Yesterday I ventured out for the first time since returning from Sri Lanka, as I'm contemplating the processing of a huge number of photos, and there's normal life in there somewhere!  I went to photograph the Lesser Yellowlegs at Frampton. Although I saw the bird in October, constant messages indicating the bird was in the car park opposite the visitor centre warranted investigation, and I had seen the species at Frampton before but not managed a decent photo.

My plan was to arrive at first light and return home for breakfast. There was one other birder in the car park and we set out to look for the bird. The light wasn't quite good enough yet to see the leg colour well, and as there were a number of Redshanks around it made for an interesting search. However as it was one of the closest birds it didn't take long, and I called the other chap back as he had wandered in the wrong direction. This is one of the reasons I find Frampton the best reserve in the country, there is plenty of habitat but it varies every time you visit. Water levels are controlled on the scrapes but what are fields one day are flooded the next and wigeon were swimming alongside the car park fence. Previously the Yellowlegs had been all over the reserve, including the farm reservoir where many visitors never go, and had disappeared for a time. I don't think it ever actually entered the car park, I think that was a error of reporting, but you never know. Certainly I didn't leave the car park, nor move more than fifty yards from my car. 

As the sun rose it was obvious that it would be a good day for photography, but there was a bitterly cold wind, and breakfast beckoned. so 192 shots later (including 3 male wigeon) I left for home. As I was getting in my car others started arriving, but my early companion told me the bird had just flown off. There was no news on it yesterday but I'm sure it will return to the same area unless water levels change.

Of those 192 shots 140 were deleted immediately, I was given to thinking what that would have cost using film, but it was quite frightening. I have never been a photographer, but a birder with a camera. People think of me as a photographer because I used to have a big lens and sell rarity photos, but even that I got in to by accident. I do get a lot of enjoyment now from maintaining my website, but as far as I am concerned, if a shot is acceptable that's good enough for me. I still manage to get a few published, but the fee is a token, I don't think any birders care about the money, it's just nice to get your shots used. Far more birders carry cameras now, but please don't ditch the bins, learning about birds from watching them is far more satisfying, and learning by experience much better in terms of identifying birds. Yes, I'm preaching to the converted, but many new birders are yet to be converted. When I retired we went to Oz for four months and took part in an outback tour, among much else. There is a growing trend over there to use cameras only, but one Australian guy who we spent a fair bit of time with, left the tour and went straight home to buy a pair of binoculars. How much more would he have enjoyed it if he'd bought the bins first, and what about the birds you don't manage to photograph? Another downside to camera birding is that electronic viewfinders aren't as good as the old type, so it's more difficult to see what you're taking, hence 192 shots when six or twelve would have been the limit in the old days, unless you could afford to throw birding money away. You do however stand a chance of a cracking flight shot, all I managed on the legs was the bird looking the other way!

More about Frampton and its waders next blog.