Friday 11 March 2011

Friday at the Flicks - Sparrowhawk, Sunlit Starlings, Dunnock, Finches

I was just setting up a different lens combination when I spotted a Sparrowhawk sat just past the end of my garden having a good look round.



Starlings can look so dull and uninteresting until the sunlight catches them to show how their feathers can be multi coloured.



One or two Dunnocks are regular visitors to the Birdy Bistro. Sometimes they visit the bird table but more often they are searching in the shadows. This was the first time I used a new tripod with a fluid head so it was in the way of being a test shoot.



Finally there is always fun and games when Greenfinches and Chaffinches want to use the same feeder.



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

12 comments:

  1. John, a real treat this morning. You have had a good week.
    Fluid head.........next you will be running around with on of those chest harness mounts.....gyro stabilised birding.

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  2. Super videos! You have had a successful week with your photos and videos. Terrific shot of the Sparrowhawk ~ interesting to see it up close to watch how it surveys the surroundings.

    The shimmery Starlings in the sunlight were beautiful. Watching them reminded me how my little birds wipe their beaks back and forth on the branches after they have eaten the suet cakes.

    Great capture of the activity of those Chaffinches and Greenfinches as the 'dined' at the Birdy Bistro.

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  3. It was a good week Adrian. I actually had a choice of video clips for once.

    Last Summer I experimented building a 'steady cam' for my small camcorder. I'll probably have another go at a neater version this year as it worked quite well.

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  4. Thank you Glo. I was pleased to get a short clip of the Sparrowhawk. They don't stay still for long at low levels.

    The Starlings had been at the suet treat so they were also wiping their beaks clean.

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  5. What a good mix of flicks today John. I enjoyed all of them.

    The Sparrowhawk is very majestic looking, I certainly wouldn't want to be a songbird when that is around ;)

    The sun really showed the Starlings plumage beautifully, they looked quite exotic!

    The Greenfinches are an argumentative lot, it is usually the Goldfinches they argue with the most in my garden.

    Have a lovely weekend John, I hope the weather is kind to you.

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  6. Thank you Jan. The Sparrowhawk does look as though it owns the territory and the Starlings can look quite beautiful when in sunlight and not squabbling.

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  7. Excellent selection today John.
    The Starlings looked stunning in the sunlight, their colours really showing.
    My favourite clip though, was the Sparrowhawk. He sat like he owned the place, surveying the bistro for lunch. Such a beautiful bird.

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  8. Love the sparrowhawk, even at full screen it was nice and sharp with a piercing gaze! I have a great fondness for starlings; I love the bronze outline of the wing feathers as well as the iridescent colors you captured so well.

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  9. A fascinating clip of the sparrow hawk. Those eyes, that beak and those spindly little legs (thankfully those talons are not that apparent !). It is interesting that the beaks of the starlings are already changing colour initimating the sap is rising...

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  10. Thank you Keith. It is great to get the odd rare clip of a Sparrowhawk.

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  11. Hello Wilma. Yes indeed, the bronze wing edges do stand out from the shiny colours.

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  12. Hello Twosie. It looks as though the Starlings are back roosting in my Leylandii as they arrive at first light now. It would seem the breeding season is under way.

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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