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.

A Place in the Sun

November 12, 2013

Not pressed the shutter on the camera since returning from France over two weeks ago.

Our visit to France was to find our own Place in the Sun. It will be perfect for us and the family with its slower pace of life.

Our intention is to have a holiday home and use it as often as we can. Not much happens in the Limousin area of France as it is largely used for agriculture.

It has some very big leisure lakes that get well used in the summer and attracts visitors from all over France and Europe they are also great for wildlife.

The Limousin is the size of Wales with varying habitats from mountainous heavily wooded regions to rolling hills overlooking woods and pasture to flat fields. Another bonus it that the Limousin area of France is a major migratory route for birds.

The Limousin has some large towns and is peppered with small hamlets. The lack of traffic reflects the population numbers out of the towns (its great).

Flights from Manchester and Liverpool are inexpensive and you could drive if you wanted to.

After landing at Limoges international airport we headed off to La Souterraine our first port of call to the gite which would be our base for a few days as we checked out the surrounded areas for a suitable property.

From the Haute Vienne to the Creuse and the Charente areas of France our journey ended after nine days. With over two thousand miles covered and numerous viewings carried out. With some great properties seen and some not so good we finally found one which came with two acres of woodland near Rochechouart set in small hamlet.

If all goes to plan we should be in our place in the sun by the end of January 2014 and photographing some great wildlife.

Bearded Tits Leighton Moss RSPB

October 17, 2013

Bearded Tits at RSPB site, Leighton Moss

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At this time of year Bearded Tits can be seen eating grit from the grit tables just off the causeway on the approach to the public hide.

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RSPB Leighton Moss

October 15, 2013

Little Egret at the Eric Morecambe Hide RSPB Leighton Moss.

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The small fish and shrimps don’t stand much chance

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That reminds me

October 14, 2013

Just going through my Little Egret photographs from Leighton Moss when I found some old ones in the folder

so I thought I would upload these ones first.

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In at the deep end

October 13, 2013

Water Rail

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Shame its a rubbish shot but that’s what happens when your not ready for the unexpected.

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The kingfisher shots aren’t anything to write home about due to the very slow shutter speed.

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Anything can turn up

October 12, 2013

I decided on an early start in my quest for better Kingfisher shots, getting into position just as the Sun worked its magic on the lake.

As I waited for the Kingfisher to announce its arrival a Water Rail sneaked out of the reedbed to my left and cautiously made its way to the right-hand reedbed.

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I managed a few shots just before it disappeared again.

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Another surprise visitor was a young fox carrying a pear.

Alerted to the sound of my camera shutter it stopped to have a quick look before it too disappeared into the reedbed.

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Eventually the Kingfisher arrived but didn’t stay long.

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It didn’t fish either. It had a brief look around and flew off into the distance.

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That was it for the rest of the day.

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Common Earthball

October 11, 2013

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Common Earthball- Scleroderma citrinum

This poisonous fungus is the most common species of Earth Ball in the UK.

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Candle Snuff Fungus

October 10, 2013

Candle Snuff Fungus Xylaria hypoxylon,

This small fungus is found in groups growing on dead stumps. The back stems may be forked towards the tips, which are white. If you tap them a cloud of white spore powder will be released, as in the smoke of a snuffed candle. Each stem grows up to 7cm in height, and they are common in the Autumn.