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Garden Fieldfare

Discussion

16 replies
Posted by Matt Cole on January 11, 2010 at 2:24 AM
A welcome visitor to my garden yesterday was this lone Fieldfare, a first for my garden in the 10 years that I've lived here. It seemed to enjoy the apple that I'd put out (the apple in the shot above was whole only a few hours earlier).

It took a bit of effort to get this shot as the bird was surprisingly skittish. My first ill-fated attempt was to stalk it from the side of my conservatory but this was abandoned when an enormous pile of snow and ice slid from the part of the conservatory roof directly above me. Most went down my neck and my 40D and 400mm lens were covered. Having changed my clothes and my camera body I then wedged myself in my daugthter's tiny wendy house. A comical sight no doubt (I'm 6'1"). It did the trick though. As I finally climbed out, stiff from the cold and from being bent double, I glanced up at my neighbour's window only to see him quickly disappear behind his curtain. No doubt I'd been providing the afternoon's entertainment. :biggrin:

Canon 5D with 400 f5.6 lens, 1/160, f5.6, ISO 500.

Here's a 1000 pixel version.


All C+C welcomed

Matt :toast:
Posted by Sandra Hendrikse on January 11, 2010 at 2:44 AM
Lovely winter image and a very entertaining story. :biggrin:
Posted by Nigel Blake on January 11, 2010 at 3:18 AM
This is excellent, spot-on colour against the snow too!
Posted by Ian Mason on January 11, 2010 at 3:35 AM
Hilarious! Cracking image too. Stands out really well against the snow.
Posted by David Sewell on January 11, 2010 at 4:17 AM
I'd love to hear your neigbour's version of the story. Looking at the result, I would say it was worth a little ridicule.

David
Posted by Ron McCombe on January 11, 2010 at 4:42 AM
Nice shot Matt, not easy exposure with the snow and a relatively dark bird

Dell Done

Ron
Posted by Andrew Parkinson on January 11, 2010 at 5:18 AM
Very nice, simple composition, excellent
Posted by Dave Bartlett on January 11, 2010 at 5:32 AM
Great image against the snow. You are not alone in hiding in a wendy house .. but I've never dared confess to it before!!
Posted by Ian Macdermott on January 11, 2010 at 6:23 AM
Lovely shot Matt

good exposure and pose :smile:


Now watch for a rush of closet Wendy house users to step forward :biggrin:
Posted by Mark Davies on January 11, 2010 at 7:53 AM
Lurking in Wendy Houses ! Never .LOL
a smart capture sir . :toast:
Posted by David Kjaer on January 11, 2010 at 10:47 AM
Simple but very very nice!

David :toast:
Posted by Major Gilbert on January 11, 2010 at 1:36 PM
Your usual standard Matt. Excellent.

Major.
Posted by Bronia Klima on January 11, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Beautiful colours against the snow excellent shot Matt, and I thought winter was ging to dull and boring
Bronia
Posted by Ian Haskell on January 11, 2010 at 3:06 PM
What ever hides work for you. Smashing image!

Ian
Posted by Maggie Campbell on January 11, 2010 at 4:06 PM
A beautiful shot. Worth all the hide and seek. Was Wendy at home at the time? :biggrin:
Posted by Jeff Harrison on January 11, 2010 at 6:19 PM
Lovely shot Matt :toast: and a very amusing tale to go with it :biggrin:
Posted by Matt Cole on January 12, 2010 at 8:36 AM
many thanks for the comments :smile:

Matt