Finally having some free time (albeit a bit too much), has allowed me to go through my archives and process a few images. First up, here’s a Four-Spotted Chaser from RSPB Ham Wall back in late May 2018.
These large dragonflies are hard to miss hawking through the reeds and sedge from May onwards. Thoughtfully, this female stopped to clamber up a reed stem, just for long enough to allow a quick photoshoot.
I recently had a wonderful trip to the Cairngorms National Park, and was lucky enough to come across a few new species for the challenge on my travels. Here are a few images from my first day of shooting.
Crested Tit:
Great Tit:
Blue Tit:
Coal Tit:
Goldcrest:
Siskin:
Yesterday, before the snow fell, I made another trip to RSPB Swell Wood, optimistic of the chance of catching up with a few of the smaller species making the most of the feeders spread around the site.
I didn’t have to wait too long before I was rewarded, and was lucky enough to be able to take a selection of shots of the visitors:
Though, for me, the highlight of the trip was a wonderful view of a little treecreeper, which was almost too close for my telephoto lens!
And looking slightly disgusted by the food on offer… 😂
I’ve been making an effort to take my camera with me wherever I go recently, and was rewarded earlier in the week when I was in the car when the sun started to set. I noticed the colour in the sky, so made a quick top to scurry up a nearby hill, and was able to shoot a couple of images whilst the colour lasted.
The next day, I was out for a walk down near the coast and the lighting was perfect and crisp, as it can only be on a late winter/early spring afternoon, so I tried to make the most of it to capture the waves rolling up the shore.
A bit of a change of subject material, but I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have, and I’ll be back to bothering the local wildlife early next week!
Whilst I’ve been quite busy with work over the weekend, I’ve managed to sneak in a couple of fly-by visits to my local reservoir, for a bit of relaxation, and just on the off-chance of stumbling across a good photo opportunity.
On my first trip, as soon as I made it to the waters edge, I was greeted by a large flock of Pochard (c.150) feeding and bathing not too far out. Initially wary to my presence, but after a few minutes sitting quietly, they moved closer to the shore and I was able to take some photographs.
Further along the bank, I was able to catch up with the resident pair of Mandarin ducks whom I’ve previously photographed; they’re definitely getting friendlier and the male’s plumage is looking sharper by the day!
After hearing of a couple of male Goldeneye that had taken up residence, I made a second trip a couple of days later to try to locate the pair. Luckily, I was able to catch up with one of these stunning birds without too much searching, but despite near-perfect conditions for photography the little duck was enjoying the freedom of the open water and didn’t come within range of my lens. However, I did take a quick record shot for the archives – you can really see why they got their name!
Finally, a Mallard drake flying low above the water in the morning sun:
I had my first visit to WWT Steart Marshes today; and wow, what a place! I wasn’t quite ready for the sheer scale of the reserve, or the plethora and quality of the bird life! If only to see the Avocets feeding in the estuary (sadly well out of range of my camera), it’s well worth a trip. My main reason for visiting was to try and see a Short-Eared Owl, and whilst unfortunately, I didn’t see one this time, the other species I managed to see and photograph definitely made up for it.
Firstly, a walk to the Quantock View hide rewarded me with a Little Egret feeding at the waters edge, right in front of me.
It was even relaxed enough to have a bit of a preen and shake – losing it’s usual elegance in the process!
Walking around the reserve and to the breach point, I saw more Redshank than I think I’ve ever seen in a day before. However, they proved elusive to photograph, taking to the air as soon as they saw me walk down the footpath. The following shot was my best attempt today.
The reed beds on sight were a haven for both Stonechats and Reed Buntings. The Stonechats were remarkably friendly, and stayed sitting atop the reeds and rushes despite my presence.
Whilst watching the Stonechat, I was lucky enough to observe and photograph a female Reed Bunting gathering material from the bullrushes; however, it seems enthusiastically early to start nesting!
And finally, on my return to the carpark, a very friendly Pied Wagtail was feeding just next to my car and obligingly posed for a photograph or two.
Another day, another quest to find some Hawfinches…so off I headed to The Holy Trinity church in Street after seeing multiple reports, ironically, on Twitter. I spent an hour or so wandering round to no avail, but did meet a lovely chap from Mark also after the finches, when I decided to have a bit of a break for lunch.
Fully satiated with a cornish pasty, I returned to the churchyard to find another Hawfinch hunter. Together, we finally managed to locate the unmistakable shape of a Hawfinch at the top of a nearby tree, before it handily decided to fly closer and into one of the tall trees inside the church grounds. We got a wonderful view of this impressive, but shy bird (and a few record shots – nothing to qualify for my challenge!!), before it flew into some deep cover and sadly didn’t return into view whilst I was there.
On the way back to my car, I took the opportunity to take some shots of a Goldfinch flock feeding in a tree at the roadside. I know I’ve only just complimented the Hawfinch two seconds ago, but I’m not sure there’s a finer looking songbird in the UK than a Goldfinch.
I then stopped off for a walk around RSPB Ham Wall, and was fortunate enough to get a great view of the Ring-Necked Duck hiding in plain sight with a group of Tufted Duck. The Ferruginous Duck was also spotted onsite, but sadly at too far a range for my lens – however, it isn’t on my list, so the blow of not being able to get a good shot was softened somewhat!
And no blog post from Ham Wall would be complete without a shot of my favourite little poser…
Unfortunately since my WWT Slimbridge trip, it’s been a rather frustrating week with the camera, despite having plenty of time off to get out!
An early start at the beginning of the week in an attempt to track down some local otters ended up being in vain, as sadly once I got near my destination the mist descended, making spotting anything difficult at best, let alone the elusive otters! However fortunately, I did manage to photograph a Great White Egret through the mist to rescue the trip.
A flock of wigeon took off in the distance as the sun rose.
Later in the week I made two separate efforts to track down a band of Hawfinches reported not too far away from where I live. However, despite spotting the elusive finches on the second occasion, they were sadly too far away for my 300mm lens and I only managed some very rudimentary record shots. Finding a Mallard Drake in some nice light however meant the camera didn’t have a wasted trip!
I make no apology for a separate post, to eulogise about my favourite duck…the Pintail.
The Pintail is slightly larger than a mallard; and the drake has a lovely blue bill, chocolate head and a long, elongated tail. The female is slightly more nondescript, but has a very intricate mottled plumage.
The Pintail is almost exclusively a winter visitor, with only a handful of breeding pairs every year (and sadly in decline), most favouring to return to North America, North-Eastern Europe or Russia for the Spring/Summer to breed. In the winter however, they can be seen in good numbers and are gregarious by nature forming large flocks, mixed with other ducks. Sheltered coasts, estuaries and inland wetlands are all great places to see this stunning duck.
I had a wonderful trip to WWT Slimbridge at the weekend; as a first time visitor I was blown away by the sheer scale of the reserve and the quantity (and quality) of wildfowl that it attracted. The timetabled feeds allowed a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the wild birds and I’m really pleased with some of the images I was able to take.
The hides gave excellent panoramas over the surrounding wetland, and the feeding waders and wildfowl. Watching feeding Avocets was a particular highlight (sadly too far away to successfully photograph!) and the diminutive Teal feeding along the margin was lovely to see. I was also lucky enough to happen across a pair of Gadwall from the Kingfisher Hide, which proved to be an ideal opportunity to tick this uncommon species off my photography list!
A Rook and Pigeon also presented themselves for the camera.
The evening swan feed was a marvellous spectacle, with almost too many birds to photograph, and in the failing light I did my best to capture the swans returning for dinner.
There is one further species that I was able to photograph, but as I’ve got a few images and it’s one of my favourite species of duck, I am unapologetically saving them for a further blog post.
Oli Gilman Photography 