Osprey are my favorite bird to photograph here in South Carolina. They actually have an opposable talon much like our thumb so that when they get a fish, they can turn it as they fly so that its profile is forward making it more aerodynamic. You often see them with a fish and the fish is almost always facing forward. Every time I see that, I wonder what that fish must be thinking. I am amazed it is still hot there. We are 1000 miles south of you and it has already cooled off here.
Such a great favourite to have Phillip, I've heard that about their Talons, that's a great adaptation to have. I'n wondering if the Fish Eagles have something similar, I'll get my head in the book and find out, best things about wildlife that every days a school day. Lol, poor fish! Aerodynamic in flight I'm guessing. Blimey, the climate is certainly acting up! Thanks for watching and for the info. Regards Rich 👍
Hi Rich, another top video, amazing to see the footage of the Osprey feeding, lovely images of a stunning bird. Looks a top place that, looks like you just don't know what you're gonna get, which is exciting 😎 Mink as well, and the belted Kingfisher, great that you got the image Mate. Really enjoyed this. See you on the next one 📸
Glad you enjoyed it Lee, such a diverse range of species. I can't wait for the Owls and other raptors to arrive next month, plus the weather will be colder this time, lol... It was boiling. Cheers Rich
Looks a good spot that Rich, the raptors look like theyre going to give you plenty of opportunities in the future. Looking forward to the next film pal. ATB, Si 👊🏼📷🎥
Thanks mate, it's a cracking spot and one I hope to have good sessions with over the Winter, cheers for watching mate as I know your a busy man! Hope the move is progressing well, fingers crossed you'll be in soon! Then the video's will be rolling out, can't wait. Cheers Rich 😉👍
Wow Richard that was truly a fantastic video,glad to see you’re enjoying the new life in Canada, the wildlife looks amazing,stunning shots of the Osprey, truly amazing amazing video thank you for sharing it with us. Martyn
Glad you enjoyed it Martyn, it was a chance meeting with the Osprey but a welcome one. My pleasure and thanks for watching, have a good weekend. Rich 👍
Great stuff Richard, so pleased you got to see and share the osprey and get the belted kingfisher at last! We had a couple of Oh Henry bars during our visit to Canada, plus Mr. Big bars! 😋 All the best 👍🏻
Thanks Steve, never really expected to see the Osprey but it was a welcome sight for sure! And the belted was another surprise after spending 24 hours in a hide over a week to only get a back end shot, it was a massive bonus. They are nice, not tried Mr Big, but it's now on the list for sure, lol..... Cheers Rich👍
Glad to see you are settling in to Ontario and enjoying your time. We have seen Northern Harriers around Goonhilly in the past couple of weeks. Ospreys have been busy from early September and still being seen at Devoran.
Thanks very much Jon getting on really well thanks. I've been keeping tabs on the birds at home and great news about both species. Lets keep our fingers crossed that the Osprey may breed in Cornwall one day. cheers Rich
Absolutely Laurence, I'm looking for to the Owl season for sure! Not sure what I will do when I see my first Snowy Owl, lol.. Probably forget to press the shutter! More to come soon. Cheers Rich 👍
Twas a bit on the HOT side mate. That was such a bonus seeing the Osprey, it didn't hang around long and disappeared a few days later. Maybe next year I'll get to see it fish. Cheers Rich 👍
Great video Rich. Awesome Osprey footage. Saw them moving through Devon & Cornwall but not that close. Great shot of the Kingfisher! There was a Northern Harrier at the Lizard recently. Atb👍
Thanks Trev, it was such a joy to spend the time watching it. Yes, it's been a really good year for the SW for Osprey's, I've heard they are constructing nesting platforms in hope to entice the birds to breed in Cornwall again! That would be something.. Certainly bigger than our Kingfisher but not as good looking, lol... Yes, a Northern Harrier is a great bird! Resident here but still haven't seen one. Cheers Rich
Richard that place seems like a great place for an electric bike sponsorship, seems everyone else is doing them and would save you some walking in the heat…. Great to see you out there.. 👍🇬🇧
Thanks Smiffy, funny you should say that you can hire them from the Car Park, lol... Not sure the weight of my kit will work but I might give it a go next time! Good idea.. Cheers Rich
Thanks mate, I will do, lol.... But they are so addictive! Yep they are awesome birds, still never seen one fish but I hope to one day! And visiting your place is still on the cards! Cheers Rich 😉👍
Richard, I pleased to see that you are getting to explore greater Toronto. In the winter try to check out the Burlington Ship Canal and the La Salle Marina in Burlington which is about 45 minutes southwest of Toronto as you travel towards Niagara Falls. When it's are not iced in, you can often see thousands of ducks in the canal. Long-tails, Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers to name a few. La Salle has Trumpeter Swans that often overwinter.
Hi Stephen, thanks very much for watching and for your tips and advice on the area. It really has a great deal to offer for an area so populated. I will certainly check those areas out, I mean to do more photography with ducks and wader species, especially in an area with so much water. Plus some of those species and so beautiful. Thanks again for stopping by. Cheers Rich 👍
Another great video Richard, it’s great to be able to share your joy as you explore you new local patch. Our Northern Harrier is still around although it has now moved to the Kynance area. I guess it will be making its way back across the Atlantic soon but I hope it stays for a few more days.
Thanks Steve, it was a fun video to do and I can't wait to visit when all the fall birds arrive, Snowy Owl, Harriers, SEO, LEO... the list goes on. Heard it's still around, maybe it will come to Canada! Never can tell, lol.. Cheers Rich
Great stuff, I didn't even know about this spot! Will have to check it out. Also, Ontario does have one venomous snake that is somewhat dangerous, the massasauga rattlesnake, though there probably aren't any in the GTA but technically the GTA does fall into its known range. It is more common up near Massasauga provincial park (hence its name). As rattlesnakes go they are very shy and are much more likely to flee than attack but if cornered they will strike and their venom can be dangerous.
Thanks Ryan, its a great spot and will only get better as the season progresses. You never know we might see each other as I plan to go there lots. Thanks for the info on the Snakes, always good to have a local to gain knowledge from. Cheers Rich 👍
Another great video Richard 😀 We’re lucky enough to get Osprey near here (Romsey, Hampshire, UK) in late summer but I haven’t managed to get as close as you have… yet. Have you been to the Toronto Islands yet? Lots of wildlife there too, and very used to people. Got a few Night Heron shots there. Love your photos. Keep up the great work. Cheers 👍
Thanks Mike, great you've seen they to! Amazing birds aren't they. Not yet but I am sure I will get to it soon, still lots of places to explore. Thanks again and great work with the Night Heron, cracking birds. cheers Rich 👍
Hi Rich , having worked all the way through the Pandemic with out a sniffle Covid has finally caught up with me ! So really enjoyed this video especially the Osprey while sat at home feeling sorry for myself 😢 keep them coming, not at all envious honest 😂
Ironically a fair few Osprey in Kernow currently, but you likely knew that. Looking forward to the fruits of your recce's. As far as I would ever go with what could be loosely termed baiting, is setting up a perch for a kingfisher. The rest doesn't really rub with me either.
Thanks very much for watching, I've heard it's been a great year for them in the SW, lets hope those nesting platforms they are installing might entice them to stay and breed. Yep, I've done the same with Kingfisher and some other birds, hunting posts are okay in my book, just without dead stuff! Thanks again Richard 👍
hi Richard nice to share your experiences with us. I personally also enjoy finding animals like this in the field without feeding them. I also have the Canon R3 with the RF 100-500, often with the RF 1.4 extender still attached. I often have to crop, which leaves me with 3 mega pixels, but the photos are still very sharp. the only objection to this combination is its heavy weight of 2.8 kg. but the image quality is super good. greetings from the Netherlands
Hi there, nice to hear from you. It's a great setup and I've not ever thought of using an extender with the 1-5, is that the RF version and are the images still pretty good, and is the AF slower to respond? Nice to hear your views on baiting, it seems many are in agreement but many don't. Still each to their own in my book. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. All the best Richard 👍
@@RichardBirchett hi Richard the image quality with the RF 1.4 extender is very good without any distortion, the speed is also fine, but I hope for the Canon FR 200-500 F/4, and that it will be available before too long, but we will have to be patient. yours sincerely
@@theflyingdutchman7127 Thats really good to hear, I've heard similar stories of it being a workable combo! Yeah, that will be some lens, and a price tag to match, lol.. Think it will be out of my range for now. Cheers Rich
Glad to hear your comments on bait photography.. I don't much care for it either.. I have pretty much stopped watching all British photographers because of that.. you've earned a new subscription.. I've watched you off and on.. just learned you moved to Canada??.. lol.. Good Luck.. and Cool video of the Osprey.. I just took an Osprey photo yesterday.. lol.
Hi Billy, thanks very much for watching the video and for following me over the years it's very much appreciated, and for Subscribing to the channel. Yeah, the vast majority do bait sadly and their videos see massively popular with people. I'm sure people just want the easy route to gain an image, but where is the challenge in that! Not for me and never will be, hence why I don't always get results, it's just the way I do things. Nice one on the Osprey, such awesome birds to see and to photograph. Hope to speak again soon, all the best Rich 👍
Thanks Chris, yes a male Merlin. You might have missed the text on the video as I did put it on there, when I got back and studied the footage. Hard to see so far away. Thanks very much for watching. Cheers Rich 👍
Great video, love seeing you in this new environment and showing off species that i would have a hard time finding in the U.K! Fully agree with you on the whole 'baited photos' thing, it's far more rewarding to find these animals out in nature and not baiting them to a specific spot but as you said to each their own. No hate to people that bait, i fully understand it, just not my favorite way to go about things.
Thanks very much for watching and for your comments on baiting. It's just a personal thing and it's up to others how they go about gaining a good image, just not for me! Plus if you do enter any images in competitions they are unlikely to accept baited photography ones so that is also an ethical consideration. Not sure we've chatted before, so welcome to the channel. All the best Rich 👍
Yeah most of the competitions I've seen don't allow baiting and rightly so i think, too much of it will change animals behaviors etc and everyone will be baiting to get that perfect shot for a comp. Completely agree with you here. We haven't chatted but i did see you on the M5 one afternoon and managed to grab you attention to say Hi and how much i enjoy your photo's and videos, think it was just before your Scotland trip to the Isle of Mull
@@Matherz9 You are certainly right there mate! I remember, it was great to give a beep and a wave! Were you in a white van? Or was it in the service station? That was a while now, nice that you are still following the channel. Thanks Rich 😀
@@RichardBirchett I was in the white van, had to do a double take when i saw you driving past. I'll be here a while too, excited to see how you get on in the new environment!
I see, yes not always the best mammal for people to post, but they do need to be appreciated for what they are! I loved seeing it, might do some more work with Mink in a video, see how that goes down. Cheers for watching Keith. 👍
Hey Richard, i am way behind on RU-vid. Looks like you are starting to get settled in. I couldn't help but wonder about you property back in the UK, did you sell it for a complete move? Sorry for being behind. Greg
Hey Greg, No worries my friend, yep settling in nicely now thanks with lots of projects and plans for my wildlife photography! No we didn't sell it, we are holiday renting it until we get home. The woods and land is being looked after by quite a few friends, so it will be there when we get home! Although I've got 4 years here I am still planning stuff for the woods on my return home. Nice to know you are still following me. Hope you are keeping well? All the best Rich 👍
Richard, it does sound exciting for you in Canada. If it were me I would have found it very tough to leave the woodlands and have it in the care of someone else.....lol Could you be in Canada on a military basis? And during the 4 years, will you make trips back home? Greg
@gregwilsonnaturephotography I do find it tough as I love the woods, garden & house but I’ve got eyes everywhere looking after it all and reliable friends. My wife’s working here with their military. I’m here in support of the family and continuing with my photography. Course will start up next year when we move east 👍
Massassauga rattler, rattle snake, is the only venomous snake in Ontario, and it's distribution is in southern Ontario. Not a snake person so someone else may comment with more authority on this, but I don't believe the rare occurrences of massassauga bites have led to serious effects. Most of the snakes we have are constrictors. And OhHenry bars are a food group all on their own!! 😆 Great video.
A few years back, I encountered a Massassauga rattle snake while fishing the Niagara river near Queenston, Ontario. It let me know that it was rather pissed at being disturbed.
Thanks for that info Peter, I wasn't sure but I have now done a little reading on them! Best avoided I think, and admire from a safe distance. Love an O Henry bar, just being careful not to eat too many, lol.. Cheers Rich 😂👍
African safari affairs Good day Richard and greetings from Blighty ! I'm away next week for 6 months on my annual pilgrimage to the incomparable Kalahari . Having indulged in smelling-the-wild that is beguiling Botswana for many years, somehow this year guess because of my use now of both DSLRs and mirrorless, I have created a conundrum.. Keepng it short, from one pro wildlife photographer to another, what should i get, the Canon EF 200-400 (+ 1.4 )for my 1DX iii or the RF100-500 for my R3 ? Since you have both, it'll go a long way helping me decide what to get either/ iether -or both.. What may swing it if its either/ iether is that I have been offered a mint 200-600 for 4 grand pounds.. Decide for me please; buy both maybe-? Should perhaps I pair the 100-500 with my R3, my 600 prime with the R1 next year when its out and in the meantime get the mighty zoom for my beast 1DX iii? Loving your Canadian exploits, love to hear your thoughts! Cheerio cheers Stephen Knott One Life Wild..as long as my heart still .. Beats One Life Wild Photography
Hi Stephen, Wow, for 6 months now that's lucky as hell! I bet that's going to be amazing, are you guiding there also? That's a tricky one to be fair, and I'd buy both, lol.. AND DID:-) The 200-400 is a great Safari lens as that flexibility for shooting subjects on the go, close up and for environment shots is awesome and the optics are amazing. Plus negates the issue of changing lenses in a dusty environment you can shoot with it all day and not have to change the lens, BIG bonus. The built in 1.4 is a dream and the quality in combo with the lens has a much better overall image quality over using an extender with a prime, it's certainly calibrated to that lens and I've noticed little or no softness and detail in good and reduced light. Saying that the 1-5 is a corker of a lens when your on the go and the AF is really good as is the IS, people are put off by the f7.1 but to be honest having that depth of field forces sharper focus on smaller and large subjects, even in low light it performs really well and at f7.1 wide open it's sharp and I only occasionally put it to f8 and higher. I've probably not helped loads but if moneys not an object then I'd get both, I use them equally and they have a place in my day to day photography, I find I'm using my EF 500 Mk 2 less now I've got the 200-400, but as a travel lighter on the go setup the R3 and 1-5 is a cracking combo, I used it today in a forest and the quality on the R3 in lower light was superb. Thanks very much for watching and for supporting the channel, I hope to speak again but if not safe travels and happy shooting. ( Do we follow each other on insta? if not drop me a message and I'll follow. Cheers Rich
G'day Richard, Thank you so much for replying to my canon conundrum..my day it did, especially so today, my birthday! So, done deal, I've decided, thanks to you and your two pennies worth of owning them opinion! ! And no more no less, it'll be the RF -the 100-500 on two counts. Above all you see, since this trip willl be very much, a Botswana-at -its- best affair finding me hopping on Cessnas to woop woop landing strips -weights everything... palpable memories of "sorry mate overweight " grumblings. Along to with guiding photo foot safaris- weights everything.. Only when I'm off on my tod in between trips will i really be able to use and appreciate the you beaut bokeh of my 600 on the gimbel. So, all things considered you've single handedly cured me of any lingering procastro gastro -if but maybes 😁 Come next year, Canon rumours will be reality and you and I will have our R1s and who knows one or two tasty new surprises! So, there it is, kindred camaraderie my friend -love watching what you're doing -doing what you love! You're brilliant ! Since I'm off anytime soon, high fives my friend- see photo. Cheerio cheers Richard, Stephen One Life Wild... As long as my heart still....🐾🐾🐾 BEATS... Stephen L Knott SLK One Life Wild Photography
While I appreciate your live and let live attitude, baiting wildlife is not just a matter of personal preference. It is a matter of ethical and responsible wildlife photography. The most important part of wildlife photography is the wildlife. As photographers, we have a responsibility to protect these animals and their habitats. We have a responsibility to interact with them in ways that are ethical and to abstain from any actions that threaten their long-term survival! No photograph in the world is worth negatively impacting the life, health, and survival of any wildlife!
I totally agree, I’ve been doing it since I was 10 years old and it’s at the core of what I do! I’m not sure when I went off piste here but I’m sure I said about ethics and best practice. As a wildlife photographer I try to educate others on the best ways to conduct themselves! You can’t always ram ethics down peoples throats only educate as many aren’t aware they are doing harm! It’s a fine balance and it should be done tactfully and carefully! Sometimes this isn’t the case but when you have a voice on social media you can’t please all, only try your best. Thanks Richard 👍