It was remarkably mild for a late October afternoon. I sat outside for a couple of hours in the afternoon with a book and the cats to keep me company. I scattered some peanuts for the magpies, expecting that they would avoid them until we went back indoors, but they were clearly in an adventurous mood. I grabbed my camera and put on the long lens (Fuji XC 50-230) to try and catch a few shots. I’ve learned quite a bit about photography since I last spent time snapping birds. I know enough to keep my shutter speed high enough to freeze the action (pic above is 1/1000s), and I know enough to be unhappy that I had to go up to ISO 3200 to get enough light for the exposure.
However, I also know that birds follow patterns, and if I’m patient enough I can sit around and wait for that exact same shot at a time when the light will be better – perhaps shining right on the back of the magpie to really bring out their vivid colours. The light hits that angle of the garden in the mornings. The shot is there for the taking, if I can make the time to get up early one sunny day…