Austin Thomas Photography - Blog

Great Crested Grebes…

Austin — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:29:12 +0000

Those of you that follow my Facebook Photography page ( Link to the right if you want to follow ) will be aware that I have spent a lot of time recently photographing Great Crested Grebes.

They are a beautiful bird and during the mating season the love and affection they show to each other is quite spectacular. The courtship dance where the Grebes shake their heads and flick their feathers is a spectacle to watch. It is one such event in nature where I feel that video is a better medium than a photograph as freezing the moment misses their graceful movements.

This couple of Grebes have produced eggs and they have been protecting them for three weeks now. I hope that we will see some Grebe chicks in the very near future.

Lanzarote Birding – A Houbara Bustard.

Austin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:03:46 +0000

Here is the Houbara Bustard that was very high up on my target list when on Lanzarote.

I had done some homework before I travelled to compile a list of target species and also some ideas as to where on the island certain species might be found. The area around Playa Blanca was noted to be one of the most likely places that the Houbara Bustard would be seen. I therefore spent a good portion of my time searching the plains to the West and North of Playa Blanca in search of this bird.

I managed to find them a few times over the course of the week and this image shows a little of the environment that the Bustard enjoys.

Lanzarote Birding – A Spanish Sparrow bathing…

Austin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:56:27 +0000

Here is one of the most common birds found in Lanzarote, the Spanish Sparrow.

It wasn’t a difficult bird to find as you would expect so I had to find an opportunity to photograph this bird “in action”. I have often said that water is like a magnet to wildlife so when I came across this shallow pool I knew it wouldn’t be long before something came along for a drink.

Having quenched its thirst, this Sparrow made use of the water to freshen up and take a bath…

Lanzarote Birding – A Hoopoe….

Austin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:39:32 +0000

Next up from my Lanzarote trip is the Hoopoe.

This species proved to be a bit of a challenge to photograph. Initially I was searching in the South of the Island where I failed to find a single Hoopoe. I then visited the golf course at Tachiche in the North East where several Hoopoes were observed. I thought that my first afternoon session with these birds went reasonably well until I took a closer look on my computer later that evening. Every image was affected by heat haze and I knew a return trip would be needed.

Fortunately the island is not that big so, later the same week, I returned in the evening time when this image was recorded.

Lanzarote Birding – A Southern Grey Shrike…

Austin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:50:47 +0000

My next subject from Lanzarote is the Southern Grey Shrike.

I found this Southern Grey Shrike to the east of Playa Blanca just inland from the coast. It spent most of its time on some fairly dry and weary looking vegetation. Typically, it would perch on the highest bushes before jumping down to feed in-between the stones and rocks on the ground. Having got some record images of the bird on top of the bushes, I decided to settle in at floor level and wait for the Shrike to come into range.

After a while the Shrike hopped onto this rock which helped lift it out of the “mush” along the bottom of the frame.

Lanzarote Birding – A Stone Curlew, on stones…

Austin — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:27:15 +0000

Here is another from my recent trip to Lanzarote.

This Stone Curlew image was taken early one morning just as the sun cleared the horizon. I came across two birds earlier in the week and managed to get some record images before the Curlews did their usual trick of calmly walking away with their backs to the camera. This image was taken at the same location, to the east of Playa Blanca, a couple of days later.

By being patient and spending more time in their company before reaching for the camera, I was able to get very close.

Lanzarote Birding – A Black Winged Stilt calling…

Austin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 09:48:06 +0000

I am just back from a week on Lanzarote. The weather was nice and warm so I didn’t need to pack too many clothes, which left plenty of space in my luggage for some camera gear.

I will start this series of posts with a Black Winged Stilt calling. On the west coast of the island is a place called Salinas de Janubio. Here I found some salt pans offering a variety of birds and waders. Early mornings offered the best potential however the site is active hence workers started to arrive soon after dawn. I therefore decided to revisit on a Sunday morning when there were no other disturbances.

In typical fashion I had the site to myself until around 09:30am when the first dog walkers started to arrive. It was just like being back home…

A Grebe eating a rather large fish…

Austin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:15:32 +0000

Here is another from my recent session with Great Crested Grebes.

How this slender and rather beautiful bird is able to convert itself into a large fish consuming machine is quite a mystery to me. Having caught the fish it struggled to swallow it whole for some time. During the process the Grebe paused with the poor fish stuck half way in its throat. The Grebe took a drink, presumably to aid digestion, before continuing to swallow.

Following this ordeal the Grebe went for a well earned rest to digest its catch.

A morning with Great Crested Grebes…

Austin — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:39:41 +0000

This morning I had a very pleasant session in the company of Great Crested Grebes.

The fine spell of weather combined with little or no wind set up a very still and peaceful lake. The only disturbance to the waters surface was caused by the wildlife itself. Arriving at the lake before dawn also ensured that the only sounds I heard were those that mother nature had intended. The lake was surprisingly busy with various species of birds interacting but it was the Grebes that were my main target.

It wasn’t long before the sun had burnt away the early mist and the true colours of the Grebe could be photographed.

A strange encounter with a grumpy Short Eared Owl…

Austin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:35:09 +0000

Last weekend I had a very strange and unexpected encounter with a Short Eared Owl.

I decided to head out at dawn to see if any of the spring migrating birds had made it to this part of the country. It is still very early in the year for the migrants but I was curious to go exploring. To be honest there was very little around although I did see two Northern Wheatear through my binoculars.

As I turned my car around about to head home I noticed a Short Eared Owl just sitting in the open. I quickly took some pictures and then started to manouvre in order to improve my composition. To my surprise the Owl didn’t move. I got closer and closer until I could fill the frame. Eventually the Owl did move by walking. It didn’t fly off, so I decided to leave it alone. This picture was taken at around 09:30 in the morning and one theory is that the Owl was simply sleeping, having been hunting all night. My first thoughts were that it was injured despite looking healthy and a little bit grumpy.