Archive for 2010

Months of planning have finally all come together now in the form of this unique and bespoke photo tour to the amazing wilderness that is Sumatra. I will be leading this amazing Photo-Tour alongside expert trackers on the ground in Sumatra, working with the brilliant Charity- Sumatran Orangutan Society.

This charity is dedicated to the conservation of Sumatran Orangutans and their forest home, where each person on this photo-tour will directly be helping the Orangutan and their habitat, with money from each person booked onto this trip going to the Sumatran Orangutan Society, whose work is to help protect and conserve this area for the future of our closest relative.

I have always been fascinated with these Great Apes for as long as I can remember and upon first seeing one of these amazing animals back in 2000 in a rehabilitation centre in Thailand I have always wanted to help them when and where I could.  I had a close encounter with a male Orangutan, an experience that touched deep into my sole, as I watched and looked into the eyes of these beautiful animals, it was something I have never forgot as I sat on the ground, mimicking their behaviour of picking up ants with a small stem.  A powerful male with pronounced cheeks denoting his age, was slowly moving towards me, closer and closer until I could hear him breathing.  He slowly and gently took the stem off me, his hand almost perfectly formed the same as a human, with dark nails, he then just slowly moved away and out of site, a moment I can see as I type these words.  

I was lost for words, an amazing moment that I can still see as if it was yesterday, such is the beauty, grace of this animal.  The principal focus of this photo tour will be the Orangutan, capturing them within their natural habitat, looking for behaviours to capture and so on, as we visit some of the most magnificent forests on Earth, which are also the domain of many other beautiful and stunning animals and birds, where some only live in this part of the world and nowhere else on the planet. Sadly the ‘Old Man of the forest’ has been subjected to relentless pressures which has reduced the world’s population by as much as 50% during the last 10 years. Hunting for meat and the demands of the pet trade have been contributory factors but the more significant issue has been the large-scale clearance of rain forest throughout this region leaving very few habitats left for these apes

There are surely few more enduring creatures in the world than the gentle giant of the rainforest’s, the Orangutan. With around 97% of an Orangutans genetic makeup being the same as a human and where such a close affinity to Homo sapiens is obvious upon gazing into their beautiful faces and watching their behaviour and how they conduct their lives. The evolutionary links with mankind are plain to see after such encounters with this amazing ape that now only live wild in two places in the world, Borneo and Northern Sumatra.

Across the Orangutans entire range, conversion of forests to oil palm plantations is occurring on a massive scale, logging continues even within protected areas, and planned road networks threaten to fragment the habitat of the last viable populations. These factors are responsible for the loss of over 80% of Orangutan habitat over the last 20 years. We have to save this amazing animal and during this tour I will also be photographing the story of the local people, the palm plants and conveying with moving and powerful photography what is happening to these amazing forests where I will be reporting back for SOS and updating their Blog alongside my own as and when I have wifi access out there.

We will also be planting new trees in areas that have been safeguarded and protected for the Orangutans and all the other wildlife that live here. With projects concentrating on teaching local communities about the benefits of reforestation and developing alternative livelihoods. SOS  distribute seedlings and have established organic forestry centres near degraded forest areas, providing training so that communities can produce their own seedlings for future replanting.

They have established a number of nursery and replanting sites in Aceh and North Sumatra, and have now planted over 570,000 seedlings an area we will visit so guests can have the chance to plant their own trees here, we will also work in the deforested regions around and within the Leuser Ecosystem, which is the most important remaining habitat for the Sumatran Orangutan.

The charity also works in restoring degraded areas inside the border of the Gunung Leuser National Park, working with local government and local communities to restore vital Orangutan habitat that has been damaged by illegal oil palm plantations established within the protected area. So much brilliant work is going on out there to save these animals.  This trip as you can see by the Itinerary will be truly amazing, covering different areas, sleeping in the jungle with its amazing noises and uniqueness all of its own. 

Along with the guides I will also be showing some interesting and key skills and survival techniques derived from my own experiences of working in these jungle habitats on different continents over the years while serving in HM armed forces.  The trip has it all and I am so passionate about helping these animals so if you would like to book or want more information then email me or contact SOS. And you can view the trip on the BBC Wildlife Magazine Website here

A big thank you to Helen- the  UK Director of the Sumatran Orangutan Society for all your help in making this trip happen, thank you to Different Travel for their help also, and lastly thank you to those who book on behalf of the Sumatran Orangutan, I look forward to seeing you all in Sumatra next September.

I have really missed going down to the river of late where I have been watching and documenting the trails and tribulations of the Kingfishers that live in this private and untouched area.  This has been as a result of workshops and one to ones and other projects I am currently working on.  Over the last week or so along with the freezing cold days, I have made the dawn starts to go and see the Kingfishers on a stretch of the River Trent not to far from my Staffordshire home, wondering if they have left for the coast to feed, as this is a behaviour in Kingfishers when their food supply drys up or the rivers and inland streams that they live on freeze up.

When I get to the river in the darkness I set up my hide on the frozen ground, having to wade through a small piece of the river to reach where I place my hide.  On some days access isn’t possible due to the rising waterline and in the past the river has risen, only for me to arrive and my hide has been taken by the currents. This makes the whole project which I started some time ago now even more special and untouched.  If you respect a place it may give up its secrets to you.  I totally immerse myself in this little wilderness rarely visited by the outside world due to its private nature, almost like the wildlife it supports. 

I have dedicated as much of my time as possible to these Kingfishers, more so the young gorgeous female I have watched grow over the last several months, fighting back with her parents refusing to be pushed out by those who once loved and protected her, claiming a piece of this rich and diverse wilderness for herself.  I get over joyed when I first see her, chuffed shes making her mark, a broad smile lights up my face as deep down I am routing for her to succeed and have a family, continuing the ‘magic’ blue flashes you see when they fly low to the water.

In my experience working with these Kingfishers, you can wait almost all day for one passing glimpse as they fly up and down the river, you only real indication they are around sometimes is their piercing loud call which breaks through the ever present sound of the moving water. Briefly landing on the perches then vanish, on my last visit there I did briefly see a Mink and saw a few footprints around. The Mink is a medium-sized member of the weasel family, the first American Mink were brought to British fur farms in 1929 and all wild Mink in Britain today are descendants of escapees. Their natural wild colouring is a glossy dark brown, appearing almost black in some light.

My own sightings over the last few days have been amazing , where I have witnessed them feeding, swimming and actively seeking out prey, which is bad for the wildlife in and around rivers and this one in particular due to the Kingfishers. I have not seen any Watervoles, their prints or droppings, their declining numbers put down to this introduced species which is in a no win situation, a proven killer that can swim, climb and tackle prey much bigger than themselves just going about its business.  I have never been so close to these animals, and having rarely seen one before, I was lost for words, as this one fished and went about its life feet away from me allowing me a view into his very private life.

I watched in total amazement as this Mink heard something then carried on, at one point stalking a Moorhen he’d seen.  As you can see from one of the photographs where I have captured him with a front paw raised, a beautiful looking animal whose coat was in stunning condition.  I have the extreme weather conditions to thank and lady luck twinned with my own fieldcraft, at one point I had left my hide and stalked him through the icy cold water, kneeing in the swallow bit of the river, lowering my tripod legs very,very slowly as not to spook him.

He was only feet away from me, the wind blowing my scent away, all parts of my body were covered as light is reflected from skin and I stayed as low as possible for this incredible encounter that I chose to film, he was in a shaded area so it appears to be dark but I truly had no time to make the adjustments in camera as I filmed this incredible moment.

One of those truly beautiful moments where I was allowed to watch this shy and elusive creature for a few minutes.  I didn’t see him again that day but they are fairly active in this area as on previous visits I have seen track marks and kill sites, so I am hoping maybe to have these kind of sightings once more in the future.

As the minutes turned into hours and the shorter days resulted in less light I hadn’t seen the Kingfisher and I was thinking two things, firstly that they had left for the coast to find food, but the river wasn’t frozen, or secondly, something had happened to them and then my thoughts turned to the Mink.  Then in the distance I could just make her out, great; shes alive I said, she seemed to be fishing from the higher branches of the various different trees that litter the riverbank, from old to new trees, covering the banks with a natural fence line. 

I have captured a few images I love, backlit with slight contrasty light, but I loved the effect with the hue of the frosty blue forming a slight colour to these images, with the snow in parts adding a real atmosphere to the photographs.

I had waited hours before she briefly appeared in front of my hide, checking it out and watching me as she heard the shutter noise, the water was so cold the blueish colour can be seen behind the Kingfisher as she had a look below her before flying off.

A really beautiful looking bird who has grown up and seems really settled now on this stretch of the river.  I am going to try and capture her over the coming year , fingers crossed I hope, as I really love my time down by the river, watching, waiting for that moment of magic when she appears from nowhere, stays, looks around and goes as quick as she arrived alongside the other wonderful wildlife I have witnessed there too.

The name of this workshop could not have been better named ‘Winter Waders’, as our three days there were christened with freezing temperatures, treacherous conditions and in parts gridlock on the roads but all and all we made the very best of our time there.  My group had travelled from all over the UK in the coldest snap for December since records began, with one guest having come from Ireland I was really happy that the 7am start time on the first day that all guests had made the slow and dangerous journey safely.

The biting temperatures cut through us all on the first day forcing us to move more rapidly between the various sites and beeches that I know, as the wind and penetrating temperatures worked against us, but the guys were great and we still were able to capture images on this cold introduction to Norfolk.

We had some good sightings on the first day using a mixture of fieldcraft and a touch of luck.  Thousands of Pink, Greylag, Brent geese filled the sky.  They were all over the place due to the strong, prevailing winds driving in from the coastline.  A lot of them were flying above the clouds which made it hard to see but their calls could be heard no matter what.  When the clouds did break briefly the sun came through and we were lucky, and had a few lovely encounters.

I can never predict or promise that the wildlife will turn up and my attuide has always been that there is always an image to be had or captured no matter what, so with the weather being so bad we still were able to capture some lovely images of waders and other wildlife that spend their time in Norfolk.  During our time there the weather was a mixed bag, with the snow not hitting this part of the UK on the first day or so.  However, the following morning we were scrapping the snow off our windowscreens and thats when we knew the snow had caught up with us. The Geese were on the move really early in the mornings and it became hard to capture clean shots of them flying over, but most of the guys had wide angles so we were all able to capture the Geese overhead.

I showed different technique’s to the group, panning, waiting until they were straight over head to add drama, low in the frame, minimal ground, slower shutter speed for the wing blur, capturing impending movement within the image, something I have always loved to do.

Daytime temperatures rarely broke past freezing point but as we moved around different sites it became less of a problem until you remained still, which happened mainly when we were photographing different waders and gulls low on the ground for some time, to obtain a more personal point of view. I love to capture behaviour within my style of wildlife photography and this image of an adult Herring Gull trying to stay upright in the strong winds was very funny to see.  Using the light available I composed him so that the image coveys an air of menace to the gull, which I really liked, with one side of him lit and the other in dark.

The wind was causing all sorts of problems and we saw many different waders in ones and twos, blown off course, struggling to land and stay on the ground as they were trying to feed on what ever they could find.

The pattern of events over the next few days were similar, anticipating what the weather had in store and if the wind would drop, watching and photographing the winter waders and migrants and also spending sometime with the Barn Owls.  We were also lucky that it never rained over the three days as this increased our chances of seeing Barn Owls, even though the ground was frozen.  The days are shorter and the light is less during the winter months and if the ground is permanently frozen the Barn Owls primary prey of fieldvoles and other rodents tend to stay huddled together during the coldest spells at night, only really venturing out during the day which makes for the best times to see Barn Owls hunting during really cold spells.

On most of the days we saw the Owls, hunting with real purpose, diving with such force as to break the covering of snow on the ground, at the same time capturing their prey.  The majority of the time they seemed to fail but on the odd occasion they stayed on the ground where they could have been eating their prize as quickly as possible, replenishing much needed supplies of energy to survive. They were hunting in fog, snow and windy weather, such was the need to feed.  I always feel uncomfortable seeing nature work at a pace which is dictated by the conditions, right on the line on survival but such is nature where they say only the strong survive, but for me still very uncomfortable to see.

On the final evening the clouds broke and we had a lovely sunset, the colours lit up the horizon, the sky full of geese, the sounds of which sounded almost like surroundsound as the geese were having their final feed, then heading off to their overnight roost sites.

Thank you to all my guests who came on my workshop, great company.  I hope you got a lot out of the three days and even with the the weather against us we were still able to capture lovely images and at the same time see this beautiful coastline.  I look forward to seeing a few of your images,  many thanks.

Just a quick post to say a big thank you to the organisers from WWT Martin Mere for inviting me to this advent, the general public who turned up and booked onto the three talks I did yesterday at Martin Mere  Birdwatching Festival. They all ran over time, all three workshops were fully booked, each almost running into each other.  A great day and I hope the folks that turned up enjoyed it as much as I did.  It was nice to see a few people I have not seen for a while and lots of new faces so hello to you all again, if any of you would like any further advice on what I touched on then please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have a few more talks planned over the next few months which I am really looking forward to, if you would like to enquiry or book me for next year then send me an email.

This is one of the slideshows I presented on the day capturing the beautiful wildlife that lives in and around our coastline, from first light until last light.

Over the last few days I have been really busy with One to Ones/Workshops and on all of them the weather and the conditions just came together perfectly and the sunrise was breathtaking with the wildlife showing up also making for an all round great few days for my clients. I guess you could say that some days you just get lucky.  Setting off for the higher peaks within the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire in total darkness gives a whole different feel to the experience as losing part of one of your major senses heightens the others you have. 

Making judgments with a narrow field of vision really makes you come alive, carefully placing your feet and focusing using the light from the moon, aided with the head touch that illuminated our path, we watched the frosty morning chill begin to warm with the upcoming spectacular sunrise.  Reaching the summit at nearly 2000 feet as the sun breaks the horizon, bathing the whole place in a warm, orange glaze.  Making you feel as though you are standing on top of the world with the mist and clouds beneath you sheltering the population from this hidden world you must work at to see.

My client Matthew from Wales wanted to see the Red Grouse in its natural habitat and I have several different sites with different levels of approach. The route we chose meant the ascent was in the dark using the moons light to illuminate our path alongside our head torches, carefully making our way to the summit as the sun came up. In all the years I have been visiting the Peak District I have rarely witnessed such a beautiful morning, the crunch of the morning frost under foot, the air chilled from the over night frost and the Red Grouse were everywhere feeding on the tender shoots the sun was thawing out. Their constant ‘bubbling’ calls echoing down the valley with the morning mist adding great drama.

As we made our way through this amazing landscape of Heath/Moorland the colours of the place were stunning and apart from the odd walker we had the whole place to ourselves which left a silence you’d only know if you find somewhere remote within nature and watch the world go by. I went through fieldcraft techniques which for me is a key competency in wildlife photography.  If you are to get close to a wild animal you need to watch and look for clues, behaviour, listen for calls, which vary in different pitch to suite the subjects mood, progressively getting higher in pitch once they see something they perceive as a threat. Breaking a animals virtual horizon is the key-  shape, shine, silhouette, you can look like a bush but approach without respecting the forementioned and off they go.

Red Grouse are very comical and display many different behaviours you rarely see from a distance when passing them on the narrow walkways carved into the landscape from years of walkers pounding these routes through this breathtaking landscapes.

The heaths and moors of the Peak District are an eerie exposure of peat covered moorland sitting about 600m (2000 ft) above sea level. Large wind carved eroded rocks sit among vast plateaus and rock formations supporting a healthy population of these amazingly hardy Red Grouse.  These iconic moorland birds make their home on these moors and are reliant on their camouflaged plumage to blend in to this habitat, where the only time you know they are around is when you stumble upon them when you are walking as they explode from the ground, taking flight with a unforgettable distress call.

I take everything with me on these One To One/Workshop days, packed lunches, large flask, cold drinks, first aid, in fact everything bar the kitchen sink is placed on my back in preparation for any event mother nature should throw at us in these changeable environments..

One of my favourite images from the two days with Matthew was this lone male Red Grouse below, perched on this prominent rock, his call echoing down into the valley beneath him, a truly beautiful picture to see and one I was privileged to capture with a wide angle, as I had crawled forward for some time to get closer, then all of a sudden he popped up onto this rock and began singing. 

A real mixture of luck, fieldcraft and timing coming together in one of those rare moments you are afforded within wildlife photography from time to time. We had some other lovely encounters with these beautiful birds I am very fond of, so a big thank you Matthew and I’ll see you in a few weeks on my Winter Waders  workshop at Norfolk. I have many One To Ones running throughout the Winter months now on the lead up to next years Spring/Summer time just have a look on my website under Workshops then click on One To One and take a look or send me an email should you wish me to meet you at a place of your choosing.

I will be presenting 3 x45 minute Wildlife Photography workshops at this years North West Birding Watching Fair at WWT Martin Mere .  Whatever the weather this Festival is an enjoyable and informative day out.  I will be going through simple techniques that I use, showing you how to improve your own photography accompanied with a few slide shows and a brief practical session going through anything you wish.  So if you are free on the Sunday please pop by to say hello many thanks.

Our wildlife workshops to the island of Mull, Scotland are getting more and more popular as the perfect trip to capture the true beauty of this amazing place, so we are adding another trip to the itinerary for next year. The aim of this second trip is to capture the stunning autumnal colours there at this time of the year, along with the beautiful Otters that live on Mull, and their cubs, also rutting Deer, White tailed Eagles and much more amazing wildlife. For wildlife photographers who are eager to bring their photography to the next level, or people wishing to see the beautuful wildlife this island has to offer, our photo trip really does cover everything.

The Isle of Mull lies on the west coast of Scotland and it has a breathtaking coastline of 300 miles, the climate is a mixture of rain and sunshine. From the moment you step onto this beautiful island the wildlife is everywhere and the scenery is stunning. The island is a wonderful place to see Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Otters, porpoises and a whole host of Hebridean Wildlife.  

Our base will be the picturesque village of Tobermory, with its brightly painted buildings. Overlooking the harbour of Tobermory and facing out to Calve Island and the sound of Mull is our Hotel, you’ll be treated to picturesque views over the harbour and as well as comfortable accommodation, you’ll enjoy fine cuisine in the restaurant, prepared from the best locally sourced ingredients to make your stay even more memorable, all of the rooms have a sea/harbour view. It will be a wonderful chance to show you the best places that I have found on my many trips to this amazing island and to pass my knowledge of these onto you so you can really enjoy ‘The Magic of Mull’.

This photo tour is for four people maxim, with two places having already gone such is the popularity and beauty of this island. I like to keep all my trip numbers down to around four people if I can as this gives everyone quality time with me while I show and teach everything I use myself within wildlife photography, fieldcraft, composition, camera skills and showing and pointing out photographic opportunities constantly during your time with me.

The dates of this trip are – Sunday 23rd October – Friday 28th October 2011, the price per person is £800.00, this includes all food, including packed lunch, all transport on the island, rooms with sea views, all guidance and expertise from myself.  They are on a first come first served basis, so if you would like to know more info or book then go to my Magic Of Mull page on my website and fill out the booking form or send me an email and I’ll answer any questions you may have many thanks.

The season of Autumn provides us with some of the most beautiful and intense colours within nature. Woodlands all over the UK are revealing their amazing colours of red, orange, yellow and gold.  This happens when the trees start to withdraw their chlorophyll from their leaves revealing these vibrant pigments in the leaves giving this amazing and distinctive appearance during the season of Autumn.

Autumn is a great time to get out with your camera as the ground is laden with fruits and nuts forming a carpet of food.  A very rich bounty in which all animal’s take advantage of this extra food source before the onset of Winter.  Capturing behaviour in some animals during Autumn makes for some beautiful encounters with wildlife. The most commonly known one is the Deer Rut , which was very late this year, I have been to several places around the UK over the last month and seen some brilliant behaviour and great moments.

This time of year is also one of the best times to see and witness one of the most secret and shy birds within the bird world, the Jay, part of the Crow family.  You only normally hear these birds in the tops of trees, but during the plentiful bounty on offer during Autumn you’ll see them on the ground feeding on the acorns and other nuts and fruits the trees shed at this time of year.

The changing seasons and the yearly life cycle of animals, plants and trees will enable you to photograph many different images throughout the year, which will tell the story of the changing weather and colours of the different habitats in which the wildlife live in.  The season of Autumn for me is arguably one of the finest times of year to enjoy and view wildlife with a backdrop of amazing colours, while most summer birds have now gone. Vast numbers of new arrivals make up for their departure, with the likes of Fieldfares, Redwings, and various Geese and Ducks that spend the winter months with us.

One of my favorite winter visitor’s is the beautiful Whooper Swan that have started to arrive from Iceland along with the slightly smaller but equally beautiful Bewick Swan.  When they have all arrived numbers can surpass more than 1,000 Whoopers in and around the various places I visit, one of the best is on the North West coast of the UK.  So graceful and elegant for a large bird they truly are beautiful and amazing to watch in flight.

I have also been photographing a real comical and funny bird, always on the move and constantly calling  as they climb and pose up and down trees with great finesse and ease, the Nuthatch.  I wanted to try and capture a few different view points of these charismatic, iconic woodland birds with their bold mannerism’s.  I waited out of site to where they were landing, hoping to capture their cheeky side within an image.  The following two photos I feel demonstrate this, with the amazing colours of the autumnal woodland as the back drop.  Very funny birds and just one of the many wonderful animals you can photograph now as they feed on this rich source of food nature provides them with during Autumn.

Autumn marks the transition from Summer into Winter and is a short season compared to the other three so make the most of it with the colourful foliage on offer, adding great impact to any photographs you take. With the cooler temperature’s you maybe lucky enough for some amazing sunsets as I was with this lone Kestrel hunting in the very last rays of light over marshland.

With so much happening now my best advice would be to just go out into nature and capture this amazing and visually beautiful time of year, your reward will be views of animals you may not be able to see during the other seasons of the year, at the same time witness these stunning colours. 

The migrants that these shores attract along with the special winter wildlife we have, finally show up in good numbers from now onwards giving you a unique insight into their lives, some of the best for me are Short-eared Owls that come down from the mountains to feed at sea level during our winter months, Mountain Hares that change colour to pure white to avoid predators and blend in with their snow capped landscapes along with Ptarmigan and many more species of wildlife where the only downside is that it becomes colder but you get to put more layers on!!.  Whatever you do you will not be disappointed with the beauty of mother nature.

I attended this amazing visual and inspiring event again this year alongside friend and designer/director of Traxwatch; Kevin Bromley. We were both amazed and inspired by the images presented by the different photographers from around the world.  Some very breathtaking images and a few firm favourites for me were the Bird Of Paradise images from Tim Laman .  They were stunning and I particularly liked the way in which he captured these images by climbing into the tops of the trees.  It was also great to see the locals building a hide there and watching the sun rise over the jungle valley beneath him was truly brilliant and something I love to do one day in my own work being a trained climber/abseiler.  

Kai Fagerström images where amazing too, telling a lovely story of abandoned houses being reclaimed by mothernature and becoming home to many animals including Badgers.  His image was a prize-winner in the 2010 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, and for more than ten years, he has photographed badgers and other animals active at twilight in the area around his Finnish home, and for the past few years he has recorded the twilight and nocturnal activity of the wildlife inhabiting abandoned houses amazing, I really loved these images. 

Nice also to speak to Joe Cornish  I found his landscapes truly inspiring and learned a lot from his presentation. I don’t do a lot of landscape photography as such but I do love to capture a animal within their natural landscape which is very important to my work and watching and listening to Joe’s presentation was very interesting. It made me look at an image in a different manner to that of one with a living subject in. A recent image of mine in this years British Wildlife Photography Awards 2010 called ‘Frosty Morning’ has been included in their book which illustrates this ethos perfectly. 

The image was of a male Barn Owl quartering a field where the landscape formed a big part of the image for me, it was taken during the recent cold spell at the beginning of the year which stayed with us for several months while many animals suffered to find food.  The background was frozen solid and was in the shade at the time I took the image, compared to the rest of the image which was in the morning sunlight.  The Owl was hunting as temperatures where around -8oc, he did survive the cold spell though which was great news.

Really nice to meet up with Charlie Hamilton James again after the Birdfair and I am looking forward to seeing him again in the new year when hopefully he’s going to help me with my underwater photos of Kingfishers, which he is the master of.  A great show and nice to meet alot of nice people while we were there.  It was great for Kevin also with his remote camera system Traxwatch creating a lot of interest.  Kevin has chosen me to be one of the wildlife photographers to put this equipment through its paces and also promote this brilliant piece of kit along with Charlie,  where it captures video, time lapse, freezes images and much,much more so really looking forward to trying this style of photography I have not used in the past. Also really great to see one of my Barn Owl images on his product, which is brilliant and I wish you all the luck Kevin.

Yesterday I was back to what I love, acompanied by Steve where we photographed the Red and Fallow Deer in the morning light which was beautiful, always on the look out for a different image.  I captured this very soft and delicate looking young Fallow Deer feeding among this woodland.  I waited for him to pass through the few shafts of light penetrating the tree canopy to capture him in the amazing sunlight, the image can be seen below, thanks for a great day Steve and a few surprises there from folks along the way.

There is a wonderful link that has just been sent to me from the BBC Wildlife Magazine, where it lists Photography courses for all and you’ll see another one of my Barn Owls images on my very popular advert I have with them , the link can be seen here.  Have a look around the site, there’s some amazing images with great help and advice on lots of different topics.