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1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

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    1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

    well after arranging a meet up on the wirral for today ,and sweating all weekend on ,hurricane bertha,the weather ,tides and winds . we met this morning at the pre-arranged spot ,wayne and friend ,my buddy dave ,arrived earlier than me and jan and we brought nathaniel with us to .

    on arrival we were met by a desolate beach as i suspected .but knowing the area and what to expect a quick scan with the binoculars showed lots of waders on the distant tideline so it would just be a case of waiting and hoping .the next hour or so resulted in a lot of friendly banter ,jokes and talk re equipment (no wayne you can't have a 1dx) .

    as the tide got closer the smaller waders started to show up as more than just specs and i suggested everyone get there cameras ready as it comes in at the gallop here ,we were all soon busy snapping away and it was each to there own ,due to the wind the premium spot seemed to be sat on the sand below the prom wall which is about 2 feet high ,allowing for some fairly eye level shots .

    the next hour was quiet exciting with lots of activity on spoiled by the usual arrogant dog walkers deciding to walk little benji right between us and the waders ,i really cannot fathom some people .a sudden 10 minute rain shower had us all scatter to the cars for a rest and a quick coffee .and as the rain stopped we all got out for some more ,me and nat took a walk along the prom as i had spotted some close up oystercatchers but as we approached the flock a pair of teenagers or slightly older decided it would be a good idea to run through the flock screaming to get there Facebook shots (nearly lost my temper but held it back and just gave them a sarcastic "thanks a lot " loud comment .did get this shot out of it though .
    here come the muppets !! by blackfox wildlife and nature imaging, on Flickr

    all in all a successful 1st meet and before we left we all drove down to park gate marsh and were all treated to a distant marsh harrier hunting ,which is a awfully large bird of prey in anyones books .record shots only i,m afraid .

    #2
    Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

    Nice shot, really shows the red eye.

    Shame the teenagers were inconsiderate, but I take it in your books dog walkers shouldn't be allowed on the beach, at least, not when you're there? I thought beaches were for all the public? Am I mistaken?

    Mike
    flickr
    5D4 : 7D2 : 16-35 f4 L : 24-105 II L : 70-200 f2.8 L : 100-400 II L : Macro 100 f2.8 L : Manfrotto CX055 Pro3

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      #3
      Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

      The beach is for everyone of course. However, there are times when a little courtesy and considerateness goes a long way. The dog walkers and the two girls were fully aware that there were photographers,not only us, who were trainging their cameras to catch a wonderful sight, and they could have been more discrete in their activities. Perhaps they wanted their photos taken as well!!!!!! It is this sort of behaviour that is common in todays society and the cause of quite a lot of problems.
      Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

      www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

      North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

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        #4
        Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

        Well done.

        Tom

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          #5
          Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

          as with what nat said mike ,yes it is indeed a public beach and having walked the dog down it for around a mile let it chase the birds (presumably without a thought for there welfare ) then decided to walk a narrow gap between us and the birds when the access steps 3 steps high was literally just behind us ,just sparks of pure arrogance ,and b.t.w i,m also a dog owner so not anti dog at all .
          also as a point of interest and nat wouldn't know this this particular beach is a S.S.I due to the bird population and there are signs everywhere asking people not only NOT to walk there dogs there but also to avoid walking on the beach themselves apart from a narrow strip at the rear of the beach .

          Comment


            #6
            Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

            Aha! Your earlier comments make more sense to me now!

            Yes, that does sound like a naff dog-walker you got... especially as it's SSI, and they disturbed the wildlife. Thanks for the clarification.

            Mike
            flickr
            5D4 : 7D2 : 16-35 f4 L : 24-105 II L : 70-200 f2.8 L : 100-400 II L : Macro 100 f2.8 L : Manfrotto CX055 Pro3

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              #7
              Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

              no problem mike ,sometimes the written word doesn't come across in the right context ,if you had been there i,m certain your reaction would have been the same as mine ,as for the two muppets ,its actually nat i feel sorry for as he is a slow walker and at least i got a few shots off nat was a couple of hundred yards behind me .in fact it was only the fact that he was there that they didn't get a gob full of verbal as it was totally deliberate .

              Comment


                #8
                Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

                A question to Jeff. Looking at the images I have noticed that all the birds are facing "West" and also flying "westwards". Any reason for that?
                Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

                www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

                North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

                  Originally posted by Nathaniel View Post
                  A question to Jeff. Looking at the images I have noticed that all the birds are facing "West" and also flying "westwards". Any reason for that?
                  Hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes by responding to this... Birds will generally always face into the wind so they can take off easily in the event of any perceived threat... by the same token they will generally land into the wind... so, if you want those 'angel' shots of terns for example, just make sure the wind is behind you! (Easier said than done of course...)
                  Cheers;
                  Lee
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  All fair comment & critique will always be welcomed !
                  5D3, 80D, 40D (IR), G3X
                  17-40 f/4, 24-105 f/4, 70-200 f/2.8, 100-400 f/4.5-5.6, 100 f/2.8 Macro, Sigma 150-600 Sport

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                    #10
                    Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

                    As lee says it's to do with wind direction and basically the same as early aeroplanes did

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                      #11
                      Re: 1st wirral wildlife group meet up REPORT

                      Thanks, that makes a lot of sense to me.
                      Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

                      www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

                      North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

                      Comment

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