Hello and welcome
I have always had a keen interest in wildlife and the great outdoors;
I was an Angler for over 30 years but gave it up a few years ago to
concentrate on photographing wildlife. I lived in Runcorn; Cheshire a
short distance from the M56 that gave me great access to the Wirral,
Northwales and Lancashire, with some great countryside on my doorstep
I didn't have to travel too far in search of wildlife and photographic
opportunities.
Some of my wildlife photographs range from as far afield as Cuba,
Antigua, Saint Martin, Saint Lucia, Dominican Republic, Tuscany ,
Corfu, Turkey, Spain, Portugal.
I now live in the Charente area of western France.
Mating Toads
The pond is starting to come to life, Newts and Toads are making their way to the pond in my garden.
I found this pair of toads trying to make their way unnoticed to the safety of the pond.
Spring is here
Great Crested Grebes are starting to pair up now and with the fighting between couples over potential nest sites some great photographic opportunities are on the cards.
Later on with a bit of luck I may even get the weed dance.
Not the best of light conditions on the Grebes and I could do with better detail.
If I can manage to put some time in I should be able to improve on them.
Accrington Stanley
It’s been a week since we returned from France, I didn’t get any time to explore the local area with my camera, what with cleaning the house and doing a bit of gardening followed by some shopping for gardening equipment and electrical goods.
We introduced ourselves to some of the residents in the hamlet and one was from Accrington, on introducing himself
he said please don’t say Stanley.
He told me about some of the local birds he has seen, one being Hoopoe that was in the garden next to my property
and Slow-Worms.
Whilst I was in the garden cutting some hedges I could hear a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in the wood across the road.
View looking over next doors garden towards the woods that has the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in.
The warm weather encouraged the local butterflies to emerge from their winter sleep and
Fire Bugs to group together to catch some winter sun.
Firebug: Pyrrhocpris apterus
French name: Gendarme
The French Connection
It’s off to France to pick up the keys to our house in the Limousin and meet the builder, as we are having some alterations done.
We plan a few shopping trips in the local area to pick up a few items for the house. This will be a short visit this time, all our furniture will be delivered in the next few weeks when the building work is completed.
I am eager to check out the Brenne Nature Reserve its only two hour’s drive from us. If I can sneak it in that would be great providing the weather is good, if not I have two acres of woodland to investigate.
In the coming months the plan is to build two hides using the timbers in the wood, one in the middle and one on the edge and put in a trail cam to see what turns up.
A selection of bird boxes will be installed and I will also be laying down some black roofing felt to attract Lizards and Snakes.
There are several small lakes and streams within walking distance from the house which I will be checking out and getting permission to access them.
The Limousin area of France is great for wildlife, and it’s a major migratory route for birds. Birds that you would find very difficult to photograph or even see are common in this mainly agricultural area.
The roads are quiet in the Limousin area of France, it’s under populated perfect if you want to get away for it all and enjoy some peaceful surroundings.
It can be a bit busy in the holiday season on the leisure lakes but they are so big it’s never a problem; with areas set aside for recreational activities and wildlife.
Providing I can squeeze my camera into the fully packed car it will be accompanying me. Not far from the house lies some old and rundown barns perfect for Redstart, which are plentiful in the local area. I don’t know what else to expect at this time of year but I am sure there will be some opportunities to press the shutter or take in some of the local landscapes.
That didn’t go to plan
As I walked past the living room window I noticed the Sparrowhawk sitting in the tree at the feeding station. I didn’t want to photograph it through glass as the images are rubbish, but I did it anyway.
That wasn’t the plan; I am still waiting for a full frame shot in good light at F8 (one day it will happen).
Jeepers Creepers
The sun enticed a pair of Treecreepers out yesterday at my local nature reserve.
Both birds scurried up and down the trees looking for insects.
I managed a few photographs as they moved from tree to tree.
More later
The Uk's smallest birds
The Goldcrest and Firecrest are the smallest birds in the UK
Goldcrest
Firecrest
The Wren is a bit heavier and not as slim as the Goldcrest or Firecrest
Comings and Goings
The Sparrowhawk flies in again and catches a Goldfinch and disappears over the fence, I didn’t get the shot as I was working on my laptop.
I have decided to switch over from my Canon 500m lens to my Canon 300m f4 lens in order to get all the bird in the frame. It’s not as sharp as the 500m lens but it will be good enough. I should have kept the Canon 400m 5.6 lens, which would have been ideal for the job but I sold it to a friend of mine as I didn’t use it much.
I have a suspicion that the Sparrowhawk is across the road in a small wood watching the comings and goings of the birds at my feeding station and when the number of birds at the feeding station increases it makes its run. It’s had several attempts today with only one success.
With the window open and the screen in place all I have to do it wait (famous last words) all the birds have disappeared at the moment that could mean the Sparrowhawk is around.
Still waiting
More distractions
I should be doing some work but the Redpoll and Siskins keep distracting me.
More distractions later
More Redpoll Photographs
I could photograph Redpolls all day they are great little birds and some of the best birds to visit my garden.
The Nuthatch calling in
Lesser Redpoll
The Lesser Redpolls are making more frequent visits to the feeding station however they are only coming in very small numbers
and don’t stay long fearing they may become a victim of the Sparrowhawk.
More later
It’s all Down Hill
Well it is for my wife, she’s skiing in Austria for a week leaving me at home to sort out some furniture that’s going to France.
But first things first I will have to set up the flash as the day is going to be grim with strong winds and rain.
In-between working in the garage on the furniture I can keep an eye on the feeding station, I am expecting a bit of sunshine so fingers crossed, and hopefully Redpoll and Siskins will turn up.
But I am not the only one looking for small birds the Sparrowhawk swooped in scattering all the birds and landed on the fence on the far side of the garden. I managed a few head shots before it disappeared from view.
The visit from the Sparrowhawk made all the birds very nervous for the rest of the day.
Fortunately I still managed some nice shots of the Redpoll.
