birds
Autumn beckons
Hay bales, Isle of Sheppey, Kent.
For the last few days there has definitely been a whiff of autumn in the air. Nights are now noticeably drawing in and once the sun sets, temperatures fall quite rapidly. I spent yesterday aftenonn in my marsh hide and when I exited I couldn’t believe how cold it was. Straight on with the fleece! We have had a good summer here in the south. July and August has been very good indeed and as I write this it’s 22 degrees outside. But, I have to say, I am not a great lover of the hot days of summer, unless I’m laying on the beach with a cold bear in my hand! I’m really looking forward to autumn now with all it brings…photographing fungi, rutting deer, morning mists and the influx of wetland birds. Plus, getting up for sunrise ain’t half as difficult.
Dewy web
On the downside, just like spring, it’s all over too quickly so I’m determined to make the most of it, whatever the weather.
Getting low
With a fresh fall of snow forecast last week I thought I’d give my laying-down hide a whirl. I’d been using a standard hide over the last month with a good degree of success but now it was time to get a different perspective. Using this hide is always a challenge for two reasons. Firstly, it’s quite a hassle setting it up and secondly, it’s darn uncomfortable! But, and I stress the word but, the resulting images can be very rewarding which hopefully makes up for the discomfort endured.
Male blackbird
I use a modified bivvy-style tent with a lens opening sewn in as well as 2 side viewing panels with one-way mesh. I first put down a length of tarpaulin which the hide lays on to prevent sticks, stones, thorns etc penetrating the nylon and a large piece of camo netting is then draped over and guy-lines secured. A rubber-backed picnic blanket is placed inside to silence any sounds from within which also acts as an insulator and then a roll matt or self-inflating mattress is put on top of this. In order to support the camera I use a foot square piece of ply with tent pegs in each corner and a 3-way pan and tilt head attached to this. It’s a very secure and stable platform from which to work and slow shutter speeds are not a problem with this. I guess you could use a beanbag instead but then that restricts smooth movement of the camera. Very important when shooting shy birds. To complete the set-up I take in a cushion to support my chest and to prevent the inside of the hide getting messy, I take off my boots outside place them in a bag and they come in with me. See what I mean by hassle?! Needs must though and once inside, movements need to be kept to a minimum since there isn’t a great deal of room.
laying-down hide
There wasn’t quite as much snow as I would have liked. A few more centimetres would have given a better covering, providing a ‘cleaner’ ground.
Robin
I have worked like this a great deal over the years, photographing rabbits and waders amongst others, sometimes for periods exceeding 12 hours. The negatives are obvious. The positives are aside from the intimate perspective you create, wildlife becomes accustomed to this low profile way of working far quicker than with larger, more conventional hides.
Playing by the rules
On this day last year I fulfilled an ambition I had had for years, to photograph common buzzards in the wild, in Kent. Why? Well, up until 7-10 years ago they were quite a rare sight around these parts (North Downs) but over the years they have moved further and further east to a point that it’s unusual not to see one while out on the hills. There are now several hundred breeding pairs in Kent and I personally know of 3 nests which I am dying to work on over the coming years which will invariably require me to build a tree-top hide.
OK, so they are incredibly common in the west and north and hardly golden eagles but there is just something about them, the way they soar, their call…….. and as I visited my feeding station over the years to photograph woodland birds the desire would burn deeper and deeper to photograph this beautiful bird. I have access to a lot of land within their territory and so the previous October decided to commit the following six months to this project. But everything, and I mean everything had to be by the book. Birds of prey are notoriously shy and keen-eyed birds so unlike a blue tit at a nut feeder where you can come and go from your hide without them so much as batting an eyelid, with buzzards, in this part of the world, not a chance!
The following was then carried out.
* 5′ sq wooden hide erected at site under cover of darkness so buzzards didn’t associate it with humans.
* Hide left alone for several weeks.
* Stockpile of road-kill rabbits stored in freezer. Thanks Martina!
* December. Once a week. Rabbit put down pre-dawn in front of hide. At night, if rabbit not devoured by birds, was taken and put up tree to stop foxes taking it. Put back down following morning…….
* Wait for hard weather to commence photography
In mid January we had hard frosts lasting a couple of weeks so I took the opportunity to get some shots. I entered the hide 2 hours before sunrise. 11 hours later one arrived and fed but the light was poor. It got terribly cold in the hide, very rarely going above freezing. I would therefore occasionally ignite the stove for a few minutes, wrap a blanket around me and wear a balaclava. Winter, neoprene lined boots made by Le Chameau helped keep my feet warm (though they froze after 5 hours). I tried again a few days later and this time one appeared in good light but something was missing….snow!
Then, at the end of January we had heavy snow with poor visibility lasting for several days. I needed a break in the weather to entice the buzzard’s from where they had been sheltering from the terrible weather. I then had the forecast I’d been waiting for. A clear day, blue sky all the way. Perfect! This would surely tempt them out to look for food. I got everything ready the night before and woke at 3. With all the snow I knew it was going to be tough driving and there was no guarantee that I would reach the hide. I gingerly made my way to the spot where I needed to park the car but first there was a hill to get up. I had a bit of a run-up but the Mondeo only made it half way. Four attempts later it got me to the top. When I reached the hide, there was over 18 inches of snow. I staked the rabbit down (this is to avoid it being carried off), set up everything in the hide, took snacks out of wrappers (to avoid noise) and sat back waiting for light.
Then, at about 10 o clock one arrived and fed for over 30 minutes. It took my breath away to be this close (15m) and knowing that all the hard work had not been to avail. I got the low angle by using a ground-pod pushing the lens through a sleeve about 6 inches above the ground. I had installed one-way glass so I could see clearly outside without being seen.
Several hours passed and then an immature bird turned up and just like the one previous, spent around 30 minutes feeding, oblivious to the photographer, who at this point, was the happiest man on the planet!
To see a video of what I saw please click here. It was filmed on my point-and-shoot camera so please forgive the rather poor quality.
All images were taken using a Nikon D2x with 300mm f2.8 and 1.4x converter (sometimes without) with right-angle finder attached. I ached for days having spent several hours with my head between my legs peering through this!
Of all the projects I have undertaken this has certainly been the toughest but without question the most satisfying. Hamilton Holt’s quote comes to mind….”Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Work, continuous work and hard work , is the only way to accomplish results that last.”
Success at last!
Following on from the last post, I finally managed to get to my winter bird feeding station in Wormshill. This was after taking a trip to Surrey on Saturday afternoon to invest in some all-terrain tyres. Due to the nature of what I do, I regularly drive in the countryside and the others were wearing a bit thin anyway and were due to be replaced. More snow was forecast and after reading numerous ‘tyre’ reports I decided upon some General Grabber AT2’s. Widely regarded as the best AT tyre around and having now used them in very adverse conditions on the Downs and marshes I can see why.
Robin
I therefore felt confident enough to get to the birds but of course you still have to be careful, especially on the icy-slush and made my way gingerly to the woods. I really wanted some typical snowy shots of birds, especially robins and in my experience these, along with others like dunnocks and chaffinches prefer to feed on the ground rather than on the suspended feeders. I sprinkled food on the ground, set up a low perch and retreated to my hide. Immediately they started to use it including one species which I have never before photographed, the dunnock. The dunnock or hedge sparrow looks like a dull sleek sparrow and always looks to be nervous and agitated, constantly flicking it’s tail and wings. It went through a serious population decline in the 1980s and indications are that it is now recovering.
Dunnock
Great tit in flight. I wanted to try something a little different so took numerous shot as it flew from its perch to the feeder. In order to stop most of the movement I selected a shutter speed of 1/2000th second, iso 2200. Anticipation was the key.
Just prior to the heavy snowfall when we had more of a dusting, I headed to to the marshes and captured this frozen landscape set against a very dramatic sky.
Frozen marshes.
I also came across this pair of red-legged partridges and using the car as a mobile hide, managed to get close enough to secure a handful of images.
Red-legged partridges
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Maybe it’s because it very rarely happens these days or perhaps because it offers new challenges for a wildlife photographer, but am I the only photographer out there that fills up with excitement and anticipation when it snows?! I just love it, even though as a country we are particularly useless at dealing with the white stuff when it comes to a stand-still. I am amazed, given the warning, that hardly any gritting took place on so many major roads where I live and even more so, the speeding idiots who think their car will stop even on black ice! I own a 4WD and it has proven it’s worth over the last few days, but that hasn’t stopped several near misses with those driving way too fast. I’ve driven for many years along local country roads and always expect the unexpected so whilst driving gingerly at under 10 mph to my feeding station several miles away, I wasn’t at all surprised to come face to face with a van hurtling towards me then locking its brakes and as a result veering here and there. It stopped just a few metres away where my expert use of international sign language came into use!
So late Friday morning I headed to my feeding station in the hope of obtaining images of birds in the snow. They were coming in thick and fast, so much so that there was hardly sufficient time to frame the image. Eventually I managed to get a few half decent ones, including this splendid goldfinch. You can see the effect of the snow on the ground, acting like a giant reflector.
Goldfinch. Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, manfrotto 055 with gitzo head, dome hide.
Great-spotted woodpecker
My favourite image however is this one of a robin perched on a fence post. It was pure chance and to me sums up the English countryside in winter, much more so than close-up’s. Perhaps one day it’ll get used as a Christmas card!
It never lasts long enough though and the day after, most of the snow on the trees had disappeared. A few weeks of snowy weather would allow me to relax a little and think of interesting images rather than trying to get as much as possible within 2 or 3 days and the way the climate is changing I guess there is less and less chance of prolonged severe weather. What a shame.
Heading home at sunset.
Birds at last!
In my previous post I mentioned how slow the birds were in coming to the feeding station I had prepared for the last 6 weeks. This was obviously due to the mild weather and there being plenty of food in the woods and fields to satisfy them. But with this sudden spout of cold weather they are now coming in in droves! Species so far as follows though not all photographed…blue tit, great tit, coal tit, marsh tit (pretty sure not willow), chaffinch, goldfinch (yes!) robin and great-spotted woodpecker.
Tuesday was my first attempt. I positioned the two feeders (one with nuts the other with niger seed) about 2m away from what I think is a blackthorn bush (sorry, I’m not totally sure…happy to hear from someone to put me right) and photographed them as they perched before going to the feeders. I often go for this way of working as opposed to placing perches for them to alight on since you get a variety of poses in one sitting. It also looks more natural I think since that is how we more often than not view them…flitting in and out and amongst hedges and trees. There are times however when I will strategically place perches particularly if I am after a clean background. It was a beautiful day and although the p ictures certainly looked punchy and colourful, the light just seemed too harsh and the images lacked ’soul’.
blue tit
I decided therefore to use a technique I’ve employed in the past when photographing plants which is to shoot either end of the day and while the subject is in shade the background is illuminated by the early morning/late afternoon sunlight. The effect is unusual but I have to say I like it quite a lot. You need to use a wide aperture to really throw the background out of focus and there is just a small window of opportunity before the light on the background becomes too harsh. I arrived shortly after sunrise and once settled the birds began to perch and feed giving me just enough time before the sun illuminated the bush.
I also went this afternoon and obtained more images, yes even more blue tits! But the highlight was at around 3 o clock a common buzzard flew within 4m of the hide and perched in an oak tree just feet above me. It was so close that as it flew towards me I thought at one point it was going to join me in the hide!
Wader roost
The forecast didn’t look promising but I decided to go anyway knowing just how quickly it can change here on the north Kent coast. A few weeks ago I headed off to a wader roost I know of and since there is public access there was no chance of me erecting a hide. I therefore kept myself patially hidden some distance away and shot a few general scenes. Some with the 300mm and others with either the 1.4x or 2x attached. The camera was mounted onto a tripod and due to the sometimes slow shutter speeds I used to convey movement I would often employ the mirror lock-up.
I chose to only tweak levels and curves a little in an effort to retain its painterly quality.
It was very windy so as a result the clouds kept moving until eventually the sun appeared and lit the scene with dark, brooding clouds in the distance. The tide was still rising and the roost consisting of knot and dunlin couldn’t settle thereby giving me several chances of getting lift-off and landing shots. The sun would appear and disappear over the next hour or so and as the day dew to a close the weather improved further until as if on cue the tide receded exposing the huge ‘bird-table’ that is the mud-flats as the sun was setting.
Seal Circus
I have only been to this location once, in 1992. Those of you that are familiar with seal photography will know where Iam talking about and for those of you that don’t, all I will say is that it is on the Lincolnshire coast. Please read on to find out why I do not give it’s exact whereabouts. Back then, it was hardly known of and indeed all I wanted to do as a 22 year old was photograph grey seals that autumn. I understood through popping into my local library (this was, after all before the days of the web) that they come ashore from October to February to breed and give birth along the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coast and further. So, I first wrote a letter that summer to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust who gave me the address of the warden who I also then wrote to. All this communication by ’snail-mail’ took several weeks but in the end I was given details of where I should be able to find them.
I was advised by the warden to only go there at the weekend, for a very good reason. I drove up on the Friday with my dad, booked into a B&B then went to the local pub for lunch. Whilst at the pub we chatted to locals who gave us directions as to where the best spot is for seeing them so later that afternoon we parked the car where they suggested and walked along the dunes where lo and behold there they were! What a sight I thought. All the letter writing and driving had finally paid off. I remember taking quite a few shots but at the same time being mindful that I only had a certain amount of film with me. Seems funny looking back on it in this digital age that you had to consider things like that.
The following dawn we both walked across the beach, which took around half an hour to where the main colony was. The early mist cleared and I began shooting with seals all around. But, the images I was really after were of the seals swimming, perhaps with their heads bobbing in the water, typical of this species. But the North Sea didn’t play ball. It was very rough and they were concealed most of the time by the waves. In my concentration I forgot about the waves and all of a sudden my wellington’s were filled with ice cold sea water. Not very pleasant I can tell you! My dad however, in typical fashion, came prepared with spare socks and bags which I slipped my feet into and then back into the wellies. Arh, warm and dry again. On the Sunday however a kind of estuary occurred between the sea and main beach which the seals seemed to be enjoying. It was like a mill pond. I set up the camera on the tripod and just sat there while cows and bulls swam close by, sometimes so close they filled the frame too much. I looked behind me to see my dad with two pups that had come up to him. Looking back I wish I’d taken a photo of that moment but was too focused on the job in hand. How many others were there to share this? Three at the most. Colleagues tell me it’s a very different matter these days. Donna Nook is a ‘must’ for nature photographers fuelling their need to photograph these animals and for pro’s to further saturate the market with identical looking images. On Alamy alone there are 2746 images if you type in the location and my own agent has 186 images and I’m sure they have a lot more taken here which the author has omitted from the caption. Many thousands now go there and every year there seems to be stories about irresponsible behaviour by photographers, getting too close and stressing the animals.
Nikon F4, 500mm f4P, Kodachrome 64.
I don’t think there were many photographers that knew of that site at the time as within months of me submitting the images to my then agent Planet Earth Pictures they were were being used in newspapers, calendars and magazines and even Getty took a few. Certainly images of them were few and far between and unlike others I didn’t immediately start doing workshops there to make a few quid, one of the main reasons I believe for the surge, even before internet forums. I’m personally very reluctant to give away subject locations these days of those areas that may attract large numbers of photographers and indeed only do so to a few like-minded friends and colleagues. This isn’t because I’m worried that they may take similar or better images and put them in the market place in competition with me but that ultimately the subject may become stressed by the sheer number of others in that vicinity. And anyway, surely by doing your own homework you will benefit from producing your own set of fresh images and the personal satisfaction that comes from doing so.
Last year I worked on a site for several weeks photographing a short-eared owl from my car. Using a hide wasn’t an option as it hunted in a field adjacent to a road. I would sit there patiently most afternoons observing and photographing until one afternoon I turned up and there were at least 8 photographers semi-blocking the road with their cars, standing next to the field, cameras on tripods, noisily chatting to one another. The owl did appear but of course headed for the far end of the field and eventually crossed to another some distance away. A perfect example of inconsiderate behaviour by those that were acting as though they were on an outing, comparing lenses and tripods than actually taking into account the well-being of the bird and observing from a discreet distance, inside their vehicles.
I have to say that I’m reluctant to go back to the same seal colony as I fear it will tarnish the perfect memory of spending two whole days with the seals and my dad on an almost empty beach. Instead, I’m looking for a fresh venue and I think I may have just found one.
Brents
Although north Kent in autumn and winter has an influx of waders and wildfowl, geese, to a certain degree don’t tend to come this far down in the kind of huge numbers you can experience in Norfolk. So every year I look forward to the arrival of the brent geese with its far carrying call of the north. Brent geese are the most northerly breeding geese in the world and every autumn travel over 2,500 miles from their tundra breeding grounds in Siberia. Their route follows the coastline of northern Russia, through the White Sea and Baltic Sea and along the North Sea coast and the English Channel. That’s quite a trip for the smallest goose to visit our shores!
There are two races of brent goose. The dark-bellied form as pictured here, which winters in western Europe, with over half the population in southern England and the pale-bellied race. The latter breed in Greenland, Svalbard and Canada and winter in Denmark, north-east England, Northern Ireland and the Atlantic coast of the U.S. from Maine to Georgia.
Brent Geese (dark-bellied form) in flight.
Brent Goose (dark-bellied form) landing to feed.
Brent Geese (dark-bellied form) feeding on mud-flats.
Brent Goose (dark-bellied form) in flight.
Brent Geese (dark-bellied form) flying over mud-flats.
Over the years I have ammased quite a number of images of this species but I’m unsure I will ever truly be able to do this bird the justice it so deserves, but I’ll have fun trying, that’s for sure. And who knows, perhaps I’ll even get to see them at their breeding grounds one day.
About Robert Canis
Robert Canis is a professional photographer specialising in the natural world.
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