News and Photographs - Autumn 2007 Bird Pictures - Slimbridge & Hampshire - to 31st December 2007
20th October. After finally taking the plunge I purchased the Nikkor 200-400 f4 and put my trusty Sigma 120-300 f2.8 up for sale on E-Bay. Obviously I was itching to take it for a spin and its first outing was a quick walk around the lake at Roath Park. Far from ideal conditions gave me an insight into what the lens is capable of with a few shots of Great Crested Grebe and Grey Heron.
21st October. With decent weather forecast, I jumped in the car and headed off to Slimbridge to try it out on "proper" birds! Actually it was quite quiet there with reasonably warm conditions resulting in fewer birds than usual. I did manage to take a few decent shots of Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Curlew, Teal, Shoveler and a big flock of Wigeon. A few passerines were about with Wren and Long Tailed Tit also getting snapped. It gave me an insight into the capabilities of the lens and set me planning my next outing!
26th December. A family walk around Langland Bay with just the walkaround 18-200 VR lens presented me with a very tame Robin which posed nicely in the twilight.
30th December. With life being busy and inclement weather it was not until the end of the year for a real workout with the new combination. This time using the lens with a 1.4 teleconverter at Keyhaven in Hampshire, I got some stunning pictures in great light. The stand out pictures were definitely those of Redshank with a Little Egret picture being a close second. My first Brent Geese pictures and others of Shoveler, Dunnock and Turnstone were a nice return for the day. It looks like next year will see a lot more use of this new hardware!
