A South African Bird Portfolio

Some birders take photographs, and some photographers specialise in photographing birds. I am neither a skilled birder nor a specialised bird photographer, but over the years and across different places and spaces I have accumulated a good many bird images, and this portfolio represents I think the best of them, or at least the most interesting - selected, as a photographer selects, with no pretence at representivity, but simply for their quality and interest as images. You can see the full portfolio here.

Many of the images are from one of our favourite places in all the world, the Madikwe Game Reserve, up in the north-west corner of South Africa, butting against the border with Botswana. Others are from the Kruger National Park and the Marievale Bird Sanctuary on the outskirts of Nigel, near Johannesburg, and still others were taken in the Magaliesberg and elsewhere.

Sometimes you are lucky, as I was with the photographs of the pale chanting goshawks and the eagles - the birds were in plain view, otherwise occupied, and - in theory at least - relatively easy to photograph. Though even with these images, there are problems to solve - calculating the exposure to compensate for the strong backlighting, for instance, and keeping a large and heavy lens steady, especially when it is hand-held. Modern technology helps here of course, with image stabilisation, but getting a useably sharp image can still be a challenge, especially when you are shooting from the back of an open safari vehicle, with other people shifting their weight around, trying to get the best view.

In many cases, though, the bird you are after is obscured by branches and leaves, is hard to make out in sun-dappled shadows, or is on the move. Then there are the birds that simply fly off - you will see a lilac-breasted roller, for instance, perfectly in view at the top of a high, bare tree, but the moment your vehicle rolls to a halt the bird is gone, with one scornful beat of its wings.

You will not be surprised, then, that for each one of the images here, I have probably twenty or more that are either just ordinary, or technically flawed, or disappointing duds! Perhaps this is why I am an opportunist, rather than a specialist, when it comes to photographing birds. I catch what I can, and am thankful for what I catch. It is true, though, as the saying goes, that the more that I practice, the luckier I get. Some compensation, at least, for the hours spent in the field.

So, do take a moment to check out the full portfolio on my website, and while you are at it, see what you think of my new, completely redesigned home page. A cleaner, less cluttered look, I think, which I hope you will like.

Pale Chanting Goshawks, Madikwe Game Reserve

Cape Weaver, Magaliesberg

Ground Hornbill, Kruger National Park