A Foxy Evening
As a self-confessed animal hugger and fan of all things wildlife, there's one animal that's held a particular fascination and interest for a long time, way before I got into wildlife photography.
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.
Initially, they were reluctant to venture further into the open from beyond the tree line, but then a few bold fellows came forward.
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.
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.
Shetland Summer Holidays
Time for an update!
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.
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.
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.
British Wildlife Photography Awards - Nearly!
Crikey - need to catch up on blog posts...
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 :)
Red Kites
I recently spent an enjoyable day photographing wild red kites in mid-Wales. From being driven almost to the point of extinction not so long ago, the red kite has hung on and is a remarkable success story.
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.
British Wildlife Photography Awards
I'm really pleased and quite a bit excited to announce that I've had one of my photographs through to the final judging round of the prestigious 2014 British Wildlife Photography Awards.
Confidentiality rules prevent me from disclosing any details at this stage, but when I can I'll announce the details on here.