After a couple of recent failed attempts to photograph Dartford warblers I have began to realise this is my bogey bird! I have on two occasions this year tried in Dorset but will probably try a couple of well known Devon locations next time. Lots of sightings of males and females but the males rarely came out on top of the gorse to sing and when they did it was always at distance. This was one of the only two I got, not what I had hoped for but it will have to wait until next year now.

Dartford warblerNot quite what I had in mind….a distant shot and not quite facing the right way, Arne, Dorset

Never one for an easy option I decided to try for another small and tricky subject this morning, the Goldcrest. I went out to check on a pair of nesting Kingfishers I have been watching, they are still incubating eggs at present. After watching for an hour I went looking for the Goldcrests, this time I was travelling light with only a 300mm f/4 lens and 1.4tc if I needed it. The next few hours were as frustrating as the Dartfords and whilst I did get a few opportunities to point my lens at them once again shots were hard to attain. Anyone who has tried to photograph these little birds will know they rarely stay still for a second and are usually in amongst trees or Ivy making things even harder. This one was picking cobwebs off the barbed wire for nest building.

GoldcrestThis one was picking cobwebs from barbed wire for nest building