A very windy walk around Heron Pond in Bushy Park today. Certainly not ideal conditions for capturing birds in flight but the camera rose to the challenge.
Mallard preparing for splashdown.
The pond is home to a large number of Black-headed Gulls of various ages now sporting their winter plumage. Above is a 1st-winter still carrying some of its juvenile wing colours and black tail band.
Occasionally something much larger drops in. I often have difficulty identifying the juvenile larger gulls so this could be a Great Black-backed based on the features shown in the next image BUT I'll wait to hear what the experts say.
Linking to Saturday's Critters and I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'.
great shots, frank!
ReplyDeleteNice selection, Frank. The photos turned out quite well in spite of the challenging conditions.
ReplyDeleteAll the images are super shots but the last one is my favorite. :-))
ReplyDeleteWOW! You and your camera did a cracking job on these shots. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteYour camera is a magical instrument of nature!! Or is it the camera operator?? Beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteFrank, these are all awesome images.. Love the duck splashing down and the gulls.. And the last shot is my favorite.. Thank you so much for linking up, have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteCracking shots, Frank! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Frank, I'm not great on gulls and always struggle with the different variations of age and plumage. Needless to say, your flight shots are excellent.
ReplyDeleteFrank these are perfect lovely captures!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are wonderful ! Thanks for sharing !
ReplyDeleteHave a happy weekend !
These are all fabulous flight shots.
ReplyDeleteHello Frank, those are impressive photos, beyond impressive. All the photos were great but I particularly enjoyed the one with the swan flying. I have never seen one in flight that close before. Thanks for commenting on my Dartmoor Pony post. I enjoyed the story about the sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteWow. I find those shots of birds in flight hard to come by, and here you have a post full of them.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
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Beautiful shots! Great job! I particularly love the first photo!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great collection of shots
ReplyDeleteI am always a bit jealous of y'all who can watch/view/photograph swans. They're so beautiful and an elegant bird.
ReplyDeleteLove your photos this time around....my favorite today is the adult gull in flight.
Thanks for sharing the link with us bird enthusiasts this weekend! Much appreciated.
Great flight shots!
ReplyDeleteWonderful birds. I love the winter Black-headed gull with those bright red legs and bill!
ReplyDeleteFrank how in Heavens name do you "track" a moving bird when you don't know what it will do??? These are great shots. If there is a secret, please share....do you use the viewfinder and then zoom or the view screen?...:)JP
ReplyDeleteGreat in-flight shots, especially the swan as I have never seen one flying before.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos! I don't think it's just the camera that rose to the challenge. You are an amazing photographer to capture these birds so clearly. The adult BHG is beautiful.
ReplyDelete