Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Bitterns at Potteric Carr

I live only a few miles from Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, it's a place I've visited regularly in the past, mainly to photograph the Bitterns that stay over Winter there. As many as 6 have stayed for the Winter months, but eventually the birds move onto the continent to breed. It is hoped that in future the birds will stay on to breed.

I've spent many hours in the hides at the Carr, my favourite being the one at Piper Marsh, the birds are very secretive and difficult to spot and move like a cat, very slowly and with precision.

Some bird watchers have been going for years and have never seen one, fortunately for me nearly every time I went to the Carr, I saw one or even two. Bliss. Mind you, these photographs do represent hours and hours of sitting in a hide.












Thursday, 5 March 2009

Grey seals on the Isle of Mull

Some time ago whilst on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, I video this seal grabbing some snacks.
It certainly entertained the audience.

Friday, 27 February 2009

Grey seals at Donna Nook

Donna Nook in Lincolnshire, is a great place to visit to obtain photographs of Grey Seals. Between December and January each year the seals haul themselves out to give birth to their young.

Obviously it's best to be prepared, with good stout footwear i.e. Wellington boots, and a set of Tide tables. When the tide is out it's then possible to do the long walk across the claggy sand and mud to the waters edge, an eye has to be kept on the tides, on this coast they move fast and are treacherous, the previously exposed sand is soon submerged.

During the week Donna Nook is a RAF bombing range, so access is only available at the weekends.

The rewards are worth the trek though, the seals are approachable, but I wouldn't get too close, they are, after all wild animals.
The pups at this young age don't appear to have any fear of man, many a time after I plonked my tripod down, the pups would shuffle up and get so close I couldn't focus, I was constantly moving back.

When I was engrossed in photographing the seals, occasionally, I would hear a loud continuous thudding sound, on looking up I saw it was the large bull seals moving across the beach, these usually move in a straight line across any other seal, in fact within view I could see a dead flat pup. Life and death.

Photographic opportunities like this are now over until December this year, when I must go back.



Mrs. A faces a pup.











Tuesday, 17 February 2009

Tigress

One warm evening I was in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India, on an organised Tiger tour, when fortunately for me this Tigress crossed the road in front of our open Gypsy vehicle.

It was exciting to see this big cat, not once did it turn its head, but completely ignored our vehicle and its occupants.











And of course this is the answer to the question I posed earlier in "Which animal made these?"

Canon 1D Mk2 with 70 to 200 mm f2.8 zoom lens.

Monday, 16 February 2009

Chewing Gum Rocks.















Caerfai Beach, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Samsung compact camera.

Dropping down from the clifftop path into the secluded Caerfai beach, the sight
of these pink/red rocks spilling onto the sand had me reaching for the camera.

A passing American tourist, also impressed by the sight, joined me and coined the phrase.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Which Way India



















Jungle Babblers, NE India.

Canon 20D + 100-400mm lens. Hand Held.

A group of these "7 sisters" were rooting about in the undergrowth, giving off their scolding
calls, before the whole group flew onto a nearby branch.

Being slow to retrieve the camera, 5 flew down leaving these two, obviously undecided, for the shot.

Copyright: Kevin Smith

Thursday, 12 February 2009

Robin and Crab apple blossom

Because of all the cold miserable snowy weather we're having in the UK, I thought I'd post this bright Spring type image, I took this a couple of years ago in the back garden.

This particular tree will burst into blossom in April which isn't far away and it always looks good.



To get this photograph I erected a small hide and waited for the Robin, I was certain it was aware of my presence. I don't think you can really fool a Robin as easy as that.