Changing years & Changing fortunes

In the relatively short time I have been photographing wildlife, I have seen many changes particularly in the changing fortunes of the wildlife – I don’t think many of us think about the animals around us and their daily struggle for survival and our impact on them. With every new year, as well as looking for new places interest, I have a dozen or so locations of which I have regularly visited and it is at these areas I find that rarely is one year the same as the previous in what I will see.  The reasons no doubt vary – changing habitat, disturbance, disease, seasonal changes in the weather or just a natural changing balance of nature.  From a photographic point of view it means no guarantees on what I can shoot on a yearly basis and so take advantage of any unusual influx or increased population of an animal. The below choice is not exclusive or necessary typical nation wide, rather from my own experiences of the animals I have or would usually see or seek out.

On the way up

Grey Squirrel No more obvious of the changing fortunes is the Grey Squirrel.  Nine years ago when I started back into photography shooting wildlife, the Grey was in the process of finishing off taking over the Native Red Squirrel in this area.  The woods where I once used to watch the Reds chasing each other around the trees were now replaced by these foreign invaders and have grown in numbers.  Of all the mammals around this area this is the easiest to find and see.  So, although on the way up in numbers, it’s probably not the most popular success story by most.

Red Kite When I was growing up, the Red Kite was very rare.  My trusty old ‘Birds of Britain and Europe’ book had them living in only a small area of Wales.  Once very common, it was almost wiped out through persecution by the 20th century.  In 1989 around the Gateshead area of North East England it was reintroduced (as it was elsewhere in the country) with great success.  Now, in this area at least, it is the most seen bird of prey and one of my favourites and I never cease to be impressed with the sight and sound of this bird.  During the winter months they communally roost so you can see a dozen or more in any one area.

The Buzzard The Buzzard, like the Kite, was also persecuted but, unlike the Kite they survived and as laws have been brought in to give birds like this some protection, this bird of prey has managed to not only survive but become what is now the most common bird of prey in the UK.  As with the Kite, it was only a short time ago that I first saw one of these birds and it is also a sight to watch one gliding overhead.

 

No change

Roe Deer At first I never saw one of these.  They would have been around but I didn’t have the knowledge or experience of finding them.  I’m sure during the nine year period I’m including in this post, the Roe Deer has probably increase in numbers but it’s not something I have particularly noticed.  Even if you don’t see one due to their timid nature, the signs are all around that they are here and again, an animal I just love to watch.

Kingfisher Purely from my experience of this bird over recent years I have it in this section though it could belong ‘Fluctuating’ below because it is very susceptible to a bad winter of which we have had a few, but their numbers seem to bounce back.  What I have found is that there doesn’t seem to be a yearly regular spot I can go to see them and even where I can, this will change on a month to month basis.  Perhaps my favourite birds to watch and photograph.

Heron Definitely a consistent regular.  Anywhere it seems where there is water there’s a Heron – Lakes, ponds, rivers or the coast, more than not you will see one.  A photogenic bird and one that will often conveniently keep still for you although it doesn’t like you getting to close to you.  It has it’s comfort zone and you can be very visible outside of that and it will ignore you, but step inside of it and off it goes.

Fluctuating

Fox By fluctuating, I mean that these animals have been sighted by me in regular numbers for a while then gone through a lull then picked up again, though I’m sure this would be localised.  The Fox some six years ago, I was practically ‘tripping over’ them wherever I went.  There were places I could go were I would almost be guaranteed to see them and could do so in the middle of the day.  Then they were gone.  Since Fox hunting was rightly banned, it’s meant you can actually see this animal in daylight and is my favourite mammal to do so.  There is something about having one look right at you – almost wolf like with those eyes – and I’ve had numerous close encounters with them that has given me that special connection with nature, which reminds me why it is I like to spend so much time out in the wilds.

Rabbit I’m sure the Rabbits and Foxes lives are intertwined in their numbers.  Rabbits will go through periods where their numbers are very numerous then they will go into decline and alongside this, the number of Foxes will correspond with this since they prey upon them.  I think due to their ability to multiply however, Rabbits can gain their population much quicker.

Sand Martin I’ve seen Sand Martins every year but their numbers seem to vary on their ability to find suitable nesting areas and in recent years, at least the areas I visit, these have been fewer in number.  In the two most noticeable areas that I usually visit, the sand banks have either collapsed or more eroded making it easier for predators to get to the nests within the banks.

Short Eared Owl This is an owl that’s largely a winter visitor and their visiting numbers will greatly depend on the severity and type of the winter otherwise they will stay either further north or south.  Three to four years ago, they were found in large numbers a a number of locations, the past winter they were far fewer to be seen.  There numbers also depend on the prey around so a good year for voles and mice will help keep the numbers up.

On the way down

Kestrel When I was growing up the Kestrel was the most common bird of prey in the UK and one I would regularly see – the hovering Kestrel is a very distinctive sight, in fact, apart from an Osprey I saw on a family holiday in Scotland, I had seen no other bird of prey until many years later.  In the last year I’ve had four sightings of them, I previously could almost guarantee to see one when I went out, but not now.  Hopefully it’s not a permanent change of fortunes for the Kestrel as I’ve always enjoyed watching this bird hunt and it would be a great loss.

Red Squirrel As obvious as the Grey Squirrels rise in fortunes, so has been the Reds demise.  It didn’t seem that long ago that these idyllic little animals where the only squirrel around and very common.  Along with the Fox they have been my favourite animal to watch, with their pluckiness and curiosity you can’t help but love them and they are so much better looking than the Grey – their ultimate reason for their quickly vanishing from our woodlands.  Unfortunately, I haven’t seen one in two years and unlikely, at least in this area, that I'll see one again!  They still have a refuge further up in Northumberland and hope to spend some time later photographing them their before they disappear from there too.

Puffin Despite seeing them in as apparent large numbers as usual whenever I’ve visit the local Farne Islands, they are on the decrease, they say due to the seas warming and so the loss of their main diet of Sand Eels.  If this is the case, much like the two animals above, it would be a huge loss.  As with those two, the Puffin is a great animal to watch and like the Red Squirrel, seems to have it’s own special character.

 

I’ve added two other animals under no particular grouping, the Otter and Sparrowhawk.  Technically both are supposed to be thriving though I rarely see either.  The Otter is a success story, once very rare due to the pollution of the rivers in this country, now that they are much cleaner they are now found all over the country, even in the local Tyne River, once extremely polluted due to the shipping industry.  Apparently they can be found under the city lights themselves, but being nocturnal, are seldom seen unless you’re lucky. My typical sight of a Sparrowhawk is seeing shoot past in a wood as it chases its prey or I’ve disturbed it just after making its kill.  Their signs of a kill are common – just a load of feathers of a pigeon which it would have then taken off with.  To get a photograph of one is even rarer than seeing it due to living in the woodland and rarely keeping still or out in the open. Again, this is just a few of the most noticeable animals in recent years and there are others such as Barn Owls which I haven’t seen for a while and woodpeckers both Green and Great Spotted which I see and hear more often.  I wonder what differences the next ten years will see.

Read More

A Morning at St Mary’s

St Mary’s Whitley Bay, is one of those places you might see lots of wildlife, mostly birds, or you might just see nothing.   With a return to freezing temperatures along with strong winds though forecast to be sunny, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I stopped off firstly at one of the vantage points overlooking the wetlands area – usually the quietest part of the whole area!  After nearly an hour of waiting, I was about to leave when a Kestrel flew low and landed on one of bird tables (why did they put these things up? – they are never stocked and ruin the look of the area).  Just as I started to focus on the bird, someone came up behind me, took out his compact camera and took a few pictures, as if to say that was nice, and left.  I waited an hour in the freezing cold for something to happen and he just walks by just at the right time! The Kestrel didn’t stay long as it was soon hounded by a pair of Magpies, so flew off at which point a Crow took over and continue to mob the Kestrel out of the area.  I’ve always felt sorry for Kestrels.  Here they are, minding their own business, probably just looking for a mouse or vole and instead gets a whole lot of grief off a bird that’s as big or bigger than it and that’s in no danger from it.

Sequence of a Kestrel being ‘mobbed’ by a Crow

With the only bit of ‘action’ gone, I decided to head to the car park which usually has one or two food trailers – in this case two, Mister Whippy and one advertising ‘hot food’.  Hmm…winter, windy and freezing cold, Mr Whippy or some kind of hot food.  The decision wasn’t difficult and with my warm grub I headed towards the beach which, to my surprise was empty of the usual dog walkers and teaming with a wide variety of waders.  Initially I just sat down and ate my food, as the tide was going out making it difficult to get close to these birds, but the opportunity was just too good to miss, so I got as close as I dared and sat down.  With my camera backpack on, it makes a great back rest when sitting down and I could rest my lens between my knees.  After the birds got used to my presence, I just snuck a bit closer every now and then though this was negated by the tide going out which of course, they were following, however, the Oystercatchers were big and obliging enough to get a decent picture of. Conditions were almost perfect from a photographic point of view.  The sun was low behind me and bright enough for me to use a fast shutter speed and reasonably low ISO though I’m always willing to sacrifice ISO for a fast shutter speed especially when using the 500mm lens which, on this day, had the converter permanently attached.  If only the tide was coming in, this would have been a great session and I would have got some much closer images.

After around forty minutes the evitable dog walkers came along and the birds were chased off.  Still, with strong, cold winds coming straight off the North Sea, I was starting to feel the cold and needed to get some circulation going so decided to head back. One last opportunity.  In the fields on the way back, were three Curlews prodding around in the earth for, presumably, worms.  They certainly seemed very intent as they ignored me and I was able to get quite close to them as they methodically worked their way along the field.

Read More

Out for a Sunday Walk

Today was just one of those occasions where I was just going out for a walk along the coast and nothing planned.  I didn’t get up at the crack of dawn to catch a sunrise or the early wildlife, the tide was all wrong if I wanted to photograph any waders (it was going out), it was just one of those lovely winter days – cold, sunny and no wind and since I haven’t managed to get out for a while with my camera, I took this opportunity. I started the walk off by going along the dog highway…err, I mean Whitley Bay beach, not long after sunrise and headed off to St Mary’s which is one of my haunts.  As the tide was nearly out, there was a lot of rocks and seaweed exposed which in turn had plenty of waders feeding.  I managed to get a few snap shots but didn’t try to take the extra care I would normally, which meant getting down at bird level and making sure my camera was steady, but because I was in pools water and wet seaweed recently exposed to the tide and there were dogs continually scaring the birds away, I didn’t make any effort and the images taken are accordingly, pretty much rubbish.

View looking back at Whitley Bay

Viewpoint looking towards St Mary’s Lighthouse in the distance

After reaching St Mary’s I had a quick walk around the lighthouse and then to the small patch of wetlands they have there.  There’s always a good chance, even by this late time of the morning – about 10:30am – that you might spot one of the resident Foxes and sure enough, after about 30 minutes of trying the various and some very muddy and water logged vantage points, a Fox in its thick winters coat, made an appearance only stopping on hearing my shutter go off.  Rather inconsiderately stopping in behind a patch of long grass!  I was originally alerted to the presence of the Fox by some birds in the reeds where it was, making alarm calls.  This was then taken up by a couple of Magpies who after I couldn’t see the Fox anymore in the undergrowth, showed me where it was by their location and the noise they were making. It continue to make a few brief appearances to seemingly keep an eye on me before reappearing with another Fox which looked older, possibly one of the parents.  Both looked back at me before disappearing.  Between the appearances, a Kestrel held vigilance on top of a tree.  Normally you would expect the Magpies to ‘mob’ this bird but they seemed more interested in the Fox.

Further around the wetlands were plenty of wetland birds – Mallards, Coots, Sanderlings, Gulls, etc. Some of these were sent flying when a motorized powered parachute flew by.  It looked like lots of fun up there though noisy even from where I was. As I packed away my camera and lens I noticed to my horror, mud splashed over the front of the lens.  Not sure I managed that or when and it came off ok, but when I got back to look at my images I noticed that many of the images, particularly the Fox ones were blurred.  I thought maybe because of the mess on the lens but the parachute image looks ok.  I had manually focused that and the Fox images, the latter because of the teleconverter attached and due to the tall grass that was in throwing off the focus.  It was very disappointing that so many images that I took particular care to focus, were so far out of focus and yet the one posted here was ok.  The only thing I can think of that is different between them was the out of focus ones were much further away though I don’t know why this would make a difference.  I will have to do a bit of research and some test shots to see if I can figure it out.

Read More

Blast from the Past

I’m sure it was a surprise to all of us when the apocalypse didn’t happen a few days ago, however with the days of continuous rain we’ve been getting, it’s certainly felt like the end of the world was coming.  Today this has finally had a respite, but only because the gales have blown away the clouds. All this of course has meant little chance of getting out and, after spending way too much time on the festive image left, I decided to reclaim my sanity and do something more practical – by having a clear-out of my storage drive, of which its 1 terabyte of space is now nearly half full of all of my RAW photographs. This collection starts from my first introduction to digital photography back in 2006 and so far I’ve only completed going through the first few years having deleted plenty lot of images I would now think of as being poor quality.  As these six years have gone by I like to think that, not only my photography has improved, but also my skills at processing the images and getting the best out of them.  Also RAW and editing software has made advances and, in particular, to remove noise. So, in order of date taken, here are some of my images that I either overlooked originally or have managed to re ‘process’ to get a better image out of them than my original effort.

Grey Wagtail – September 2006 Canon 350D & 400mm lens + converter

Female Pheasant – October 2009 Canon 350D & 400mm lens

Female Roe Deer taken at dawn – December 2006 Canon 30D & 400mm lens

Red Fox – March 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Robin with food for young – May 2007 Canon 30D 400mm lens

Red Fox – May 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Kestrel along main road – June 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Goldfinches – June 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Young Rabbit – June 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Pied Woodpecker – June 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Red Squirrel – July 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens + converter

Rook – July 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens

Nuthatch - July 2007 Canon 30D & 400mm lens

Read More