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

Avian Bird Flue Closes Farne Islands

Inner Farne - 24.6.2022

After the morning session on Staple Island it's off to Inner Farne where generally there's more action where you can see Arctic, Sandwich and Common Terns, with the Arctics being the most common. At the lighthouse Puffins, Shags, Guillemots and Razorbills are all present but as it's a one hour landing I'm concentrating on the Arctic Terns.

Last year there were very few Arctic Terns on Inner Farne preferring Brownman Island which was all down to the hight of the vegetation, normally the wardens create an ideal habitat by cutting the vegetation but due to Covid restrictions this didn't happen....but they are back, still not back to the numbers of pervious years but the dive bombing action and white deposits seem as constant as ever.

Footnote.

I'd planned a second tript next week unfortunately I've just received an email stating the National Trust has closed the islands due to an outbreak of Avian Bird Flue which is wreaking havoc amongst the sea bird population on the east coast cancelling landings for the remainder of the breeding season, just happy I've managed at least one trip this year.

Arctic Tern

Bottlenose Dolphin

If you very lucky on your return trip you might get to see Bottlenose Dolphins, I say lucky because I must of had over twenty trips and this is the first time I've had an encounter on the boat, apart from seeing them from the carpark !

On The Boat

Staple Island - 24.6.2022

Finally we are on the boat with a tourist bit viewing the multitude of seabirds crammed on the rock face as close as four meters ! normally you don't get great shots but it's good to take in the sights, sounds and the smell before heading to Staple Island for a one hour session.

The National Trust continue with the one hour visit which seems to flyby, why one hour I simply don't know. Normally I remain around the jetty as I found this enables a uncluttered clear shot, further up the island you'r shooting down on to the birds, much better to have some sky or green grass behind.

Puffins are the order of the day, Guillemots are so packed together so isolating a bird is difficult. Next up is Inner Farne which is most people favourite island.

Atlantic Puffin

Guillemot

It's The Farne's Time Again !

Seahouses Harbour - 23.6.2022 

Well it's that time of year when I like to make a couple of trips up to the Farne Islands, this being the first. With all the restrictions on island access after Covid last year I was hopping the all day trips would be back on the cards, unfortunately they aren't so again i have to make do with the one hour access.

First off on the day of arrival I always like to spend an hour with the very obliging Eiders down in the harbour late afternoon, a bit of laying down in the muck getting the low angle shot, but you have to !

Eider Duck

It's Cuckoo Time Again

Undisclosed Site - 12.05.2022

It's May and that means it's Cuckoo time ! 

At this time of year one of the signs Spring is the arrival the sound of a calling Cuckoo, unfortunately it's now not so common unless you search out some of their preferred habitat, and that's were I am this morning. This will be the third year I'm at this location and I haven't been disappointed yet with multiple males all chasing a single female Cuckoo.

It's three am and still dark when I set off hoping to be on site just after sunrise when the birds are most active, getting out of the car I can already hear a Cuckoo calling a good indictor for a brief few hours before the sun gets to harsh, I would prefer cloud but at least it's not lashing it down rain.

A male makes an appearance only to disappear, then a female which inevitably brings in the males causing the female to fly off and a twenty minuet wait for the birds to return, and that's the way the session goes, action then a load of waiting around.

It's now gone very quiet with just the occasional call in the distance, time to pack up, but happy to have another session next week...can't wait ! 

Common Cuckoo

Alberts Back !

Bempton Cliffs - 3.4.22

A notification pops up on the bird alert service that Albert the Black-browed Albatross has again turned up at the Gannet breeding colony at Staple Kewk, Bempton Cliffs for the third year running !...quickly a trip was organised for the next weather permitting opportunity.

As you would expect Albert is proving quite popular and as Staple Newk platform being quite small you need to get there quite early and get a spot. Arriving around 8.0am there's quite a gathering and they are already watching the albatross circulating the Gannet colony, now how's that for timing !

For the next hour or so we watch the albatross gliding along the cliffs looking suitable place to land, then after a short period take the air once more. The albatross finally lands on the cliff face out of sight remaining there for the remainder of the morning, so after a lot of waiting we decide it's a good time for a spot of lunch. After lunch we have a look around the reserve to see what's else about but being early in the season as you would expect apart from the Gannets it's still fairly quiet with a few Puffins and Razorbills.

Tired after being on the road since 3.30am we call it a day early afternoon and head home happy again to have see the wanderer from the southern oceans. Later that evening I check the bird information service and it would seem Albert was content to remain on his cliff resting spot for the remainder of the day until early evening so no other opportunities missed, some times you take a chance !

Black-browed Albatross

In this image the gull is pecking the back of the albatross who it sees as a threat !

This image was used by the The Independent newspaper in a feature on the albatross that's unlikely ever to return to the Southern Oceans where it's naturally found.