Four evenings with the Ring Ouzel

As I wrote in the previous blog post, I would try to photograph the Ring Ouzel.
Now I have been away four evenings in a row to a place called Stanage Edge which is located in the Peak District National Park.
I've biked from home around 17:30 for an hour later arrive to Stanage edge.
Then I continued on foot to look for the birds, the first day it was relatively easy to find them, it is just  to listen for the male singing  among the rocky landscape.
Second and third day they had moved about 1,5 km other way so i had to walk a bit.
But since the weather has been wonderful with almost no wind and about 18 C and sun, I could not complain.
I have truly enjoyed cycling the long and hilly way up there, but like I said, I definitely think it has been worth it.
Yesterday was the last day I tried to get some good pictures of them, but unfortunately I did not really get the photos I wanted.
I've been there every evening until the sun has gone down and then cycled home, on the way home, I have been looking for owls but have not seen any just heard and I've even heard the cuckoo every evening.
I will return to the Ring Ouzel later this year when hopefully their second brood with young have hatched, then maybe I get even better pictures.
Why shoot these birds then, because for they are rather unusual and I think they are lovely and a bit special.
Next week I will try to shoot Badger we'll see how it goes :))

Camera equipment that I used: Nikon D90 and Nikon 200-400mm f4 vr2

Male Ring Ouzel

Female Ring Ouzel

Female

Young Ring Ouzel

Female

Male and young

Enjoing the sunset

Nice colours

 

Stanage Edge (Peak District)

Last night, despite the bad weather, I decided to take me to Stanage Edge again to try to shoot the ring ouzel. The weather forecast showed that it could be sunny in the evening. Took the bus today, and then went the last 5 km walking to the site, it took an hour in the pouring rain and fog: ( But when a was at Stanage edge so it stopped raining, but the fog remained.
Could see a slight improvement in the sky but it was short-lived. Took out the camera from the bag, today I had the D90 and 200-400mm f4 lens. Took that  kompinationen because it givs 300-600mm f4, and this is not entirely wrong when you're shooting animals and birds. But unfortunately, so is the D90 completely useless when u haft to have high Iso. I took the pictures today at ISO 1000 which is not so much for today's cameras, but with the D90 then the images are noisy.
Found ring ouzel directly but they were not quite where I expected, so now I was doing some climbing after steep slopes to access the birds, which was not so fun. Because the rain made ​​everything slippery. 
But some pictures I managed to get anyway even if they're not super. The image I was after, was that the bird would be in a place with low grass which was wet by the rain and because of that the foreground and background should get very nice water droplets Bokeh and then some last glimts of sun to that. That would be a dream picture. ;) maybe next time then.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Ring ouzel/ringtrast

Ring ouzel

Ring Ouzel

Ring ouzel

Foggy Stanage Edge

Low clouds

Ångra ändringarna

The Ring Ouzel

Yesterday I took the bus to Logde moor, and from there I went to a place called Stanage Edge. From Logde moor It`s about 6km walk, and on the way I passed Redmires Reservoirs.
Of course, I stopped there for a moment to check if there were any unusual birds on site. But it did not so I took some photos of common sandpiper and took the opportunity to hide under a tree while the rain poured down, there came another big rain when I was up on the moorland and there is no protection, good thing I had rainwear.
Met a guy who did not had it, and he was quite wet and looked generally glum;) Arriving at Stanage Edge, so I first admired the landscape, but then I saw two Kestrel hunting at the edge and there was a bird who was annoyed at those two. And the small bird that chased the two suddenly landed a ten meters from me and I could not believe it but it was a Ring Ouzel, I've looked after this bird all spring but now it stood there.
So it was just to take some pictures of it, but then it flew away, I sat there thinking that it might come back and it did, but now even closer. ;) After a while I went for a walk on the edge to check if I could find the Falcons, but I gave up after an hour when they just flew around high in the air. then went back to the ring ouzel and tried to take me even closer to it, was a little surprised that it was not so very timid, good for me because it mostly came back at the same point.
I think I tried to shoot it for about 3h and the closest I was about 6-7m. i think under 3h I saw it 5-6 times. Now, many think, but it's a thrush, the more certain it is a thrush, but a  unusual one, it lives in the mountains and in rocky parts. And there are not very many of them. And  commonly so they are shy and not so easily seen. And it was a new check in the bird book

Ring Ouzel/Ringtrast (female i think)

Stanage Edge it is like this in 5km

After the rain (white peak) 

Sandpiper in rain

Just after the rain

tree pipit

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