First day of flight.

[GetCarter]

Firstly - two threads in one day. I should get out more.

Having said that:

We have swallows nesting in our barn and the chicks fledged today - so if you're sitting comfortably...

These are 3 of the 4 chicks - who were all flying this morning.

[pic]http://www.stevecarter.com/700-swallow-1.jpg[/pic]

..but there is always one isn't there, who just refluses to leave

[pic]http://www.stevecarter.com/700-swallow2.jpg[/pic]

Eventually, having watched all his mates getting fed outside he took the plunge

[pic]http://www.stevecarter.com/700-swallow3.jpg[/pic]

...and soon they'll be back off to Africa. Sod that.

BTW - Here's dad, who sits on my internet connection sh!tting on my car all day.

[pic]http://www.stevecarter.com/700-swallow4.jpg[/pic]

[simpo two]

Nice work. May I ask how you achieved focus for the head-on flying shot?

[beano500]

simpo two said:

... May I ask how you achieved focus ...

Cheap taxidermy???







Slightly less flippantly: Good shots, I'm getting pangs of D2X-envy!

[GetCarter]

simpo two said:

Nice work. May I ask how you achieved focus for the head-on flying shot?

Well dumb luck actually. (plus a very clever camera). The broken window is next to a signpost - and he kinda flew/jumped up there - so I just put the camera into P mode/continuous autofocus, fast ISO (and on the 8 frames a second /high speed crop mode)... and started to walk towards him - looking through the lens. About 10 feet away he finally decided he hated my shirt or the garlic I had for lunch and flew - and I let fly with about 20 frames - two of which managed to get 'something' in focus. I can't be ar5ed to upload the failures, but surfice it to say many just contain the road sign... and that's sometimes out of focus.

Bill Oddie/Laurie Campbell I aint.

[V6GTO]

Steve,
Any friends of yours are friends of mine...tell them to stop at mine for a beer!

Martin.

[GetCarter]

Ta Martin

Mines a Rioja

...and just when I thought I could relax for the day... the bloody red squirrel came back to eat the food that we put out for the adult swallows.

It's a right kurfuffle I can tell you.



>> Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 15th June 17:02

[te51cle]

Some great shots in there, action shot of the bird is great. Is that a lot of purple fringing around the daisy/squirrel's thigh or something else ?

[GetCarter]

Probably crap, I was about 15 yards away and had the wrong lens on - this is a SERIOUS crop (almost 1:1)

I'm waiting for some good weather to put the vid camera out at about 6 am and leave it on the lawn to run, see if I can't get some interesting motion pics.

BTW... watched 'The Aviator' las night.... YAWN

[CVP]

Love the first one, the swallow on the right is just so sharp, crispier than a crispy thing

And you also get red squirrels in your garden - lovely, you lucky blighter.

Chris

[Graham.J]

Cracking shots Steve, the 1st and 3rd are superb