Bird in a Bush

Redwing
Put this on for a bit of a laugh really just to show it doesn't always work !.
Spent a lot of time this week building scaffolding and hides, and getting them in position.
Sat in yesterday for a few hours and this is all I got. This b@#**<
bird kept creeping out grabbing a berry then shooting back in the bush to digest it. It would repeat the process every 15 minutes. I gave up.
Can't win em all !
Cheers
JohnR

Hi John,

I still like it!! I would love you to post a wide angle shot of your garden/hide's/feeder set up, Just so we can all see where the magic happens!!!!

Regards

Rob

Thanks Rob.
I,ll do it shortly.
Cheers
JohnR

I see the funny side of this picture John.

Lol! Its funny John but somedays my local redwings just want to skulk like this and other days they can be most obliging and often come out in the open. Not at all sure what causes the different behaviour, probably its a combination of hunger and predator threat level.

Along my stretch of canal where I photograph redwings certain hawthorn bushes are specially favoured but they are not necessarily the ones with the most berries but ones with the most cover close to hand.

I'm sure your patience will be rewarded - John

Thanks
Here's the set ups in the garden. You can see the window I do a lot through. The hide in front of the window is an old one which is just used as a support and table which can be used to get a low POV !!!! if you like it !! The left one of the two is my own build portable pop up.
Obviously all the perches and stumps etc are moved or changed frequently.
Now Rob- I bet you expected something posher than that !!
Cheers
JohnR
PS the redwings are at another site.

Hi John,

Thanks so much for sharing, really is an insight!! Everything is a lot more compact than I had imagined, amazing what mental pictures we build up of things!!

Right off to have a chat with my wife about expanding my "garden project"

Regards

Rob

very interesting John, I always like seeing how other photographers achieve their shots. Just out of interest does your garden have a lot of surrounding woodland as it appears to in the top garden image?

I can fully understand your frustration of the redwings not performing, although I must admit I do like this shot. It's certainly a bit different. I imagine you had to manually focus this one

Matt

Matt
Yes there are meadows with scrub around the house and garden and then 6000acres of broadleaved woodland all around.Not a bad little spot really !
You are dead right about the focus ! The lens was whirring around like nobody's business.I can't get back for three days so i bet all the berries will be gone.
Cheers
JohnR

nice one john i was wondering what your set up was like, it shows that you dont have to spend a fortune setting these things up. im sure youll get a great redwing pic before the winter is over!

I can sympathise with you John. I spent most of Tuesday trying to photograph Redwings feeding on Hawthorn berries but they simply wouldn't give me a clear shot. They were always in deep shade and partially obscured by branches And sitting for hours in that cold north wind was bracing to say the least



Paul

I like it John, as if the bird is peering to the berries at the right end.
Your garden project is a hammer
I am just building one, photos coming soon.
Bertl

When I first saw it, I thought th eberries would be distracting but I think without them the image becomes unbalanced. This is really nice work, I like it a lot.

Well done !

Drew

Hi John

He's got you sussed!

David

Yes David - I got him sussed as well ! - I packed in !!
JohnR

Thanks for the set up shots - interesting to see. The redwing shot has some appeal though despite the subject playing hard to get