Mute Swan.

Recently my family has become interested in geocaching. This is a hobby that involves a lot of walking in different places and therefore a lot of photo opportunities for me :). Yesterday, me my mum, step dad and girlfriend went to try and find some caches in Arundel. The flooding there was very bad but a good day was had by all. As we were nearing the finish of our trip i cam across this Mute Swan swimming down what is usually a footpath, towards me. Once it reached the shallower parts of the path it stood up and stretched its wings allowing me to take this shot :).

Bluebell

Taken in march, 2012 this was one of the first photographs i took with my Eos 1100D. This was taken at a lovely quiet woodland in west sussex near to where i live.
f-stop: f/6.3
Exposure: 1/100 sec
ISO speed: 100
Focal length: 49 mm
Flash: None

Sika Hind, Sparsholt

I am lucky enough to attend sparsholt agricultural college which has some fantastic facilities. One of its most well appreciated assets are its herd of Sika Deer ( Cervus Nippon). They have had a herd of deer there for educational purposes for years, they are well looked after and well managed. You can usually get a half decent sighting across their enclosure to see them but this day they were a little closer than usual so i took the chance and got out my camera. So as not to waste time i used the automatic mode and this was the result :).

Swallow take off! - Wild Bird Wednesday

I took this photo when on a field trip to studland bay near Bournemouth. Me and one of my tutors found ourselves in competition for a photo of this swallow taking off, one of the last to migrate from brittain that year. I am yet to see his photo.

Stretch!

I took this photo through a fence in my back garden, waking up after an afternoon enjoying the sun earlier this year.

CameraCanon:  EOS 1100D

Focal Length:     190mm

Shutter Speed:   1/250 secs

Aperture:               f/8

ISO:                       400

Close up flower

Taken in the same place as a couple of my other floral photographs in the south of England. This flower ( admittedly i don't know the species) caught my eye because of its colour and shape which made it stand out. It appeared to have just been watered and had a couple of water droplets on it which i used as the focal point of this photograph.

Greylag Goose

Taken the same day as the previous post. This is a photograph of a Greylag goose lifting its head out of the water on the lake at Kew gardens. The light was strong that day so i was able to use a low ISO (100).
Although this isnt a particularly rare bird, the droplets of water make it a little more interesting in my opinion :).

Magnolia, Kew gardens.

This isnt a recent photograph. I have been unable to get out and about and take any photographs recently so i am uploading this one for now as i haven't posted in a while. I am lucky enough to be able to visit family in London regularly. On one of my visits we took a trip to Kew Gardens. It was my first time in Kew Gardens and i would highly recommend it. Even if (like me) you are not particularly interested in flowers or horticulture. It was still an enjoyable day and was full of interesting plants, flowers, trees and wildlife such as ring necked Parakeets.

I was asked to take a photograph of this magnolia as it is a favorite of my dads partner. I was happy too as it was a very aesthetically pleasing.  I took this in may, and because of its colour and the bright natural sunlight i was able to use a low ISO, 100. This has made for what i believe to be a very clear and sharp photograph that i am very happy with.

Wild Bird Wednesday - Robin

I set out on my lunch break today with a couple of friends to head to the woodland to get a photograph for wild bird wednesday in the colleges woodland. But we barely made it a 1/4 of the way, stumbling upon this confident little robin that seemed to be checking us out.

Red Squirrel ?

This is no ordinary red squirrel. I am lucky enough to have grandparents that live in the south of Spain. They live in a lovely area, very remote, plenty of wildlife and not too far from a nation park called Sierra Espuna. This is a wonderful place, full of interesting wildlife such as golden eagles, cross bills and red squirrels. However in 1967 a sub species was discovered. This was named the Murcia Red Squirrel  due to the area of Spain it was found in.

I was able to take this after a lovely lunch in a cafe in the middle of the park. I spotted a couple playing, chasing each other out of the cafe window. I rudely grabbed my kit and left the table. But i was able to get the shot of this little guy as he realised i was there. One of if not the most rare wildlife encounters of my life so far :).

Greater black backed gull

I got the chance to take this photo purely by chance. I was walking back from the site of interest on the field trip that i was on on the south coast of England near Bournemouth. At the bottom of the hill, flying towards us from a the salt marsh toward open sea was the gull. Luckily i had my camera to hand and was able to capture this. It flew surprisingly close and was amazing to witness, i got to realise just how big they actually were.

Euglossa beetle

I often am lucky enough to receive an invitation to stay with my grandma for a week or so in France most years. It is a lovely camp site in the south of France based around a stunning lake. It is full of wildlife especially invertebrates. I took this beetle on the edge of the lake. It had got caught in a spider web and seemed to just be walking away from it, bending the leaf of the plant it was on as a result.

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Lupin

This is another photograph from my day out to Denmans gardens as with the last couple of posts. It caught my eye because of how tall they were, i tried using a different or obscure angle to get this across. I am pretty happy with the result.

Allium

Taken at the same time as my Bumble Bee photograph, this Allium was one of the many eye catching plants at Denmans gardens on the south coast of England.

Bumble Bee

Back in June 2012 i was just getting used to my "new" camera. My grandad was also visiting from france and so we all went to a local gardens near Chichester in the south of England. It was only small but full of vibrant looking plants and consequently covered in bees of all variety's. I must have looked like a madman chasing bee's all over the gardens. But luckily my persistence paid off. I was very happy with my little bee photography. I would definitely recommend Denmans gardens (they also do lovely sandwiches). Hope you like the photo :).

Medmerry Managed Realignment

The rising sea levels are a hot topic at the moment and there are several ways of "managing" this depending on the aims of the site managers. Common solutions include sea walls, rip-rap, beach replenishment or the more commonly seen groynes. However Medmerry in west Sussex is planning a much more environmentally beneficial and dramatic solution. The BCC News Web page on the managed realignment scheme at Medmerry holds a lot more interesting information on the subject.

Patient Blue Tit

In the summer of last year my dad and his girlfriend took me to kew gardens as i had never been before. It is an amazing place, especially for enthusiastic photographers. We spent the day wandering around until we came across a tiny little tree in a wooded part of kew gardens that had several feeders on it and appeared to be getting frequent visits. So we sat quietly and waited. This Bluetit landed on this dead branch next to the tree and seemed to be waiting its turn to use the bird feeder.

Red kite

Definitely an example of making the most of a bad shot. This was one of the first red kites i had seen and so was very happy to see one, but at first disappointed with the shot, but after adding the sepia affect i felt it gave it a atmospheric feel.

Robin

During the week i visited my Auntie Barbie in Havant. She had recently had a lot of work done on the garden and it seemed to be doing a lot of good, with a lot of garden birds singing their song. Just like this little robin, which seemed to have found the highest point it could before singing :).

Perched kestrel (Betty)

Back in January of this year i was doing a work experience placement at Lakeside country park in Eastleigh. While there, among other things i observed a resident female kestrel, i nicknamed Betty. In this photograph she is sat on the roof of the tool shed watching the undergrowth for small mammals, waiting for her chance to pounce.

Hidden Pheasant

I am lucky to be doing a course that allows me to get out and about and see things i wouldn't see sat in a classroom. When doing a woodland plant survey my class stumbled across this pheasant hiding right next to a foot path. It was less than 6ft away, laying perfectly still, making us wonder for a moment if it was actually alive or not. After taking this photo we left it alone, returned soon after and it had gone on its way. Thinking back, i am amazed that it took so long for us to see something so close to us.

Emerald Ash Borer

As if Ash die back (Chalara Fraxinea) wasn't already a worrying enough threat to Britain's Ash (Fraxinus Excelsior) trees, there is now possibly another. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). This little creature feeds on the layers of ash. And according to this link, is estimated it can travel up to 24 miles in its lifetime and can lay around 200 eggs in its lifetime.

In its native land (Asia) the ash there are a slightly different species and so have co-evolved and strong enough resistance to it. However our European ash does not have that resistance. America already has this pest and it is estimated to have cost america around 10 billion dollars already. Now it has been discovered as close as Moscow. This article has more detail.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24612322

Badger cull in Gloucestershire for 8 more weeks.

Everyone has their own opinions on the badger cull. Good or bad, it usually depends on your background, most ecologists want to stop the cull, most farmers who keep livestock want to have as bigger cull possible. Personally i think that a cull is needed, but it has not been researched enough and there are better and more humane ways of carrying it out. But i am no expert. Whatever your opinion, Natural England have just announced an "extension to the badger control licence" in Gloucestershire http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/about_us/news/2013/231013.aspx#.Umf0IhTvSkA.facebook

(The lovely Badger photograph is by Marc Steichen -a runner up in the wildlife photograph of the year competition-)

Pigeon/rock dove hybrid.

Over the weekend i took a trip to London with my girlfriend to see Passenger live. We also got to stay with my dad and his girlfriend as well as see some of the sights of London. These pigeon/rock-dove hybrids ( no really, they aren't pigeons :) ) were everywhere, and very tame. This gave me a few good opportunities to photograph birds in a way that is usually very difficult.
Hopefully, i think, this photo shows that if something is common it doesn't have to be boring, it is sometimes worth a look :).

Maybe one day :(

After the wildlife photograph of the year results were announced a couple of days ago i have been reading the details on my favorite photography. I was very pleased to realise that Pål Hermansen, the person who took that photo, had used the same brand as mine :) (cannon).

However after some internet browsing i soon realised that that sort of camera was way out of reach for me :/. I currently use a EOS 1100D. Pål Hermansen however was using a EOS 5D mark 3. This is almost £2,700 more than mine.

Although there is a silver lining, looking into cannons range a bit more i realised i may be able to afford, in the not to distant future, a more advanced camera for around £500 :). Maybe one day.

Its worth checking out the wildlife photographs of the year, some excelent shots, well done to all involved :).
Wildlife photograph of the year

Sepia Red Stag

Another one of my favorite photographs from my trip to Richmond park. One i am very chuffed with :).

Majestic Red Stag

Had a lovely trip to Richmond park today with my college to get first hand views of red and fallow deer. This was to help us better understand our deer unit of the course and also to give us a change from the classroom which was very much appreciated. I had a awesome time wandering around Richmond park seeing a lot of things for the first time, including this red deer stag.
One of the bigger more mature stags in the park, he had finished his rut for the year and was resting and taking it easy after what i can only assume was a job well done.

Holiday Turnstone

This year my family and I went on holiday to Devon (Appledoor) and rented a beautiful cottage right on the coast, overlooking Appledoor bay. When we all went walking the dog the tide had just started to go out and the waders had started moving in, I managed to catch a glimpse of a bird. I spent about 20 minutes slowly following it until I was able to get a decent enough photo, with an end result I am pretty happy with :).

Common buzzard

The common buzzard is one of my favorite British animals. However attempts to get a photograph have been victim to sods law on numerous occasions. Every time i seemed to get an opportunity to photograph one it turned out as a silhouette or blurry. I know this photo isn't perfect but to me it is evidence that i am making progress. I achieved this with a iso of 1600 and a high shutter speed on a fairly overcast day. Hopefully i will get a more satisfying photo of the magnificent common buzzard sooner rather than later.

I am not too good with my butterflies, but i am fairly certain this is a swallow tail. Feel free to correct me. I took this when out visiting family in spain. They are very lucky to live in a relatively remote area which is full of fascinating wildlife. Hopefully i will be out there again soon, photographing the various lizards and birds of prey that i rarely see more than a glimpse of :).

4-spotted orb weaver

Took a trip with my diploma class today to a piece of un-managed land on the border between Eastliegh and Southampton. Our aim was to conduct a phase 1 habitat survey to determine if there was anywhere on the site worth further investigation. In doing this we discovered all kinds of arachnid and insect :). Special thanks to Matt Saunders aka Sparrow.

Spot the snake revealed

The spot the snake reveal, as promised. Well done to anybody that found it!!!!

Spot the snake !

I went for a trip to a reptile sanctuary in the new forest today with my diploma class. We didnt expect to see anything as it was too cold. However against the odds my tutor spotted the rarest reptile in the u.k (smooth snake ). See if you can spot it and i will upload the photo with it highlighted either tomorrow or later tonight.

Kestrel

Out for a walk geocaching with the family me and my girlfriend spotted movement. Once i realised it was a kestrel i took my time walking slowly up to it, taking photo with each step so as to get as close and as detailed shot as possible. I was pretty chuffed with the results :).

Herring gull

I recently went on a family Holiday to north devon. The gulls there went crazy for any scraps found left on the beach. I took this as one came in close trying to get to some scraps a family had left behind on the beach.

Richie Porte Time Trial

Although i mainly take wildlife photos, cycling to france to see one of the biggest sporting events in the world wouldn't be complete without photos of the event. Me, my step dad, brother and one of my best mates spent the day walking around Mont saint michel watching various cyclists attempt to complete the tough course as fast as they could. I was lucky enough to get an excellent view of one of my favorite cyclists Richie Porte as he approached the finish.

Welsh River

During my first year of my diploma we took a week long study tour to the north of Snowdonia national park. It had some stunning scenery and amazing wildlife. The rivers seemed to be the controlling factor in the landscape so i used a slow shutter speed and a low iso in order to try and capture the movement and power of a near by river.

Intrigued gull

At Hengistbury head near Bournemouth there is a small cafe which is very popular and as a result it is popular for a lot of opportunists such as this black headed gull, who was flying over to check out what was on offer.

Butterfly on lavender

On a recent visit to my grandads house in France he was showing me the garden and we noticed the lavender was covered in Butterfly's. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to take a photo with such vibrant colours.

Tern.

This was taken at Hengistbury head near Bournemouth. I was there to look at coastal features as part of my countryside management diploma. We were lucky enough to see this amazing bird plummeting into the sea trying to catch a shoal of fish. In the feeding frenzy i was able to get this shot :).

Vole mum

On one of the more unusually sunny days recently me and a friend went to a quiet piece of woodland to see if we could find anything making the most of the sun near our college. We were very lucky to find this little vole. At first we did not realise, but it was actually a mother in its nest (to the left), and it had tiny little pink babies. Of course as soon as we realised we left it alone to take care of its little family. But i was very chuffed with this little snap.

Relaxed fox

After hearing a lot of commotion coming from somewhere towards the back of my garden ( and the suggestion to take my camera down there by my mum) i went up to the the fence and peered through to see a group of foxes and fox cubs. This particular one was taking a moment to lay down in the sun.

Adolescent cygnet

On a walk with the family we met a large group of swans, most of which were young cygnets with their mum and dad.

Common lizard

I was able to photograph a common lizard the other day basking in the heat (well, the English equivalent of heat) of the day. Me and a friend had gone for a walk around the grounds of my college in Hampshire (sparsholt). We often do as it is in a lovely part of the country and is home to some rare wildlife due to the habitats surrounding it. We lifted up a piece of corrugated metal to find this little guy enjoying the warmth underneath. After taking the photo i returned the metal and left it to it, all without it moving a muscle (except the odd eye movement to check us out.