Goodbye 2011

Happy New Year to you all. May your 2012 be filled with many wonderful wildlife encounters.

I was just backing up my images from 2011 when I came across a folder on the hard drive that had slipped under the processing radar. It was from a session last March where I spent an easy session at the Wildlife and Wetlands Centre at Martin Mere. I like to make a visit here in the Spring as you can often find numerous wild birds, especially Shelduck mixed in with the captive birds and at the time there are still plenty of Whooper Swan and wildfowl to photograph from the hides on the main lake.

The session started before I arrived as I came across a male pheasant in full spring display mode. The bird was puffed up and 'showing off' to another male that is just out of the photo.

Due to the light direction my first port of call at Martin Mere was the main hide which as usual had plenty of birds at close range to chose from. However, I must admit I do find it slightly frustrating as these permanent hides do not allow you to get the more attractive low angle and point of view. Therefore it always feels a little if you are photographing down upon the birds rather than getting down to their level which produces better images.

Large numbers of overwintering Whooper Swans were drifting around as usual, building up their energy reserves with the daily feed, before their long flight back to the breeding grounds in Iceland.

One of my favourite duck species, the Pintail, was present in large numbers. What these birds may lack in colour they certainly make up for through their attractive shape.

A female Pintail 'blowing bubbles' as it feeds in the shallows.

Amongst the Pintail were a few of the slightly more colourful Wigeon, that were announcing their presence with their characteristic whistling calls.

I left the main hide and took a wander around to see what else could be found. There was definitely a hint of Spring in the air during this March visit with Mallards busily mating. The female certainly seems to get the worse end of the deal during the process as she is pushed below the water.

After a good bit of searching around I finally managed to find a wild Pochard amongst the captive collections to end a relaxing session with the camera.

I have already been out with the camera this year despite the best attempts by the weather to thwart me and will show some of these photos in my next post.

Spring Pheasants

I am currently in the middle of packing for very early departure tomorrow morning. I am heading south with the camera kit to Mallorca for a week of bird photography. So I thought I would put a post on the blog before I departed. The place where I am staying has a WIFI connection so hopefully I can give some updates on my progress with the Balearic birds either through Facebook or Twitter.

The subject of this particular post is pheasants. These are birds that I do not usually tend to go out for specifically but tend to be a by product of my brown hare photography as both share the same site. There is nothing better for lifting one out of the monochrome of winter than Pheasants in their full springtime technicolour glory.

I always think that these birds are a little overlooked by photographers which is a shame given the array of colours and variation, combined with some interesting call and dispute behaviour. The early morning sun hitting a spring pheasant in all its finery is an arresting sight.

These birds are great fun at this time of year with the males calling frequently and battles erupting between males if two should cross paths. I found these two birds in the middle of a dispute which went on for a full 10 minutes but unfortunately not in ideal light conditions. If you ever come across two male pheasants nose to nose, gently swaying, then prepare to watch the fireworks. The other interesting element of the behaviour is the explosive wing whirring call of the male. If you stay in the presence of a male long enough at this time of year it will at some point usually call. The more you watch, the easier it is to pick up on the subtle posture clues that indicate a call is about to take place. The main issue I find with photographing these birds is that the long tail can make for some awkward composing of the image. Often a bird coming towards the photographer at a slight angle is easier to accommodate in the viewfinder.

So next time you encounter a pheasant you may wish to pause and watch for a while and appreciate them for the beautiful and interesting birds that they are.

Pheasant Fun

If you asked someone to think of a very colourful bird in the UK, I expect many would give the answer of a kingfisher with its contrasting electric blue wings and back and orange breast. I suspect you would get many fewer replies nominating a pheasant but they really are spectacular birds, partcularly at this time of year when the technicolour plumage is in top condition. Locally we have several colour varieties which includes the standard type which comes with and without a white neck ring and the even more colourful Green Pheasant.






They are quite tricky birds to frame with the camera given their long tail and I usually find I need to position myself at a reasonable distance, especially when expecting some action.



Another good reason for photographing pheasant at this time of year is that they will be routinely bursting in to their explosive wing flapping calls. It takes a bit of patient but if you stay with a pheasant long enough you will normally be rewarded with this display.






The energy that is put in to the call by the males is amazing and the sheer effort is visible.






So next time you spot a pheasant, take some time to stop and study it amazing colours in more detail as they really too beautful to be overlooked. Hopefully if you are fortunate you will also get chance to see the male in his full wing flapping glory.

B.O.T.M

Just to let you know
the Wildlife Photographic Journals has been selected for this month's BBC Countryfile Magazine as their 'Blog of the Month'. Of course I would like to thank all the readers of the Blog for their support.

While I am on the subject of publications a few of my photos have recently found their way in to print. Firstly a number of my bird photos appear in the CAWOS Winter and Breeding Atlas. The results of this ground breaking 3 year study is not for light bedtime reading as its a weighty volume of 675 pages. This comprehensive population monitoring study provides some interesting insights in to the changing plights and expansions of birds in the area. One of my reeling Grasshopper warbler photos also appears on the cover of the CAWOS 2007 Annual Bird Report.

Keeping with the local theme, journalist John Dempsey has recently produced a colourful glossy pocket book called 'Wild Merseyside'. This is illustrated throughout with photographs, including a few of my bird, seal and hare photos, and details the great diversity and spectacle of wildlife that can be found around the Mersey estuary and the best places and times to watch it.

I would like at this stage to be able to show you some jay flights photographs but I am currently calling that an on-going project! However, there all always a couple of bonus birds to be photographed while waiting between jays.

Male pheasants battling

and magpie putting on the airbrakes

Pheasant Surprise

Firstly regular viewers will notice that I have decided to change the size of the Blog. I hope this works OK and if anyone has any problems viewing then please let me know. The main reason for doing this is so I can display bigger images.

While waiting for some brown hares to appear the other day, I had the opportunity to photograph a couple of pheasants. They are such beautifully coloured birds that I can rarely resist when they appear in front of the lens. However, they are quite difficult birds to compose well within the frame due to their long tail. This often means you need to be a long distance to fit the bird in which leads to loss of detail.

and a head shot to finish

Ninja Pheasants

I came across a couple of cock pheasants battling it out the other day in the middle of a quiet road. Unfortunately I only just caught the end of the dispute but managed to get a few snaps before they disappeared and continued their disagreement in the undergrowth.

Most of the fight consisted of the birds face to face and bobbing up and down waiting for the other show a weak moment for attack.

Then one bird would jump up for the attack.

Before they returned to the orignal squared up positions and the process was repeated.This last shot was the beginning of the final leap before they disappeared into the adjoing undergrowth.

Private Viewing

I recently took a trip to a private site that has a number of small hides and feeding stations set up. I have previously visited before although the numbers of birds seemed to be lower than usual which probably was related to a very mild spell of weather. However a enjoyable session was still to be had. At this site the birds are at really close range which allows the use of the 300mm F4 lens. Here are a selection of shots from the day.

The sadly rapidly declining tree sparrow

A male bullfinch in some winter sunLong-tailed tit

A jay dropped in for a very brief and close visist

I have a fondness for Reed bunting and I was pleased with this visit from a female

Not a bird often associated with feeding stations a goldcrest was making regular visits to a fat filled log.

To finish this post with a splash of 'imported' colour a pheasant and a red-legged partridge.

300mm Lens Test

I recently purchased the 300mm F4 lens as I was finding occasions when a shorter focal length lens would be useful. The main use of the lens will be for flight shots of larger birds at relatively close range and also for smaller birds at close quarters.

I went to a private site in Cheshire where I knew I would be getting some close range shots for a variety of species to give it a test run. The weather was not great on the day but I was pleased with how the lens performed. It was a busy day!!!

Bullfinches

Blue tit Chaffinch

GreenfinchNuthatch Pheasant Robin and Tree sparrow