a quandry

My camera broke on the day we moved into the flat.

This was its last poor attempt at a photograph before giving up to the eternal state of REMOVE LENS CAP THEN PRESS >. Very sad, particularly as I've got on so well with this camera.

The upside to this story of course is that I get to go shopping for a new camera. Hooray! Except I'm rubbish at decisions like this, as there are always so many options with no clear and obvious choice. I was happy with my old camera (a Panasonic FZ18), so want to go for something with the same plus points. I've decided against a DSLR as I don't think I'd use a camera as much if it was that heavy, and don't like the idea of having to bring out more than one lens with the kind of photos I like to take. So I'm looking for a high performance compact digital camera with a decent zoom, good macro function and the ability to use preset features and also switch to manual settings.

So I've narrowed it down to a few models.

• Panasonic FZ45- an obvious option as a more direct replacement of my old camera, with a slightly bigger zoom and higher specifications (also takes photos in RAW, which my old camera didn't). Cheapest option out of these, at only £249.
• Panasonic FZ100- the next model in the FZ series, although I'm not convinced it's much of an improvement on the FZ45 for the £80ish mark-up on price. Main advantage is a better screen which can also rotate round and flip.
• Canon Powershot SX30 IS- gets generally very good reviews, with a rotating screen. Doesn't take RAW images, but as my old camera didn't either, its not a huge issue for me.
• Nikon Coolpix P500- also gets good reviews, and has the advantage of being lighter than the Canon. Has tilting screen, but doesn't take RAW images.

We are off to Dorset this weekend so am hoping to make up my mind before I go. I welcome any opinions over the next few days please! Watch this space...

Good News for Boobys

Hi

You may remember that (shortly before disappearing off the face of the internet) I posted a link about making the Chagos Archipelago a Marine Reserve. Well if you don't know, the Chagos Marine Reserve was declared the world's biggest no-take marine reserve, and a year later it's nice to read some good environment-related news for a change.

I might start posting again, I haven't decided yet. Everything birdy that I see is posted by Parus in a much more sweary and grumpy fashion (who steals my photos half the time too).

He doesn't get to post stuff like this though.

By the way, if you want to see something very cute, come along to London Zoo and meet our new(ish) baby gorilla, he's a bit good.

Coo-eeee!

I have been to Norfolk this week, and haven't even had the time to write about it before disappearing elsewhere. Such are the demands of running a zoo.


Spent a very pleasant couple of days around Norwich/the broads with the boy, and managed to grab a couple of life ticks in between various zoo-based commitments (lesser-spotted woodpecker, common crane, tree pipit, eider and stone curlew).

For today though, I am in the Lake District en-route to Mull, and very nice it is too...

Birding quandry...

To tick or not to tick?

Somewhere in here is probably a dartford warbler...

The other week at Minsmere me and the boy saw a dark passerine with a long tail fly between three different gorse bushes along the seafront before hiding in that bush. After circling at it and staring for about 15 minutes we had to give up and walk away from the magical disappearing bird.

The problem is, if it WAS dartford warbler this would be a lifetime first for me, despite spending many an hour looking for the things before. So where you'd be happy to year tick a blue tit etc by it's call alone, or by a glimpse flying in front of you, for a first record this doesn't feel like enough.

We have since looked at the "recent sightings" leaflet given to us at Minsmere, and it included a dartford warbler along the seafront, so this is most likely what we saw. Still doesn't sit comfortably and throws up the question of what contitutes a good enough view to be sure what you've seen. Does anybody have any suggestions what else it could have been?

I think I might put a light mark on this one in pencil, and make it my mission to see a better one before the year's out. Dartford warblers are still annoying in 2010 it seems.

All was not lost though, I got a life first in the form of a very entertaining group of marsh tits. The boy took the photos as I was putting all my effort into carrying the scope and that. As such there is only one identifiable photo in circulation. Enjoy...

Out in the big wide tank...

You may remember I had some baby fish a while ago. You probably don't and if you do, you probably didn't really care that much when I told you, but I found it quite exciting. The four babies quickly turned into two, but they've both survived for nearly a month now. They're still pretty small, but figured they were slightly bigger than the mouth of a Gourami, so it was time to let them spread their fins and see how they got on with the rest of my fish.

They've lasted about 15 minutes so far, and now they seemed to have worked out the current in the tank, they seem to be doing okay at the moment. Well, one is hiding behind the thermometer looking shit scared, but the other one is doing some good investigation... I'll keep you posted of course, whether you're interested or not. I tried to take some nice photos just in case I underestimated the size of a Gourami's mouth, but it turns out a tank in a tank is hard to focus on. I've posted them anyway for your viewing pleasure :)

the baby fish when they were stupidly small (I particularly enjoy the one at the top eyeballing the lens here)

baby fish before being released to the big tank (with helpful minnow for scale)

Scope Initiation

After last weekend I think I can consider my scope broken in now. After buying a shiny (and too expensive) tripod in Rainham on the Saturday to complete my kit, me and the boy headed to Minsmere on the sunday, for our first proper big trip of the year. Having never been to Minsmere before, this trip is probably a bit overdue, but I don't think we really saw it at it's best. Bit late for winter stuff, bit early for spring stuff. Oh well.

The scope successfully passed it's initiation ceremony though. Bushes dropped in- 2, puddles stood in- 12, hide roofs smashed into- 3, birds seen- 5ish, Sea spray covering- thorough.


I might tell you more about this trip later, if I get the time...

Just When You Never Thought This Day Would Come...

Birding Upgrade 2.0 in progress. Oh Yes.