Latest shoots at Bissoe

I make my way to Bissoe a few times every week in the hope of find something new and interesting. Since my last post - videos of some common birds at Bissoe - I have decided that I simply haven't shot enough video over this past term to put together a film worthy of a degree project.  It's a real shame, but stopping filming means that I can focus of my stills photography and, hopefully, produce a volume of work I'm really proud of.  So without this sounding too much like my project logbook, I now have a much clearer focus for this assignment.

Over the past few days I have photographed some new species at Bissoe Valley and also managed to take some shots I have been trying to get for a while.

This Blackcap did not stay very long as I had just left my hide to photograph a nearby Song Thrush.  I thought it was a Coal Tit at first, as they had been all over my strategically placed bird feeder.  It's the first time I've photographed one and if it returns I will try and improve on this shot.

Whilst, rather unfortunately, photographing some Great Tits, I heard some crows making a lot of noise.  I turned and saw two buzzards being chased by crows swooping at head height about 20 metres away from where I was stood.  GUTTED! I had a 500mm lens on me but they had flown off before my brain could register what just happened.  I had forgotten how big they are!  Anyway, they both perched up in nearby trees.  The first one flew off as soon as I emerged to photograph it, but this second one stayed a bit longer -  long enough for me to get a basic shot.  It reminded me that I need to start photographing these birds more.

On a clear night a few days ago, I headed out to see how Bissoe looked at night.  Unfortunately the moon  wasn't shining, so it didn't light up the foreground much.  However, the dark sky was ablaze with stars - it turns out there's much less light pollution in the Valley than most other places I do night photography.  I was trying to encapsulate the industrial history of the place by using this old ruin/ building as a focal point.

Oh yeah, and it was so clear and dark that I could see the Milky Way with my bear eyes (ha, bare eyes) as the photo on the right (look up) shows.

Why a Robin? On a feeder?  Come on James, you can do better than this...

Well, it's the most Christmassy photo I taken this winter, and it's 1st December so that completely justifies this image.