25 years to get a photo of this little species

A Photographic Journey

I don’t remember the exact date I became aware of the vast amount of birdlife we had. We were just always surrounded by a plethora of bird calls and coloured plumage. It was a part of growing up on a farm in South Africa.

I recall, with a fond memory, the first bird I ever identified from my little grass hide I built on the bank of our dam. With my brand new copy of Roberts Birds of South Africa, I picked out the diminutive Dabchick (Little Grebe – its updated South African bird name). It was the first bird that went onto my bird lifelist, which to a bird watcher, is always a big thing. I had a great little SLR camera back then, but with no long zoom lens, decent bird photography was out of my reach. So, it was my goal for many years to get a close-up image of this little diver. The past weekend it finally happened, and I got my first decent images.

The Little Grebe, Canon 5D Mark II, 700mm (500mm + 1.4x cov), 1/2500sec, f/5.6, ISO400

Little Grebe, Canon 5D Mark II, 700mm (500mm + 1.4x cov), 1/200sec, f/5.6, ISO400

Little Grebe, Canon 5D Mark II, 700mm (500mm + 1.4x cov), 1/2000sec, f/5.6, ISO400

And finally, in London

You’d never guess that these photos were taken on a pond on the outskirts of London. It just goes to show you never quite know where your photographic journey will take you. These birds are in their winter plumage, and this little fella had a mate with him, so I hope that they hang around until summer. It’ll make the pond a little more colourful.

I’ve read many times that every photo should tell a story. I guess, in my case, the photo is the story. A very personal one.

If you want to see more of my Wildlife Photography, CLICK HERE  or see some of my Bushy Park work

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