On Saturday afternoon, Harriet and I set off to the interestingly named "Cock-Up Bridge" which is part of the National Trust reserve at Burwell Fen. This was partly to get out into the sunshine, partly to see which birds were around, and - in my case - partly to try out the 300/2.8L lens with a borrowed 2x mkIII teleconverter.
On arrival we bumped into a chap walking his dog, and he told us - very excitedly - that if we wanted to see the "Short Houred Eels" (sic) then we needed to walk along the track towards the barn, as that was where they were hunting. Well, who could resist the call of the eels? They were shy initially, so I had to make do with a couple of horse riders and a solitary kestrel.
Then one of the "eels" came out to hunt. They really are magnificent creatures, with striking yellow eyes visible on the few occasions they came close enough. I managed to capture the following sequence which shows a dive into the grass to collect a vole.
The final picture shows how far the wings are swept back before the bird hits the grass.
As soon as one owl had obtained a vole, others appeared out of nowhere to try and steal it. The following sequence shows one (unsuccessful) attempt at such thievery. I wasn't until I processed the pictures that I noticed the missing primary feathers from the would-be robber's right wing.
The final image shows the thief confronting the successful hunter (with a vole in its talons) pretty well head on.
The adjacent field also had highland cattle, which were as attractive as ever.
The National Trust have also introduced some wild Konik horses, taken from the herd at Wicken Fen, and they were just getting settled in. They looked very beautiful back-lit in the early evening light.
The final spectacle, before we headed home, was a small murmuration of starlings based in one of the local trees. For no readily apparent reason they all left the roost, flew around for a bit, and then headed back again. Not they we were complaining, however, as it was wonderful to watch.
And the verdict on the 2x converter? A bit of a Curate's Egg, although I can see it being a really useful addition to the kit bag. Focusing was a lot slower than with the 1.4x, and it was essential to work at f/8 to obtain acceptable sharpness. Having said that, the "eels" were a very long way away, and the converter allowed me to capture shots which I would otherwise have missed.
