One from Dubai

Courtesy of Derrick Wilby who lent me his camera :-)

This is an Ortolan bunting and a very splendid one too. I worked out where it was heading, walked ahead and sat on the dewy grass at about 6.30am in Dubai Creek Park, waiting for the chap to approach. It got to within about 10'. A little gem.

Geographic misfits

Just to keep DG quiet, 2 birds from New Zealand; a Red-billed gull and a Whitehead. Happy now, young lady?

I promised you birds....

But its a bird-free zone I'm afraid. 2 images from this weekend's escapades.

A lunchtime stroll.........

The picture of the Hair-crested drongo was the best of a very poor bunch. I was immensely frustrated by the birds refusal to come down lower. Wherever I positioned myself they were always silhouetted against a grey sky. I had the aperture set at +2 and this was the best I could manage.

The water lilies are in flower and who can resist them?

Away we go

My first bird is one I have tried to photograph for some time. It is common in HK but moves quickly through tree canopies and rarely stops long enough to get a decent shot. This one was feeding and stopped momentarily, just long enough for me to rattle off 3 or 4 frames. Not brilliant but at least shows the bird in some context.