Looking good, but no evidence of chicks yet. I suspect they're deep in the nest (on old buzzard's nest).
I stood for ages at my spot on the hill yesterday, having walked 2km to get to it, now that they've closed off the layby where I used to park. I had been waiting for ages, with no action at all, just the mother's head above the edge of the nest, keeping an eye all around.
Enter man with red t-shirt, parked on the side of the road, strutting along, right in front of me to then stand and watch with his binoculars. To be fair, he did not see me, higher up and very discreetly waiting for action, camera at the ready. Of course he scared the bird off the nest. No stealth mode for him! He didn't hang around for long, fortunately.
However, he did me a favour, as I was able to see the mother coming back in, eventually. They never leave the nest for long, so I waited patiently for her return. And I had worked out how to use the burst setting on the new camera so got a series of fairly decent shots.
Ballater Walking Week starts today. Hope the weather holds, it's been so nice of late.
Your patience was well-rewarded. And at last I get to see an osprey ! Half a century ago we used to camp in summer near RSPB Leighton Moss in Lancashire, a stopping place for ospreys on their migration. I spent many hours in the hide hoping to see this iconic bird, uselessly I suppose as I doubt they migrate in July and August !
Wonderful shot- had to chuckle about Mr. Red Shirt. Some folks are clueless! But in the end it did help you to get a fantastic shot, so all's well that ends well.
Looking at her face as she defends to the nest. I think she’s landing very carefully not to hurt the babies….i hope that’s the case anyway! Fabulous capture! Doesn’t sound like Mt Red Shirt will have the patience to return in the near future,…very brash!
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Not bad, Jackie. I hand hold the camera, leaning against a tree, so no tripod, and don't have much extra with me (other than a spare camera battery). I only take the zoom lens when doing this particular shoot - because I know where I'm going and what I need. No doubts about lenses. :-)
@laroque I'm very fortunate, as this is a wild nest, but not far from a main road, with no official view points and no external interference. There are also very few people around, and those who know about the nest tend to be very discreet. I post images on 365 and instagram, but I never say where it is. I know roughly when the birds arrive and what to expect. They're around (on this nest) from mid-April to mid-September when they fly off to Africa. It's a real treat to get to stand and wait for some nest action every year. It's also on a stretch of road that I use quite often so I generally know when the couple have arrived.
I only use burst mode when shooting birds, there always seems to be a good one amongst them ;-)
How heavy is your kit to carry and then wait around??