A FIRST WINTER VISITOR

October is the main month when the Autumn migration really kicks in. Most of our Summer migrants have gone back to warmer climbs and our winter visitors start to arrive. It's also the month of my birthday when I get lots of presents but we've already covered that 😉.

Brambling is one winter migrant species that we do get most years, they have already been spotted at different locations around Gwent which made me hopeful that one would visit us at the farm. And to my shear delight a female joined a number of Chaffinches foraging for seeds underneath my feeders. Obviously I grabbed the camera before it disappeared and left me with no proof that the little beauty had popped in. I managed to rattle off a couple of shots so here she is:-

female brambling

I was hoping it would pop up on a post or some other higher vantage point so I could get a better image but it stayed low in amongst the dead leaves and grass.

It mixes quite freely with chaffinches and does look somewhat similar so here's a look at the male and female chaffinch for comparison.

female chaffinch

and the male

It's great to welcome back our first winter visitors of the year lets hope for many more over the next few months.

NEW CAMERA

My wonderful wife bought me a new camera the Canon EOS 7d mark 2 for my recent birthday(now now you shouldn't ask a gentleman his age)

I think I was due an upgrade, although my old Canon 450d has served me well, and still is a good camera. So I've decided I'm going to keep it and use it for general photography, I just have to get a lens for it now. 

The 7d mark 2 and my Canon EF 400mm 5.6 prime lens should be a great combo for wildlife photography.

canon 7d mark 2 and canon 5.6 prime

My new camera has a steep learning curve so I've been watching lots of YouTube videos and I purchased one of these which I have to say is a gem of a book.

I highly recommend this book

I've been blasting away taking loads of photo's as well as reading, watching and learning as I go, the weather has been atrocious but we've had some sunny periods that I've been able to take advantage of. I've been mostly photographing birds around and on my feeders and had a few surprise species come in such as a Treecreeper and a Green woodpecker. Here are some of my efforts, I have used photoshop to enhance them a little bit but overall I feel that the 7d mark 2 has gave me some good results.

jay

nuthatch (with one of Steve Carters rings on it's leg)

great tit

goldfinch (juvenile)

blackbird

male chaffinch

robin

dunnock

green woodpecker (male)

coal tit

treecreeper

female blackbird

blue tit

great spotted woodpecker

I really love this camera and look forward to taking it out in the field. I've still got a lot to learn about it but that will come with time. A big thank you to my lovely wife you've made an old birder very happy.