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.

Merely Waterfowl

Under a sky filled with spring sunshine I recently took a trip to the local Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Centre at Martin Mere. This is always a relaxing break from my usual wildlife photography pursuits with no early alarm and bleary eyes, no crawling through mud, lurking for long periods in the undergrowth or being a dining table for mosquitoes.

A winter or spring visit to 'The Mere' is always productive due to the large numbers of wild waterfowl that take up winter residence. I started my session with a wander around the captive bird enclosures which offers the opportunity to photograph some interesting and beautiful birds and also often offers a bonus as I will shortly reveal!

Here is a small selection of some of the captive birds and they do not come much more colourful than the Wood Duck.

I am always fascinated by the beautiful rainbows hues on their iridescent heads.

The striking black and white patterns of a captive drake Smew.

My final captive bird was the Australian Black Swan which caught my eye as it sat peacefully on calm golden water.

If you are photographing captive birds or animals then please do not try to pass them off as anything else. I have no problems with photography in zoos or waterfowl collections as they not only provide great camera practice but can also really test your skills. However, I have seen photographs of the captive Goldeneye at Martin Mere, a difficult shy species to photograph in the wild, being claimed as non-captive. This is not only misleading but really undermines the significant efforts and patience it takes to get photographs of the wild ones. A good example of the problems such mis-labelling can cause was well demonstrated in last year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.

The main reason I always check the captive enclosures, apart from simply being good fun, is that the free food handouts also attract wild birds. It became quickly obvious the large numbers of wild Shelduck were present amongst the captive birds and so busy in courtship that they were relatively oblivious to the passing human traffic. By this time the sun was high and bright and difficult exposure conditions for photographing these birds. Only mad dogs and Englishmen photograph Shelduck under the midday sun.

I moved over to the 'wild side' where a number of hides overlook the mere that attracts diverse and dense populations of wilds ducks, geese and Whooper swans during the winter months. I often find bird hides slightly frustrating, as you are often forced to shoot from a slightly elevated position whereas I prefer to be at water level when photographing waterfowl. If only they would cut some hide slots low down!
I began with the elegant shape of a drake Pintail.

My main target species for the session were the drake Wigeon which I have not photographed for a while and were in wonderful condition.

While photographing the Wigeon, a Coot came running across the water in front of me in pursuit of another bird. I managed to capture the sequence of which this was my favourite image in terms of wing and leg positions.

Overall a fun and relaxing session which recharged the batteries for the busy spring period ahead.

Martin Mere

Martin Mere is always an interesting place to visit and a trip during the winter will always produce plenty of shots. I took a recent visit with my friends Steve and Andy and we settled into the main Swanlink hide. Greylag geese were busy displaying and mating. It is a shame you cannot see the high res version of this shot as the 'dentition' inside that beak is impressive.

A finally display after mating

One of my favourite ducks, the pintail, were present in large numbers and the drakes in superb plumage.

With such stunning drakes in front of you it is easy to forget the female pintail..but I didn't.

Formation Shelducks frequently passed the hide but the light was not really up to giving enough shutter speed to capture flight action.
There were still a big group of Whooper swans present and I decdied leaving photographing them towards the end of the day to get some shots in softer light.

and finally some silouettes in the setting sun.

I also took a pintail silouette shot as I thought the distinctive shape might be effective.

Martin Mere

I took a recent trip up to Martin Mere, mainly with the intention of taking some Ruff shots. This is a bird I would love to photograph in full spring / summer plumage but that would involve a plane trip to Scandinavia. A trip I intend to take one day.

Whilst waiting for some Ruff to appear I kept the shutter finger warm in the cold hide with a bit of exercise on some waterfowl. It always good to have other birds to photograph while you are waiting for your target species.

Whooper Swan

a Young Whooper coming in for a splash downand taking a bathAlso swimming around in front of the Swanlink hide were Pintail and Shelduck.

A Lapwing 'leg shaking' the ground in front of the hide kept me amused for a while.

I took a short walk to warm up as it was freezing in the hide and when I returned a couple of Ruff had appeared. On the way out I wandered through the captive duck collection and this bird really got my eye as it was lit up by the sun. I haven't a clue what it is, and really that is not of importance, but it was a beautiful bird.

The Mere

I called into Martin Mere recently on a grey misty day with poor light. It has been while since I visited and I was surprised to see the Whooper Swan still on the main lake.

In amongst them was a black swan which I assume had some how made it there from the waterfowl collection on the other side of the fence.

I was hoping to see some Ruff close in to the hide but they not were present but a Pintail did leave the water and I think the first time I have seen one on dry land.

The reed bunting always look good in the spring and several males were visiting the feeders near one of the hides.

Passing Marshside RSPB on the way home, I stopped for a short while, but it was generally quiet in front of the hides except for a lone shoveler.

Inner Marsh

I called in briefly to Inner Marsh Farm to see if the reported spotted redshank were about. Unfortuately they were way off in the distance with only a few Teal and Pintail in photographing range.

I always kep an eye open on the way back up to the car park and came across this Dunnock in the brambles

and could not resist a quick shot of the Greater Spotted Woodpecker on the feeder at the feeding station. It would nice to have got a shot of the bird on a branch or tree trunk but it was not playing that game.