Scozmo's Photery

I wasn’t! Really should get that out of the way right up front 🙂 No, the field directly behind the house, over which most of my landscape and night sky shots are taken, the crop in there was ready to be harvested a couple of days ago but typically, there was a snag with the harvester which delayed things a little but it all got cut, brought in and the stalks were baled yesterday.

Now, if you didn’t realise it, harvesting in a field like that disturbs all sorts of beasties so, the machines are tracked from above by Buzzards, Red Kites, some Corvids and a Black-backed Gull or two. I was also harvesting after a fashion, I was on my ride-on mower, this side of the fence cutting the largest area of grass while it was reasonably dry but also watching the birds so, when I took a break, I set up a tripod and camera….

Those of you who photograph birds will know, you often have to get the shots, never knowing whether you’ll get anything better later so you can end up with many distant bird images and, if you get lucky, some much better close up shots.

The first birds I noticed were Black-backed Gulls, looked like an adult and a younger bird, I never got the chance of the younger bird but..

I always think, or thought of our seabirds as being just that but these days, they are everywhere, too many in our cities now.

There were a couple of Red Kites cruising around at the other end of the field, furthest from me, typically!

I was trying to track them against the landscape, I think they can look fabulous against trees or fields and hills.

They did of course start getting some successful catches on the ground.

If they didn’t get a catch, they seemed contented-ish to watch another eat, maybe waiting for scraps? 🙂

A Buzzard passed over a couple of times and I did see it on one of the furthest bales so didn’t bother with a shot.

I must admit, I had no idea of the time until I started editing these …..we have a LOT of grass to cut 🙂

Then this happened and I scrambled up to the camera….

This one was almost directly over our fence, I missed the first couple, even though it was just cruising!

I couldn’t help but think how lucky we are! I was standing on our patio photographing beautiful birds of prey, wonderful.

This one was cruising and swooping low but not getting anything, I guess … and after one swoop !

OK, perspective! How close was it really? Neither bird nor driver batted an eyelid, just carried on with the task at hand 🙂

There were still a couple of Red Kites out there this morning, perched on bales, watching! 🙂

While all this was going on, Waggie! was checking out the freshly cut grass for food, there’s a nest in one of the sheds the yard. By the way, we talk to Waggie. He, she or they, have been coming here for at least the three years we have lived here, there’s already one youngster foraging around in the garden and I saw a newer one join this one for a feed later on.

I wish every day could be harvest day in this field, it’s not far to walk to the next one though 😉

See you all again soon.

patch photos