Evolution

Puffin with Sand Eels, Farne Islands, England.

Canon 20D + 300 f2.8.

A hard crop frontal does nothing to answer how Puffins hold onto existing fish while
catching new ones.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Emperor Dragonfly. England.

Emperor Dragonfly. England. 2008

Canon 20D + 100-400mm @ 16ft.

The RSPB Old Moor reserve in Barnsley has grassland and deep pools adjacent to the main bird reserve upon which are to be found several species of Dragonfly including the imposing Emperor.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

White Throated Kingfisher [India]

White Throated Kingfisher. NE India 2008

Canon 20D + 100-400mm lens. Hand held. 25ft.

At the Bharatpur reserve in Rajasthan, some Kingfishers, being familar with people,
allow quite close approach which enables detailed photographs.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Tangled

These are Clown Anemone fish tangled within the protective tentacles of the Sea Anemone, these images I captured a few years ago in the Ras Mohammed area of the Red Sea. Apparently the fish are immune to the stinging cells of the anemone's tentacles, I'm sure they must be some symbiotic relationship here, the fish brings food so the anemone affords protection, or something on that line.





Nikonos V with 35 mm lens and Nikon close up lens.

Eider [Male]

Eider [Male], Bamburgh, Northumberland, England.

A small group of Eiders rest on low rocks adjacent the North Sea.

This gaudy breeding male will soon moult out into a very browny bird and spend a period together with hundreds of other " off-duty" males, floating in large rafts upon the sea.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Goldfinch

Goldfinch. England 161208.

Canon 50D + 300 f2.8. [1/250 @ f3.5 400ISO]

While waiting for Long Tailed Tits perhaps, this Goldfinch landed on the selected perch and was too good to miss.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Lioness on Kill

Savage Sister, Masai Mara, Kenya

Olympus OM1 [film] + 80-240 lens.

Early morning encounter after a luckless antelope had blundered into extinction.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Beach Trophies

Beach Trophies, East Coast England.

Canon 40D + 10-22mm, [1/6th @ f11]. Hand held

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Beautiful bjects decorating a coffee pot, some a long time dead.

Plum Coloured Parrakeets, Goa, India.

Plum Coloured Parrakeets, Goa, India. 2007

Canon 20D + 100-400mm. Hand held.

In the heat of the day, I was toiling across an open plain containing a single tree.

As I passed under it, two Parrakeets landed above and I was able to obtain this shot.

" Mad dogs and Englishmen" comes to mind.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Common Cranes, Bharatpur, India.

Common Cranes, Bharatpur, India. Feb 2007

Canon 20D + 100-400mm. Hand held.

Winter mist had just lifted [furtunately], when I heard the calling of Cranes overhead.

Initially I couldnt see them but gradually they circled down until they were within range.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Razorbill, Bempton, England.

Razorbills, Bempton, England. 2008

Canon 40D + 300 f2.8.

On the sea cliffs when compared with Guillemots, Razorbills often look black.

In fact they are brown, as the flat light in this photograph illustrates.

Raindrops sprinkle on the feathers.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Broad Bodied Chaser

Broad Bodied Chaser, England. 2008

Canon 40D + 100-300mm Sigma APO lens.

What would it be like if these beasties still had 18" wingspan as in prehistoric
times.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Eider Duck

Eider [female]. Northumberland, England

Canon 20D + 300 f2.8.

These sturdy, crab-eating, marine ducks are found mainly around the northern coasts of the UK.

The beautifully patterned feathers are used by the ducks to keep their eggs warm and by man in Eider down quilts.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Wren

Wren

Canon 50D + 300 f2.8 + x2 extender

One winters afternoon, while waiting for a Barn Owl to fly, a russle in nearby grasses
revealed a Wren which flew momentrally to a post and then was gone.

Thank heavens for autofocus.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Swallow

Swallow, Martins Haven, Wales 2008

Canon 20D + 100-400mm.

My campervan was next to a fence where a pair of Swallows had taken to resting occasionally.

I guessed right for once as this bird landed on the end post.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Angry Shoveler

I was at RSPB Titchwell in Norfolk when this Shoveler decided to show its displeasure to another male Shoveler.



After the other bird had done a dignified retreat, the angry bird did a wing stretching exercise, click on the video below.



Canon 1D Mk2 with 500 mm f4 lens.

Lapwing

Lapwing

Canon 40D + 300m f2.8 + x2 extender

Like many a common bird often overlooked, the sunlit sheens of the Lapwing command
greater attention.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Kilimanjaro and Elephant

Elephant and Mountain. Kenya

Olympus Om1 [film] + 80-240 Sun telephoto.

From the dark days of film, an afternoon shot of Mnt Kilimanjaro from the plains of Amboseli.

Sometimes when you press the shutter you know.................. [and pray]

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Puffins galore

The favourite bird of many people, these Puffins, Fratercula arctica, I captured on the Farne Islands and also on Lunga one of the Tressnish Islands.
















And if you didn't know, Puffins nest in burrows



This Puffin was hanging onto its Sandeels in a brisk breeze and reminds me of Medusa's writhing snakelocks.

Canon 1D Mk2 with 500 mm f4 and 70 - 200 mm f2.8 zoom lens

Goldeneye [Male]

Goldeneye [Male]. England. Autumn 2008

Canon 50D + 300mm F2.8 + x2 extender.

Early winter ducks, in newly moulted plumage, are in my opinion the best in the whole year.

Mergansers and Goldeneyes are some of the best of the best.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Oystercatcher

The striking thing about the Oystercatcher is its brightly coloured bill which however, does serve a very useful purpose.

Black Tailed Godwit

Blacktail Godwit, Blacktoft RSPB, England. 2008

Canon 40D + 300 f2.8 + x2 extender.

Having descended, a group of Godwits separated and commenced feeding, one quite close to a hide.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Klaas's Cuckoo

On my last trip to Abuko National Park in Gambia I was fortunate enough to see this Klaas's Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx klaas, at a waterhole.





Canon 1D Mk2 with a 300 f2.8 lens and 2 x extender.

Herring gull

This beautiful looking gull I found at Bempton cliffs on a bright sunny day, there's a hint of malice in those eyes.

Black Headed gulls

To many people gulls are a boring bird and they have no particular interest in them, these Black Headed gulls, Larus ridibundus in Winter plumage, were captured behind the Spa theatre at Bridlington.

Turnstone feeding

This time, I was on the South Beach at Bridlington just behind the Spa theatre. A good place to go if you're interested in photographing birds and as usual the ever present Turnstones were there. I watched a small group foraging and this particular one was going from mussel to mussel having a peek for that tasty morsel.





I was particularly pleased with the first image, it won me 1st prize in a camera clubs photo competition.

Canon 1D Mk2, 500 mm f4 lens with 1.4 x extender all mounted on a tripod.

Turnstone

One September evening whilst walking along the beach at Scarborough, I noticed a number of Turnstones frolicking in the tidal pools. This was handy for me just what I wanted, armed with my Canon 1D Mk2 fitted with a Canon 70 - 200 mm f2.8 zoom lens.

Cuckoo Wrasse

I'm not quite certain where I took this photo of a Cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus, but I know it's in the Western Isles around Oban way. In the mature fish the male and female differ in colour and pattern. This male has a blue head which extends onto the sides which in parts are orangish in colour. It's certainly a beautiful looking fish, this type of wrasse always had an inquisitive nature, once whilst I was diving in Gozo, they were following me around. Yes I know, looking for any goodies kicked up by the diver. Cupboard love.



Nikonos V with 28 mm lens and Nikonos close up lens, fitted with a SB 102 flashgun.

Meet George

Yes, he's an ugly bugger, but George was the friendly Wolf fish, Anahichas lupus. He has powerful jaws and teeth, which enable it to crush sea urchins and other shellfish on which it feeds. On seeing divers he used to come out of his lair to see if any freebies were on the go. At the time I took this photograph, George was living in 8 metres of water at St. Abbs, Scotland.



It's some years since I photographed this fish, I wonder if he's still there?

Nikonos RS fitted with 28 mm lens, Ektachrome 100, scanned with a Nikon Coolscan 5000