Wildlife Photographic Journals

Return to the South

I am still suffering some computer problems at this end but slowly getting them resolved. I have just taken a last minute trip down south this week to Somerset and Wiltshire. A short trip away for a couple of days before I return to work on Monday, after my 3 month career break. The weather was not great and so time behind the camera was very limited. I managed to get a couple of shots though on one of the days during a visit to Longleat. Photographic opportunities while travelling around the safari park there were not great, and as usual my eyes where constantly hunting around for any wild birds. A bird I seem to always photograph of my trips away, a jackdaw. I also came across this grey heron.

which was concentrating on a spot of fishingThe highlight of the trip was locating a young green woodpecker. This is a species that is very difficult to approach and after a bit of patience I was rewarded with my first decent photographs of this very wary bird.Showing typical behaviour, the bird was constantly looking around while digging for ants in a grass bank.

A passing buzzard upset it and it quickly adopted the 'I'm not really here' pose by flattening itself on the ground.A great encounter and one I have waited a long time for. Just need to try and get a photograph of an adult bird although that may be some way off in the future.