The online presence of Tim Collier. Photographer, course leader, lecturer and blogger.
I know the site has been inactive for a good few weeks over the summer and apologies for that. It will remain a little quiet for a while yet as I have to have a major operation coming VERY soon. Once in proper recovery I’ll begin again and things will start moving in a positive direction. So for now a bit of a signing off.
The owl was around again last night and with another fine evening the conditions were very good.
There’s been a Tawny Owl around our area lately and last night it was flying from ariel to ariel just across the road.
A couple of difficult birds to locate and photograph; the Grasshopper Warbler and the Corn Bunting.
Another walk, another set of images, and we are moving at a pace towards creating the 2012 calendar from the work generated from all those who have come on the walks.
Little Gulls used to be regular and in good numbers at Seaforth but in recent years they have fallen off considerably and apparently are now gathering in significant numbers on the Wirral. Something to do with a change in the salinity of the marina, which is just on the other side of the reserve, and has affected the insect numbers that predominate on the surface of the water.
Getting access to the Seaforth reserve took a little bit of time and effort, particularly as I’m not on the spot. You’ve got to apply to the port authority police and then have an a short interview with them and get passes for the car and yourself. The previous post looked at the site itself and framed it with respect to the book ‘Edgelands’ This post will look at some of the birds I’ve photographed at the site during a few recent visits.
Edgelands
There’s been a lot of coverage lately relating to a new book by two North West poets, Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts. Its entitiled Edgelands. As they state in the introduction it’s not a new concept but the interest in bringing the whole idea of this ‘unruly and chaotic’ space back into the public arena has generated a lot of creative activity.
Following on from the last post here’s a few images that have been taken in pretty appalling weather…..
I’ve a presentation that I’ve given to various groups over the last couple of years entitled ‘Light Land and Rain’ It’s really an acknowledgement that without rain, or the near presence of rain, the landscape can often be a bland, and at certain times of the year, difficult place for exciting photography of the natural world.
The second ‘Nature’s Calendar Walk’ was a success, despite a poor forecast. We had expected heavy rain for a good portion of the day yet nothing materialized. Sixteen folk, some new, met at Markham for a round trip via our lunch stop at the ‘Rocking Stone’ The collection and collation of images has begun and the ethos of creating something fresh and exciting continued today with those involved looking at the landscape in a different light. It seems the project now has legs! and is moving along nicely.
Down to Labrador Bay (RSPB) for the Cirl Buntings on the way to Falmouth where my daughter is studying on the BA Press and Editorial photography course. Then up to Scotland with my mum and brothers for a long weekend to visit the loch where we scattered dad’s ashes.
A few days on the Solway during February to see the High Arctic archipelago Svalbard Barnacle Geese also bought some good sightings of Ban Owl, Whooper Swans, and the Yellowhammers feeding off the seed of the main paths at WWT Caerlaverock.
Although the site has been down for a few months, I’ve still been out photographing on a regular basis. As I said in the last post, if it’s within you you simply cant stop!
We all have some idea what photography is and what it can do for us. What it is to each of us will differ widely at times and more subtly at others.
To  begin with there’s a gallery section showcasing some of my work and all the images are for sale through Red Bubble, who produce very fine framed prints.
It’s a while since my last post and I’ll explain how the new site will work and the type of articles and blogs that I’ll be writing next time up, but first, and for reasons of expediency, there’s a new project I’m involved with that can get everyone out there photographing and for a very specific reason, a chance to get your work into print!
Over the weekend I spent three or four hours in the Michael Powell hide at the WWT reserve. On most occasions, if you give it time, the Kingfisher will show from this hide and today was no exception.
