Scottish Wildlife Photography. Part 1, Red Kite Photography
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- čas přidán 22. 02. 2023
- Welcome back to another video and this will be part one of several videos as I tour Scotland in the depths of winter for it's wildlife.
In this episode (Part 1) I am in Dumfries and Galloway and visit a Red Kite feeding station Bellymack. With possibly 100+ Red Kites soaring over head expecting an easy meal you would think that getting quality photographs would be easy? Think again this type of photography requires planning, skill and photographic knowledge!
Now I know that feeding wildlife is not everyones cup of tea, in fact I have in the past received criticism for doing so, so I thought it important to explain why this is such an important part of the reintroduction and development of a species that historically was wiped from existing in the UK.
Feeding stations were encouraged by the RSPB with the first one being Gigrin Farm in Wales. The aim was to provide a reliable source of food to support the population of Red Kites. Other Red Kite feeding stations have also been established with at least 3 that I am aware of in Scotland.
For people wishing to see this beautiful bird this is a true spectacle to behold.
So come along for the journey and see what I see.............
If you have enjoyed the music in this video click on the link below
share.epidemicsound.com/tdfry2
Kit used:
Nikon Z9
Nikon 500mm F4G
Nikon Z70-200mm f2.8
Nikon FTZ Adapter ii
Gitzo Series 5 Systematic Tripod
Gitzo fluid Gimbal Head
DJI Pocket 2
GoPro Hero 11
DJI Mini 3 pro
That last image was simply stunning. They all were great, but the last one was most exceptional!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words Patty, I really appreciate it and your ongoing support.
What a fantastic place! Another vote for that last image! Superb detail and eye contact! 👍
Thanks very much John, this place is about 15 minutes away from Scottish Wildlife hides and well worth a visit if you are in the area 👍🏻
Oh yeah! That was cool! Thanks Dan!
Cheers Jon 👍🏻
Beautiful picture l am looking forward to travel to see and photography these wonderful creaters
Thank you very much for your comment 👍🏻
going early this year ]keeping an eye on the weather ,thanks for sharing great pictures.
Thanks very much Michael, fingers crossed that you have an incredible time with some awesome captures 🤞🏻
Here I am sitting at home in Texas - watching a wonderful bif video of birds I’ll never get a chance to photograph, from a man I’ll never meet, far away in Scotland. I know this one was a bit of a shooting fish in a barrel set up - but I really appreciated your effort to bring this to us and especially the lovely shots at the end. Sometimes it’s nice to have the gift of an arranged opportunity to shoot the subject without the many painful hours of driving, trudging, waiting and waiting and waiting some more - to get a decent shot! Good work and thanks for giving us the benefit of seeing the beauty of your local species all from my easy chair.
Many thanks for your comment Refuz, it’s nice to know that the video has reached Texas.
Appreciate it 👍🏻
Cheers Dan. All the best. 👍📷😎
Thanks Rob, appreciate your support 👍🏻
Have been to the feeding centre in the Brecon Beacons - amazing to see the number of red kites that turned up. Your video makes me want to go back.
Thanks for your comment and support Stephen 👍🏻
Hi dan. Great shots mate. Hope your dad is well. Best regards from james in scotland.
Thanks very much James and thanks for asking after Pops I will pass on your regards, cheers mate 👍🏻
Superb Dan , cracking images, thanks for posting this as I’m Staying at Newton Stewart in September and will have to pay a visit
My pleasure Laurence, thank you for your comment and support it’s appreciated 👍🏻
Hi Dan ! A remarkable video with also a remarkable raptor.
Capturing photographs of birds in flight is a daunting task, but the rewards are priceless. Greetings from Switzerland !
Thank you for your comment, it is really appreciated.
some great pics there Dan. On our bucket list to do.
Thanks very much, definitely get yourself to a red kite feeding station it’s an epic experience 👍🏻
Brilliant pin sharp images👍
Thanks very much for your comment and support 👍🏻
Been here a few times, better to wait till it thins out abit..LOL.. Good luck at Alan,s also been there..:0))
Thanks for your comment and support. Alan’s hide was spectacular 👍🏻
This is excellent and informative 👏
Thank you so much 👍🏻
Another well presented video Dan, beautiful birds
Thanks for your comment and support it’s appreciated 👍🏻
Brilliant Dan, just brilliant. Some amazing shots . Never seen so many of these amazing birds at once, one of my favourite two birds , the other one being the Kingfisher. That bust shot was just such a back in the seat shot that I thought I would break the back off of it, Total art piece if ever I saw one. so looking forward to see 2nd and 3rd parts. Great work. Hope pop's is OK, shame not to see him...👍
Thanks very much Dave I really appreciate your comment and ongoing support. Pops is doing just fine but couldn't make this Scottish trip, he will be in future videos for sure.
Great video Dann
Cheers Brian 👍🏻
Spray and prey is a great way of putting it. I was at Gigrin last summer and at times didn’t know where to point the lens at times. That final portrait shot is an absolute stunner.
Cheers Dave, when they are swarming it’s almost impossible to select a subject isn’t it 😂 thanks for your support mate I appreciate it 👍🏻
brilliant dan
Cheers Andy, appreciate your support 👍🏻
Crackin vlog Dan with some stunning images, I did Gigrin farm last year and absolutely loved it. Can't wait to see the rest of your upcoming vlogs.
Cheers Lee, thanks for your feedback and support 👍🏻
Another great video Dan, super photos
Thanks Derek, appreciate your ongoing support.
Gorgeous, one of my favourite raptors along with Buzzards and Kestrels. Good to see numbers increasing. Beautifully captured Dan, might give one of the feeding stations a visit. Keep the fab vlogs coming! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Many thanks David, I appreciate your comment and support 👍🏻
Great video Dan and amazing images. Must have been awesome experience seeing them so close. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comment and support, I really don’t think the video does justice to the experience of getting so close to awesome raptors 😁
Lovely! I really like watching / photographing kites but it is pretty challenging to keep them locked all the way through a dive! Looking forward to the rest of your videos from the trip. especially the hares which are a favourite of mine :) Funny that all the folks left so quickly - I've had that at another red kite location - because the kites almost always come in for a second go after a while and will keep coming until there's no food left!
I find photographing Kites challenging but really rewarding when you nail it.
Once again I really appreciate your comment and support Geoff 👍🏻
My favourite bird . Would’ve been nice if they had some ground level hides for you to lie down in for another perspective. They’d make a fortune hiring out those 😄
Thanks for your comment Steve, I believe that they have ground level hides at Gigrin. I can’t complain though as Bellymack Hill Farm only charge £5 to photograph the Kites 😁
Great vlog .Love the way you explain the way you got some of your photos .
Thanks for your comment and support Gary 👍🏻
Fantastic images. Enjoyed that thanx
Thanks Scott, appreciate it
Great Video Dan And Fantastic Photography 👌
Thanks for your comment and support Sonny, I appreciate it 👍🏻
Great stuff Dan. I wish I could have seen this 4 weeks ago!!! My wife and I leave Sussex next Tuesday for a trip to Scotland and have a tight schedule put together with hotels all now booked. Would have been great to visit this location so will have to make a note for next year!!!
Thanks for your comment and support Brian, have a wonderful trip in Scotland 👍🏻
Fantastic
Thank you so much 😀
@danwillis_photography i live only 30 mins from gigrin and 5 mins from dyfi osprey center .Just got a d850 with 500mm pf so plenty of subjects to test it out.
I’m interested in the dyfi Osprey centre, is it worth a visit?
@danwillis_photography yes definitely and then you are only ten mjnutes from Rspb ynyshir reserve aswell
Thanks I will take a look at that 👍🏻
We stayed in Dumfries for a week last year...about a mile or 2 away from there..we didn't go but did see plenty of red kites ...we're booked into argaty red kites photography hide next Sunday...hoping for decent weather
I’ve been to Agarty Red Kites it’s a great setup and different from other centres as they feed the Kites on a slope which makes for really different kind of image. I’ve featured it on an earlier video 👍🏻
@danwillis_photography agarty was great..got some great shots with my z6ii and sigma 150-600mm c
Watch and enjoy all your videos Dan pops as trained you well, have been to Gigrin but this place looks just as good : Would a 300 2.8 prime be long enough reach as some of the diving kites seem to be quite close.
Cheers Colin, I really appreciate your comment and ongoing support. I would say that the 300 2.8 is the best lens to have in this situation or indeed a 400. I found myself switching between the 500 and the 70-200 depending on the type of shot I was hoping for. The 500 to tight and the 70-200 leaving me with a crop for the final image.
Thanks again
Another great video Dan, what focus modes did you use ? I thought you might have borrowed pops 800mm or better still took him with you, looking forward to your next videos. Great stuff !!!
Thanks for your comment Malcom, it’s appreciated. I use 3D tracking with animal recognition on the back button with wide area small on the shutter button. I then program one of the front buttons to single point focus similar to what I used on my D500. By using a combination of all three I usually get the shot.
I wish Pops would lend me his 800 too 😂😂😂
Beautiful and crazy flyers! Do you notice any focusing difference between Z lenses and the older mount lenses?
Thanks for your comment and support. The Z lenses are definitely quicker there’s no doubt about that however I believe (no test data to support) that the f mount lens focuses faster on my Z9 than on my D500 🤷🏻♂️
Excellent video as always and some amazing images (the one of the stacked kites in a column!)😍👍😍 What focus mode were you using? 3D tracking? 🙏
Thanks for your comment and support. The focus setup I use is 3D tracking on the back button with animal recognition. I supplement this with wide area small on the shutter button and then program the middle front button to single point focus. I find that by having the 3 options at my disposal means that I can acquire the target in almost every situation. Hope that helps 👍🏻
@@danwillis_photography That's great thank you!
Subscribed, great photos thank you for sharing, quick question did you use 3D tracking to captured or dynamic wide area.
Thanks for the sub I appreciate it. As for focusing I use 3D tracking on the back button with animal recognition and then wide are small on the shutter button. I then program one of the front buttons to single point focus which I used on my D500. Using a combination of the 3 means I usually get the focus locked on. Hope that answers the question 👍🏻
thank you.
Hey Dan, nice work, I enjoyed it when I went, how does it compare to the other two sites you’ve been to? Couple shots are slightly purple but rest are spot on👍🏻
Thanks for your comment. I can honestly say they are all very different, Gigrin is much faster in terms of the red kite follow the tractor in and are on it immediately whereas here they were quite slow to start feeding and came in waves rather than a continuous flow. Hope that answers your question 👍🏻
Hi, been there twice as only live an hour or so away was intending to go next week but weather not looking good, assume it's still a five pound note entrance? Cheapest in the UK unless you have flying local, Saw you put up your camera settings for each image but did you need/use any + /- on the exposure? Thanks.
Thanks Russell for your comment. Yes it was only £5 which is incredible value for money.
I do use exposure compensation as I leave ISO in auto and so the compensation helps with that. There was little bright sunshine so I didn’t dial in any compensation, if the sun had come out I would have used -0.7 to ensure the white on the birds was not blown.
Hope that answers your questions 👍🏻