Thursday 24 June 2021

Norfolk Hawkers Building Up

With conditions looking very good late afternoon yesterday with sunny warm skies and a light wind, I spent a couple of hours at Grove Ferry looking for and photographing the stunning Norfolk Hawkers. Whilst they are normally easy to see at this time of year, finding individuals in good conditions perching in suitable areas for pleasing shots can be a little more challenging.  Having walked around the ditches at Grove, I managed to see 37 Norfolk Hawkers which I think is my highest total to date. Most ditches seemed to hold them and I spent quite a while just sat down watching them patrolling their territory and chasing off other males sometimes at a great height before returning to carry on. A few flight shots were attempted with varying results but eventually, I ended up with a few keepers although I really should have done better I feel. It's taking me a while to get used to the Canon 7d mk ii and with such a sensitive manual focus on the Canon f4 300mm lens, it can be frustrating to get shots just out of focus. All part of the fun though and i'm always learning and trying to improve. A few males were seen perching making for some nice photo opportunities but my bonus shot of the day had to be a mating pair which flew into a sheltered corner I was watching and perched up. Whilst I do see a few mating pairs from time to time, photos can be hard to obtain so these were really pleasing to obtain. Plenty else to see including 4 Emperor Dragonfly, 1 Broad bodied Chaser, 2 Four spotted Chaser, 4 Black tailed Skimmer, 1 Hairy Dragonfly and a variety of damselflies. A pleasant session with lots of lovely views of the Hawkers and a few nice images too. 




Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male




Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - female










Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male


Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - mating pair


Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male

11 comments:

  1. Stunning shots. A Hawker I would love to see.

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    1. Many thanks for your kind words. Not sure where you're based but a few hundred in Norfolk and a good number now in East Kent.

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    2. Based in County Durham but I’m hoping to have a holiday in Kent next year 🤞to see the dragonflies we don’t have up here.

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  2. Superb shots, as always, Marc. I was interested to see that you use manual focus for your flight shots. Manual focus is something that I never use, so perhaps I should give it a try? My two previous attempts for a few days in Norfolk for the hawkers this month have gone by the board, so I'm hoping that all will be OK for the three days I have booked starting this coming Monday. However, as well as weather considerations, I could be thwarted for a third time by a bad back and a recent onset of vertigo for which I am on medication - not the sort of thing you want when bending down near water to take photos!

    Thank you for the inspiration. Take care - - - - Richard

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    1. Oh no Richard. I hope you are feeling a little better soon. I've always used manual focus for ALL my Dragonfly shots, be it perched or in flight. I find the camera nearly always on auto focus would not pick out the Dragonfly in flight and focus on the background. I feel I have more control with manual focus although it can be very hit or miss as the sweet spot is so marginal. Having said that, if you keep trying and learn your subject, it's possible to get a few nice images. Take care and I hope you have a good trip...if you go.

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  3. You obviously managed both the challenge and manual focus to get these excellent images of the Norfolk Hawker Marc. It's difficult to see how you can improve on these results, but I do know your standards are of the highest possible, so I know you certainly will.


    Take Care with Regards Pete.

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    1. Many thanks Pete. You know me, I'm quite hard on myself and always looking for small improvements. Pretty happy with these but know there is more to give. Just need them to perch now in pleasing photographic perches. Take care.

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  4. Amazing Marc,
    I wish I could get my fox pictures as sharp as your dragonflies. Take care.
    Mike.

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    1. Many thanks Mike. I'm sure if your Foxes were in lovely sunlight sitting still, you would also vastly improve the quality of the shots. You do very well in that light. Take care.

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  5. WOW!! Love your jaw-dropping shots!

    Happy Monday!

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    1. Many thanks Veronica for your visit and kind words. Much appreciated. Take care.

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