Osprey's & More !

Horn Mill Fisheries - 26.07.2023

An acquaintance of mine who lives in North Wales asked me if ever fancied going up to Aviemore, Scotland to photograph Osprey ?...."how long dose it take to drive up" I ask...."7 hours"....nope ! You don't have to drive all that way, you could just drive down to Rutland and photograph Osprey at Horn Mill fisheries...that's what I did.

So this morning I'm at Horn Mill Fisheries on the River Gawash a commercial fishery once owned by non other than Rodger Daltry of the band The Who to photograph the "English" Ospreys. The fisheries under an agreement with a local Osprey Trust leave one pond un-netted to allow the ospreys in the region access to fish. When booking you have the choice of either a morning or evening session, or for that matter both when the fishery is non operational, I choose just the morning option for no other reason than to avoid traffic on the drive down.

Visiting Horn Mill there's basically three target species you should try to include, obviously Osprey, Red Kite that scavenge dead fish and the iconic Kingfisher, but today really it's all about the Osprey. Not having done this many times I'm finding photographing Osprey a real challenging subject to get any decent images, especially the diving shots...basically I'm rubbish, but as they say practice makes perfect.

Get ready !....the Osprey's sat in one of the trees to the left of the pond surveying the trout cruising just below the surface, then after a lot of head bobbing it eye's it's target and dives...boom hitting the water with some force you would think must injure the bird, success or not, it takes maybe just 4 or 5 seconds from leaving the tree to hitting the water...it's that fast !

Failing to get the dive shots you always have the "back up" option of the action when the Osprey leaves the water which is the easier shot. 

After maybe 5 to 6 dives and a lot of waiting around, this is where the Kingfisher's can keep you occupied, it's all over by 8.30am as the activities of the fishery bursts into life discouraging further Osprey fishing.

Got to be better than a 350mile drive !

See you next year.

Osprey

Red Kite

Kingfisher

Grey Heron

This heron caught a large trout which was way to big for it to swallow so it abandoned on the bank only to be grabbed by a Red Kite.

Back Out After 13 Weeks

Scottish Photography Hides   18-20th, November 2022

After a long career in amateur sport requiring some parts replacing I'm finally back out after 13 weeks of inactivity and to celebrate the occasion I've arranged a three day trip up to Galloway at the Scottish Photography Hides, three days and three night hides sessions and likely to be full on for the entire weekend.

Day one consists a combined day and nigh session concentrating on Kingfishers in a hide aptly named the "Kingfisher Hide" and later in the evening Otter. Located right next to the river Tarff...no not Taff that's in Cardiff ! it's ideal placed for both target species.

Photographing Kingfishers in this location in my opinion cannot be bettered due to the uncluttered background way off in the distance with some great colours provided by the green field and autumn gold bracken, all that's required now is...Kingfishers.

Appearing every hour sometimes staying for a minute other times five minutes gives you ample opportunity to change the shot, some shot arrangements you've seen before others you may not. After many visits all too soon it's 3.0pm the light fading under the grey clouds signalling time to change the gear over ready for the Otter night shoot.

Kingfisher

Otter

On may last visit a Otter family comprising a female and two cubs were visiting, now my understanding is the female was killed on the nearby road and the cubs chased from the territory by the now large single male....gear ready....I'm ready. 

The male regularly visits around 5.0pm and true to form at 4.50pm it turns up. I spot the Otter as it climbing the ramp on to the pool, sticks it's head into the water then shaking it's head in a halo of water droplets.

After about ten minuets of action...is all over, but there's always tomorrow.

Sparrowhawk

Day two, I'm at the "Sparrowhawk" Hide probably Alan's most well known hide that's featured on BBC's SpringWatch, today I have all four hides all to my self, take your pick !

On previous visits I've found the species can vary dependant on the time of year, daytime Tawny Owl, Red Kite and Buzzard have all been visitors but with nothing of note reported the highlight will undoubtedly be the Sparrowhawk pretty much a guarantee. I've waited maybe an hour and a male Sparrowhawk turns up around midday, it stays for maybe 15minuets which gives me plenty of time for a couple of hundred shots...more editing !

Now around 3.0pm with the light fading I call time and make my way up the the Pine Martin located in the blackest of black....Caledonian Forest...ooow !

Pine Martin

Pine Martin a species where you have to be quick to get the shot, I've missed many in this hide but I'm getting better. Alan's change the set since my last visit at the beginning of the year and as before the LED lights have gone in favour of a superior flash system. Now the wait which be be long, very long ! 

Out of the backness the mustelid appears, jumps straight up onto the log to retrieve it's prize, this process goes on three times given you a more chance to get a better shot, then along the stone wall investigating for anything edible, then it all over like all these hide sets, fast, furious and quick.

Badger

Day three, I'm back in the Kingfisher Hide again taking the opportunity to change the set after each Kingfisher visit, more of the same as you would expect always trying for that next best shot.

Late afternoon it's now time for the night session with Badgers, on my last visit I managed just one shot before the Badger got spooked disappearing never to return, here's hopping for better successes.

It's a long wait before I get any action, the Tawny Owl makes a quick fly in visit, and was quick, less than a second, in and out in less than a second ! 

More wait, then I detect low frequency noise and a Badger appears, not three as seen in other images. Nose down never giving a great shot permanently sniffing and feeding the free offerings, then gone. As it's now 2 degrees and I'm happy to call time and head back to the car to thaw out.

Until the next time.

A New Experience

River Gawash - 30/31.7.2022

I've always wanted to photograph Osprey's a summer visitor to the UK but I could never contemplate the long seven hour drive up to the Scottish Highlands, but wait there's another option Rutland, and it's only just over an hour and a half dive...cracking !

A new experience for me, Osprey's in flight in low light ! all the wrong conditions you would say to get any decent images but I'm prepared to give it a go. I'm at River Gawash Trout Fisheries located a couple of miles from Rutland Water which has a population of re-introduce Ospreys breeding in the surrounding area, the fisheries under an agreement with local wildlife groups allow the Ospreys to take fish from a single un-netted lake, the fisheries in-turn have provided a hide charging photographers for the privilege.

I have two sessions arranged, one Saturday evening and another on Sunday morning. The evening session starts in not so good light pushing the ISO high, very high so I decide to use try the 70-200mm f2.8 wide open to get some reasonable settings, of coarse at 200mm is way too short, anyway after a couple of visits I begin to understand what's required, here's a few images.

Sunday morning is an early 4.15am start and it's still dark ! only at 6.30am the light is reasonable but the wind is such that when an Osprey makes a dive it fly's off into the wind in the opposite direction...hey ho ! but I did manage some nice images of a juvenile Kingfisher to ease the disappointment.

 

Osprey

Kingfisher - juvenile

Back Over The Boarder

Dumfries & Galloway - 6.3.22

Earlier this year as I hadn't been up to the Scottish Boarders I though I'd treat myself to a weekend away now that restrictions were ending, and what a better way to blow the cobwebs off than three days of hectics photography.

Friday is always a late night starting with a couple of hours hopefully with Badgers, in reality after a long wait it was only the briefest of visits as something spooked the Badger never to return, hey ho !

Saturday was a long session starting around 9.0am with Kingfishers but little else, a location in previous years where Buzzards could be photographed on a deer carcass across the river but no longer. Loads of chatting helps pass the time with some visits evert 45 minuets or so until an evening session with an Otter family. The Otter session being the highlight of the weekend and most looking forward to having been to this location many times, the images below only gives so idea what an experience it was.

Now Sunday with blue sky's the light is very harsh and not really conducive to getting any decent images but I make the best of my time. Now late afternoon it's a time to say hello again to the Pine Martin but this time using flash rather than LED lamps which are more difficult to get the correct exposure, two visits and it's all done, time to the road and a long drive. Until the next time.

Badger

Female Kingfisher

Otter

Male Sparrow Hawk

Blue Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Red Squirrel

Pine Martin

Fish Divers !

Undisclosed Site - 3.11.21

I'm back on the road this morning for another session with the photogenic Kingfisher but this time....diving Kingfishers !

Now at my destination still quite early the fog still lingers, no matter as the light is still not good enough to achieve the shutter speed needed for these lightning fast birds, time to take a break and take in the autumn sights and sounds of the lake water fowl and the occasional skein of pink feet heading south in search of their next meal.

This morning I working with the mini tripod mounted Canon R5 using the electronic shutter at 20fps and a couple of PocketWizard radios, I'm using a iPad connected to the camera via Bluetooth to review and edit the images "on the fly" which appear after a few seconds, this way I can delete unwanted images as the number of images can soon mount up.

Still a learning curve regarding the best settings for low light and not "blowing" the whites, and most frustratingly trying to guess when the Kingfisher will take to the air and dive. Not the best images which is mainly down to the low light conditions resulting in a high ISO (image quality) but work in progress. Looking forward to the next time !

Kingfisher