Hengistbury Head

In mid January visited Hengistbury Head as it was a nice bright day. On arrival at the car park (off the broadway road) I took the Noddy train track, then forked to the left to head towards the spit opposite Mudeford. On the way met a birdwatcher who said he had seen a snow bunting and a razor bill around the spit that we were walking towards. I am not the world’s greatest at bird identification, and so had no idea what the razorbill looked like, just knew that it was a diving bird.

Once we got to the point, past all of the beach huts, came across a group of oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus).

I again used my E620 & Olympus 70-300mm F4 digital lens for all these images.

“Side by Side” f11, ISO 250, 1/100, +1 exposure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and whilst taking a few shots, noticed a bird diving in the channel between the spit and Mudeford quay. I managed to take a couple of photo’s before it moved out of range of my lens. Once I got home I identified it to be the razorbill (Alca torda), f8, ISO 320, 1/250, +0.7 exposure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After it moved away went back to shooting the Oystercatchers, experimenting with the exposure compensation & angle of the shot. These are my best of the lot.

f8, ISO 400, 1/1000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found it best to dial in a positive exposure to get the eye to stand out of the black head.

f8, ISO 400, 1/400, +1 exposure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

f8, ISO 400, 1/250, +1 exposure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tide was some way out and there was a lot of Black headed & Herring Gulls close to the shore right at the end point of the spit before you head back on the shore side towards the Head. The Herring gulls were picking up what appeared to be either shells or stones, taking off and then dropping them from a height. This a shot of an immature Herring gull (Larus argentatus) doing this, f8, ISO 400, 1/320 (cropped).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and as luck would have it, spotted the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) f8, ISO 800, 1/320 (cropped).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit further along took this Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) f8, ISO 800, 1/80.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally, came across this Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) who was doing a good job of painting f14, ISO 640, 1/250, +0.7 exposure (cropped).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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