Red kite

Red kite, Milvus milvus, single bird in flight, Wales, September 2019. Olympus M1x, 300mm f4 lens. 1/4000th at f4. 1600 iso

Taken at Gigrin Farm, Wales. The ability of the M1x to focus on birds in flight continues to impress, even when close to the ground it locks onto the bird and not the grass behind. All I have to do is get the bird in the frame.

 

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Rabbit grooming

Rabbit grooming in slow motion. This was a cute enough picture to start with, but the slow motion video makes it look even cuter.

Olympus M1x, 300mm lens. 120 fps video.

Wood pigeon adult feeding two hungry youngsters.

I am using the Olympus E-M1x in video mode at 120 fps a lot. I enjoy seeing wildlife in slow motion. The action took place for several minutes, but I edited it down to 30 seconds. This was taken with the 300mm lens.

Kingfishers

I used to say Kingfishers are easy birds to photograph, but for the last few years I have struggled to get one coming in front of my hide regulary. This bird requires a lot of waiting time, but at least appears daily. I really want diving shots into the water, but it is not worth setting up until the bird comes more frequently. Hopefully using the Pro-capture feathure of the Olympus it will now be easy to do. The two flight pictures below were taken using pro-capture.

Two of the shots were taken with the Panosonic 100-400mm lens. The first time I have used it. Optically it is fine, but why would they make a lens mount that only turns 90 degrees. It makes it very difficult to get level horizons. I have to adjust the tripod legs instead of being able to swivel the lens.

 

I Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, single bird on branch

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, single bird on branch in the rain.

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, single bird on branch. Pro capture. 1600 iso. 1/6400th at f4.

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, single bird on branch. My first pictures with the Panosonic 100-400mm lens.

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, single bird on branch. My first pictures with the Panosonic 100-400mm lens. 

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, single bird on branch. Pro capture. 1600 iso. 1/8000th at f4

Wood pigeon in flight

I was in no rush to buy an Olympus E-m1x body as the spec did not seem to offer anything I needed, but as I now spend more time shooting video than stills pictures I suddenly became interested in the 120 fps video option for slow motion. I am now very glad I bought one and wish I had sooner.

The 120 FPS video is interesting, but it is the auto focus that has impressed me most. I have only had two opportunities to try it on birds in flight so far and it has performed amazingly well. It autofocuses even when I think it stands now chance. So long as I can hold the bird in the frame for a fraction of a second it locks on most times. The wood pigeon is in a messy situation with grave stones behind it, but it coped. My old Canon gear would have stood no chance.

It is a shame we have gone back to a heavier and larger camera body, but I am loving using it. The 4 custom settings are a real joy to use and to be able to toggle the custom settings on and off at the press of a button means I go from action flight mode to static settings in an instant. Why do not all cameras employ such a simple idea and how did I ever cope without it.

 

Wood pigeon, Columba palumbus, single bird in flight in cemetery, Warwickshire, July 2019. Olympus M1X, 300mm f4 lens. 1600 iso. 1/5000th at f4.

Dice snake

In April I went to Bulgaria to photograph reptiles and amphibians with Miroslav Slavchev. We managed 25 speices in a week, many of which I had never seen before and would not be capable of finding without Miro showing us how.  A well organised week that was a bit different to what I normally do.

Dice snake, Natrix tessellata, Bulgaria, April 2019. Olympus Em1 Mk2. 60mm f2.8 macro. 1/100th at f5.6. 1600 iso.

Grasshopper warbler

You do not get the chance to photograph Grasshopper warblers every day. This was taken from the car window and the bird was showing well as they tend to do when they first arrive on territory.

 

Grasshopper warbler, Locustella naevia, single bird singing on fence, Warwickshire, April 2019. Olympus em1 Mk2. 300mm f4 lens plus 1.4 extender. 400 iso. 1600th at f5,6

Little-ringed plover

Little-ringed plover, Charadrius dubius, single bird in display flight, Warwickshire, March 2019. Olympus Em1 Mk2. 300mm f4 lens plus 1.4 extender. 3200 iso. 12,800th sec at F5.6.

I would not have attempted this picture with my old Canon gear. With Olympus anything is possible. In fact over two sessions in a hide I only had three opportunites to take this picture and I got it on the third attempt. It was taken at 60 fps using Procapture with the focus set manually in front of the bird using Peaking to assist the focusing. No extra noise reduction has been done.

It is by far the most amazing camera I have ever used. If you have ever seen LRP’s in their display flight you will know how fast they move.

Eider duck mating

On the way back from Islay we called in at Seahouses to photograph the tame Eider duck. I take more and more video clips these days, but there is always the dilemma as to whether to shoot stills or video. When the female showed she was ready I had plenty of notice and time to choose either. I am glad I went to video mode as they turned their backs on me and it would have made a poor stills picture. I love the calls of Eider ducks, especially the sound the male makes as it dismounted.

Olympus Em1 MK2. 300mm f4 lens.

Barnacle geese

This picture sums up a very cold, wet and windy week on Islay in February. We saw a lot, but photographed little on the island. However, on the way north we spent the night at Glasgow and a long session at Hogganfield Loch for tame Goosander and Goldeneye. It has changed a lot since I was last there, but was still very good for photography.

On the way south we stopped at Seahouses for half a day with the Eider duck displaying in the harbour, whcih was equally successful.

 

Barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis, flock backlit, Islay, Hebrides, Scotland, February 2019. Olympus Em1 Mk2. 300mm lens plus 1.4 extender. 400 iso. 1/2000th at F5.6 handheld.