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.
Someone looks happy with himself
My garden pond is full of mating Frogs, which is no doubt being repeated all over the country.
Many of the Frogs are having a croaking competition
More in the Frog folder
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker digging out a fresh hole.
Wood chipping flying everywhere
More later
Black Necked Grebe
Black Necked Grebe first of this year a bit of a distant shot
I should be able to improve on them in the coming weeks
The Black Necked Grebes are squabbling over the best nesting sites.
Great Crested Grebe Weed-dance
It’s a marvelous day for a weed-dance with the stars in the sky up above.
Heart to Heart
The Great Crested Grebes are in full swing pairing up providing me with some iconic Heart shape shots.
More Later
Playing catch-up
Still working on furniture for France, consequently I don’t have much time to spend out with my camera,
however the garden supplies a good selection of birds for me to photograph.
The occasional Goldcrest pops in every now and then and Long Tailed Tits pass through on a regular basis.
The photographs were take early in the week but I haven’t had time to process them I am still playing catch-up with my images.
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).
