Date: March 2016
Location: Whitstable, UK
Camera Settings: ISO 100 – F/5.6 – 1/1250
This turnstone was lingering on the wall by the fishing boats at Whitstable harbour early in the morning. Unusually solitary (I couldn’t see any more nearby) as I’d only ever seen them before in Ireland and the Canary Islands in small groups on the shoreline.
Date: August 2019
Location: London, England
Camera Settings: ISO 400 – F/9 – 1/250
This shot was taken at St James Park, London, a stone’s throw from the main road that backs the Houses of Parliament. I had to research because it was the first time I’d noticed her among the myriad other species that gather on the lake and thought at first it might be a little grebe. Luckily I got a better view as she emerged from the water to show off all her colours!
Date: February 2020
Location: London, UK
Camera Settings: ISO 800 – F/9 – 1/125
Collared doves, often blending into their wintery environments easily in shades of grey are really unrecognised as beautiful birds. In central London they’re not that common either, so I always take a moment when I hear their cooing to stop and notice where they’re perched. The most delicate of British doves and in my opinion underrated.
Date: June 2019
Location: London, UK
Camera Settings: ISO 100 – F/5.6 – 1/250.
I love starlings. Even in the most urban environment (this one was strolling in the Southbank alongside London’s River Thames) they add such a flash of shine and colour despite having one of the thinnest feather coats in the bird world. They never seem scared of humans either, which makes them fantastic photography subjects!
Date: January 2020
Location: London, UK
Camera Settings: ISO 800 – F/5.6 – 1/250.
I spied this Redwing while waiting for the bus back from Crystal Palace Park in South East London. It was the first winter I’d known about their migratory patterns and noticed their short stay in the UK – usually January to February in my local area – before heading south again in early spring.
The Casual Birder 