Starling in flight

[weepete]

Got some starlings nesting on the roof, so I sat out on Sunday with my 150-600mm and tried to get some shots. They were very fast, so I had to resort to pre-focusing and trying to predict their flight path which was challenging! About 4 hours spent out and I got one single shot that's good enough to show. I'd not really been able to put my 5DmkIV to the test with birds since I bought it so it was good to give it a challengeand get back into the habit of using my long lens.

This is as one of the pair returned to the nest with a beak full of hawthorne flies, shot almost directly overhead.

Starling in Flight 1 by wee_pete, on Flickr

 

[Fujidave]

Cracking shot, nice and sharp in the right places.

 

[Space Face]

We've got them in the eves of our loft, right above our bed. Bloody noisy buggers. Used to have one a few years ago that sat in a tree in our front garden and I swear is sang the theme tune to the Adams Family TV show from way back when.

I was gonna say that looks like St Marks flies in it's gob until I realised that St Marks flies ARE Hawthorn flies

Good work and more patience than I have.

I really need to 'exercise' along the cliffs and get some of the sea birds nesting right now. Loads of farmland species too.

 

[Jeff15]

Excellent shooting......

 

[weepete]

Cracking shot, nice and sharp in the right places.

Thanks Fujidave, I couldn't raise the lens and get the camera to autofocus fast enough so ended up having to pre-focus and shoot through the flight. Thankfully I got one decent frame!

We've got them in the eves of our loft, right above our bed. Bloody noisy buggers. Used to have one a few years ago that sat in a tree in our front garden and I swear is sang the theme tune to the Adams Family TV show from way back when.

I was gonna say that looks like St Marks flies in it's gob until I realised that St Marks flies ARE Hawthorn flies

Good work and more patience than I have.

I really need to 'exercise' along the cliffs and get some of the sea birds nesting right now. Loads of farmland species too.

Yes, they can be very noisy. I've got quite a lot of patience for this kind of thing. I guess years of fishing has rubbed off a bit

Excellent shooting......

Thanks Jeff15, maybe one day I'll be able to get this kind of shot consistantly

 

[Winona]

Very good shot!

 

[Jeff G]

Pete, that is just plain awesome! I know how hard a good bif shot can be.

 

[weepete]

Very good shot!

Thanks Winona, I do like a backlit bird xD

Pete, that is just plain awesome! I know how hard a good bif shot can be.

Thank you very much Jeff, it was tough even getting them in the viewfinder. I think my pre-focus was at 15 feet so it was about all I could do was use both eyes to track the bird and fire off 3 frames before they dissapeared onto the roof. Being that close meant good detail though, so worth the effort. Hopefully I'll get to try a few more before lockdown is over

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

A very sharp and wonderful shot. Great job on this!

 

[weepete]

A very sharp and wonderful shot. Great job on this!

Thanks Dean, it's the first shot I've been excited about for a while so glad it went down well!

 

[DarkShadow]

Cracking Sharp Shot and a great sky too.

 

[Photo Lady]

wow awesome shot in every way... wow...... so beautiful

 

[Derrel]

This photo easily earned the winner badge from me.

 

[Irishwhistler]

Good shooting.

Mike

 

[weepete]

This photo easily earned the winner badge from me.

Wow, thanks mate! I know you don't often give out that accolade and when you do it's hard earned. You really know your photography. It's pretty awesome to get that from someone I really hold in very high regard. A major badge in my book! thanks!

Good shooting.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I must admit I lucked our being so close. I'd love to do some house martins too but they are even harder to get.