Hardier than their lowland brown hare cousins, they're to be found high up on the moors and that in itself forces any wildlife photographer to put in some effort. It took me many visits, scouting out different locations in all weathers before I found a good population. And from observations over time, I knew that they are in their iconic winter coats from about December to March, before they start to moult back into their more drab brown fur, which doesn't leave a great window of opportunity, especially as the weather can be somewhat extreme up on the tops and even more so when you've only got weekends in which to work.

I had some good results with them a few years ago, but last year was disappointing. Their numbers just seemed to have crashed and that worried me. They are often the target of shooters, trying to sanitise the moors to anything other than grouse. So it was with some trepidation that I gathered up my 15 kilos or so of gear and started the hour long hike up the hill from where I parked the car, hoping for better results this time.

On getting to where I'd had good results in the past, an hour or so of combing the ground was proving fruitless, so I decided it was time for a sit down and elevenses, and a bit of a think.

Fieldcraft plays a big element in wildlife photography and even though I'm an amateur, it's still something I try and pay good attention to in my work, so I'd noticed that the wind was blowing in from a slightly different direction from normal. Hares, while not feeding or off chasing the girls, often lay up in forms, or scrapes, in the ground with their backs to the wind (they're not daft...) 

So I decided to take a punt and headed down the other side of the hill away from the prevailing wind, in case they'd moved on. Result!

Okay, so you've found your hares. What next? I then spent 15 minutes or so circling around to approach from the other side where there was a bit more cover to break up my silhouette.

I've found that it's all but impossible to completely sneak up on these guys but by doing a bit of belly crawling from 30 or so yards out, it seems to make me look less threatening. Even then, they seem to fall into two camps; those that are still not happy and take off, but occasionally, just occasionally, you'll get lucky and find one that is tolerant..

I decided to chance my arm with these two. The far one decided he wasn't interested and wandered off but the closer fellow, he seemed happy to stay put the closer I got...

Now, it's at this point that it's heart in the mouth time and when I feel my heartbeat start to increase. I slowly edged around the rocks, expecting him to bolt at any time.

And this is when I hold my breath. But even then, experience tells me it's more than likely going to be OK. He's seen me, he's not run and he's clearly happy to tolerate my presence. Even so, it was a good ten minutes or so of not moving before I was happy he wasn't stressed or worried before I dared moved again.

Amazingly, he then settled back to sleep for a bit before having a yawn and stretch and going off for a bite to eat.

It's days like these that remind me why I adore what I do. The pressures and worries of normal life melt away, spending an hour or so in the company of a truly wild animal going about it's life, happy to accept your presence, with just the wind and the occasional call of a grouse for company in the far distance.

And after he'd given me so much, it was my responsibility to back away and leave him be.

Into The Light

So, where were we?

In the previous post, I talked about kit, techniques and practical stuff so for this time it's back to the events and wildlife of the trip itself. The morning after my memorable leopard encounter dawned particularly early. Actually, I'm getting ahead of myself. It started before dawn. Rewinding to the evening before, Paul, our guide and resident pro photographer had noted that we were in for quite a clear night, which might make for some great Milky Way photos, as the main things you need for that are big skies, a lack of artificial light and some interesting foreground (more on that shortly...). All things the Mara has in abundance.

So, numbers were taken for early risers and we were packed off to bed with instructions to set our alarms for 4:30am...

Groggily stumbling out of bed a few hours later, I stuck my head out of the tent to be rewarded with as clear a sky as you could hope for. After fumbling around for some clothes, I collected my kit and head torch and headed up to the main tent.

While waiting for the few other hardy souls to turn up, I grabbed a quick test shot by the chairs that had surrounded our camp fire the night before. Promising...

By now, we'd be joined by the other early starters so we piled into one of the landcruisers and off up the slope out of the back of camp. Paul had his eye on a lone tree in a clearing a few hundred yards from the edge of camp. As we arrived, bouncing along the track, the landcruiser's headlights picked out the unmistakeable shape of a massive male lion, uncomfortably close and watching us. After a brief pause, Paul said "right, come on!" (or words to the effect). We all piled out, headed over to our planned spot and set up tripods.

Up until now, we'd had the relative comfort of the vehicle headlights and our torches for security, but then it was "lights off!" for the long exposures and we were plunged into darkness. Longest few minutes of my life...

Suffice to say, I didn't get eaten and the end results were more than worth it. Our Masai guides made for an interesting shot and we were even rewarded with a shooting star.

Under African SkiesThe Milky Way, a couple of shooting stars and the southern night sky, from the Masai Mara

All too quickly, it was back into the vehicles and back down the hill into camp. A quick dash back to the tents to collect the rest of our gear, everyone else who didn't fancy the early start, and out again. A detour to spot some crested cranes against the slowly rising sun followed...

Crested Cranes at Sunrise Before the highlight of the morning being a wonderful reunion with Amani against a glorious dawn sky.

Amani at DawnAmani the cheetah at dawn, Masai Mara, Kenya

That afternoon was all about the Gold Leaf pride of lions, as we followed them around, which I may well cover in another post. But the day wasn't over with surprises yet. Seeing the clouds rolling in, we made the bold decision to leave the lions and chase the oncoming storm. A frantic quarter of an hour ensued as we desperately tried to find a giraffe or elephant to put between us and the storm clouds, but in the end we made do with zebras and wildebeest. And they stepped up to their role very well indeed!

Zebras and the Storm

About five minutes after this was taken, the storm clouds hit us and the most torrential downpour I've ever been in. The road back to camp turned into a river and our guys did a remarkable job to get us back without getting stuck. Beers were well and truly enjoyed that evening.

Kit, and transport of kit

So, first of all, you've got to get there. It won't come as a surprise to any photographer that camera kit is heavy. Wildlife photography kit especially so. A 300 or 500mm prime lens can easily weigh 4 or 5 kilos and when your carry-on limit is usually around 10-12 kilos then you're quickly hitting your limit. So you're going to want to pack clever.

My camera bag of choice, when I'm needing to haul a lot of kit and want to take it on a plane, is my Tilopa, from US company F-Stop. F-Stop bags are essentially conventional rucksacks on the outside, with an internal frame and padded container for your fragile bodies and lenses. It has the advantage of not shouting that it's a camera bag, so with a bit of luck you're less likely to be asked to weigh it at checkin (hopefully...)

Nonetheless, I do try to pack non-essential kit in my hold luggage, to try and manage the weight.

On this trip, I flew from Heathrow to Nairobi with Keyna Airways. When we went out, hand luggage allowance was 12Kg, so you'll need to employ some tactics. All I'd say, is that if you have pockets, consider using them...

I was a bit more concerned about our internal flight. We'd been told that it was 15Kg maximum for all luggage. However, when we got to Wilson airport in downtown Nairobi, all our luggage from our group was put onto one massive scale, as they were only concerned about the total, so it wasn't a problem at all.

I took with me two Canon full-frame DSLR bodies, a 300mm f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, 17-40 f4 wideangle, 15mm fisheye, 1.4x and 2x extenders for the long lenses, Canon S95 point and shoot, about 80Gb in memory card storage and multiple batteries for each camera. I also packed a netbook PC and external hard drive for backing up images after a day's shooting. Tripods aren't recommended as you can't use them in the vehicles, so I took a small Manfrotto table-top tripod, just in case.

My netbook isn't great for processing images but it's very light, which was the prime requirement for me. If you want to process images out there, make sure your machine is powerful enough to do that.

Kicheche

Okay, so you've got there. What next? We stayed with Kicheche, who have a few camps, with ours being Kicheche Mara, in the Mara North Conservancy. I'd very much recommend seeking out a camp in one of the conservancies. The reserve itself is a bit of a free for all, with often lots of vehicles at an animal sighting, some of which don't have the animal's welfare at the top of their list, let's say.

One of the reasons the conservancies were set up on the edge of the main reserve was to get away from that. Vehicle numbers are strictly controlled and as a consequence it feels more natural and genuine.

Kicheche are geared up to cater for photographers. This is one of their many customised Landcruisers we used. Usual occupancy was four photographers per vehicle and, as you can see, everyone got a window seat. The sides and the roof are completely open, providing great freedom of movement and each seat has a table with beanbags on which to rest your long lens.

Photographic notes

You very quickly fall into a rhythm when you've been out there for a day or two. Whenever we set out for a game drive, my usual approach was to set one camera up with the 300 f2.8 and 1.4x converter, giving me 420mm range for any animal encounters, and the other camera with the 17-40 for landscape options (or animals in landscape setting, as often was the case). My 70-200mm was generally to hand, ready to replace the 17-40 if I needed a closer shooting option.

My preference is for aperture priority shooting, so I would set up the long lens camera usually with aperture either wide open or 1 stop down, then ride the ISO up till I got a shutter speed I was happy with (usually starting around 3200 when setting off at dawn, and gradually pulling it down as the sun came up). If doing any landscape shots with the other camera, I'd duplicate those settings onto the other camera whenever I'd finished, in case I needed to quickly switch to it.

Tips and Tricks

A few tips and tricks that I learnt...

Sunsets and su nrises are quick! Being on the equator, the sun doesn't take it's time in charging up and down the sky, so don't hang about. And if you can get a silhouette of a giraffe against the skyline, all the better.

As you'll see from the photo on the left, space with four photographers and bunch of long lenses can be at a premium, so try not to take your big camera bag into the vehicle - better to decant what you need for the day into a smaller bag and take that. You'll have much more freedom to move around when the action starts.

Keep a spare battery and empty memory card to hand - for each camera.

On a similar note - definitely take two camera bodies. It means you won't need to switch lenses quite as quickly, you've got a backup in case something goes wrong etc.

If you've got a rain cover - take it. The Kicheche vehicles could all be covered over when it starts to rain, but often that can make for great shooting opportunities, so you want to keep going if you can.

Don't fall into the trap of shooting the same photo over and over. If you've got a banker, do something different - spin the shutter speed up and down - for some slow panning, zoom in and out to put animals in context etc.

Very often, unless you're lucky enough to have sole use of a vehicle and guide, you'll be with a group, and you may not have the ideal spot at every sighting, but look around - there's always a photograph to be found.

Would I do anything different?

I think when I go again (when, not if!), there's probably a few things I'd do differently. In no particular order -

• I'd hire the big Canon 200-400 (plus 1.4x extender) lens. Prime lenses are great, but I found myself a bit constrained sometimes, without the scope to quickly zoom in and out for changes in composition.
• I'd take more video. This is something I'd planned to do on this trip, but I still ended up doing less than I'd like. It helps to look back at moving pictures sometimes, for both a reminder and inspiration for the future.
• Try and do more landscape compositions. The skies don't get any bigger than those in Kenya!
• Keep looking for a shot that would be a little bit different...
• In terms of practical stuff, I didn't use my fisheye very much, but it wasn't much weight to take, so not a real problem. I didn't use my polarisers as much as I'd like to though.
• Next time I'd like to take more non-big cat pictures. While rightly so, the big cats are the big attraction - don't overlook the common zebra or impala. There's always a photo to be found, especially as they're often in herds, so you can do funky slow shutter speed stuff or the herd on the move, or a single animal framed by others etc.

Okay, I think that's enough waffling for the time being. I hope this post has been helpful in some way, and if you'd like me to expand on any of these points, or add any further information you think might be useful, just drop me a line in the comments section.

(Matt - thanks for the comment and yes, stay tuned - I'm thinking about doing a kit and gear post as an aside for part 3 :)

The first of many 5:15am alarm calls heralded our first full day out on the plains. After a quick coffee and homemade biscuits (yes - at that time in the morning!) it was out to the Landcruisers and off into the inky blackness to chase the sunrise. It was less than thirty minutes later that Benja and his Kicheche colleagues located a pair of lionesses with six cubs between them, and a bit of swift off-road driving got us below the ridge with the sun coming up behind them.

Cubs at PlayEarly morning in the Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya What followed what would become typical for the remainder of the week - events unfolding quicker that you can point a camera at, as the family made their way down the ridge towards our collection of vehicles as the sun broke over the ridge behind them. Cue lots of swearing, jumping around vehicles and long lenses swinging around and nearly taking each other's heads off as we chased shots that were coming and going before our eyes. The cubs, meanwhile, were having a whale of a time.

Cub on the Run

Things finally started to settle down and one of the cubs started heading over to a watering hole. The light was still quite low coming over the hill, so it was a natural choice to underexpose and pick out the highlights in his fur. The elements came together and I got a couple of my favourite images from the week.

Lap it upLion cub drinking at sunrise. Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya Lion cub at sunriseLion cub at sunrise. Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya

Excitement briefly over with, we amused ourselves with elephants and giraffes for the rest of the morning before heading back to camp for lunch, a review of the morning's work and a rest before the afternoon session. On heading out, we quickly stumbled across Amani, who we'd seen the night before. It looked like she hadn't eaten since last night but as we were watching, she clearly spotted something in the long grasses up ahead. Scanning the bush with binoculars picked out a well-concealed impala, which she then started stalking.

We quickly moved down range of her, both to get ahead of any action as well as to give her some space. It was at that point that Paul, our guide, heard details over the radio of another spotty cat some way off, so decided to leave her to us and to go and investigate. The chase eventually amounted to very little, as the impala made off before she got close, at which point we strapped in and hurtled off to see what the others had found.

Which was a leopard, hunting warthogs in broad daylight from cover provided by a small copse of trees.

African LeopardAfrican Leopard in the Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya. Seeing a wild leopard out in the open during daylight hours was a rare privilege indeed, and then seeing him hunting (albeit unsuccessfully) a warthog, was an incredible experience After having little luck, he started to walk over toward us, getting closer, closer. And closer.

African LeopardAfrican Leopard in the Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya. Seeing a wild leopard out in the open during daylight hours was a rare privilege indeed, and then seeing him hunting (albeit unsuccessfully) a warthog, was an incredible experience Eventually he came right up to our vehicle, sitting down by the back wheel where I was sat. Looking up, I then found myself staring down the barrels of my fellow photographers cameras! I think I must have held my breath for a full five minutes. Eventually he sauntered off, casual as you like and was gone. But in the space of a single day, I'd got my third definite keeper image. And then, all too soon, it was off for sundowner beers, back to camp, food, and bed, to dream of what the next day would bring...

The Real King of the JungleAfrican Leopard in the Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya. Seeing a wild leopard out in the open during daylight hours was a rare privilege indeed, and then seeing him hunting (albeit unsuccessfully) a warthog, was an incredible experience

I've entered the BWPA for a few years, and been fortunate enough to get through the final round of judging on a few occasions. After part careful selection and part gut instinct, I put my submission together earlier this year and fired it off - a good number of images having come from my trip to Shetland last year.

After being told I had two images through to the final judging round this year, I was delighted to hear that one of those was awarded Highly Commended, to appear in the exhibition and the published portfolio book for this year. Due to results being embargoed, I had to sit on the news for a couple of months but was then able to go public with my image - a Kittiwake colony on the Isle of Noss in Shetland:

ColonyNesting gulls on the rocky isle of Noss on the Shetland Islands

The awards evening was held in central London at the end of September, so having taken the afternoon off from the day job, I jumped on the train at Manchester and arrived at Euston to find that the BWPA had even laid on weather to make us northerners feel at home - torrential rain!

I'd arranged to meet my good friend Peter for the evening, so after a quick catch-up over a pre-awards pint, it was off to the Mall Gallaries.

The evening was hosted by broadcaster and conservationist Mark Carwardine. After having a wander around the exhibition, marveling at the remarkable images on display, together with the obligatory photo-by-my-photo shot, we made of way into the main hall for the awards. A great talk by Mark and the category and overall winners were very much deserved.

I collected my copy of the portfolio and then, all after a final look round at the talent on display, it was off out in the (fortunately now dry) London evening for food and a final pint with Pete before heading back up to Euston, the last train out of town and finally getting back in to Manchester shortly before 2am. A great evening.

Just in case anyone's interested, I've included below a selection of the other images in my submission for this years awards that didn't quite make the cut.

Fishing at TwilightArctic tern fishing in the waters of Walls harbour at dusk, on the Shetland Islands Noss GannetNesting gannet on the isle of Noss, Shetland Islands GannetryNesting gannets on the isle of Noss, Shetland Islands Knowing GlanceWild fox with magpie.

Buckinghamshire, UK Together at the edge of the worldGannets at RSPB Bempton Cliffs.

Uploaded for entry into the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust photography competition in the category of wildlife (native Yorkshire)

I'd always planned to go back at some point and this year decided to make it happen. Having booked myself on a photographic tour with Exodus and Kicheche Camps in the Mara North Conservancy, the last week of June finally came around and after an 8 hour overnight flight to the sprawling expanse of Nairobi later, we found ourselves heading across town to Wilson airport and our much smaller plane into what would be our home for the next week. After a short flight into the wilderness and a grass airstrip landing, I was back in the Mara.

After being whisked off to camp (and I can't recommend Kicheche highly enough), bags were dumped, introductions done and lunch taken, and then we were off out. Our usual routine for the week was alarm call around 5:15am, coffee and biscuits at the mess tent and then out in the vehicles for 6 to catch the sunrise. Back around lunchtime, then out again from 3:30pm till after sunset, followed by a quick shower, 3 course meal whisked up by the camp's amazing chefs, a couple of beers and then bed, to be repeated the next day.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. This was day 1.

Kicheche Mara camp is situated in the Mara North Conservancy. The conservancies are geographically part of the Masai Mara reserve, but were set up as an antidote to the free-for-all that the reserve has tended to become in recent years. Still completely open and unfenced, they enforce restrictions on the number of vehicles and camps permitted, making any wildlife encounters much less of a bun-fight and back to how it used to be.

Amani at SunsetAmani the cheetah. Masai Mara, Kenya

After heading out of camp, we'd come across plenty of impala, giraffes, a few kingfishers and other big birds and the odd buffalo. With June being quite early in the season and after the rains had fallen, the plains were a verdant green. There were few wildebeest around, with the migration season being some time off yet. Unsurprisingly, the main focus of our attention was big cats and it wasn't long before we found our first of the week.

This is Amani. Well known in Mara North, she'd managed to successfully raise a number of cubs, only to lose them to hyenas quite recently. She apparently kept returning to where she'd lost them, which was particularly sad to see. Despite their speed and agility, a cheetah is no match for a hyena when it comes to size and brute strength and whenever they take down a kill, they're very often just muscled out of the way. It's a real problem and one that has no clear solution.

After taking our fill as the sun went down, we headed off and worked our way back towards camp, stopping for sundowner drinks and to take in the first of many sunsets. To be continued...

After the competition had closed and all the votes had been counted up from the various places that the photos were on display at, I and the other finalists were invited along to the trust's centre at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve in Doncaster for the results and prizegiving.

While I had a feeling my squirrel had done well, I had no idea how well, and I was bowled over to be declared the overall winner in the wildlife category. I was a bit chuffed, to say the least.

The evening was also a great opportunity to meet and chat with the other finalists, including those in the junior category, where the standard of photos was exceptional - wildlife photography looks safe in the hands of the next generation.

Thanks to everyone who voted for me, and more details can be found here:

http://www.ywt.org.uk/news/2015/04/16/wildlife-photo-winners-announced

https://www.facebook.com/YorkshireWildlifeTrust/posts/833800583321621

Launch

Back in March, I got to talking with a fellow photographer who'd had some success with establishing a hide to photograph kingfishers on a tidal estuary on the England/Scotland border. I've always loved these gorgeous iridescent masters of the riverbank and have seen them from time to time while out walking, but never had the opportunity to concentrate on getting photographs.

So, I booked myself in, bombed up the motorway one evening after work and after an overnight Travelodge stopover, arrived at the location just as first light was starting to break through the trees.

Myself and two other photographers then squeezed ourselves and all our kit into, basically, a small wooden shed overlooking the river, cracked open the flask of coffee and waited.

We could tell from the clouds and overall light level that it wasn't going to be a great day, weather-wise, so ISO levels had to be pushed (often up to 3200, but I know from experience that if I get the exposure right, my 5D Mark III can cope with that just fine). After a few hours, we'd not had any luck but had heard the tell-tale pip-pip sounds as they buzzed up and down the riverbank.

Our patience was rewarded though, as the male eventually showed himself and we got some nice visits.

Male Kingfisher on tree branch We knew that there was also a female around, and not long afterwards she made herself known too, resulting in squabbles with her mate over the perch. In kingfishers, the female is easily distinguished from the male if you see them together. Her plumage is effectively a desaturated version of the male's, and she has a pale orange tint to her lower bill.

Queen of the Castle

Wildlife photography is not without it's challenges, and while not a risky hobby (compared to say, skydiving), it often needs patience, research, and understanding and respect of the subject and occasionally some physical discomfort. We'd been warned that with the hide being on a tidal estuary, the water level would rise up during the day and with it being close to a high spring tide, the water might come up the base of the hide.

Sure enough, bang on schedule around midday, the river level had risen substantially and we were all so focused on the birds that we initially didn't notice the water creeping into the hide itself. A feeling of wet feet resulted in a quick scramble to hoist camera bags up onto the benches and we spent our lunchtime sat with our feet in a few inches of cold water! - the things we go through...

An hour or two later, the water slowly receded and the birds seemed to reward us with some great opportunities.

Fish SupperMale Kingfisher after a successful fishing attempt

Female Kingfisher on tree branch perch

As the light levels slowly dipped, the shutter speeds got ever slower and the ISO setting got ever higher, we eventually decided to call it a day after about 8 hours in the hide. A great day, and my boots are nearly dry now.

More photos from the day can be found in my Kingfishers gallery on my portfolio page. Hope you like them.

Soaring KingfisherFemale Kingfisher rising up, after diving for fish, unsuccessfully!

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is one of a number of wildlife trusts across the country. They're charities, protecting and providing access to wild places up and down the country.

For their 2015 photography competition, I entered one of my images of a leaping red squirrel. Taken in foul weather last year in North Yorkshire, one of the few places outside of Scotland where they're making a comeback against the greys, jumping from branch to branch, the wet weather at least made for interesting effects with the little guys leaving trails of water droplets behind them.

From the pool of photographs entered, the judges selected this as one of the five finalists, and these are available for public voting to decide a winner.

If you've got five minutes, feel free to have a look, and cast your vote for your favourite:

http://www.ywt.org.uk/vote-wildlife15

Voting closes on Friday - 13th Feb

Cheers!

Mark

On reflection, 2014 was a pretty good year. I got to see wild otters in Shetland, soaring gannets (again in Shetland and also on the east coast), red squirrels, foxes and more red kites than you could shake a stick at.

Coming into 2014 though, I resolved to put concerted effort into another species. Living on the edge of the Peak District, I'd known for a good while that mountain hares were to be found up on the moors (indeed the one location outside of the Scottish highlands where they exist in any numbers), but I'd never managed to see one myself.

After a fair amount of research and many hours criss-crossing the peak district moorland in a variety of weathers, patience started to pay off. There's a moment, I find, when out with my camera when after a number of hours of no-shows your heart starts to sink a little and you feel that today might not be your day.

But then you'll spot some movement on the horizon and suddenly everything changes.

Mountain HarePeak District mountain hare on the skyline This was taken from one of my first trips at the beginning of February and with no snow covering the ground, the hares were quite distinctive in their white winter coats against the moorland grass and heather. Getting close enough was a different matter though. If the wind is not in your favour and they catch your scent, see your distinctive human form against the skyline or hear you coming with those radar-like ears, you've had it. I ended up with plenty of blurry images of the backs of hears disappearing into the distance.

Gradually, I was able to work out a way of getting closer without disturbance. By the beginning of March, their summer coats were starting to come through on a few individuals.

Laying upA few more from a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping to get out and spend some more time with these guys tomorrow. Had a go today but strong wind and low cloud meant an early bail-out Finally, a couple of weekends later, the patience finally paid off with a cooperative subject, good light, time and a healthy dash of luck.

Mountain HareAfter an aborted attempt last weekend, defeated by driving winds and low cloud, I was out early again today on the trail of mountain hares. While native to the highlands of Scotland, they were introduced to the Peak District in the 19th century and although they're fewer in numbers than they were, a reasonably healthy population still hangs on in certain places.

The cloud was slow to lift just after sunrise, so I used the time to recce out a few places. A few sightings at distance at first, and then I was able to work out where a good number of them were hanging out.

It takes patience and a lot of luck. Most will bolt as soon as they get wind of you but I was lucky to find this chilled out dude. I carefully got as close as I dared, although it still required my longest lens and he was well aware I was there, but tolerated me - even going so far to have a wash and a snooze at one point.

I must have spent a good forty five minutes or so in his company, before backing off and leaving him be. Mountain hare in winter sunlightPeak District mountain hare, captured in the low winter's sun

With being away during the summer, and other demands on my time, I resolved to go back and see how they were getting on as autumn set in. As the autumn colours took hold, they were a little difficult to pick out from amongst the bracken and heather, their summer coats still in place, but it at least made for a nice splash of colour.

Hidden HareGiven the good weather forecast for today, I thought I'd head back up into the Peak District early this morning and see what I could see.

With the sun low in the sky, autumn and winter light, when we get a good sunny day, is arguably the best time of year to be out with the camera.

Having had some degree of success with the mountain hares last winter, I was up and out early this morning to see how they were getting on. Rather than heading off to my usual site, I decided to give another place a go - somewhere I'd been before that's great for red grouse but not somewhere I'd seen hares before, although it was likely they'd be around.

It was beautiful morning, the grouse were out in force and I spent a good ten minutes watching a pair of buzzards soaring over the moorland.

In the end, I only found one hare, and he wasn't coming out of his warm spot in the heather for anything. Keeping my distance so as not to spook him, I managed to find a couple of angles where I could see through the heather where the light was decent.

With the heather being quite thick and the hares clearly not out of their brown summer coats yet, it wasn't surprising I only saw one. I probably walked past a dozen without realising.

Interestingly, it looks like the white winter coat is starting to moult through from around his eyes. I noticed towards the end of last winter and into spring that brown patches around the eyes were the first sign of the winter coat to go, so I wonder if it works the same in reverse. Finally, as the year came to a close and we saw the first snows of winter, their trademark white coats were once again back on show.

Winter Is ComingAlthough the weather is still quite mild, with it being December next week I decided to have a hike up to my mountain hare site in the Peaks to see how they were getting on, and whether they were in their winter coats yet.

Low cloud, mist and drizzle didn't make for great conditions, but managed to spot a dozen or so individuals in fairly advanced stages of moult, which bodes well if we get any snow cover before Christmas.

Photographic opportunities were limited, but managed a short session with one cooperative individual The first snow of winterMountain hare from early this morning in the Peak District.

A bit better light than last week, though it didn't last very long as a weather front with low cloud and mist rolled in mid-morning.

There was a light dusting of snow up on the moors which meant the hares were a little more difficult to spot than normal, as they've not completely turned white yet and so were in pretty good camouflage. I really enjoyed the time that I spent in the company of these beautiful animals this year and despite whatever else I get up to this year, if a winter or early spring weekend morning brings some sunshine, frost or, even better, a covering of snow, it's more than likely I'll once again go and try my luck.

Thanks a lot for reading and more hare photos can be found in my gallery from the photography link at the top of the page.

I've been lucky enough to travel to Africa on a couple of occasions and seen the big cats in the wonderful settings of the Masai Mara in Kenya and Kruger in South Africa, but it's our common red fox that holds a special attraction. I know that foxes are often a divisive subject for many people, for very valid reasons, and I have my own opinions, but that's for other people to discuss :)

I don't know if it's the fascination that they're probably our last remaining wild mammal predator (particularly lethal if you're a rabbit!) or the way they've managed to adapt and thrive in our towns and cities but it's probably just because they're such darn gorgeous animals.

I've wanted to photograph wild foxes for some time, but living out in the sticks we don't get the numbers of urban foxes that are often seen on streets of the big cities such as London and, famously, Bristol. Countryside foxes are rightly wary of people so are even harder to track down, so whilst holding down a full-time job it can be difficult to put the necessary days and weeks of field research in.

Fortunately I was able to get my fox fix by other means...

I came across a photographer down south who had over a period of a number of years been watching a family of wild foxes on land bordering his family's farm. Over time, he'd managed to get a photography hide in place, making it available for rent at certain times and I booked myself in for an evening a couple of weeks ago.

Now, given that these are still wild animals, there's no guarantee of any success and watching, waiting and above all patience are very much required.

So, mid-afternoon, another photographer and I ensconced ourselves in the small, cramped and rather hot hide and began a waiting game.

For the first few hours, nothing but the odd magpie, blackbird and crow came visiting, but then as afternoon turned into evening, we got our first glimpse.

Pop-up Fox

Initially, they were reluctant to venture further into the open from beyond the tree line, but then a few bold fellows came forward.

Fox on the huntOne from a very rewarding and enjoyable session photographing wild foxes.

We were fortunate with the light and weather and had a good number of visits in the 5-6 hours we were on-site for.

This is (I think) one of the dominant males. He was the most frequent and bold visitor, whereas the vixen and the youngsters were a bit more skittish

Over the course of the next four or five hours, we were rewarded with a good number of visits and it was possible to start identifying different individuals. The big male dog fox was clearly the boldest, while the vixen and the younger cubs were somewhat more timid and tended to hang back.

Dinner Date

The time flew by and before we knew it the rays of light from the sunny day we'd been blessed with started to lengthen (along with our shutter speeds...) and we called it a day just after sunset.

All in all, it was a richly rewarding day and a privilege to spend time in the company of such beautiful wild animals.

I'm already making plans for a return journey in the spring or early summer next year to hopefully see the cubs of the next generation.

My photos from the day are in my Foxes Photography gallery, which you can access either from the drop-down menu above or from the home screen. I'll be adding more images in the next week or two, as I get round to processing them. Hope you enjoy them.

Knowing GlanceWild fox with magpie.

Buckinghamshire, UK

This summer, I had a great opportunity to spend a few weeks on the Shetland Islands with a group of good friends. While primarily a holiday, the trip offered up a wealth of photographic opportunities so naturally all the camera kit went with me.

Having read about Shetland from a number of naturalists and photographers, most notably TV's Simon King, I knew I was going to be in for a treat.

Researching photos and locations on Flickr, birds were clearly going to be top of the list with the island of Noss being home to one of the largest Gannet colonies in the country.

GannetryNesting gannets on the isle of Noss, Shetland Islands

A trip up to Hermaness on the north coast of Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands, allowed for some great views of a huge seabird that you'd struggle to see anywhere else - the Great Skua (or "Bonxie" to give it it's local name). Famous for being the pirates of the air and dive bombing smaller birds to steal fish, they make it quite clear who's the boss...

And who can forget everybody's favourite, the Tammie Norrie, otherwise known to me and you as the Puffin.

Take time to smell the flowersKnowing that I was going to be spending some time on Shetland this summer, I skipped on my annual visit to the Farne Islands. The puffins at Sumburgh Head on Shetland Mainland didn't disappoint!

Topping all these, however, has to be the animal that's top of any wildlife enthusiast's visit to Scotland and the Shetland islands in particular. Like the "Scottish Play", one almost dare not speak it's name, lest it tempt fate and remain unseen. In the two weeks I spent on Shetland, I hoped I'd see an otter (there - said it!) but knew it was foolish to go in with any expectations. Sure, I could have paid for guiding and so on, and I'd seriously considered that, but the romantic in me was holding on to the thought that if I did my research, put some time in, kept my eyes open and just had a little bit of luck, I might just see one of them.

Out on a full day walk in a likely spot in the northern mainland, we managed two sightings - one slipping into the water out of sight almost as soon as we saw him, a fast-disappearing tail being the only clue he was ever there. And the second was a couple of hundred yards out on rocks, but by the time I'd got the camera up to my eye, he was off and swimming away as well.

So, a couple of days later, I thought I'd try rolling the dice again. One advantage of the Shetland summer is that the days are long and the nights are short, so if the weather's decent it gives you a reasonable window of opportunity to catch them at dusk.

A previous guest at our accommodation had written that they'd seen an otter fairly recently in the voe over the hill from the cottage, so I set off, again more in hope than expectation.

Scanning the shoreline as the light started to drop and twilight started to creep in, I spotted what I initially dismissed as a seal, but then he dipped under the water and resurfaced in a way that could only mean one thing.

He rounded the headland and started slowly swimming his way down towards where I was (now scrambling to keep my silhouette off the skyline and get as close as I dared). He came up on the rocks and I managed to get off a few shots, pushing the camera to the limits on low-light capability. There's plenty of better otter photos out there, but this was my record of a memorable encounter, and it means a lot.

Shortly afterwards, he moved downwind of me, got my scent and that was it - game over, and he was off!

... it was only after looking at the photos later on that it seemed likely 'he' was a 'she' - and possibly a rather pregnant she too...

I'll be putting up other photos from the trip into my Shetland gallery, which you can find from the photography link on the home page, or on the menu bar above. Hope you enjoy them.

I posted some time ago to say that I'd got a photo I'd entered into the British Wildlife Photography Awards through to the final judging round of 300 pictures.

This is the photo. I've now had a mail back from the judging panel to say that it's not made it through to the final cut, and while that might be a bit disappointing I'm still chuffed to bits that it got as far as it did.

Of the portfolio of photographs I entered this year I'm very pleased that this was the one that stood out as it meant the most to me. I'd set myself a challenge of photographing mountain hares last winter and had many occasions when I came home empty handed. This encounter was the result of patience, a bit of fieldcraft and time. Giving him the time to relax in my presence meant that I was able to share this moment and then leave him be. And that's what's important to me. Not trophy hunting, but capturing and remembering a moment in time and trying to be a bit creative while doing so.

Next year :)

Mountain HareAfter an aborted attempt last weekend, defeated by driving winds and low cloud, I was out early again today on the trail of mountain hares. While native to the highlands of Scotland, they were introduced to the Peak District in the 19th century and although they're fewer in numbers than they were, a reasonably healthy population still hangs on in certain places.

The cloud was slow to lift just after sunrise, so I used the time to recce out a few places. A few sightings at distance at first, and then I was able to work out where a good number of them were hanging out.

It takes patience and a lot of luck. Most will bolt as soon as they get wind of you but I was lucky to find this chilled out dude. I carefully got as close as I dared, although it still required my longest lens and he was well aware I was there, but tolerated me - even going so far to have a wash and a snooze at one point.

I must have spent a good forty five minutes or so in his company, before backing off and leaving him be.

Branching out from their Welsh stronghold, this beautiful bird of prey can now be found across a swathe of southern England and any motorist who frequents the M40 will likely have seen their distinctive outline above and around the motorway.

Photos from the day can be found in my Latest Work and Birds of Prey gallery, from the links above.

Confidentiality rules prevent me from disclosing any details at this stage, but when I can I'll announce the details on here.

http://bwpawards.org/