Birds at Pennington Flash (1) Feeders

I have been spending some time at Pennington Flash Country Park near Leigh. This is an area of woodland and scrub, with a variety of ponds caused by subsidence after a long history of coal mining.
I was testing my new D200 with my 300mm f/4 AF-S by sitting in the Bunting hide, which has a large number of bird tables and other feeders allowing very close views of a variety of birds.

Song thrush

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.6    1/200s    ISO 100

Dunnock (or hedge sparrow)

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.0    1/60s    ISO 100

Larger birds visit too, including mallard, moorhen, magpies, wood pigeons and this handsome pheasant (who obviously had a narrow escape from whatever damaged his tail).

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.0    1/200s    ISO 100

The hardest birds to photograph were the tit family - they rarely stay still. I was lucky to get these shots as one paused on a perch before grabbing a seed to take away.

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.0    1/125s    ISO 100

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/5.6    1/125s    ISO 100

The guy next to me said it was a marsh tit and I was too polite to disagree, although the willow tit and the marsh tit are very difficult to distinguish. I'm not really a bird expert, but on looking at these photos and checking the literature, I think this is a willow tit - confirmation or correction would be appreciated.
Long-tailed tits are the smallest and most active of all, they don't often come to feeders, but this little chap took an interest in the last piece of fat in the closest feeder.

NIKON D200    ---    300mm    f/10.0    1/125s    ISO 100

I was using the 100 ISO setting, which obviously causes some difficulties and a relatively high failure rate due to low shutter speeds, but I like the quality of the images, most of these are moderately cropped.

Alan

 

I'm sure you're right - and I'd love to see some of your examples, of course. But that doesn't mean I'm wrong :smile:

Exposure is always a compromise. The highest quality photographs (film or digital) require small apertures, fast shutter speeds and low sensitivities (ISO settings): having all three simultaneously is impossible of course, except in the brightest light, so each shot is a three way compromise. You have to judge the subject and the conditions and the effect you want.
After 2 years with my D70 limited to 200 ISO, I wanted to find what effect 100 ISO produces. I like the effect, particularly the tonality - you may or you may not. Discuss :wink:

Alan

 

I like these shots Paul: I think the belly of the nuthatch is a proper test of the tonality and it looks good to me. The mandarin looks a little OTT, but that's the way mandarin drakes really are. Both look as if they were taken in rather duller light than I have had at Pennington recently. I agree that there is no problem with using 200 or 400 ISO when circumstances require.
I expect that I would need to use these settings if I get a 1.4 or 1.7 x converter to use with my 300mm, even in good light.

Alan