by Kenneth Goodfellow
Originally set as a DPA outing, I booked a ticket for the trip to the Isle of
May. Unfortunately the date was fully booked before other members
could attempt to book. as a result I went on my own and decided to
test out my newly acquired Canon 200-800 zoom lens.
The day started out calm and sunny and the crossing was smooth. We
arrived on the Isle of May in good weather with approx 3 hours to
investigate the island. There were approximately 50,000 pairs of puffins
nesting and the terns made a return to breeding after missing last year.
There were the usual kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots nesting on the
cliffs. 2 female eider ducks had their young ducklings on the reservoir
along with a few puffins. The gulls were nesting on the ground and
annoying passing visitors.
The first hour had good light but this deteriorated throughout the time
leading to high ISOs in the latter stages. My lens performed well though
its weight (similar to the 100-500 zoom lens) started to show after a
while. The wind picked up and was blowing the lens off target at times
making catching birds in flight more difficult to photograph. The
peregrine falcon was seen flying off the south coast. They are nesting
again this year having successfully raised 4 chicks last season.
The first part of the return journey into the wind/waves was interesting
but became easier when we got into the sheltered west side of the
island. We returned to Anstruther with the wind behind us. Minke
whales were seen off the port side by some of the passengers and
crew. Gannets were also noted flying in groups and skimming the water.
We arrived back in harbour before the rains came. All in all a good day
out given that 9 cruises had to be cancelled in May/early June because
of bad weather. Several photos taken on the day are shown below.
Kenneth Goodfellow CPAGB LRPS
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