

Model: Canon EOS 20D Lens (600f4) ISO: 200 Aperture: 9 Shutter: 1/1000 Exp. Comp.: -0.7

Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

Buff-breasted Sandpiper
St Agnes 
Isles of Scilly

Date: 17/09/2006

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (600F4) ISO: 200 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/2000 Exp. Comp.: -0.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode One-Shot AF

Royal Tern
Cuba

Date: 13/01/2008 

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens ( DO: 400f4) ISO: 125 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/2000 Exp. Comp.: 

Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

Short-tailed Albatross

Chichijima Northern Pacific

Date: 01/05/2008

Model: Canon EOS 40D Lens (400f5.6) 400 ISO: 125 Aperture: 6.3 Shutter: 1/1000 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: AI Servo AF

KaguNew Caledonia South Pacific

Date: 09/04/2007

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (135) ISO: 250 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/80

Exp. Comp.: -1.0 Program: Aperture Priority

Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

Conclusion my personal view

My favourite Canon Digital camera body of all time very fast accurate autofocus and

pin-sharp images, it never missed a shot and would buy again without hesitation.

Canon 1D Mk Il only 8.2  megapixels and a 1.3 crop

King Penguin
South Georgia South Atlantic

Date: 20/03/2006

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Lens (DO 400) ISO: 200 Aperture: 10 Shutter: 1/200

Exp. Comp.: -1.7 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

The Canon D60 is a bit of a relic at only 6.3 megapixels it's a bit slow autofocusing using a telephoto lens and challenging for seabird photography, but I've used it and done it and the results are fine.  I've seen it for sale on eBay as low as 99p in working order with a lens attached, I think I paid about £1.600

Southern Royal Albatross 
Kaikoura New Zealand
1/11/2003 

Model: Canon EOS D60 Lens (130) ISO: 400 Aperture: 6.3 Shutter: 1/640Exp. Comp.: 0.0 Program: Aperture Priority Focus Mode: One-Shot AF

below is my list of the Canon cameras I've owned and or still have

EOS 550D/Rebel T2i/Kiss X4 

EOS 650D/Rebel T4i/Kiss X6i

EOS 760D/Rebel T6s/8000D

EOS 5D 

EOS-1D Mark II 

EOS-1D Mark III

Used purchased EOS D30 

EOS D60

EOS 10D 

EOS 20D

EOS 40D

EOS 50D

Mirrorless Canon EOS M

hope you've enjoyed my review

Have a great day

Cheers BT

First Bud's of Spring

An Interesting morning,  you just never know how it's going to turn out do you?

So earlier this week John and I went to Montnegra more or less to confirm what we already knew? It was so quiet we hardly saw anything, a couple of Bluerock Thrush,  and a few Griffon Vultures, we cut our losses and headed back to the Clot de Galvany not much better there either, to many people and the hides full. But the Shoveler's and the Marble Duck are displaying.

Bluerock Thrush

And so today we went back to our normal route across the Santa Pola Salinas, quite a few Great white Egrets, Spotted Redshank, Redshank.  The Large flock of Widgeon are still present, distant Canteen of Spoonbill, Dunlin, Marsh Harriers, 

Flowing Almond Trees

El Pinet

Plenty of Mud

Looking good but today only 30+ Dunlin.

We ventured inland

A few Serin were flying around and displaying, the buds of spring are beginning to show,  even some early flowing Almond Trees.  We started seeing a few Booted Eagle's, and more Marsh Harriers, eventually ending up at Santa Agueda.  The Green Sandpiper was still there, it's been around about a month now. A confiding Bluethroat performed in front of us for 10 minutes which was good and 50+ Skylark in one of the fields close by.

I can see you Mr Eagle
Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Bluethroat 

San Felipe

We didn't stop long to much disturbance and headed off to the Spotted Eagle Tree and a cup of tea and buttery shortbread biscuits.  I didn't see this raptor coming, it was close before I picked it out,  only 150 meters high and I lost it in the sun, I call John what do you think this is?  It was right into the Sun, It didn't fit anything, might be pale phase Booted?  Marsh Harrier? No, it's an Eagle, it came out of the sun and took a few record shots, before it drifted away.

Juvenile Bonelli's Eagle

Juvenile Bonelli's Eagle

 looking on the LCD screen on the camera back and the Collin's Bird Guide it was easy, we've just seen a Juvenile Bonelli',s Eagle, thank God I got some photos or we may have never confirmed the ID and another good bird would have been lost.  I've not seen Bonelli's Eagle in that plumage before, only Adult Bonelli's

Juvenile Bonelli's Eagle

Of Interest

The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector  Franco Andrea Bonelli

Franco Andrea Bonelli

Some antiquated texts also refer to this species as the crestless hawk-eagle.

Its feathered legs marked it as a member of the Aquilinae or Booted Eagle subfamily.

Bonelli's Eagle can be considered partially opportunistic, is something of a special predator of certain birds and mammals especially rabbits, galliforms 

( Red-legged Partridge etc ) and Pigeons.

Back to Birding

A few moments later Michelle called Bry what's this.  It was only the Spotted Eagle coming in.  ( well done Michelle ) I quickly grabbed the camera, the bird was losing height fast, I didn't get a photo as I'd knocked a switch into manual focus, ( Oops) and we watched the Eagle swoop into a Palm Tree.

We could partially see the Eagle in the palm through the scope, a double dose of Werther's to celebrate, and we headed home.

We seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment 

I've now put gaffer tape over the switch so that won't happen again.

Have fun

Cheers

Bryan