I went round to West Cross today about 10 a.m. to see if the Turtle Dove was still there. At first, there was no sign of it, so I walked off, and came back again. And there it was, just as tame as before, and allowing me to take a few more pictures:
It was so approachable that I was able to put three extension tubes on my 500mm lens, to enable it to focus closer, and focus in on the bird's amazing eye:
and then to remove my big lens and take a shot with my 17-40mm wideangle:
and then to remove my big lens and take a shot with my 17-40mm wideangle:
After a while, some dodgy-looking geezers from the Glamorgan Bird Club arrived to see and photograph the bird. Amazingly, they had just seen another Turtle Dove about a mile further along the bay at Blackpill, this time a juvenile, so we walked back down there and I was able to take a few snaps of it as it fed amonst the sand-dune vegetation:
After never having seen a Turtle Dove before, seeing two in one day was a bit special!
Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos. After hearing about Turtle Doves in the 12 Days of Christmas song for so many years, it's wonderful to actually see them.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous shots of this dove! The close-up of the eye is truly amazing!
ReplyDeleteI had to come back to gaze at them again! It is first time for me too to see a turtle dove, such a lovely bird and an amazing capture!
ReplyDeleteJeremy - can't find an email link on this blog, so asking here. Any chance you could let me add one of your Turtle shots to teh Gower Wildlife blog. I have added a link to my links list and I'll put one in with your photo as well, which should generate a bit more traffic for you.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Barry
you have some very nice images here Jeremy, excellent site
ReplyDeleteSuperb images of a Turtle Dove, I had one in the garden, a garden tick and I had to shoo it away as the neighbours cat was stalking it. Gutted!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely grand series of photos. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDelete