… So to the evening session and a good couple of hours with the Kittiwakes but this time with an overcast sky.
Marsden Grotto – Kittiwakes
‘I’ll just leave it for you to see’ were Mike’s words as we were driving through South Shields towards Marsden. He’d mentioned nothing about Kittiwakes, a lift or a pub and as we drove into the car-park none of this trio were evident, but he’d said something about a grotto?
Walk from Parc Cwm Darran for the 2014 Calendar
The scheduled August walk had to be cancelled due, would you believe, to bad weather! So a rather quickly arranged date was agreed – we needed and still need to  compile enough images that place the walks into a context and time is running out.
The Resilience of the Wild – Mike Collier
The main reason for visiting Northumberland was to see my brother’s exhibition, The Resilience of the Wild, at the Customs House in South Shields.
Spotted Flycatchers at Highgreen
A week spent in Northumberland with my brother to see a few exhibitions he’s been involved with was inspirational in many ways and has pushed me forward in thinking about my own work.
Skomer and the Best of the rest
Here’s the follow on from the previous post. The puffins are the stars but there’s a pretty good supporting cast as well. The evening produced a subtle sunset and the piece we had craved for during the day.
Skomer – Puffins and People!
It’s always a delight to visit any of the Islands off the Pembrokeshire coast but sometimes the experience is not exactly as you’d like.
Echoes of Conrad Lorenz
Gilfach is a wonderful example of how farming can co-exist with the welfare of wildlife. All to often maximisation of produce for profit has stripped the land bare of the habitats that are needed to maintain a balance that allows a place for both production and wildlife, here it is different.
Underwater photography at Pembrokeshire
I encountered an unusual space the other day, one that’s around us as an island everywhere but curiously one that very few experience.
Red Squirrels at Formby Point
On a recent visit to Formby Point it was good to see that the red squirrels are recovering well. In recent years they were virtually wiped out here by the squirrel pox, a disease carried by the non indigenous grey squirrel.
Arvor – Falmouth Press and Editorial Photography Final Degree Show
Falmouth Press and Editorial final year degree show, Arvor, is on at the moment and over the weekend I went down to have a look. My daughter graduates from the course this year and has been involved in the organisation of the event.
Dinas and Allt Rhyd y Groes and Classic woodland birds
A trip up to  RSPB Dinas, and a new CCW reserve for me yesterday, proved very productive with regards to the expected species, although the woods did seem a little quiet for this time of year than I remember from previous seasons. I’m wondering if this has anything to do with the lateness of spring in general?
New Calendar for 2014
The new calendar for 2014 is finally on its way! (check out the 2012 one here – 2013 we missed due to my illness!) We’ve already cancelled two dates due to very unseasonal weather but today we were lucky and the weather was ideal for the work we had planned.
On hearing the first cuckoo in spring
The cuckoo is a remarkable bird and has always had a special relationship with spring. Since the 1980’s they have declined by 65% and I certainly remember them in places that they have long since gone. Why, is a bit of a mystery.
Image Manipulation in Bird Photography – How far can we go?
Surely a case of crossing the line with this construction of an egret and a frog by Bryan Patrick.
Yellow-browed warbler v Wood Pigeon
A recent visit to Slimbridge served to emphasise how images can be applied to various different aspects within the field of bird photography.
I was walking through the grounds in the morning and became aware of one of the wardens, James Lees, searching a particular stretch of bushes by the side of the South Finger hide. He’d thought he’d heard the call of a rare warbler but couldn’t locate it. I owned up that if I saw the warbler he was on about I wouldn’t recognise it for what it was, let alone be in a position to identify its call.
Aesthetic and Ethical Considerations
International Video Conference with RIT, New York
I was recently asked to participate in a transatlantic conference with Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
Mute Swans on the River Wye
A few days spent on the river Wye, close to Fownhope, gave a good opportunity to work with what appeared to be a resident and local population of mute swans. There were 25 birds in all and during the time I was there spent all of their time within an area of a couple of hundred yards.Continue reading
Dinas, Near Llandovery – Failings of Photography
A run up to Dinas, always a favourite haunt, and a good walk around the ‘rock’ past Twm Sion Cati’s cave in still very cold conditions produced some really fine icicles and ice sculptures. It was difficult to get a sense of the beauty through photographs and I felt dissatisfied when I left them, never an easy thing to do, and this disappointment was confirmed when I downloaded the images.