Wildlife & Nature Advice Please
 

I am hoping to concentrate on my nemesis, nature/wildlife photography for the rest of the year. Have just taken delivery of a new 150 - 500 mm lens so this should help. What I would like advice on, is when is the best times of year for capturing the following (have tried looking online but can't find anything worthwhile):

1) Fungi
2) Frogs/Toads
3) Puffins (Farne Islands - is his June/July)?
4) Poppies
5) Rapeseed Fields
6) Swallow chicks

Thanks

It will all vary a bit due to local weather conditions...

I find the autumn and late winter/early spring is good for fungi though different species will occur at different times of year.
Spawning will almost certainly be over for frogs and toads (locally they were at it weeks ago) I suspect froglets are a few weeks away. I find that I stumble upon these at odd times so you could find one at any point. If you have a garden put down a few logs in a shaded area and leave them for a couple of weeks, then have a look underneath.
I think when I did puffins on the Farnes it was June - you want to go when they have young hatched so they are doing feeding flights.
Poppies - just keep your eyes open as they can vary a fair bit.
Our local rape fields are in full bloom so I reckon now is the time to do that.
Swallows are only just arriving so give it a few weeks before they have young on the nest.

Postcardcv seems to have covered everything as far as timing goes.
One comment I'd add is that your 150-500 (if it's anything like my Bigmos) will be great for the Puffins & swallows but not much help for the others. Minimum focal distance with mine is around 5m, which didn't work for newts...
Your kit lens or practically any smaller telephoto will be much better for close-ups, and a wider view is IMHO likely to work better for the Rapeseed.

Thanks for the help and advice guys, much appreciated

The long lenses take a bit of practice to handhold steadily, especially when tracking a flying bird. Some people find it easier with a monopod and ballhead.
Personally I prefer handholding my 500mm f4.5 and 120-300 f2.8 lenses, but you do know you have been carrying some weight after a while.
As Mike said, a short telephoto for the small wildlife, and a macro lens or wide angle for the rapeseed would be my most likely choice of hardwear. (I have had some interesting results with wide angle zooms on extension tubes - quite good for flower photography, but tricky with focal plane and depth of field.)

I have been out with my lens and taken some birds.I have also taken some rapefield but as sais, I didn't use my big lens. The bird images, taken on Good Friday are quite impressive and the rapefield is still in camera. Will look at them today, off yesterday.

I think we all tend to think of long lenses in the same breath as wildlife photography.

So when I went to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition I was surprised to see so many images taken with wide angle lenses - I would estimate at least 1/3 maybe nearer 1/2 including these two -

Curiosity & the Cat with a 16-35mm &
The Shy Crocodile with a 15mm

both on full frame cameras :eek:

Even with a long lens, I wouldn't get that close to either of them! They are stunning images and I will never ever be in their category. I understand a little more since using the lens the pros and cons. Its a must for birds I would say. I'm guessing its no use for small insects. Only time will tell what works for me but I am loving the lens.

Appreciate your comments. Wildlife is a new interest for me and I need all the help I can get.