Christmas Party

Male Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake, Weymouth

I generally like to watch Countryfile on a Sunday, it's one of the few TV programmes I do watch. I especially like to get a feel for the coming week's weather and I find the forecast they give is as good as any. When the forecast for Thursday looked very promising I started to hatch a plan.

Locally the sightings of late have been very good and the plan I came up with was to spend the whole day at Radipole Lake. True, it was a bit of a risk as I rarely seem to have much luck there, but it's only a couple of miles down the road and it fitted around other plans I had. I was hoping to get the Bearded Tits, perhaps a Kingfisher, maybe if I was really lucky an Otter and if the Gods were smiling on me too, a Bittern. All have been seen in daylight there over the last week.

Arriving just after it got daylight, the mist was still hanging in the reeds and a quick check at the concrete bridge didn't yield any Otters. In fact there was nothing. I decided the best bet was to circle the Buddleia Loop and then head towards the visitor centre. It wasn't long before I got lucky as I bumped into a fellow tog who was already 'on' a flock of 12 - 15 Beardies. They weren't close and they were quite well hidden by the reeds, but they'd been found. All too soon though, the whole flock flew into the middle of the reeds within the loop and it was a long time before they were located near to a path again. In fact during the day I spent there, I witnessed the same situation three times and walked the Buddleia Loop countless times. But what has this to do with a Christmas party?

Nearing lunchtime I completed another lap of the loop and ended on the concrete bridge. What greeted me took me totally by surprise. Lined up on the bridge were ten of the local wildlife paperazzi, looking for all the world as if it was a party about to happen. After a while ones and twos drifted away, but the party didn't fully break up until about three o'clock. I've naturally met up with others when out before, usually at weekends, but never have I experienced a chance meeting of so many.

At this point there had been some cloud cover for a while, but the signs were that it was about to clear, so I hung on in the hope I was right. I hadn't captured anything I thought would be remotely usable, so I gave it one last try and another lap of the loop. I reached the main path with no sightings at all and set off for the concrete bridge, back to the car and home for a well earned brew. About halfway along I met one of the group who had left earlier and there beside the path was a pair of Beardies. The sun was low by now and the backlight was a bit of a challenge, but if you picked your moment there were clear shots to be had. A superb end to a thoroughly enjoyable day. Never did see a Kingfisher, Otter or Bittern though.

There are more images from the sequence on my Flickr and Facebook pages and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Lucky or What

Great Northern Diver - Portland Harbour, Dorset

I've always felt fortunate that I was born in Dorset and I'm very happy to be still living here. There are downsides of course, but I can happily overlook them for the privilege of being here. Photographically I feel well placed too. I'd be the first to agree there are other equally good locations in the UK, we certainly don't hold a monopoly here, but I like the mild weather that the South coast offers.

My initial interest was in photographing wildlife, although that started in Africa. But carrying it on in the UK, I learned that Dorset is not a bad place to operate. Sure the main focus tends to be birds and I have to admit I'm now tiring of 'bird on a stick' images. I need my subject to be doing something, anything, even just flying, but not perched. If it's a rare species or a first, fair enough, but otherwise I want some action.

So why do I feel so lucky? Well living in Weymouth I have so many locations on my doorstep and they provide regular visitors and rarities. I have two RSPB reserves within three miles to choose from; Portland is a good place offering several locations and lately Ferrybridge is starting to provide plenty of opportunities. Then there are the one-offs, such as the current 5 Cattle Egrets in a field at Nottington. If I tire of birds, there are the Otters at Blandford and living on the edge of town I'm in close proximity to deer, badgers and foxes.

As time has progressed, I've become more interested in landscape photography and again, where could be better. I'm on the Jurassic coast and all of the images that can offer. Who hasn't seen a shot of Durdle Door and a little inland there's always Corfe Castle to name but two.

But these iconic sites do have a downside. How to get a different view, a problem I know a number of togs struggle with. I'd have to include myself in that category at the moment too. I've spent some time studying the genre and had one or two stabs at it, as you can see from my gallery. It's time for some action now and in the coming weeks, between a couple of wildlife trips, I'm determined to do some serious location searching. Wherever that takes me in the county, I'll be happy in the knowledge that I will find what I'm after in Dorset.

Bird Island, Seychelles

King Myna

Our trip to Bird Island had been booked for nearly two years, so as the departure date approached excitement was building. It's not an easy trip to undertake, involving three flights each way. We flew Emirates via Dubai and suffered their limit of 'one piece of hand luggage no more than 7kg'. Alternatively we could have flown Etihad via Abu Dhabi, but the same restrictions apply. Kenya Airways gets you a 12kg allowance, but involves a 6 hour stop in Nairobi.

After 26 hours travelling we landed on Bird Island and immediately the heat hits you. It shouldn't be a surprise being in the Indian Ocean and it was approaching midday, but the heat was to be a big factor in our stay.

Settling in to our chalet the tranquility is immediately apparent, punctuated only by the sound of the sea and of course, the birds. What ultimately surprises you is how the noise increases at night and earplugs are a definite aid to restful sleep.

Once into bird photography mode, there is much to see as you might expect. Noddys are abundant, but if you can pick your way past them there are many delights on offer. While we are used to seeing Turnstone in the UK, the sheer numbers on Bird take you by surprise. Plenty of Whimbrel too, but as with here you can't get close. Other highlights are Tropicbird, Frigatebird, Red-footed Booby, Greater Crested Tern, Fairy Tern, Pratincole, Blue Pigeon, Great White Egret; the list goes on.

Perhaps of even more interest are the short-stay callers and vagrants. While we were there we had Amur Falcon, Hobby, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, European Roller amongst many others. The image above was one such bird and confirmed by a well-known Seychelles ornithologist as a King Myna. Myna birds are quite common on the island and relatively tame, but this one was a complete surprise.

Summing up, Bird Island is a great destination for a bird photography holiday, but it is important to get the timing right. We seem to have been near to the end of the optimum time. You also need to be able to withstand 30+degC temperatures for long periods and often in places where there is no shade from the sun. We spent 14 nights there, but my suggestion would be that 10 nights is about enough.

The Trouble with Flickr

I first joined Flickr back in 2011 when I was looking for somewhere to share some pictures I had recently taken on a safari in Botswana. It was very simple then as I was just getting to grips with my first DSLR and wildlife photography was looming as a hobby. I posted a few up and thought no more of it.

A couple of years passed and as the hobby took a hold, someone said to me "what do you do with all of your pictures?" to which the reply was "nothing". So the Flickr suggestion was made and I readily embraced it, merrily tagging images, posting them in various groups, following like-minded people and building up a web of followers. To begin with I was happy to be involved: I was seeing a lot of inspirational images from others and drawing some nice comments from my followers.

It wasn't long though before I started to struggle with the whole concept. I was spending more and more time on Flickr when I should have been taking and processing my own images. Increasingly I felt under pressure. 

There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, I am not qualified to comment on the quality of an image. I might like a particular picture, but the whole photography game is subjective, so equally I may not. I dislike certain styles for instance: HDR is top of the list, but an image cropped too tightly or within a huge frame also figure. And that is irrespective of how good the subject or quality of the image is. Then we get into the whole 'he doesn't comment on mine so I'm not going to comment on his' scenario. Don't even get me started on the copy and paste comment merchants and how insincere that is. Also, I can't see the point of 'nice shot Jim' nor the comments that actually say nothing.

So where does this leave me? It's true to say I have made some very good friends through my involvement in Flickr and for that I am grateful. I shall continue to post pictures to Flickr, but my focus now will be centred on our website (www.2togs.co.uk). I will continue to look at the new posts everyday, but my comments will be rare. If I am following someone, it's because I like their work. If only Flickr had a 'Like' button, the world would be a better place.

This will be the last post on this blog page as I transfer it to our website at www.2togs.co.uk/news.html.

Brownsea Island Again

Sandwich Tern - Sterna sandvicensis

Looking through our catalogue of images recently we realised it was three years ago we last ventured to Brownsea for the terns. Spurred on by a successful visit last Autumn for the Red Squirrels, we devised a plan to go across in early July. As plans go it wasn't very complex: catch the first boat from Poole Quay at 10am, spend all day in the Macdonald Hide and catch the last boat back to Poole.

A similar plan had worked well for the Reds and this one was equally as rewarding, far better than the experience in 2013. This time the wire netting around the islands appeared higher and that, along with constantly changing light, was challenging. But there was more and varied birding action this time along with some behaviour we hadn't witnessed before.

There were a large number of Sandwich Terns, Mediterranean Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, Shelduck and Canada Geese showing close to the hide and all had chicks or juveniles with them. We had seen the courting and feeding rituals of the Sandwich Terns last time and were keen to get some more shots of that, but it was the Mediterranean Gull behaviour that took us by surprise.

We soon noticed they had a couple of chicks on the island close to the left side of the hide, but much of the time they were out of sight behind some foliage. After about an hour, one of the adults returned with a live Common Tern chick in its beak and proceeded to kill it in our full view. Once it was dead, the gull ate it whole and struggled to force it down. A short while later, the Med regurgitated it and fed it to its own chick. During the day, we witnessed this on six separate occasions, but on one of those the adult had to digest it again as it hadn't reached a state where the chick could eat it.

Six hours in the hide soon passed and it was time to head for the last ferry back to Poole Quay at 5pm. We do like the journey from Poole as you get to return around the far side of the island. The fare is naturally more than using the boat from Sandbanks, which is far quicker. However, car parking at Sandbanks is more expensive and finding an on-street space needs a large slice of luck. Still probably the best way if travelling from Bournemouth and the East, but from West of Poole like us, probably less attractive.

Summer Holiday

Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus. North Uist, Outer Hebrides

My last blog post was about the start of our journey to the Outer Hebrides, which for a number of reasons was a holiday that nearly didn't happen. Thankfully it did, but it was an exceptionally close call.

One reason that nearly scuppered the holiday was a lack of birds. A pre-trip recce had shown only three Short-eared Owls on the islands, where normally they would number up to a dozen per day. Naturally this caused us to think long and hard about cancelling, before we had to pay the balance on the trip. However, we decided to go ahead and one of the main reasons was to renew acquaintance with the guys who ran our visit to Mull last year, along with our fellow guest on that trip, Lister Cumming.

The drive over to Mallaig from Dunblane was dry and uneventful apart from an unusual experience with a cashpoint machine at Morrisons in Fort William. As we waited to board the afternoon ferry to Lochboisdale on South Uist it began to rain and it was still raining when we docked at the other end. 

That made for an unpleasant drive to our accommodation on North Uist, but a warm welcome from our host Marcus Conway awaited us and a welcome hot meal prepared by his chef Craig. The accommodation was a beautiful and well appointed house right on the shoreline and perfectly placed for the job at hand. After dinner, a plan for the week was agreed and we turned in to get some sleep before an early start next morning.

A quick coffee at 5am and we were on our way. Within a couple of miles we had a great sighting of a Red Deer stag and in less than an hour after leaving, we were photographing a pair of Short-eared Owls out hunting. We had a successful session before returning to base for breakfast at 10am. 

Most of us then felt the need for a siesta and followed this with a late lunch, then back out again by 3pm. This session was mainly with waders and lasted a good couple of hours before we went back to base for dinner. Once refuelled, we were back out again and headed to the tern colony at RSPB Balranald. An hour was spent there, then it was back on the trail of the SEOs. 

By 9pm we were successful and half an hour of watching bagged us a lot of images before the light turned too gloomy and we packed up for the day.

That was pretty much the way the whole week progressed and it was very successful, if a little tiring. Early starts and late finishes with meals slotted in as and when, with Marcus constantly going the extra mile to ensure we got what we were after. It was hard to believe we'd agonised about cancelling, on one day alone we saw 24 different SEOs just on North Uist.

Of course we weren't limited to SEOs, there were many other species on offer, although as per usual we only heard the Corncrake. We had a few Hen Harrier sightings, more than on our trip to Mull last year, but by far the most common birds were the Oystercatchers. We visited a few locations where there were plenty of Terns to photograph. Waders were in abundance, there was the odd Grey Seal and a chance encounter with an Otter. Added to all of that were some excellent landscape opportunities and, particularly in the evening, some wonderful golden light.

But the main aim of the trip was the Short-eared Owls and we were well satisfied on that score. Definitely a location we'd happily visit again.

All too soon the trip was over and we began the long journey back to Dorset. An early start to catch the 7am ferry, before a solid day of driving, via Dunblane and a welcome lunch laid on by Margaret and Lister, to an overnight stop in Cheshire. A more leisurely start on the Sunday saw us back home by mid-afternoon with a lot of memories to look back on and a few thousand images to process.

Stop Off in Perthshire

Red Kite - Milvus milvus. Argaty Feeding Station

There can be no doubt that from the South coast, Dorset to be precise, the road trip to the Outer Hebrides is a long haul. Dependant upon which island you're heading for, there are a selection of mainland ports you can choose from. Our ultimate destination was North Uist meaning our nearest port was Oban, but that involved a six and a half hour crossing, plus another hour of driving across the islands. The alternative was to motor on to Mallaig from where the crossing was reduced by three hours, but the drive was around another fifty miles.

Fortunately, we didn't have to contemplate this for too long as the third member of the group, who had been with us on our Mull trip last year, came up with another plan. He very kindly invited us to stay with him and his wife at their house near Dunblane for a few days before the three of us set off for North Uist. We were going to look for wildlife in and around some of the glens on his local patch, but starting with a visit to the Argaty Red Kite feeding station. 

This was our seventh visit to a Red Kite feeding station, having previously done Gigrin Farm, Nant yr Arian and Llanddeusant twice each. True to form, the weather was again less than ideal, but the experience was somewhat different. To start with there is an honesty box at start of the path up to the hide in which to deposit your fee. Apart from Nat yr Arian, which is free, Argaty is cheaper than the other two. You also get a visit from a guide just prior to the feeding, who gives an insight to the Red Kite re-introduction in the area.

There were two things I preferred about this site over the others. Firstly there are less birds, which makes picking a subject bird and sticking with it a whole lot easier. Secondly, I have a preference for Red Kite images against a foliage background, rather than the sky and this site has that aspect covered too. So a successful afternoon, despite the conditions and the promise of more to come.

It didn't really turn out that way though. Our main targets of Black and Red Grouse were keeping their heads well and truly down. We spotted one Black Grouse, but that soon disappeared and although we saw plenty of Reds, they had chicks and were keeping well hidden. To compensate we got some nice Redshank pictures, had an accommodating Whinchat, a flighty Red Squirrel, plenty of Meadow Pipits.

We paid a visit to the Scottish Wildlife Trust site at Loch of Lowes to try for shots of the nesting Ospreys there. Plenty of showers and a somewhat disinterested male bird yielded no images at all. Even being encouraged by the female didn't work so sad to say all of the distant flight shots were fit only for deletion. There was a 'duck' that the volunteer in the hide couldn't identify, which caused some discussion. A few record shots later confirmed it was a juvenile Barnacle Goose, but that was about it.

Disappointed? Not at all. We had a thoroughly enjoyable stay with our hosts and toured around some wonderful Scottish scenery. Sometimes it's nice to put the camera down and just look. Our thanks to Lister and Margaret Cumming for a cracking start to the trip.

As for the Outer Hebrides, that's something for my next blog and maybe the one after that too!

A Box Finally Ticked

Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis

A number of people have a nemesis bird, some of us more than one. It’s not that I don’t have a Kingfisher image, albeit a rather fortuitous capture beside the River Stour at Blandford while on Otter watch. But I never managed THE shot, until recently. Now I feel like I need never try to get another Kingfisher shot at all. Let's be clear right at the start though, the one above is not THE shot. That will see the light of day sometime later.

We decided to maximize our chances of getting a decent image and booked a day with Nature Photography Hides in Worcestershire. So bright and early on a Sunday morning in late May, we set off for the 8am meet in the car park of a well known takeaway near the hides.

A bit of an inauspicious start awaited us as the guy we were meeting was expecting six photographers and there were eight. Not only that, he wasn’t expecting anyone for the Kingfisher hide and that was us. We needn’t have worried, there was no problem at all and we were soon in the hide, as were the other togs in their respective hides.

In less than 20 minutes, a Kingfisher arrived and posed nicely to get the day off to a great start. It turned out to be superb day with seven or eight visits all told and plenty of super images made. There was a lull of about three hours around the middle of the day with no activity, but who’s complaining about a three-hour lunch break?

Did we see anything else? Yes, a Great Spotted Woodpecker removing a leatherjacket from the bark of a tree for his evening meal. But that was about it. Around 6pm, we decided we would leave after the next bird, or 6:30pm, whichever was the sooner. Funnily enough, they both came together.

As we left the hide to walk back to the car, we paid particular attention to the other hides erected on the site and there are a good few, including reflection pools. Needless to say, ours was the last car in the car park. A short drive to the nearest pub, some dinner followed by the long drive back to Weymouth.

A great day out and we can fully recommend the Nature Photography Hides site in Worcestershire.

Ospreys in Rutland

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus. The Gambia

During our trip to The Gambia in April, we had the opportunity to photograph Ospreys on a couple of occasions. Both of these were while we were on boat trips in what are best described as less than stable craft. There were quite a few birds to choose from as well and we got some half decent shots without capsizing the boat. No mean feat in itself. The image above being an example, not of the usual standard, but better than nothing.

It was therefore strange to think that around a month later we could well be photographing the very same birds, nearer to home. Leaving straight after work on Friday, we motored up to Peterborough for an overnight stay and to be ready for a 04:15 appointment with the birds.

A wet morning greeted us as we left the hotel, but by the time we arrived on site it had thankfully stopped. We were met by our ‘guide’ for the session and introduced to the other couple, who were joining us. Quickly dealing with the formalities, we were soon installed in the hide and preparing for the action.

The site is actually a trout farm and the pond that is used apparently holds around 10,000 fish. The guide sits in his car up on the hill overlooking the site and has two-way radio contact with the hide occupants to warn of approaching birds. All set up, we just needed the birds.

Not too long passed before the call came over the radio “bird overhead”. All four of us peered out, but saw nothing save for a Grey Heron. Our guide suggested the Heron had scared off the Osprey, but whatever, we never saw it.

It was around another 30 minutes before we got another call and this time we saw the Osprey perch in a tree front left of the hide. It soon swooped down to the pond grabbed a fish and was gone in a flurry of many frames per second. We were all annoyed that the bird had done this with its back to us the whole time, but it was good practice for the next swoop, whenever that might be.

The fact is, there were no more visits, even though our scheduled departure from the hide at 08:30 was postponed for 15 – 20 minutes. We had plenty of time to eat our snacks and drink our coffee without being disturbed. There was also time to indulge in an interesting conversation about Andy Rouse and his Fotobuzz group.

So all that was left was to head back to the hotel to have breakfast before returning to Dorset virtually empty handed. Even that was less than inspiring and maybe we should have visited the greasy spoon the guide directed us too rather than the hotel.

All in all a wasted effort, where we didn’t improve on our captures from The Gambia. But this is wildlife photography and days like these must be accepted. It actually makes the days where it all comes together that little bit more special too.

Suffolk in Spring

Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Three years ago we spent a weekend in the Suffolk and Norfolk area with the intention of visiting a RSPB Minsmere and another reserve that took our fancy at the time. The other reserve turned out to be RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, but in the end that was a less than rewarding location. However, we were clear that Minsmere would need another visit and subsequent use by BBC Springwatch strengthened our resolve. So it was that we returned this year in early May.

Visiting on the weekend is always going to be busy and at such a popular reserve as Minsmere, this is even more apparent. But with that said, it covers a huge area and there is plenty on offer. We were rewarded with good weather and even managed to sit quietly on the beach beside a calm North Sea to take lunch.

We decided to follow a similar route to last time and soon found ourselves at the Sand Martin wall, where Rose managed to connect with the electric fence that surrounds it. Moving on (swiftly) we found ourselves in the dunes and being fascinated by the Sand Martins pitching on the ground all around us as they collected nesting material. There were plenty of Stonechats, and Whitethroat around and soon an hour had passed.

We next moved on to the hide overlooking The Scrape and had to queue for a space to become vacant. But this was one of the main reasons for the visit, the Avocets. We probably outstayed our welcome here, but we got what we went for and enjoyed the cacophony of noise from the Black-headed Gulls.

Moving on after lunch, I became fascinated by a pair of Barn Swallows who were on a fence quite close and spent some time photographing them. Seeing this, another photographer approached me and tipped me off about another very confiding pair he had been shooting for about an hour. We moved in and spent rather longer than we perhaps should with this pair producing the image in this post.

Carrying on around we got a Sedge Warbler and could see and hear Bearded Tits. Trying to get a shot was nigh on impossible and we spoke to another tog who had spent most of his afternoon trying unsuccessfully to get them. We rounded off the visit with a very industrious Lapwing and a rather secretive Muntjac Deer. By the time we left, the visitor centre had long closed and the car park was nearly empty.

The following day we motored an hour from our base to RSPB Lakenheath Fen. This was a Cuckoo and Hobby fest the like of which I've never seen or heard before. To hear two, or even three, Cuckoos calling at the same time is a rare pleasure. It was a very hot day and as a result, heat haze was something of a problem, but well worth the effort. There were Bitterns booming and showing quite well, but photographically not the best day we've had. Have to say much better than Strumpshaw Fen on our last visit though.

On our way back to base, we stopped off at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust site at Weeting Heath, which we had spotted earlier. Apparently it's a prime site to see Stone Curlew, but I have to say was an expensive and wholly wasteful experience. From the surly volunteer who was too busy texting to properly deal with us to the hides which were so far from the birds, they were mere dots on the horizon. That was if they came up from behind the dip in the ground where they were nesting. Not a site for a revisit and perhaps not the best way to end our weekend.

Hares & Badgers

Juvenile Badger - Cranborne Chase

It's obvious to me that if I want to make a success of this blog I have to update it regularly. Clearly once every two months, or even once in a blue moon, just won't cut it. So I'm really going to try from this point onwards to blog at the very least weekly, I think the ultimate of daily is just too much to achieve.

It's not that we're short of material as we have been busy this last two months, but not so busy that I have an excuse not to blog. I have a reason for this lapse, a damn good one too, but it's no good hiding behind excuses.

You'll maybe notice that this blog has morphed into Ian Locock Photography, rather than Ian Rose. This change is reflected across all of the locations where Rose and I share our work in an effort to avoid further confusion as to who actually took any given image. Rose now has a Facebook page 'Rosemary Locock Wildlife Photography' in addition to her Flickr account.

I've already blogged about our trip to the Gambia, but as far as processing images from that trip goes, there are still a good number to deal with. A few days after that blog post we revisited a private site we used last year for Brown Hares and in more promising weather. A pre-dawn start saw us installed in a hide waiting for the action to begin and we waited and we waited some more. There were hares about, but they were keeping out of range despite the hides having been in situ for long enough to be accepted as the norm.

After around three hours with not a frame being shot, the decision was taken to adjourn for coffee and a welcome stretching session, before moving to another part of the site. Surprisingly, although we were out in the open, this yielded the best shots of the day. There was some distant boxing action out of range of our 600mm lenses, but there were some close passes to capture instead. This turned out to be the high spot of the day and a second visit to that part of the site a while later was less productive. 

As the session was coming to an end, our guide for the day took us back to the cars via a different route, which we later learned was carefully planned. There is a Badger sett on the site and he knew there were two juveniles who habitually came out foraging during daylight. It wasn't long before we heard rustling in the long grass and there to our delight was the youngster featured in my shot. We enjoyed his company for a good ten minutes before we were joined by the second juvenile. As they moved closer, they were able to pick up on our scent and after around fifteen minutes in total decided it was time to return to the sett. 

It really was a magical encounter to be so close to these animals in broad daylight and was a beautiful end to the session. All in all, it was probably less successful than last year's visit and probably signals a need to seek out Brown Hares in a new location for future shoots.

The Gambia

It's been three weeks since our return from The Gambia and only now have we got around to blogging about the trip. I was a touch apprehensive prior to the trip, in some ways fearing a repeat of the Madagascar experience, albeit without the worry of cancelled internal flights. Happily, that didn't happen and we enjoyed a full-on six days of bird photography.

Maybe full-on photography is not quite the right description, but walking an average of 5 miles a day in temperatures around 32deg C felt pretty busy. There were lulls of course and some sites yielded very little, but there was always something. We renewed our acquaintance with a good number of African species from our previous trips to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa, but we also scored quite a high number of lifetime firsts. 

It's not that we are into lists and year lists etc, nor do we see ourselves as birders. So if you're wondering why I'm using an image of a male Fiddler Crab in this blog, it's because it was a first-timer and our interest is really wildlife photography. But we do record everything new that we see, including where and when.

It's well known that The Gambia is a birding hotspot and from that aspect we weren't disappointed. We saw little else apart from birds in the areas we visited, although we know in the right place at the right time there are other animals to see. But we have plenty of images of birds and it is going to take a while to go through them all. Especially so now that returning migrants to the UK are eating into our time.

A few thoughts on the Gambia itself are worth a mention too. Undoubtedly a poor country, the people themselves are very friendly and made us feel welcome. Inevitably though, there are those trying to rip off the tourists to 'earn' a few extra Dalasis. Tipping is expected, but amounts involved are not high. I did however draw the line with the very loud guy who pushed his way between our boat crew to help us off the boat, even though the two crew guys had it covered. 

Also have to be on the look out for sharp practice. The British-owned lodge we stayed in (mentioning no names) ran a tab for drinks and any food outside of the B & B tariff. However, nowhere was there any mention of VAT being added to the prices, so the 15% extra on the bill came as something of a surprise. It is also the first place I have come across where the term 'packed lunch' referred to a solitary sandwich. No fruit, crisps or even a drink and if other guests from the lodge were going fishing that day, the solitary cool box was used for the bait, not the packed lunches.

'Would we go back'? is a question we are being asked, but the answer is 'No'. We had no complaints in reality and the birding was good, but we aren't birders as I mentioned. It's just that there are so many other places yet to discover and unfinished business in some places we have already been.

Signs of Spring

I'd be the first to agree this is not the best image I have ever taken of the Great Crested Grebes. But for now it has to suffice as the closest I have come to recording the courtship dance for which they are famous.
It will therefore come as no surprise that as Spring starts to appear - I hear a Wheatear was recorded at Portland yesterday - we find ourselves back at the Buddleia Loop trying to improve on previous attempts.
And so it was, last Sunday Rose and I found ourselves heading down there ready to join the queue. I predicted we would have three particular members of the local wildlife paparazzi already in situ and so it proved. It was good to meet up again and exchange the usual banter that has been sadly missing since early Autumn.
Evidently nothing much had happened prior to our arrival, but very shortly the pair moved down the channel towards the visitor centre. And once they had a good screen of reeds between us, so they had a dance. It wouldn't have got good scores on Strictly Grebes Dancing, but we couldn't shoot it either. We hung around expectantly for a couple of hours, but all we got was sleeping, nest building and the odd head shaking session.
Sadly that was it for the day and we all packed up and headed off. But it had been a fun few hours in good company, doing what we love and on a fine, sunny Sunday too.

That's Better

At last it seems as though we are turning the corner weather-wise and there is plenty of interest around and about to be photographed. Personally I'm feeling a bit ring-rusty and going to need a few trips out to get back on my game. It's a bit like the times when I can't ride my bike or run, I'm dying to get back into it, but technique and fitness comes back slowly. That's especially so now, I guess age has to come into it sometime.
A couple of days off work last week helped and that they coincided with bright conditions was a bonus. We ventured up to Blandford for the Otters on Tuesday, where the mother and two cubs (kitts, pups - take your pick) had been spotted early morning. It seems the attention of a number of long lenses on the riverbank, not to mention some serious video kit, caused the mum to move the cubs to safety and we never actually saw them. She went off fishing and led us a merry dance up and down the path, eventually going back to the hiding place with a very large eel.
Moving on we nipped down to Upton Country Park to try for the Jays and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Both were spotted, but unlike last year, I was unable to get an unhindered view of a Jay. We both struck lucky with the Woodpeckers and between us got both male and female.
Thursday afternoon was another opportunity. We had a reasonable period of sunshine down at Lodmoor and got a few good shots, one of which I added to my Flickr account here. There was a solitary and distant Spoonbill, but most disappointing of all was the Marsh Harrier, which showed beautifully along the line of both the West path and Beechdown Way. The problem was, we were watching this from Southdown Avenue.
You're probably wondering why I should post an image of a White-tailed Eagle, rather than the birds I have mentioned locally. The main reason for that is I've yet to process much of last week's efforts, but equally I'm looking forward to the opportunity of getting more eagles in Scotland later this year when hopefully I shall be back near the top of my game again.

London Buses

I know, there's been nothing for two months or more and now here's a second post in around 24 hours. A bit like London buses as they say, hence the title. It's not as if I have anything sensible to blog about either.
Today has been a game of two halves, Parkrun this morning and image sorting this afternoon. Not that I am able to take part in Parkrun at the moment, but it's a good opportunity to do some volunteering. With my background, the lead bike job is right up my street. A couple of times today I needed an extra kick to keep ahead of the lead runner and the ability to ride forwards while facing backwards is always a help.
But what has this to do with wildlife you're probably thinking. In truth nothing, more to show that I do have other interests. But on the way around, I noticed there was a lot of Goldfinch activity at Lodmoor and two Buzzards showing nicely in Came Park when I extended my ride home.
Now you're wondering about the significance of the Mandarin image, but that is more logically explained. This afternoon's sorting revealed this previously unpublished image from a trip to the Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in January last year. Hopefully I'm back on song now and will blog on a more regular basis. Don't think it will be daily though.

Too Long Again

It's been over two months since I last made a blog post and I've thought if I am going to put a link on my Flickr posts, there should be something for people to read. My last two posts were bemoaning the lack of decent weather and for us working people with only weekends to get out, it doesn't look like this weekend will be any better.
Looking around for some other avenue to channel my photographic need, I've spent a good few hours reading a variety of blogs and articles on both wildlife and landscape subjects. On the occasions when we have had good light, I've taken the opportunity to experiment with camera and lens combinations. As I rely on converters to give me the reach I need for wildlife, it has been a worthwhile exercise to find what does and doesn't work. It has given me excellent information to work with when the weather improves and I have to say lifted me out of the gloom I was feeling.
With the lack of images from recent months, I've had to resort to this image of the most photographed bird in Africa, the Lilac-breasted Roller for this post. It was taken two years ago in the Thornybush Reserve in South Africa.