Saturday 1 March 2008

Introduction

Hi all! Allow me to introduce myself, as I am a new contributor to this site. My name is Benjamin Young, and I'm a 13 (nearly 14) year old birder from East Kent. I'll admit that I'm not much of a twitcher, though I do jump at any occasion to find vagrants from Southern Europe (I used to live in the south of Spain, you see). My local patch is the rifle range south of Kingsdown, where Black Redstarts and Fulmar breed. I have seen offshore divers and Gannets here too, along with several oiled guillemots. My British List numbers 156, which is fairly impressive. I haven't seen many rarities in Britain, though an overhead White Stork in 2004 and a Red Kite in 2007 are probably my best sightings. I'm quite keen to become a professional photographer, though I still have a lot to learn.

Today I decided to head for Folkestone Warren. It is without doubt the place to see Mediterranean Gulls. I counted 33 on the sea and on the rocks. Also of interest was a female Kingsfisher using the rockpools as fishing sites and a Rock Pipit that gave amazingly good views. I also heard a Chiffchaff today; it must be a very early arrival.



3 comments:

Chris W said...

Nice pics Benjamin. Always remember though (and a photographer friend of mine told me this) about animal pictures, the picture is no good unless the creature's eye is in focus. (don't know if you know that, just passing it on) Keep up the good work though.
It's hard though. I do my best but sometimes what you get is what you get. lol

Happy Birding! --Chris

Simeon,Connor,James,Matthew said...

(Simeon) Hi Benjamin, welcome to the site. Good pics. One of the most important factors in wildlife or bird photography is the kit. A good camera is vital and if you're digiscoping, a good light-gathering scope. But, it doesn't have to be expensive, just make sure you're good with it. I've been digiscoping for nearly two years and some of my favourite photos were taken very recently with my Nokia N73! Here's a tip; if the animal/bird is moving, it often adds character to the picture if there is space in front of the object for it to move into. The centre of the frame isn't always the best place for the subject.
Keep up the good work, Kent is a good place in spring for migrants!

Benjamin Young said...

Thanks guys. I've taken your comments into account, and I am trying to achieve both.