Birds and more Birds

It is hard to believe that our feathered friends are descendants of dinosaurs, but they are!

Although if you watch them closely there are similarities, especially birds of prey. Sharp talons and flesh tearing beaks sound familiar?
I recently visited the National History Museum in London and saw a copy of the fossil Archaeopteryx, great name eh?
Check out this link for more info: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/nature-online/dino-directory/detail.dsml?Genus=Archaeopteryx&showTaxonomy=yes
The fossil record now shows that a link does exist between these ancient creatures and current bird species,
 which i find truly fascinating.

I must admit photographing the current species on our planet is probably much safer than photographing their ancestors might have been, although during nesting season things can get pretty hairy, some birds can get very aggressive.



Some birds are quite easy to get close to.
This Redshank was more than accommodating when it came to posing for a portrait.
                                    

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This Turnstone too was very easy going and I got within a few metres without it showing any signs of fear.

Others however remain elusive and even my Sigma 150-500mm is not enough to get full frame images of a single bird.

This was as close as I could get to Oystercatchers and that included sitting among rocks and waiting for them to come to me. They seemed to have a sixth sense and any movement caused them to scatter. Hardly Dino Birds!

Curlews too like Oystercatchers take flight at a minutes notice, and that's what I got a flying Curlew.

Still it's all part of the fun and with patience we get the rewards.

Even are most common birds fill are lives with colour and song and without them the world would be quiet and sorrowful place. We are greeted by their song every morning and they sing for us again as the light fades.

We should remember that we SHARE this planet with them, and if they are to remain we should honour and protect both them and their environment. If the fossil record is to believed they were here a long time before we were. I for one want to see they in the flesh not in rock.

MY KINGDOM