Reflection Pool hide hire

The "POOL HIDE' is now up and ready for it's first customers.

The hide itself is part of a wooden shed that I have modified to suit the photography needs at the reflection pool. I have spent most of my spare time (when not photographing deer) down at the farm trying to get things just right. A select few of my closest friends have been to try it out with many combinations of kit you can think of; and now I am opening it up.

Firstly I will say that if there is a slight breeze you will not get the perfect reflection but more of an abstract! Secondly there is a lot more going off than just the pool, I have a flock of Tree Sparrows visiting and there can be as many as thirty, also the Great spotted Woodpecker both male and female are a daily visitor making on average four trips a day! Thirdly the Sparrowhawk; I cannot guarantee but he and she plus the Juv. bird know where there dinner is at! That one is pot luck on the day.

As the weather gets colder I am expecting the feeding area to get even more busier and if you look at my other Blog report on the 'pool' you can see what other species are likely to be seen, with Treecreeper being another new bird.

If you are interested then please get in touch by email alan.heeley1@btinternet.com or you can call me on 07751946586, please leave a message I WILL get back in touch.

Here are some of the latest images

I have been asked (questioned) by some people about the background, I can assure you it IS natural, the green comes from the field you are in and the lighter brown is the dead grass in the bottom of the hedge row.

 Above and below are images of the GSW

And I have to have one of the Juvenile female Sparrowhawk.

Thanks for looking and get in touch if you are interested, and just think this could have been you!!

You will never know unless you give it a go.

Thanks for looking.

More Red Deer

Apologise for the delay in posting about the Red Deer, I have been caught up with a couple more projects that have taken a little more time than anticipated.

For once (or was it twice) the weather gods were on my side and I managed a couple of early starts up on the moors. The first day I could not get myself into position early enough so that I could take advantage of a brilliant sunrise, but never mind there is always tomorrow; how wrong can you get??

You do not have to go far onto the moors to find yourself a stag with hinds, but, if you want a bit of action then be prepared to put in some miles and at the end of it; well one false move and you will watch your stag disappear over the next rise.

At one point I was surrounded by eight stags all with their ladies in tow and all getting on with letting each other know who was boss! After an hour or so I had been watching a pair of stags that had been sizing each other up, and one had already lost a few of his hinds to the other when it all kicked off. At the time it did I was probably half a mile away but as I could see through my binoculars they were not messing about. It was a hard walk back uphill and by the time I got to photograph the two stags they were still going for it, the battle went on for twenty minutes or so until the older looking stag decided that was it for him, running off and leaving behind fourteen hinds.

I had to keep changing position once I got up to the two fighting stags as they covered a bit of ground in the early stages, and they were not messing about.

For me it was more satisfying in getting some decent shots with these wild deer but it was hard work with a lot of ground to cover. Will be there next year though.

Thanks for looking

Goosander, a chance encounter.

It was only meant to be a quick trip into Bakewell, but was I glad I took along the camera. I would not like to think how many times I have parked the car and gone over the bridge looking at the water expecting to pick something out of the assembled Mallards B.H.Gulls Canada Geese etc. etc.

Right below me in the froth of the weir were two Goosander, change of plan, I went for the camera and had a good hour with the birds.

You can see why they are in the 'Sawbill' family group

The Deer Rut

Having made the decision not to go to Bradgate Park this year and to try for 'wild' Deer, I put in four  days at work to add onto my rest days thinking that I would get a half decent chance; well, let me say this the first two weeks with three days off has not panned out very well at all, I have managed ZERO trips to the moors on my days off thanks to the great British weather. But then again on three occasions I have managed to rush up after work hoping to catch a really nice sunset, I will let you be the judge of that.

Here are some shots from those three very rushed and short lived trips in the evening.

I have every intention of getting up onto the moors for an early start and weather permitting I will be there this coming week.

Back at the Pool

After many visits and what seemed a life time of getting in and out of the hide to place or replace objects I think I have about cracked it!!

Here are some shots from today.

If anyone is interested about using this set up the hide holds two people there are chairs and it is very much water proof!!

Just get in touch for further details.