Your Photo of the Week

[Timothy Mayo]

I somehow missed this entirely! Congrats Tim! Welcome to married life!

Thank you very much Chris!

 

[Kevriano]

Cracking shot Kev! I mirror some of the forums like wildlife into a matching category in the Gallery. I don't actually have a category setup in the Gallery for the weekly challenge, do you think it makes sense to do this? We finally exchanged and completed on our sale today, the last few days since getting back from our honeymoon have been manic!! It's a big relief after 5 months, but now we have the same again with our purchase. If it doesn't work out then we are now chain free so this hopefully puts us in a better position, need to look at the positives! How's everything going with the new place?

Hi Tim, Cheers. I don't think putting it there would hurt. So glad your sale is complete, it certainly does put you in a good position, essentially a cash buyer. As for the new place, best thing we have done in years, the only problem is I now have no inclination to look for part time work It can wait.

 

[Clix Pix]

I think that would be a nice idea, mirroring the images posted here for the 52-week project so that they show up also in the gallery!

 

[Clix Pix]

Representing Week 39:

 

[Kevriano]

Week 40! My first ever Red Throated Diver, taken in the huge swell at Winterton last week. Funnily enough, I've just gpt back from our local beach and seen them again .

 

[Timothy Mayo]

Week 24. Caught this little kingfisher fishing on the river Teme in Ludlow.

 

[Clix Pix]

Representing Week 40:

 

[Kevriano]

Week 24. Caught this little kingfisher fishing on the river Teme in Ludlow.

View attachment 13559

Excellent Tim

 

[Timothy Mayo]

Excellent Tim

Cheers Kev. It's the first half decent shot I've got of one in the wild. I enjoy shooting them from paid hides but it's a lot more satisfying when you catch one in the wild. Will have to visit this spot a little more often now

 

[Timothy Mayo]

Week 40! My first ever Red Throated Diver, taken in the huge swell at Winterton last week. Funnily enough, I've just gpt back from our local beach and seen them again

Lovely shot Kev. I don't think I'll be seeing these in Shropshire anytime soon! I just read that they can stay under water for a minute and a half, that's pretty impressive! I was watching a goosander diving on the weekend, it's always fun trying to work out where they are going to come back up!

 

[Kevriano]

Lovely shot Kev. I don't think I'll be seeing these in Shropshire anytime soon! I just read that they can stay under water for a minute and a half, that's pretty impressive! I was watching a goosander diving on the weekend, it's always fun trying to work out where they are going to come back up!

Cheers Tim. Yep, they stay under for ages and pop up 40 yards away. Very tricky to keep up with them. I've since got some much closer shots of a juvenile or adult in eclipse. I'll post them .
Re the Kingfisher. Yes, I've never dome a paid hide, it's something I don't really agree with, but I appreciate finding them in the wild can be hard. Nit here in Norfolk apparently though. Not been yet, but someone took a boat trip down the River Ant and counted 14. I've been fortunate to have had them on my doorstep in our old place too.

 

[Timothy Mayo]

Cheers Tim. Yep, they stay under for ages and pop up 40 yards away. Very tricky to keep up with them. I've since got some much closer shots of a juvenile or adult in eclipse. I'll post them .
Re the Kingfisher. Yes, I've never dome a paid hide, it's something I don't really agree with, but I appreciate finding them in the wild can be hard. Nit here in Norfolk apparently though. Not been yet, but someone took a boat trip down the River Ant and counted 14. I've been fortunate to have had them on my doorstep in our old place too.

It must be great to have such wildlife on your doorstep Kev, definitely worth moving for! Paid hides are definitely very controversial. I've used them a few times for kingfishers but I don't get the same sense of achievement with the shots taken there as I do in the wild where you generally need a little more field craft. As you know a lot of photographers try to pass these shots of as taken in the wild as well which I always find quite misleading and even sad in a way that one feels the need to conceal how the shots were captured. Then there's the question as to whether these kingfishers would actually survive in the wild without the hide owners supplying the fish, I'm guessing many wouldn't. I remember Mike Dunlevy who has a hide in Shropshire telling me that he spent days sitting in the freezing cold during the Beast from the East back in 2018 so that he could break the ice for kingfishers to feed, without that human intervention they probably wouldn't have made it, but then I guess sadly that's just how nature works. 14 is a very good count on the boat trip!

 

[Kevriano]

It must be great to have such wildlife on your doorstep Kev, definitely worth moving for! Paid hides are definitely very controversial. I've used them a few times for kingfishers but I don't get the same sense of achievement with the shots taken there as I do in the wild where you generally need a little more field craft. As you know a lot of photographers try to pass these shots of as taken in the wild as well which I always find quite misleading and even sad in a way that one feels the need to conceal how the shots were captured. Then there's the question as to whether these kingfishers would actually survive in the wild without the hide owners supplying the fish, I'm guessing many wouldn't. I remember Mike Dunlevy who has a hide in Shropshire telling me that he spent days sitting in the freezing cold during the Beast from the East back in 2018 so that he could break the ice for kingfishers to feed, without that human intervention they probably wouldn't have made it, but then I guess sadly that's just how nature works. 14 is a very good count on the boat trip!

Yes it is nature. I certainly don't agree with the fish in a bowl type hides. I have a friend, a very good photographer, who has some cracking Kingfisher shots, but you can see the rim of the bowl in them, and that, to me, is wrong. The Kingfishers on my doorstep were at my old home, but no doubt there are many here. I've seen one so far.

 

[Boojum]

Yes, they do swim hellish distances underwater. When I was a kid I'd summer in Maine on a small lake with loons. I learned how to cup my hands and call them. They'd be confused as they heard a loon but could not see one. They would come sort of close to the canoe but they are wary birds and did not get really close. It is beautiful to hear their call at dusk.

 

[Kevriano]

Yes, they do swim hellish distances underwater. When I was a kid I'd summer in Maine on a small lake with loons. I learned how to cup my hands and call them. They'd be confused as they heard a loon but could not see one. They would come sort of close to the canoe but they are wary birds and did not get really close. It is beautiful to hear their call at dusk.

Excellent. I'll have to try that. I think I was lucky this one came so close. They sure do go a long way under though, you focus where they were and then they are 40 yards away!

 

[Boojum]

Excellent. I'll have to try that. I think I was lucky this one came so close. They sure do go a long way under though, you focus where they were and then they are 40 yards away!

The cupped hands describe a closed chamber and the thumbs on your hand are parallel and you blow into the closed chamber through the thumbs. It takes some time to get it to work but once you get the first loon-like moan you are off to the races. The right hand can open and close to change the shape of the chamber to vary the tone and also cause the call to flutter. The loon can be quite fooled. It works very well in the dark when they can be coaxed quite close. I'll post some pics later, I am off to bed now.

The divers/loons are supposed to difficult to impossible to shoot in that the can see the muzzle flash and dive under water before the bullet arrives. To be honest I have only heard this and never tested it or seen it tested. I have also heard of people trying to eat them but they never tried a second time. Better off with a newspaper of fish and chips. They are supposed to taste just awful. Again, I have never tested this or talked to someone who has so take with a grain of salt, not on the loon meat. ;o)

 

[Boojum]

I tried to get photos of my hands in the proper position for loon/diver calling and failed miserably. Had I posted what I took I would be on the list for immediate camera confiscation, and justifiably so. I am having lunch with a friend tomorrow whom I will enlist for the job. She knows nothing about photography and will easily best me. There may be a lesson in there somewhere.

 

[Boojum]

OK, some photos which I hope will help. Someone grafted my hands onto the body of some old gaffer at the next table in the restaurant. The clam chowder was great.

Blow into the chamber formed by the cupped hands. You put your lips on the opening between your thumbs. It will take a bit to get it to work. Once you do get it to work you will see how manipulating the fingers on the right hand can vary the sound. It will call the bird quite close. As you know they are a very wary bird so do not expect to be able to hand it a biscuit. But they will be close. I hope this helps.

 

[Kevriano]

OK, some photos which I hope will help. Someone grafted my hands onto the body of some old gaffer at the next table in the restaurant. The clam chowder was great.

Blow into the chamber formed by the cupped hands. You put your lips on the opening between your thumbs. It will take a bit to get it to work. Once you do get it to work you will see how manipulating the fingers on the right hand can vary the sound. It will call the bird quite close. As you know they are a very wary bird so do not expect to be able to hand it a biscuit. But they will be close. I hope this helps.

Awesome. Cheers for that. I'll give it a whirl and let you know.

 

[Jeff A]

OK, some photos which I hope will help. Someone grafted my hands onto the body of some old gaffer at the next table in the restaurant. The clam chowder was great.

Blow into the chamber formed by the cupped hands. You put your lips on the opening between your thumbs. It will take a bit to get it to work. Once you do get it to work you will see how manipulating the fingers on the right hand can vary the sound. It will call the bird quite close. As you know they are a very wary bird so do not expect to be able to hand it a biscuit. But they will be close. I hope this helps.

OMG! That's the way hunters call over protective Mama bears! The Mama bear believes her cubs are in danger!