Romney Sheep walking across the marsh

Oaks

No sooner it stopped, it would start again.

Oaks in heavy snow

Eurasian Wigeon

It won’t be long now until the wigeon move northwards to their breeding grounds.  With their high-pitched whistling call, the North Kent Marshes will be a quieter place.

Eurasian Wigeon landing

Reflection in puddle

The marsh was sodden with the mix of rain and snow melt which made the going hard at times, but the conditions that evening were fantastic.  There are few places I enjoy more than this remote corner of north Kent, especially in winter

Tractor on the marshes

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.

Robin in snow

Robin in oak

With it’s bright orangey/red breast (can’t decide which), the robin needn’t be prominent in order to stand out. 

Elmley Marshes

Panorama of Elmley Marshes consisting of 8 upright images stitched together using PTGui.

Oaks on Elmley Marshes

It’s in conditions like this that whenever I’m out on the marshes I think of how farmers of yester-year used to cope in such a challenging environment.

Almost three years ago, to the day, I fulfilled an ambition I had held for years, to photograph common buzzards in the wild, in Kent.  Why?  Well, up until 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 now unusual not to see one while out on the hills.   There are now close to a thousand pairs in Kent and I personally know of 3 nests which I am dying to work on over the coming years. 

OK, so they are incredibly common in the west and north and hardly magnificent golden eagles but there is just something about them. The way they soar, their call…….. As I visited my woodland birds feeding station over the years or, indeed, sat in the hide photographing them, the desire would burn deeper and deeper to photograph this beautiful bird.  I am privileged to have access to a lot of land within their territory and so, the previous October, decided to commit the following 4-5 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 (adjacent to a hedge to break up it’s outline) 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 a tree to stop foxes taking it.  Put back down following morning…….

* Continue and 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, 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 firmly believe in making yourself as comfortable as possible, since the more comfortable you are, the longer you will wait and the more likely you are of getting the shot. 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 a substantial dumping 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 even 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. I now have a 4×4!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 everything up in the hide, took snacks out of wrappers (to avoid noise) and sat back, waiting for light and, finger’s crossed, buzzards.

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.  The low perspective was achieved by attaching a tripod head to a piece of MDF with tent pegs pushed into the ground with the lens protruding through a nurses-sleeve about 6 inches above the ground.  I attached one-way mirror film to small perspex panels at eye-level so I could see clearly outside without being seen.

Common buzzard

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.” But, why do they have to be so strenuous!

Around two months ago I secured permission from the Environment Agency to access their land which connects to a local nature reserve.  It now means rather than getting so far on the reserve then having to turn back, I can now do a loop as it were.  If only there wern’t so many gates!  It was a bitterly cold afternoon, the ground was solid and the sky was clear.  I had spotted this hawthorn some while back and waited for the right conditions in which to illustrate it within its habitat rather than a straight silhouette.

I know what you're thinking, the horizon's not straight! Well, if you use a wide angle lens and keep the camera level this is what happens.

As I drove slowly back across the marsh, light lingered in the sky and as I passed a clump of teasel I thought I would try something a little different.  I enjoy this kind of work, mixing flash with daylight and always use off-camera flash to give the subject modelling.  On this particular instance, with an exposure of 1 second at f8 and the flash set to Auto f8 (not TTL), I set the camera to self timer, walked around to the right then manually set off the flash when the shutter opened.  

View from Curbar Edge to Baslow Edge

View from Baslow Edge to Curbar Edge

The piece itself centres around two gritstone edges called Baslow Edge and Curbar edge which lie to the west within the National Park, approximately 11 miles east of Chesterfield.  This is where the course will be held.  We will be combining the two with another spectacular edge just 8 miles north called Stanage Edge.

View from Stanage Edge

This is arguably the park’s most famous edge from which wonderful views abound in all directions.  

Abandoned mill stones at Stanage Edge

We begin the day at Stanage Edge at 08.00 hrs, break for lunch around midday then onwards to Baslow and Curbar Edges until sunset.  It will be on a first come first served basis and will be restricted to just 6 participants so that each benefits from myself as opposed to unfairly, I think, spreading myself thin amongst more.  

The price will be £105 per person which includes tuition and a pub lunch.  For more information please click here.

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

I attempted to get to my woodland feeding station this morning but the roads are almost impassable with extensive drifting, even with a 4×4.   The snow was really belting down so I turned back halfway there and ended up pulling a Land Rover out of a hedge.  The birds have plenty of food in the feeders and photography can wait another day.  I’ll be having another go tomorrow so finger’s crossed I make it.  It doesn’t look as though things are going to be much better anytime soon.   Even if it doesn’t snow, with temperatures forecasted to remain close to freezing, it’s just going to be compacted.  I think after this, many will consider buying winter tyres for the next couple of months.

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.

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.