The Rowan berry tree in my garden has almost been stripped of its berries now. For over a week many birds have gorged on its ripe berries. I’ve shared some pictures in a previous blog post of the Blackbirds.
There a few places in the UK where you can experience the sights and sounds of nature any better than the North Norfolk coast during the Spring tides that start in earnest from this month onward.
Driven Grouse Shooting is a blight on our nation. It is destroying our national heritage leaving our moorlands and uplands devoid of so many beautiful species of animals and birds. Land owners, gamekeepers and their proxies are cleansing our uplands and moorlands of so much precious wildlife.
It often takes something to have happened to us before we have a different mindset or want to change. As we start to ease the restraints of lockdown that we have been part of now for several months. Many people have become more aware of the normal things around us that most have never noticed, let alone stopped to enjoy.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been photographing a family of Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts. Both species arrive in April from Africa to raise their young here before the long joinery back to Africa.
Making the best of any situation is a real strength and one we are all capably of if we try. As the world now enters a challenging period of lockdown due to the Coronavirus this mindset has never been more important. We are all in this together and must follow the governments guidance.
I will be running one day “Rutting Deer“ workshops in the month of October to coincide with the Autumn Rut where you will have the chance to photography both Red and Fallow Deer going through their rut. The day will last from dawn until dusk and they can be taken on a one to one basis or up to a group of 4 where the price comes down. Most of the locations are in the central area of England.
The autumn colours and the Deer’s make for an amazing backdrop and one I look forward to each year. The day will consist of fieldcraft, use of natural light, and learning about your subject and what to watch and look for, camera help and advice getting the most from your day and equipment and so on. The dates are as follows –
October 4th- 25th, some of those dates have gone so if you’d like to no more information email me on the following link.
Two images from my trip to India this year, we came across this male Tiger almost straight away as our morning drive began at 6am. We followed him from a safe distance as he traveled through the forest using this dirt track, occasionally stopping to scent mark. As he was walking I saw his paws and feet and angled my camera down from the small jeep we were driving in and I caught one of his paws and a bit of dirt flying up.
For me one of my favorite images of this year’s trip. In death the Indian people kiss the Tigers feet before they are cremated if this is possible out of a great respect and love for the animal. Through this image I pay my own respects to these beautiful animals.
I have a few places still available for my 2015 trip to Ranthambhore, one of the best places in India to see wild Tigers. During your week there you will have 12 safaris, 2 clients per jeep where I rotate myself through the two jeeps each day. One safari in the morning and one later on in the afternoon. If you’d like to join me then see the following link for all the information, trip reports from my previous tours there with clients, many thanks.
First Week – Sunday 12th April 2015 – Sunday 19th April 2015.
Second Week – Monday 20th April 2015 – Monday 27th April 2015
My 2015 trip details HERE.
It was Global Tiger day recently and several of my Bengal Tigers taken in India were used for 21 Century Tiger charity for their campaign. A charity I have donated images too and raised money through he sale of several limited prints since 2010. To see those images where 50% of the profits go directly to this charity that helps wild Tigers survive in the wild see the following link.
Really excited to announce a brand new photo tour for 2015. Lekking Black Grouse and Capercaillie where the males fight with other males over their territory and the right to have all the ladies. Then Wolves, Bears and Wolverines plus Golden Eagles and more if we have the time set against the snowy background of Finland, a few miles from the Russian border.
Those that follow my work will no what an amazing trip we all had to this special place in July of this year which you can see by clicking here. I will be returning to this amazing place in the first week of May 2015 so if you’d like to photograph this amazing event in natures calendar then see the following link
Lots of One to Ones booked in over the next several months and they kick off next week with two days. My Spring-Tide and Barn Owl one day workshops start this month where you can witness this amazing event in nature on the Norfolk coast, Then after lunch and a brew we head to one of several Barn Owls sites I visit and take clients to. If you’d like to see more information on these days and book then see the following link.
My Stunning Shetland photo tour dates are now up too and also for 2015. After the success of the last two years there with clients I’m running this again in June 2015. To see the trip and all the information see the following link.
I am running a whole week on Shetland where we will be concentrating purely on Otters. Fieldcraft, use of light, tracking, looking for clues and signs of Otters and much more on this week long trip. To see this trip click on the following link.
I have a few places for my 14 day photo tour to the Falkland’s in February 2015. We visit some of the best places there to see and photography the beautiful wildlife they chose to live on these spectacular islands for wildlife. See this link for all trip details and booking.
Finally I’m catching up with lots of one to ones and here are a few images from recent one to ones with clients. Thank you for your company and I hope you all enjoyed you days. To see what One to Ones I offer or to book please see the following link .
I look forward to meeting all new and old clients over the next several months, thank you to everyone who has booked and your company. If you have anything you want more advice on then please send me a message here, many thanks.
Being among nature is a place I belong and feel most at easy at so its been great to get back out with my camera recently to start photographing the beautiful wildlife on the lead up to spring, the favorite time of year for me. With the issues with rain and flooding over the last several weeks it has delayed some of the projects I have planned for this year. The rain though, fingers crossed seems to have given us the worst and as many communities are still underwater around the UK my sympathies go to them.
Wildlife hasn’t had a great time either with vast areas of the countryside underwater where many animals have suffered like illustrated with the images above of a Short-eared Owl trying to hunt but for miles around all the fields with flooded, quite a sad and upsetting thing for me to see as I really felt for this owl while I recently watched him to to hunt.
I have started working on my Great Crested Grebes project, a bird I love, their elegant pose, their beautiful markings and stunning plumage makes them one of the most handsome water dwelling birds in the UK in my eyes. They are the largest of the European Grebes and during the spring and summer they are such a striking bird, with their spectacular head, ruff and spiky head tuffs when they greet each other or display during courtship.
Last year I photographed these birds at the same site but was unable to go back at the start of the breeding season due to commitments, so this year I’m hoping to capture them as they build their bond between each other and go through their amazing courtship dance where they dive for weed, surfacing with this in their bills and offer it to one another while sharply turning their heads back and forth.
In between the pouring rain there have been breaks in the weather and I have spent alot time there now, the lives of these amazing birds played out before me on each visit. They show real love and care for each other, when one goes out of sight the other calls in an attempt to locate its mate, such a strong bond which is so lovely to witness.
I am using a hide on the shore to photograph this pair of Grebes, just on the water’s edge and not in the water as this disturbs the birds and other species of animals around too much. Getting there before the sun comes up, with the dawn chorus as my companion, each bird jockeying for their own patch, staking their clam to that bit of land.
The are many species of birds there too, all starting to defend their patch so to speak, most are vocal from before dawn onward and there seems lots of fighting and warning off others in readiness to find a lady and breed. I love to watch and capture animal behavior and by doing so you learn so much more about your subject over time. I managed to capture a full frontal of the male Goldeneye here, if luck is on your side and if you get the head face on they can have a real evil look to them as in the image below.
Canada Geese calling and fighting break the mornings silence many times during my recent visits there, I only wished these images had sound.It’s such an amazing time of day and one you greatly benefit from for being among its beauty and peace. The water levels are still high here so im hoping everything settles down and things can return to normal as soon as possible for people and wildlife really.
I really am hoping to spend as much time at this site over the next several weeks before I leave for Sumatra for two weeks where I will be working and shadowing the amazing work of SOCP – Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, headed up by Dr Ian Singleton, but more news on the very soon.
In the meantime I have some 2015 dates for my photo tours now up on my website click here to view them. My One to Ones now in their fifth year are as popular as ever so if you’d like to learn more about everything from fieldcraft, to subject knowledge to your own photography then click here to see the places I visit with clients.
I will update my blog with more images from this site in due coarse, I wish you all well with the weather and the forthcoming season of Spring, many thanks.
