I think it's fair to say that birding has been a very pleasurable substitute for angling thus far into the "Pike season". Once again, this morning, I went back down to Pegwell Bay NNR to watch the rising tide and had an absolute blast. The exposed mud was covered by 11.45 hrs despite high tide not being until 13.20 hrs, however, the angle of the sun being further towards the south ensured that viewing conditions were so much better than those over the weekend. I was fully loaded with scope/tripod, bins and camera, so had all bases covered? Still no additions to my "self-found" year list but highlights included an Avocet, 4 Red-throated Divers, 27 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 12+ Sandwich Terns plus the regular fare which fill the diary pages at this time of year. At this juncture it might be prudent to get back to the beginning of my session? I had fitted the camera with a Sigma 1.4X tele-converter which, in effect, would mean that my Sigma 170/500mm lens when attached to the EOS 70D became equivalent to an 1120mm lens - absolutely crazy! What would the quality of images be like? There was only one way to find out!
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Prior to leaving home I'd taken a few token shots of the House Sparrows at the feeding station. They didn't look too bad, so decided to experiment further. This is where fate played a major role. I'd only just walked past the Garage Pool, en route to Pegwell, when a Spotted Flycatcher flew across the path in front of me. In absolutely perfect conditions the bird then proceeded to pose like a prima donna as I rattled off a series of shots. This was my first UK Spotted Flycatcher for a very long time, probably in excess of five years; I might be wrong?
As you can see, the image quality isn't too shabby yet certainly not as sharp as some other efforts I've posted recently where there hasn't been the 1.4X converter used. I think that the lesson was one worthy of attempting yet all signs are that it wasn't particularly beneficial from a quality aspect. It was whilst I was looking at the results obtained today that I started to think about comparisons with images of "Mediterranean" Spotted Flycatchers that I've captured whilst holidaying on Kefalonia and Corfu.
Really enjoyed myself today. The realisation that there is so much more to learn is very good for the soul.
Found your pics pretty good why aren’t you Piking this year Millsy
ReplyDeleteI will be Pike fishing again but, as I'm targeting a twenty from The Kentish Stour, must abide by the club ruling that states no Pike angling before 1st November. This is purely a decision made because of the very hot summer. The river remains low and dissolved oxygen levels are cause for concern according to The Canterbury & District AA committee. I'll happily admit that I've enjoyed Pike fishing during October, in many previous years, yet know that my best chance of a really big fish always occurs after the first prolonged period of frosts. So, at present, I'll bide my time and enjoy some local birding whilst keeping a close eye on weather. Hope this explains the situation? Cheers for posting a comment - Dylan
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