The Blue tit.

The easy way to photograph a few garden birds.1.Set up a feeding station outside your window(kitchen in my case),within range of your longest lens.Set up a post next to the nuts/seeds,on which to attach a natural perch(twig/branch/whatever).I use garden wire to secure the perch but make sure the post and wire are not in your final image.Also make sure that the background looks natural and out of focus in your image.

2.Set the camera/lens on a tripod,or other means of support,focus on the perch,wait for bird to land and quickly switch focus to the eye.Click,swear when the bird moves too quickly,then wait for the next one.In the meantime sip your coffee,eat your toast,go to the loo,come back,do some dusting,come back,make the bed,whatever.You’re in the warm,nice and dry,birds are coming to you and you can spend as much or as little time as you want.

3.When you’ve got enough images on one perch,change it for another.

Here’s a few blue tits.

Blue tit in my Chirnside,Berwickshire garden.

Blue tit in my Chirnside,Berwickshire garden.

Blue tit 5. Blue tit 7. Blue tit 1. Blue tit 11. Blue tit 3. Blue tit 6. Blue tit 8. Blue tit 10. Blue tit 9. Blue tit 12.

Blue tit in my Chirnside,Berwickshire garden.

Blue tit in my Chirnside,Berwickshire garden.

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Little Grebe.

Last month I spent a couple of afternoons photographing the little grebe or dabchick,as it is also known.Ollie and me had noticed a pair of them during our walks along the riverbank and so I decided to come back while Ollie went home for a lie down.I walked back along the bank of the River Whiteadder,near where I live in the Scottish Borders.I selected a spot to sit,with my back up against a tree trunk,set up the tripod,long lens and having donned my camouflage gear, I then covered all with my Harry Potter invisibility cloak.Then it was just a matter of sitting,waiting and hopefully capturing some nice images of these lovely, busy little characters.I was sitting under the tree,beneath a bank,in the shade, while the sun shone across the water,throwing reflective colour over the water from the opposite river bank.

Here are some of the images from a cold but enjoyable couple of afternoon sessions.

Little Grebe with reflected colours on the River Whiteadder.

Little Grebe with reflected colours on the River Whiteadder.

Little Grebe or Dabchick.

Little Grebe or Dabchick.

On the River Whiteadder in Berwickshire,Scottish Borders.

On the River Whiteadder in Berwickshire,Scottish Borders.

Little Grebe with fish.

Little Grebe with fish.

Dabchick with fish.

Dabchick with fish.

A vigorous shake of the head.

A vigorous shake of the head.

Spray flying.

Spray flying.

A few water droplets.

A few water droplets.

Busy.

Busy.

Little Grebe 4.

Little Grebe with insect larva.

Little Grebe with insect larva.

Little Grebe and beech leaf.

Little Grebe and beech leaf.

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Duns Castle lake.

A couple of posts back I put up some mallard images taken at Duns Castle lake.I was there for a couple of hours and here are some more images from that single session.

Mute Swan on Duns Castle lake.

Mute Swan on Duns Castle lake.

Mute Swan,backlit.

Mute Swan,backlit.

Mute Swan,sails up.

Mute Swan,sails up.

Moorhen on the ice.

Moorhen on the ice.

Juvenile Mute Swan preening.

Juvenile Mute Swan preening.

Mute Swan juvenile,preening.

Mute Swan juvenile,preening.

Coot having a scratch.

Coot having a scratch.

Mute Swan juvenile preening,thru grasses and into the light.

Mute Swan juvenile preening,thru grasses and into the light.

Mute Swan thru the grasses,into the light.

Mute Swan thru the grasses,into the light.

Mallard,m wing flapping.

Mallard,m wing flapping.

Mute Swan glides by.

Mute Swan glides by.

Mute Swan on Duns Castle lake.

Mute Swan on Duns Castle lake.

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More Garden Birds.

Here’s a few more garden bird images with the blue tit and house sparrow being the most numerous on my patch.

House Sparrow,m.

House Sparrow,m.

Blue tit.

Blue tit.

Grey Partridge.

Grey Partridge.

Blue tit.

Blue tit.

House Sparrow.

House Sparrow.

Blue tit.

Blue tit.

Great tit.

Great tit.

House Sparrow,m.

House Sparrow,m.

Blue tit.

Blue tit.

Coal tit.

Coal tit.

Blue tit.

Blue tit.

House Sparrow,f.

House Sparrow,f.

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Mallards.

I took a small trip up the road to Duns Castle nature reserve to photograph the mallards on the lake,which was mostly frozen over.Armed with the camera gear and a pot of bird seed,I settled down at the side of the lake for an enjoyable,but cold,couple of hours.

Here are some of the images.

Close up of a female Mallard.

Close up of a female Mallard.

Mallard,m on the ice.

Mallard,m on the ice.

Mallard,f bathing and splashing about.

Mallard,f bathing and splashing about.

Mallard,m on the frozen Duns Castle nature reserve lake.

Mallard,m on the frozen Duns Castle nature reserve lake.

Mallard,f coming to investigate across the ice.

Mallard,f coming to investigate across the ice.

Mallard,m scratching head.

Mallard,m scratching head.

Mallards,f walking in line on the Duns lake ice.

Mallards,f walking in line on the Duns lake ice.

Mallard,m shaking body.

Mallard,m shaking body.

Mallard,f sat on the ice at Duns lake.

Mallard,f sat on the ice at Duns lake.

Mallard,m shaking head.

Mallard,m shaking head.

Mallard,f wing stretching and splashing about.

Mallard,f wing stretching and splashing about.

Mallard,m head.

Mallard,m head.

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Winter Red Grouse.

Driving through the Lammermuir Hills in december,Ollie in the back of the car,looking for wildlife to photograph.It’s -1C outside but feeling much colder with the wind chill.Inside the car it’s no warmer,as both front windows are open,a beanbag on both sides,and the cars’ heater has packed up.Even the camera packs up in the end as the battery gets too cold.

Mind you,They do say,we are supposed to ‘suffer for our art’.

‘Well’,said Ollie,’Whoever They are,they can shut the f**k up!’

Red Grouse,m sat backlit,fluffed up and calling in the frosty snow.Lammermuir Hills,Scottish Borders.

Red Grouse,m sat backlit,fluffed up and calling in the frosty snow.Lammermuir Hills,Scottish Borders.

Backlit Red Grouse sat in the cold frosty snow.

Backlit Red Grouse sat in the cold frosty snow.

Fluffed up against the cold in the Lammermuirs.

Fluffed up against the cold in the Lammermuirs.

Backlit Red Grouse sitting in the cold.

Backlit Red Grouse sitting in the cold.

Red Grouse,m.

Red Grouse,m.

Backlit Red Grouse in frosty snow.

Backlit Red Grouse in frosty snow.

Red Grouse with raindrops,through grasses.

Red Grouse with raindrops,through grasses.

Red Grouse in the Lammermuirs heather.

Red Grouse in the Lammermuirs heather.

Red Grouse,f in the rain and windswept grasses.

Red Grouse,f in the rain and windswept grasses.

Red Grouse in the low winter sun.

Red Grouse in the low winter sun.

Red Grouse,f in grasses.Has a painterly feel.

Red Grouse,f in grasses.Has a painterly feel.

Red Grouse,f in grasses in the Lammermuir Hills.

Red Grouse,f in grasses in the Lammermuir Hills.

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Frosty mornings.

Here’s just a few little images that caught my eye as Ollie and me were walking along the banks of the River Whiteadder last month.

Woodpigeon feather and frosted leaves.

Woodpigeon feather and frosted leaves.

Frosted grasses.

Frosted grasses.

Frosted shapes,patterns and textures.

Frosted shapes,patterns and textures.

Frosted leaves.

Frosted leaves.

More frosted leaves.

More frosted leaves.

Frosted death and decay.

Frosted death and decay.

More frosted textures,patterns and shapes.

More frosted textures,patterns and shapes.

Frosted plants.

Frosted plants.

More frosty feathers and leaves.

More frosty feathers and leaves.

More frosty grasses.

More frosty grasses.

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The handsome Red Grouse.

During a trip up to the Lammermuirs in the car last month,me and Ollie came across this rather handsome red grouse feeding on the heather.He had very distinguished looking white markings around his head,throat and across his back.A lot more white than I’ve ever seen on a red grouse before.Maybe he thought the ptarmigan had the right idea and was turning white to blend in with the coming winter snow.Or maybe it’s more common but I just haven’t noticed before.

Anyway,here’s a few images.

The handsome red grouse with those distinguished white markings.

The handsome red grouse with those distinguished white markings.

Red Grouse in the heather.

Red Grouse in the heather.

Red Grouse with droopy moustache and goatee bird.

Red Grouse with droopy moustache and goatee beard.

Red Grouse searching out that tasty new shoot.

Red Grouse searching out that tasty new shoot.

Red Grouse feeding.

Red Grouse feeding.

Alert Red Grouse.

Alert Red Grouse.

Listening to other grouse calls.

Listening to other grouse calls.

Walking down through the heather towards me.

Walking down through the heather towards me.

Another red grouse at the end of the day.

Another red grouse at the end of the day.

Another red grouse in the late afternoon sun.

Another red grouse in the late afternoon sun.

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Back Garden Birds.

Grey Partridge.

Grey Partridge.

Blue tit.

Blue tit.

Cock House Sparrow on the fence.

Cock House Sparrow on the fence.

Great tit on mossy branch.

Great tit on mossy branch.

2 Grey Partridge.

2 Grey Partridge.

Sparrow on mossy branch.

Sparrow on mossy branch.

Robin.

Robin.

House Sparrow m.on fence.

House Sparrow m.on fence.

3 Grey Partridge.

3 Grey Partridge.

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Ice and Leaves.

Walking Ollie,my springer spaniel, down by the River Whiteadder at Edington in the Scottish Borders my eye was drawn toward the colourful autumnal norway maple leaves amid the drab, decay of previous fallen leaves.

Later,on another walk with Ollie,we were upriver following a track and this time I was attracted by the patterns in the icy puddles.

Colour and decay.

Colour and decay.

Ice patterns.

Ice patterns.

contrasts.

contrasts.

Icy shapes.

Icy shapes.

The end of a life.

The end of a life.

Ice hook.

Ice hook.

Red on black/brown.

Red on black/brown.

Cooling down the white balance in lightroom,to exaggerate the frozen ice.

Cooling down the white balance in lightroom,to exaggerate the frozen ice.

Warming up the white balance in lightroom,exaggerating the mud below the ice.

Warming up the white balance in lightroom,exaggerating the mud below the ice.

Autumnal colours.

Autumnal colours.

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