The Spotted Nutcracker is rare in my country, and I once read that they’re not easy to get close to. But on a visit to one of our many Danish castles one was calmly sitting on a Hazel branch just out of reach above our heads. Our presence didn’t bother it in the least. Sad to hear that the Green Finch has become rare in Britain. Luckily they’re still common here. By the way, have you photographed the European Serin? Around 1997 I nearly did. I was walking through an open Beech forest near the coast, which I later read is the place to look for them. As usual I was looking for mushrooms, rather than birds, when suddenly a Serin landed on the ground a few metres away. The ground was higher where it sat, so we were almost at eye level. I stood still, looking at this little yellow bird that I’d never seen before, and it was looking back at me. When we had studied each other for a while, I tried to sneak out my camera, but immediately it was gone, so no real chance of a shot.
Glad I found this video today, Mike Very cold outside w/some ice on the ground so I'm not venturing out. This is one of the best bird videos I've seen in some time. New adventure, new birds and all exceptionally well done. Thank you.
Hi Mike been following you for around a week now. Iv'e lived in Bulgaria 11 years now, and thankfully took up Bird Photography around a year ago. I would love to send you a few images :]
Love your video's Mike👍you get straight into your brilliant photographs and video clips. So many other vloggers spend about 90% of there vlogs just showing there faces 😤 with about 10% dedicated to photo's and video. 👍
Hello Marian, one of my best holidays was staying for three weeks in the Pirin Mountains a couple of years ago. A beautiful country and many lovely welcoming people.
I have seen so many of your beautiful and inspiring videos that i begin to feel in debt with you Mike! Let me know if some day you travel again to Spain! :)
Hi Mike Great vlog I agree it’s the best for photography and birding I also have photographed the vultures and have had a property on the Black Sea for 15 years now!
Hi Mike! Come to Hungary! You can photograph Imperial Eagle, White-Tailed Eagle , Buzzards , Bee-Eaters , European Roller , Hoopoe , Little Owl and plenty of species of waterfowl . I can give you some contacts and locations.
Nice........ my garden in Bulgaria is like a wildlife reserve, I even had a huge eagle owl come down my chimney, it dropped a rat and came after it.e have coal tit, greenfinch, blue tit, robins, blackbird, thrush, jays, syrian woodpecker, swallows, sparrows, oriel and bats. On the ground loads of lizards, smooth snake, red squirrel ..........Beli Osam bg
I love your channel (and your footage of course!). I also do enjoy your occasional outbursts of very fine, British humor. I wanted to ask about your trip to Poland back in 2000, which region did you visit?
Cześć Grzegorz, can you please recommend some of the hides in Poland? Thanks in advance!
4 года назад+2
@@EduardoAngielczyk Sure thing! I highly recommend Marcin Nawrocki's hides for white-tailed eagles0- in my opinion best place to shoot them in Europe polandwildlife.com/pl/ (20 eagles at once). I also think that the variety that www.wildlifephotography.pl/en/welcome.html brings to the table is worth checking out ;) If You are interested in more we can find smaller hide/photo tours for You but those 2 are the most European-standard level ;)
Looks a fantastic place Miķe and your skill with the camera is fantastic. I have too many questions to ask them all on here about planning a trip such as this but what season would you suggest for a first trip?
Mike, I'm watching your channel. I like. I admire your photos, but especially the videos. I also have an Olympus M1X and a 300mm f4 lens. But the video fails. I don't know where I'm making a mistake. Is it better to get it with a Panasonic G9 camera?
The G9 will give you 180 fps slow motion versus 120 fps on the Olympus M1x. That is the biggest difference. Nothing wrong with the M1x so you need to look carefully at your settings.
Mike, your RUclips channel is absolutely amazing for sources of information. You mentioned hides being available for rent in East Europe, do you rent any in the UK?
No sorry. I used to, but no longer. I saw an estimate that there are 1000 photography hides avaialable to rent worldwide. It has become big business. Google "bird photography hide" + the area you are interested in and something will show up.
Great stuff Mike. A question concerning the vulture hide which I also visited during April-May. What camera and focal length were you filming with here? Best regards Andy (Hortobagy trip). By the way, according to the dealers, cherry pickers are sold out right now.
I had the Olympus M1x with a 300mm lens. plus 1.4 and 2x extenders. Also the Panosonic G9 with the 100-400mm. I would have used all options over the days.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Hi Mike, I was thinking of getting the Panasonic G9 with the 100-400mm or 100-300mmm for photos and video of birds. Do you need a tripod with this setup or is the camera's stabilisation good enough in good light with a fast shutter speed to use it handheld?
@@blutey If you hand hold mostly then it will be very good for IS. Even with slower shutter speeds you will be impressed. A tripod still has advantages. My composition improves and the camera is pointing at the right place while I wait for the bird to enter the frame.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thanks Mike. I currently use the Panasonic FZ82 with its 60x optical zoom and for anything other than short zoom ranges, the footage is unusable without a tripod due to poor IS. That said, if you work round that and the camera's other quirks, you can get some nice footage for such a cheap camera (£240), although not of course up to the Sony A1's level!
Mike, I love the quality of you photos and videos. May I ask what camera and lenses you were using. I believe you use Olympus is that so? Thank you. Regards Roger Parrish.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thank you for the information, tell me do you intend to get the 150 400 when available, do you feel it will improve you excellent results?
Very nice beautiful pics. 🙂
Great video Mike
The Spotted Nutcracker is rare in my country, and I once read that they’re not easy to get close to. But on a visit to one of our many Danish castles one was calmly sitting on a Hazel branch just out of reach above our heads. Our presence didn’t bother it in the least.
Sad to hear that the Green Finch has become rare in Britain. Luckily they’re still common here.
By the way, have you photographed the European Serin? Around 1997 I nearly did. I was walking through an open Beech forest near the coast, which I later read is the place to look for them. As usual I was looking for mushrooms, rather than birds, when suddenly a Serin landed on the ground a few metres away. The ground was higher where it sat, so we were almost at eye level. I stood still, looking at this little yellow bird that I’d never seen before, and it was looking back at me. When we had studied each other for a while, I tried to sneak out my camera, but immediately it was gone, so no real chance of a shot.
Another fantastic an inspiring video Mike. Love your work and your mine of fascinating knowledge. Thanks so much.
Glad I found this video today, Mike Very cold outside w/some ice on the ground so I'm not venturing out. This is one of the best bird videos I've seen in some time. New adventure, new birds and all exceptionally well done. Thank you.
Hi Mike been following you for around a week now. Iv'e lived in Bulgaria 11 years now, and thankfully took up Bird Photography around a year ago. I would love to send you a few images :]
Such an impressive video, Mike - I enjoyed it very much! Thanks a lot or sharing. Kind regards, Rolf
Thank you for the beautiful shots and inspiration and ideas. Can't wait to start travelling in Eastern Europe again.
Love your video's Mike👍you get straight into your brilliant photographs and video clips. So many other vloggers spend about 90% of there vlogs just showing there faces 😤 with about 10% dedicated to photo's and video. 👍
Great video as always Mike.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos!Since I am Bulgarian I enjoyed the video very much!🧡
Hello Marian, one of my best holidays was staying for three weeks in the Pirin Mountains a couple of years ago. A beautiful country and many lovely welcoming people.
Extremely beautiful.
Beautiful !
Thanks Mike for your videos. I love your clear and understated delivery, genuine knowledge and your deadpan sense of humour.
Another fantastic video Mike. Thanks for sharing the information too. You've had some great experiences.
I must admit I know hardly anything about Bulgaria but I'll be looking into it a bit closer now. Sounds like a great place for bird photography.
Great story telling Mike, keep em comming!
Some very nice shots
I have seen so many of your beautiful and inspiring videos that i begin to feel in debt with you Mike! Let me know if some day you travel again to Spain! :)
Hi Mike
Great vlog I agree it’s the best for photography and birding I also have photographed the vultures and have had a property on the Black Sea for 15 years now!
Hi Mike! Come to Hungary! You can photograph Imperial Eagle, White-Tailed Eagle , Buzzards , Bee-Eaters , European Roller , Hoopoe , Little Owl and plenty of species of waterfowl . I can give you some contacts and locations.
Nice........ my garden in Bulgaria is like a wildlife reserve, I even had a huge eagle owl come down my chimney, it dropped a rat and came after it.e have coal tit, greenfinch, blue tit, robins, blackbird, thrush, jays, syrian woodpecker, swallows, sparrows, oriel and bats. On the ground loads of lizards, smooth snake, red squirrel ..........Beli Osam bg
Loved this! I need my own cherry picker, what a great idea!
Great work! and what an amazing experience!!
Great Mike as usual - tell youtube to get rid of the Farage ads, he's a pariah!!
Very useful information. Who would not like to drive around the countryside there!
I love your channel (and your footage of course!). I also do enjoy your occasional outbursts of very fine, British humor.
I wanted to ask about your trip to Poland back in 2000, which region did you visit?
I stayed at a village called Wizna about an hours drive west of Bialystok.
Great info! If You liked Poland so much in 2000 You should 100% coem visit it now ;) There are a lot cool places and hides here now.
Cześć Grzegorz, can you please recommend some of the hides in Poland?
Thanks in advance!
@@EduardoAngielczyk Sure thing! I highly recommend Marcin Nawrocki's hides for white-tailed eagles0- in my opinion best place to shoot them in Europe polandwildlife.com/pl/ (20 eagles at once). I also think that the variety that www.wildlifephotography.pl/en/welcome.html brings to the table is worth checking out ;) If You are interested in more we can find smaller hide/photo tours for You but those 2 are the most European-standard level ;)
@ Thanks for sharing, Grzegorz.
@ Thanks so much!
Highly appreciate your recommendation.
By the way, great set of photos you have.
Супер ☺
Looks a fantastic place Miķe and your skill with the camera is fantastic. I have too many questions to ask them all on here about planning a trip such as this but what season would you suggest for a first trip?
The spring is usually the best time in most locations.
Mike, I'm watching your channel. I like. I admire your photos, but especially the videos. I also have an Olympus M1X and a 300mm f4 lens. But the video fails. I don't know where I'm making a mistake. Is it better to get it with a Panasonic G9 camera?
The G9 will give you 180 fps slow motion versus 120 fps on the Olympus M1x. That is the biggest difference. Nothing wrong with the M1x so you need to look carefully at your settings.
Look at Mikes video on the M1X
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thank you very much for your answer.
Mike, your RUclips channel is absolutely amazing for sources of information. You mentioned hides being available for rent in East Europe, do you rent any in the UK?
No sorry. I used to, but no longer. I saw an estimate that there are 1000 photography hides avaialable to rent worldwide. It has become big business. Google "bird photography hide" + the area you are interested in and something will show up.
Great stuff Mike. A question concerning the vulture hide which I also visited during April-May. What camera and focal length were you filming with here? Best regards Andy (Hortobagy trip). By the way, according to the dealers, cherry pickers are sold out right now.
I had the Olympus M1x with a 300mm lens. plus 1.4 and 2x extenders. Also the Panosonic G9 with the 100-400mm. I would have used all options over the days.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Hi Mike, I was thinking of getting the Panasonic G9 with the 100-400mm or 100-300mmm for photos and video of birds. Do you need a tripod with this setup or is the camera's stabilisation good enough in good light with a fast shutter speed to use it handheld?
@@blutey If you hand hold mostly then it will be very good for IS. Even with slower shutter speeds you will be impressed. A tripod still has advantages. My composition improves and the camera is pointing at the right place while I wait for the bird to enter the frame.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thanks Mike. I currently use the Panasonic FZ82 with its 60x optical zoom and for anything other than short zoom ranges, the footage is unusable without a tripod due to poor IS. That said, if you work round that and the camera's other quirks, you can get some nice footage for such a cheap camera (£240), although not of course up to the Sony A1's level!
Mike, I love the quality of you photos and videos. May I ask what camera and lenses you were using. I believe you use Olympus is that so? Thank you. Regards Roger Parrish.
I am using Olympus and Panosonic MFT bodies. 300mm f4 Olympus and the Panosonic 100-400mm lenses.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thank you for the information, tell me do you intend to get the 150 400 when available, do you feel it will improve you excellent results?
My first Skiing holidays were in Bulgaria looks like I will have to return for the wildlife. Do they still want American dollars?
No more or less than anywhere else. I usually pay in Euros to the tour operators.
Hi Mike, beautiful images and thank you for the info! I've sent you a separate email with some questions.
Hi Gladys. Just replied to your email.