Last pics of 2016

January 7, 2017 Pete

The last pics of 2016 are from two trips to Blashford Lakes nature reserve over the festive period.

One of the last pics is one of my firsts, a photo of a Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nissus) viewed from the Ivy North hide, and which just so happened to arrive as a flock of sparrows passed by.

Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus), both male and female, were to be seen around the feeders outside the Woodland hide.

I also decided to use the 1.4x extender with the Canon 100-400 EF f/4.5-5.6 IS II USM lens. This extends the reach of the lens though pushes the minimum aperture up to F8. As you will see on first try this combination doesnt appear to cause much detoriation in sharpness.