A Quick Stroll

The first weekend in some time that I’ve managed to get out, thanks to a rainless weekend for a change.  No plans were made, I just wanted to get out for a walk. Despite being a dry, sunny May day it was very cold first thing which kept me stopping in anyone place for any length of time which is what I would normally do to photograph wildlife.  I didn’t think I would need gloves and layers of warm clothing at this time of year! Nature seems to be starting late this year – the local Geese hadn’t even started nest building yet and it seemed strange to see swallows in cold ‘winter like’ weather though they were high in the sky.  Plant life also seemed a month late too with ferns only now just growing.

The river was swollen from all the rain and fast flowing so there was little chance of spotting a Kingfisher, though further down river was a family of Dippers – the only sign of this years new life I’ve seen so far.  Amazingly, the torrent of river water wasn’t discouraging them from feeding as they dived in, Kingfisher style and not coming up for what seemed an age, how they didn’t get washed away I don’t know.  I’ve never had any success in photographing Dippers and today was no different.  Whenever I have seen them they have been on a part of the river which has had the light blocked by trees.  This meant I had trouble freezing the action as they darted about and the perch where they youngsters seemed to preferred to be fed on, was blocked by foliage also going towards spoiling what could have been a great shot.  The few times they did venture into a sunlit area it meant a difficult exposure due to contrasting and harsh light and plumage which is largely dark with a white front.

After watching them for about half and hour, they headed down stream, though they forgot to tell one of the parents who returned with some food, flew around looking for one of the youngsters to feed.  Eventually, it caught on and followed the others. The rest of the walk was uneventful, a few Grey Squirrels in some open patches tempted by some food otherwise the woods were quiet with little stirring.

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A Bit of Reminiscing

It’s been the longest period of time since taking up photography again, that I haven’t managed to get out.  It’s been the coldest April in over twenty years and the wettest in over ten!  Of course, the unpredictable and inconsistency of the forecasts doesn’t help and it’s very much ‘pot luck’ when I do go out as you can’t rely on what the forecast might say. Just to remind myself that I used to go out and take pictures and enjoy the odd day of fine weather, I looked through some of my old images, and to keep my blog ticking over, picked out some of my favourites either because they had a story behind them or simply because I thought I managed to get them visually correct.  They also happen to be of some of my favourite subjects – Foxes, Red Squirrels, Puffins, Roe Deer and Kingfishers.

Puffins – Farne Islands My first visit to the Farne Islands since I was a kid, was an amazing experience and a great photo opportunity for anyone with a camera.  Thousands of sea birds in all directions and all around you, next to you and flying overhead, you can’t help but not take a good photograph!  I picked just the right time of year as the Puffins were hurling in from all angles with their catch to feed their chicks but had to get through the awaiting gulls trying to rob them of their sand eels for a free meal.  I will definitely be going again this year – hopefully the sun will be shining this time as without it, it made for dull, flat images and grey backgrounds.

Foxes This has to be my most favourite animal to both photograph and watch, but for years barely got a glimpse of one. Since Fox hunting was banned and my general knowledge of them improved I’ve seen them on regular occasions though not to the extent where I can go onto location and plan to photography them with some certainty of success such I can with Roe Deer.  The picture below is one of my favourites as it shows it in perfect condition and it was in perfect conditions for taking the photograph – bright sunny weather that helped show the reddish brown coat against the green grass and enabled me to stop my lens down to get a greater depth of field so keeping the Fox in focus from head to tail.  There is also the direct eye contact. I think I could spend all my time just taking photographs of these entertaining animals.  I would love to be as good as someone like  Walter Barthélemi who’s images, especially of Fox cubs, are fantastic.

Rabbits Probably not everybody's idea of an interesting subject, but last year when I spent some time watching them at their warrens. I found them very photogenic especially the the younger ones who were less cautious and playful so easier to take photographs of.  Unfortunately, this year they haven’t been so numerous and the warren that I used to visit last year is completely abandoned as were the surrounding ones, so it’s unlikely I will have much success this year.  This picture was one of many I took last year but particularly liked it because it was different, stretching up to feed on the leaves.  It was also an example of the patience needed in wildlife photography, as I had to wait up to an hour before they would come out of their holes and except my presence.

Red Squirrels There’s something about the Red Squirrel that makes you can’t help but like them.  They seem to have a character that the Greys don’t.  Disturb them, and, unlike the Grey that will just disappear, they will stop to scold you first.  When this picture was taken, I was watching Red Squirrels from a distance, when out of nowhere I heard the typical scolding noise from just above my head – looked up to see this one peering down at me from only a few metres away!  In the last year, there has been an increase in sightings of them as they are fighting to cling onto this area due to the spread of the Grey Squirrels. It seems inevitable that they will disappear from most of the UK, so in the meantime I will make the most of any encounter I get.

Sparrowhawk Not so much taking pictures of Sparrowhawks, as I’ve had little opportunity, nor is this photography particularly any good, but it’s about being in the right place at the right time and simply being lucky.  It was one of those close encounters with nature that may come up once every few years.  In this case I nearly trod on this elusive bird of prey, as I walked through the woods.  It was tenaciously hanging onto a pidgin it had just caught and my presence wasn’t going to scare it off.  I backed off and watched if from a distance as it finally ignored me and tucked into its meal.

Kingfishers Definitely a photogenic and colourful bird though not the easiest to get an image of. The only thing missing from this image is a fish in its beak.  I deliberately kept it off centre to follow the ‘rule of thirds’ and the reeds in the background and sunshine bring out the colour.  It was on the branch for about 5 seconds and was gone, after waiting hours to see it.  It was worth the wait.

Roe Deer For years I never saw one of these, although the most common deer in the UK, they are also very shy, feeding during the night and holding up during the day in cover.  It was a good example of learning about an animal and field craft that meant that I would regularly start seeing this deer.  It’s probably the animal I’ve photographed most in the last three years, often being able to photography them with just a 300mm lens.  If surprised they will bolt, but almost certainly stop and look back.  If they are not sure they see you, they will stop and stare at you in which case, it’s a matter of who will flinch first. This image is an example of how simply just sitting down quietly, with your back against a tree to hide your silhouette and down wind, they will often come to you.  This one I saw, with another, walk straight towards me, getting closer and closer until it eventually saw me and even then wasn’t too sure about me.  It was my camera shutter noise that made it move away.  This image caught it just as it saw me.

Grey Squirrel More plentiful than Reds and not half as idyllic.  I like this image for its sparseness.  It was digging around in the snow, presumably for a previously buried cache of food and was poking halfway up out of the snow.  I took a dozen variations of this, but this one seemed the best.  The exposure was tricky due to all of the white.

Short Eared Owls My final image isn’t particularly very good, but it is of a bird that is just so entertaining to watch.  It’s only just in the last year that I’ve really seen them, presumably due to a good year for voles.  It has an amazing facial look, with those intense eyes and it’s great just watching them hunt.  Unfortunately, it’s always been poor light and from a distance which is why I’ve had little success so far.

Hopefully this bit of reminiscing has been a bit therapeutic and helps keeps me going until I can finally get out, although again, this weekend isn’t looking too promising weather wise.

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A Foggy Morning

A quick walk in the woods this weekend, although it’s been quiet recently and so wasn’t expecting much, but with the prospect of a misty start and therefore some possible atmospheric images, especially of a large animal such as Roe Deer with a misty backdrop, I thought it would be worth the trip. Unfortunately, I arrived later than hoped and probably missed that crucial time of catching the deer after their night/dawn feeding.  There was little to see of them, just the odd glimpse and so no opportunities to get that hoped for image, though with the mist still lingering on, the forest took on an eerie feel helped by the calls of Tawny Owls and Buzzards.

Despite the lack of seeing any actual wildlife early one except the odd bird, there were plenty of signs to be seen all around with just a little bit of looking – droppings, tracks a recent Sparrowhawk kill and a scrape were but a few.

As the mist slowly cleared the wood seemed to come more alive with songbirds – a Wren darting in and out of some branches making it hard to photograph and as the sun started to break through, a Robin, Nuthatch and Blackbird as well as various Great and Blue Tits that kept giving out warning calls whenever I walked nearby.

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Where have all the Rabbits gone?

A year ago I spent time visiting and photographing Rabbits at some local warrens, however, a visit at the weekend showed no signs of life, with my particular favourite warren disused.  What was once a hive of activity last year (See ‘Some more Bunnies’ post) was now completely abandoned!  On investigating the other dozen plus warrens, all but one seemed to have suffered the same fate and where I would normally see lots of Rabbits, I only saw a glimpse of one (being chased by a dog). I can only guess their demise has been either as a result of disease or deliberate poisoning as it has been very sudden.  If their disappearance is down to disease then this is just part of the natural order of things but if it’s down to being poisoned then I wouldn’t be so happy.  Although I know they can be destructive, I haven’t noticed an increase in their numbers and their areas of feeding from what I could see where limited to a local area within the Nature Reserve and was not being adversely effected.  I have noticed a great reduction in the number of Foxes seen in the last couple of years, coinciding with a big increase in the number of dog walkers, Foxes being the main predator for the Rabbits and would so naturally balance their numbers.

One of last years youngsters (below), taken last spring at the same warren now abandoned above.

As I wondered around the ‘Nature Reserve’ I realised just how little I am seeing in many of the areas that are supposedly devoted to sanctuaries to wildlife as there is a growing number of dog walkers taking these areas over.  On this day, I encountered one every few minutes, the air was full of the sound of dogs barking and their owners shouting or swearing at their dogs.  Within a minute of my getting here, a van drove up and the owner let loose two large dogs which immediately ran off, one of which made a bee line for me, barking and growling – the owner wasn’t bothered.  I’m convinced the massive increase in dogs and their owners lack of responsibility has resulted in demise of Foxes and in the last few years, seeing owners allowing their dogs chase after young and nesting birds on the lake, a disappearance of much of the bird life too. I might add that, although dogs are allowed in these areas, there are signs saying that they should be kept under control. As I walked around, I saw a small group of Roe Deer in a nearby field.  As I approached, another walker with two dogs also came by and allowed one of his dogs get through the fence and into the field to chase them, though he did shout at it to call it back, the deer already decided to head off.

There is no question in my mind that there is a direct link between the lack of, in particular, ground dwelling animals and the number of dogs around.  When an animal like a Roe Deer or Fox see’s a human, it may see it as a possible danger and will move out of the way, but people usually just walk along paths, often being oblivious that there was anything even around, so the animal isn’t particularly stressed.  However a dog runs around, does not stick to paths and will happily chase anything is finds, creating stress for that animal.  It probably has some instinctive thought relating a dog to being a natural predator as wolf would naturally be. I also know one location I go where no dogs are allowed, you are guaranteed to see the likes of Roe Deer and a good chance also of seeing Foxes.  I’m afraid there is probably no going back as these public areas are owned by local councils who don’t have the courage to ban dogs from any part of these so called wildlife reserves and even if they did, wouldn’t have the means to police and enforce any banning, especially now with the growing cut backs and staffing.

It wasn’t all gloom on this day. As I started to make my way out, I glimpsed a Red Squirrel. I thought in these woods they had disappeared with the steady invasion of the Greys.  There was only one and maybe it wasn’t resident, but as it climbed along the tree canopy above me, it stopped to look down and gave me that typical, plucky Red Squirrel scolding before disappearing.  It would be nice to think that they might be making a come back and re-colonising these woods.

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