farming
Last of the meadow sunrise series
A not at all common species that has been in decline throughout its range of central and southern England due to extensive farming practises and ploughing. Fortunately, this particular site is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust, thereby ‘hopefully’ safeguarding its future for many years to come.
Nikon D2x, 12-24mm at 16mm, 1/10th sec. f16, iso 100, 0.6 ND Grad.
I used a 300mm f2.8 lens here set to f4 with the manfrotto tripod set to ground level. A small reflector placed infront provided fill-in.
I desperately wanted to return, to see if I could come up with new images but most of all, to soak up the atmosphere of an ancient hay meadow in spring, at dawn. Once again, the cuckoo didn’t disappoint.
Quite often I like to reach for my 200mm or 300mm lens, not just to have more control over the backgrounds, but to also give me ample working ditance to avoid disturbing the surrounding vegetation. On mornings such as these, it pays to wear waterproof trousers or a plastic bag to kneel on. there's no fun in spending several hours with wet knees!
Ox-eye daisy
Its name, derives from the Anglo-Saxon words, daeyes and eayes, meaning day’s eye. Its other names include the dog daisy or Marguerite after the French princess who adopted it as her official emblem. It is a herbal remedy for stomach upsets, whooping cough and asthma.
Quiet
Firstly, a happy new year to one and all. Without sounding too much of a humbug, as much as I enjoy the Christmas period, I am rather glad come the new year to get back to some kind of normality. Things have been a little quiet over the last week on the photography front as a result so here are a couple of images taken over that period when we have had further snow. I am visiting this location every few days to top up the feeders and due to its elevation, snow occurs more regularly and lingers longer than where I live close to town some 3 miles or so away.
Bramble covered in frost.
I have worked this patch for the past 10 years now which also includes several 100 acres of adjacent woodland and downland, with the permission of its landowners. The elderly couple that own this field, amongst others, have farmed this same area for over 40 years and I thoroughly enjoy popping by for a chat, particularly over Christmas to give them their card and just to say thanks. They are quintessentially ‘country’ and only pop into town for their weekly shop. Indeed they lived just a few miles apart from each other in nearby villages before meeting and getting married. They have stories of how the countryside was back then and how it has changed. Birds are nowhere near as plentiful as they were back then. They graze livestock so are not responsible for the use of insecticides etc. And as for foxes? “I live and work in the countryside,” he says, “so must expect a few losses once in a while. It’s a small price to pay and anyway, I enjoy seeing them.” How refreshing I thought.
About Robert Canis
Robert Canis is a professional photographer specialising in the natural world.
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