A few things!!

As the title suggests I am working on a few things at the moment such as Kestrels and Badgers, and if I am not doing those I am sorting out the Kingfisher hide (still no Kingfishers)! and the reflection pool.

Here are a few photos from my last one or two sessions out with the camera, fingers crossed more to come.



Still not 100% with these but as these are my first Badgers on digital I am hoping to improve.

This pair of Kestrels are back in the old Chapel were I photographed them two years back

I only spent a small amount of time with these chaps but it was worth it.

Sometimes you just get lucky! I would have done if I had got the 500 with me!!!!

Male Roe Deer

Thanks for looking

Green Woodpecker

Everyone has a 'bogey' bird, animal plant etc. mine was the Green Woodpecker. It was one of those birds that never presented itself in front of the lens, even when I did go for them!

But just as the saying goes "Everything comes to those who wait" well after.... lets just say a few years!! my time had come.... albeit very briefly!!!

I managed to get within shooting range of a pair of birds that were busily feeding on a recently cut grass area and like I said it was very brief as a dog walker soon spooked them.

It is always nice to go out photographing a certain subject but then the added bonus of being able to photograph something else as well especially when it is your 'bogey' bird!!!!

Thanks for looking 

Foxy Lady!!!!!

At the start of last year whilst recovering from my heart attack Anne decided to take me down London for  couple of days so I could photograph the Parakeets and Grey Herons. Whilst there I met up with a photographer who told me about a London cemetery were you could photograph Foxes. At the time I thought I will remember that place and one day will go down. Months past and of course I forgot the name of the place but with a little digging came up with somewhere that I thought just maybe.

I travelled down  early one Monday with the intention of stopping and travelling back on the Tuesday I just wished that I could have stayed for longer.

I found a vixen that was not too shy of the public and would come and look you over rather than a couple more that I found and just legged it!!

On the first day like all new places it was just pure luck that I came across this fox and not knowing what her routine was I soon lost her. But my sadness turned to joy the next day when I found her going into her den. I sat and waited and after several hours she came out and yes you have guessed it just as she did I was looking the other way so missed the photograph I was after!!

After all that it was time for home and the traffic, was it worth it well you be the judge of that.

She kept a close eye on members of the public walking past.

Thanks for looking

Scotland.......part 4

Yes I can and do photograph the Mountain Hare in my home county of Derbyshire but there is one thing you cannot guarantee and that is the white stuff.....snow!

Once you come across these magnificent mammals in their Highland homes high up in the snow line you just have to admire them and feel for them I suppose at the same time. Just think for a moment what they have to put up with; the extreme low temparatures, high winds,
rain and everything else that is thrown at them.

From the pictures you are going to view the weather was glorious still below freezing (just), but the sun was shining all day, previous to that two days before we could hardly walk and was nearly blown off our feet!

I have three places that I visit for the Mountain Hare in Scotland but again a local guide put me onto a new place which both myself and Anne found was the easiest to walk, and the number of Hares was
truly amazing.

Enjoy

Decided to grin for the camera!

This one looks as though it is stood, it was still running towards me.

Thanks for looking

Scotland .......Part 3

If you are going to the highlands of Scotland at any time of the year to photograph wildlife then there is one species of bird that everyone wants to photograph and I must say it is my favourite.....it is of course the Crested Tit, the 'PUNK' of the bird world with its black and white crest.

I have two places that I visit to get a chance of photographing this bird one is at the Osprey centre at Loch Garten and the other is a nice quiet place that I stumbled across a few years ago.

It can get very frustrating trying to get the shot you are after as these birds are never still and you tend to take more shots of its close cousin the Coal tit!!

The latest RSPB reports regarding the status of the Crested Tit in Scotland is very encouraging as it shows an increase in it's population.

Thanks for looking

Scotland ..........Part 2

You cannot go up the Cairngorms and not photograph the Snow Buntings....or can you!!! This year I saw several smallish flocks both on the way up and down when photographing the Ptarmigan, but as always I pinned my hopes next to the picnic tables in the top car park.

And as ever I through out a little seed and did not have to wait long before one Snow Bunting turned up, yes that's right one.....

After spending most of the time on the 'hill' I had not left long for the Buntings and was a little disappointed to only have this single bird come down. But never the less I had a good time watching it forage around for the spilt seed.

Perhaps with the weather as it was (glorious sunshine)! the other birds were further up the mountain probably being fed around the restaurant area, who knows but still it is always nice to see them no matter how many.

Thanks for looking

Scotland Trip.......Part 1

I have just returned from a week long holiday in the Highlands of Scotland along with my wife Anne, this was Anne's first 'Winter' trip to Scotland and we were both really looking forward to it.

What we were not expecting was the glorious weather that greeted us on our arrival and for the following day, not a cloud in the sky and wall to wall sunshine!!

This made me change my plans and so with an early start on Sunday we headed up to the Cairngorms ski centre and headed out into the corries looking for Ptarmigan. In recent trips I had not been very lucky with what can be an elusive bird, I say elusive but I suppose everything can be that if you do not manage to get a photograph of your target species that you are after! Now today I cannot blame the weather it was just a case of getting into position scanning the area through binoculars and listening for the call of this beautiful bird.

We both could hear the birds and after picking out a few Mountain Hare we saw our first Ptarmigan, a group of 5 birds which were being watched by a group of people that must have been the envy of any photographer as these people were not photographers but must have had this group of birds within feet of them!

Soon afterwards Anne saw something move "over there its white and moving" was all I had to go on!!!! Anyway after getting my breath and asking Anne to point me in the direction off I went and found a cracking male bird, who was very confiding but did not hang around for long.

This was my first view of the Ptarmigan

Then once he had settled he stayed for a few minutes 

At one point I managed to get the other side of him and photographed him against the blue sky.

And then like me it was time to move, for me it was downwards for this guy he went on upwards hopefully to find a mate! 

 Thanks for looking