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.