After a 4-month gap (6 weeks of which was spent in Argentina - see separate galleries under that title) and with the end of winter finally in sight, I have started my morning walks again.

This year I am using a new device, a "Flash X-Tender" (known in the U.S. as a "Better Beamer") to provide fill-in flash for some of my long telephoto lens photos. The Flash X-Tender is a fairly simple device, a flat plastic fresnel lens velcroed onto twin arms that attach to the head of an ordinary flash gun - in my case a Canon 580 EX II. The light from this flash would normally be too spread-out to be effective at the distance of most of these birds, but the fresnel lens focusses it into a much tighter beam, which travels a lot further. The effect is most visible in the small birds high up in the trees. As well as providing better illumination, the fast speed of the flash enables me to get a much sharper picture, which helps given my preference for hand-holding the camera.

Note: This gallery is sorted in reverse date order, so the most recent pictures are shown first. This works well day-to-day, but it does mean that photos taken in a particular day or session are also shown in reverse order with the last photos taken appearing first.

Another note: For more details of the 'whys' and 'wherefores' (not to mention the 'hows'), see my photo diary/blog: http://imagesfromnature.net/ifnblog/.