I HAVE A PROBLEM (10/02/11)

Well I have more than one………One at a time. At least that way I have a chance of sorting them. This problem is sorted and sunlight has sorted it. I own a Sigma 50-500mm lens f4-6.3. I almost always use it at full zoom so it is very slow. Today we went down to the Tees, the weather could not be better, the birds are singing, the fish are jumping, the Swallows are swooping over the water…………sorry, meant gulls. We managed to get to the edge of the pond. Sat down on a bin bag tied the dogs to the giant corkscrew thing I have and watched the Tufted Duck. These pictures are cropped and they are doing what ducks do………..floating about but I was pleased to see them even at a hundred meters or so.

I took both cameras and the monopod. Need a Sherpa if I get much older. We’ll start off Where I started.

The Tees Barrage same place as yesterday. The seals were not about but this image is off camera with colour curves boosted for contrast. Yesterday I could barely make out the Barrage from here but with a bit of shoving and pushing the camera could.

   The view down stream……………same treatment. Not a breath of wind. Who would believe we are in the middle of the industrialised North East. We caught a glimpse of a Kingfisher, Cormorants and Herons. Terns, (I use this term loosely, like a gull but with a stumpy bum)  but they weren’t fishing and the Blackheaded Gulls were behaving themselves. No entertainment to be had here today. This stretch of the Tees was dug out by Navvies. To the left is Porttrack Nature Reserve that was where it used to flow.

I’ve found a way to the edge of the pond………the lump of wood in the water to the right is, I suspect, the bird hide……..bloody vandals by the score around here.*  We settled on our black plastic and waited. Good job I carried two cameras this is a stitched panorama….Two camera Tommy am I.

  First along is the Coot…………Nothing worse to photograph….a black bird with a white bill….floating along.

  A female Tufted Duck……Floating along………Nobody contradicted yesterdays murky picture so Tufted duck they are.

     He was not far behind…..Floa…………You’ve got this bit.

  Both together and another pair in the background.

Ten minutes later another half dozen flew in……………Missed the landing, was busy retrieving West Highland Terriers from the pond………I do like birding but it is almost impossible with two dogs…………….I’ve sorted the problems. A monster f1.0,  10000mm lens, two Sherpas, a Donkey to carry the gear, a very sturdy tripod and the bit that is missing… a man that can work a camera!  What are two Sherpas for?………….To take two dogs a walk miles from birds.

A grand day if it’s not going to freeze and snow then lets enjoy this false spring. I’ll leave todays post with a Harris filter version of the Tees barrage. Okay not to all tastes and to be honest not to mine but teach a dog a new trick and he will push it till the audience cry NO!  You have to look at the last image large amazing colour shifts in the water. I said amazing ……not necessarily good.

We are back up to Darlington tomorrow for the weekend then away to Ullswater, after the truck is rebuilt on Monday.

One step at a time……………pictures solved………truck sorted……Me………….suggestions welcome.

That’s all for today.

* For anyone going down here then do be aware. The wee hoodies would steal a biscuit from a starving kid. Twice now I have been accosted. It’s not nice but the wee buggers have known nothing different for at least one generation. Just hit them first…….it’s what there parents do!