As I am new to this bird photography lark I think it is safe to say that I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. As with anything practice is helping me improve. To help motivate myself (and because I am stupidly competitive - even with myself!) I have set myself a challenge. I am aiming to photograph 150 different wild birds during the year 2014. Now whilst some people will probably be able to do this easily for me it will be quite a challenge. Firstly I have only seen 167 different birds in total during my life - clearly to get to photograph 150 means seeing a very large percentage of those I have already seen or seeing a large number of new birds (and on top of seeing them I will need to photograph them also). Secondly I have a family and work commitments (and football commitments!) meaning that even if a rare bird is seen and reported nearby it is very unlikely I can drop everything to go and photograph it. In general I need to plan my birdwatching trips a week or so in advance meaning that reacting to specific sightings is normally not an option. This year I think I have averaged about 2-3 birdwatching trips a month.
The challenge will start on Jan 1st 2014. Between now and then I will be practicing, trying to plan where I can go and setting myself some rules. Wish me luck!
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