as luck would have it i was out enjoying a walk along the coast where there are a number of nightingales. i could hear them from a long distance and come fairly close but i never could locate a single one exactly thus they eluded being captured by my camera. they have a very special way of making it sound as if they are in different places at the same time. and the leaves are now almost fully developed on the thick low coastal deciduous trees which keep them well hidden.
i did however manage to get some nice shots of other birds including three female common eiders. the eiders were on a rock far enough from land so i wasn't disturbing them but close enough to photograph with the zoom fully extended. one of the shots, though unclear even had a decent enough shadow.
the other shots with less movement were far clearer but alas without shadows
eiders swim in very close to shore in areas where they are not disturbed but the only places i have observed them sitting is on the countless rocks and small islets just off the shore. usually i can hear them before i can see them or they see me.
it is legal to hunt them and while this is not common, the birds are very wary of any human traffic so i crept behind a big rock to take these shots- camera shots of course
there were male eiders in the water and on the rocks further from shore but they were too far out to get a good photo.
i had never before seen the white feathers that became exposed when they opened their wings.
it is a very curious pattern and i wonder why they have it
it almost looks like they are concealing big white flowers under their wings. after all it is spring and these resilient feathered friends have been through a long cold winter