In my youth I used to be keen on motor racing and went to quite a few grand prix to photograph the heroes of the day at speed, but I have to say that photographing a racing car was a whole lot easier than photographing swifts, swallows, sand martins and house martins in flight. The path of a speeding racing car is predictable - these house martins just appeared like a bolt from the blue and streaked past, almost touching the surface of the river Derwent then, usually, just as I was about to press the shutter button, turned in their own length and dashed off in a different direction. Wonderful birds, though....
This picture is better if you double-click to enlarge it a bit...
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Little devils to capture with the camera Phil. Like speeding bullets.
ReplyDeleteCouple of good shots.
That second shot reminds me of Bluebird on Coniston Water, circa 1967.
ReplyDeleteNow what have you started. Last time it was swallows at Westgate. Good shots I am lucky to get any at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that you managed to get any shot, that's a great job.
ReplyDeleteYou did well to capture them.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this post - I find it incredibly hard to photograph birds. As you say they are unpredictable. I am getting better at taking the shots but find I need a tripod and that is very limiting especially with birds.
ReplyDeleteWow - I'm awed by the fact that you got any kind of photo at all!
ReplyDeleteHi Phil!
ReplyDeleteYour excellent Ghost moth Country Diary has been purloined by the Northerner - www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner - which is great cos I did a post about the moths here on the N a couple of days ago. So northern moths rule! Many thanks. M
I did think of calling this speeding blue bullets, Keith - wish I had now...
ReplyDeleteHi Rob, I guess in that respect Donald Campbell must have experienced something of the sensations of a low-flying house martin once he had his boat up on the plane....
ReplyDeleteMorning Adrian, I'd never have even tried back in the days of silver halide films - couldn't have afforded the wastage - you should see how many dud shots I got!
ReplyDeleteHi Toffeeapple and swanscot, I was amazed too - a lot of teh frames were blur with no bird!
ReplyDeleteHi catmint, I tend to be an opportunist bird photographer - haven't got the patience and determination to begin to do it properly..
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect to get anything presentable Mark - two lucky shots!
ReplyDeleteThanks Martin! I admired your elephant hawk-moth shots the other day. Last year we found an elephant hawk-mth caterpillar within 50 yards of where the ghost moth turned up. Someone should run a moth trap in teh Derwent valley - I think they'd get a lot of interesting stuff...
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