Encounters with a Sparrowhawk

I've always had a particular love of sparrowhawks - and to this day a sighting of this raptor fills me with excitement. It was whilst waiting by a pond for water voles to appear that I had an amazing and quite unusual encounter with this sparrowhawk. At first it was a typical glimpse - the bird shooting low over the reeds and quickly changing direction. To my surprise though, this bird banked back round towards me and landed in a tall tree - just fifty yards or so away. I expected it to stop briefly and then move on - but it actually stayed a while. I was even able to change lenses and take my time to get a shot.

After 5 minutes or so it took flight, passing ridiculously close, before disappearing somewhere in the trees. My attention was drawn elsewhere and after a few more minutes I walked closer to the pond, only for the same sparrowhawk to suddenly shoot up from deep in the reeds and land in another tree at the edge of the water. Although the plumage was more like a male, the size suggested that it was a female - and clearly it was hunting something specific. No doubt it was one of the many coot or moorhen chicks in the reeds, and it seemed that this bird wasn't going to leave until it had got its kill.

I have heard stories of sparrowhawks finding a nesting site and returning repeatedly to raid the site, picking off one young bird at a time. This might seem evil, but quite simply it's smart. With its own chicks to feed a sparrowhawk must take every opportunity and easy pickings should be exploited. For me I was just lucky enough to watch an often secretive predator at incredibly close quarters.

Photography Workshop at Fairburn Ings

I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's photography workshop at Fairburn Ings. I think everyone got some useful tips and thankfully the weather was great too. A bit quiet on the butterfly front, but pleny of plants and flowers to practice on. As for dragonflies - the darters were out in force but the bigger hawkers just didn't seem to want to come close enough.

Thanks to the group for making it such an enjoyable day - everyone was really enthusiastic and keen to have a go at new techniques. Examples of particpants' images can be seen in my Flickr group. I still have a few places on the 6th August photography workshop - contact RSPB Fairburn Ings for information.

My first Water Vole Photos!!

This morning was incredibly exciting for me. It was my second visit to a water vole site, and one that is excellent for photography. I've wanted to photograph these little mammals for ages, so to find such a workable spot is a dream come true; and it's only 20 minutes drive away..  The voles seem fairly active, and although I've only seen one at a time, I definitley saw different individuals.

They are a delight to spend time with. I had some views so close I couldn't quite believe it - and I was lucky enough to watch some natural behaviour too. I love to watch them swim - it's funny watching them with their heads above the water - but boy can they shift..!  Hopefully back tomorrow morning and then I will see what I can get over the next couple of months. Can't wait for some good light and beautiful reflections - that will really make the shots work..

Who says rain stops play..?

Heavy rain is usually my cue to get some more work done in the office - it's useless for pictures... right..? Well, not always. Wildlife photography is as much about capturing the surrounding atmosphere as it is about recording the actual subject. This afternoon was a perfect example - as I drove along the winding upland track near Grinton looking for red grouse. Some of the downpours were just torrential, and within minutues there were large puddles and temporary streams cascading across the road. No good for wildlife you might think. I've often thought just that - but today was different. I decided to photograph in the rain, to create more atmospheric shots... and to produce something different from the norm. Not only did the rain record beautifully, but the quality of the deeply subdued light gave wonderfully rich colours and superb detail. And on top of that - it was rather fun too...!

 I needed to be prepared to shoot in such soggy conditions and used my own waterproof cover for the camera and lens. This allowed me to shoot in extremely heavy rain from the car. At first I shot on ISO 250, then after securing some shots switched to ISO 100. Shutter speeds were ranging from 1/80 to 1/30 and in all cases the rain was recording as streaks... just the way I wanted. The majority of the grouse were young birds, and all were capable of fending for themselves. Pitty no other birds stuck around, but I just don't think they were able to tough it out like them grouse..!

Note that if you come on one of my Upland Birds Photography Courses and the weather looks atrocious - all is not lost..!!