I must admit i have not got about far and wide this last month.  There’s always something to do, that seems to  get in the way.  However,  i have managed to spend quite a bit of time at my local “patch” at Willington Gravel Pits DWT Reserve, Derbyshire. This is a great place to see a wide variety of birds and is good for me, only being 15 minutes down the road!

Photographing the birds here though is quite a challenge – the old bird photographer’s adage, “you can never be close enough” is really relevant here. Views are good, but because of the hide/platform locations, getting close is difficult. That said though, good shots can be had and there is always some aerial activity, which is my favourite type of shot!

We have had several visits from up to 5 Little Egrets; i think there must be a good number now in the Trent Valley area. A remarkable bird, very Heron-like and is always a vivid white against any sky, light or dark.

This one flew in on a windy morning – great flight acrobatics. when it eventually landed, a surprised Dunlin looked up and  wondered what it was, then continued to feed, without so much as a by or leave.

We have also been lucky enough to get a Little Gull – yes, only one, but this is Derbyshire! It has stayed around for 10 days or so and has been fairly close at times.

This is a juvenile bird and when it rolls over, it shows a lovely set of black/brown “W” wing patterns. A Winter visitor around the UK coast – a nice find in Derbyshire!

There have been up to 4 Garganey here, although i cannot admit to making out the female birds, in their eclipse and also about 400 yards away! However, there was a confiding eclipse male, who occasionally moved to within a “long” lens shot distance. Very much a record shot this one, but it does show the wing markings, as it stretches out.

There have been at least 4 Greenshanks on the ground at Willington in august, although there was a fly-past of 13 recorded. There distinctive “chew-chew-chew” call is a lovely sound on a late-summer’s day.

Overall, having a local “patch” on which to combine a love of birdwatching and photography, is a great thing and one I would recommend. Sure,  rarities are indeed rare, subjects are sometimes frustratingly distant, sometimes it can be busy, but overall if you’re prepared to put in the hours, the rewards are there.

One of my favourite birds of prey, the Hobby (Falco subbuteo), springs back to life in September, having been relatively quite on parent duty for much of the summer. What a fantastic bird – a dream to watch and a challenge to photograph. Their speed and swift of movement is a wonder to see. We have 3 or 4 on site at the moment – 2 young – 2 adults. I took my camera out a few nights ago and chanced some shots of them as they flew across the river.

More from Willington in October.  I will try and get some more images of the residents and of course any rarity that shows up.

I have been lucky enough to have been awarded Photo of the Week (2/8/2010 ).  My image of a Gannet in flight, was taken last year at RSPB Bempton Cliffs and was the culmination of two days spent photographing these extraordinary birds, as they cruise up and down the coastline atop the 400ft cliffs.

It’s always nice to have a bit of recognition for all the effort put in, so thank you Birder’s World magazine!

Click here to visit Birder’s World.

As part of a continued project, to photograph Ospreys, I went to Scotland late last month (June).  I had booked a hide at the Rothiemurcus Fish Farm on the Rothiemurcus Estate at Aviemore in the Highlands – a birthday treat. The hide would be available to me from 5am until 9.30am and from 5pm to dusk. Don’t be mistaken by the words fish farm, these Ospreys are truly wild birds – it’s just that they have taken to fishing here in the pools and at the fish farm – well wouldn’t you, if you were an Osprey?  Over the years the birds have come to the Fish Farm to fish for their favourite food – Trout. The birds feeding here are a mixture of locally nesting birds, as well as those breeding at the RSPB Loch Garten reserve a few miles to the NE from Rothiemurcus.

Settling into the hide at 5am, the weather turned poor, not with rain, but the light diminished. As usual the BBC had given the promise of a sunny cloudless morning, which would have been superb – however, ’twas not to be, but as photographer’s you have to deal with the conditions you are given.  With the Ranger warding the incoming birds off the fish farm, they drifted down towards the Trout fishing pools. There was no particular wind blowing, which made it difficult to predict where they would swoop into and which direction they would take off in. The radio clicked, as the Ranger called a pair of Ospreys overhead of us – great news, but in a closed hide, the birds were difficult to spot, since any evidence of a human shape or face from a hide and they would be spooked. If you can spot a 6inch Trout from 100 feet, then you are going to see a pale human face poking out of the front of a camouflaged hide! So care was needed.

From nowhere  the first bird came in – it swooped down into the water on the far side of the pool from us – camera shutters clicked frantically, but it was clearly too dark for anything reasonable – 1/80 sec at f5.6 at ISO3200  not impossible with my 1D Mk3, but not ideal!  Maybe it was time to just watch them and study the way and direction they were feeding and i guess to just be in awe of their power and grace in the air.  Time sped along very quickly and before we knew it, 6.30am had passed. Fortunately the light was improving – I could now shoot at ISO 1600 !  As a bird was called, I had a feeling that it was going to drop in on the far side, so I set up for that position. From out of nowhere again, down it came at speed, splash, straight into the water. I could not get the entry as it was too quick for me, but this bird had gone right under the water and although shocked, I was certain it had not yet surfaced !

All of a sudden, up it came, just its head at first, drenched with cold Scottish water – peering out of the surface, like a submarine surfacing.

It looked strange, with its soaked wings just starting to appear from the depths. Up it came further to reveal its full body.

As the water ran off its feathers and it composed itself, I wondered what size fish it had actually caught – a large Trout, a monster Pike – it really was astonishing. Note that barely a few seconds had passed, although it felt like minutes. Down it sank again and I wondered if the bird was going to be able to “land” this fish after all!

All of a sudden there was an enormous effort and the giant bird thrust its massive frame and wings and started to lift off the water.

Up it came, its wings now poised to drive it upwards and its catch now revealed.

Down came the wings and drove this magnificent bird forwards with such speed from a standstill you would not believe it, had you not been there to see it.

Not there yet, but the following images show the power of this bird and the skill with which they catch and hang onto their prey through this supreme effort to lift it from the water.

And there it was, up into the air with its prey, and off to feed its young. all of this action had only lasted 2 minutes, although it had seemed like 10 minutes.

This bird had been radio-tagged and ringed – RED 18 – as yet I have not found out its origin or details.

The wait for the next piece of action was about 30 minutes, but this time the bird was so quick  – straight in and straight out – I was only able to capture its flight with its prey – magnificent!

They continued to fish, coming in from all angles, mainly to the far side, but consistently taking off from right to left, into a slight NE wind. This bird I think is one of the Loch Garten pair – “Blue AH” – with a large trout for breakfast!

For me the thrill was to see the birds at close quarters, but was to capture the actual fish catch, then follow the bird out of the water and watch its sheer strength, as it lifts its prey from the depths. The splash of entry is phenomenal, but the accuracy is stunning.

Well that was the morning over – time to vacate the site for the fisherman, after 4 hours of special time in the presence of a supreme angler and a beautiful bird.

The evening session came and was, I have to say, initially less productive, maybe due to disturbance from surrounding works, but as the evening drew in and quietness returned, back came the Ospreys for their supper.

This time they were stunningly back-lit, by the evening sun, which for me made them stand out from the surroundings more and showed off their power, as the water droplets glistened in the evening light.

This was a very special day and it did not disappoint. So what it was an early start, but a small price to pay to see these superb birds at close-quarters. Being hidden in hides and viewing wildlife so close, is always a real privilege and one I never tire of. Over the day we estimated over 12 different Ospreys visited the fishing pools – not all fished – some just came for a chill-out on their favourite post, but they were all magnificent.

A morning and evening in the Rothiemurcus hides does not appear cheap at £125, but I would say this is well worth the money, as where else in Britain can you get so close to these master fishers. If you get a chance to see them, then book a slot between now and September, or go next Spring, for what will surely be a trip of a lifetime!

[ link to: Rothiemurcus Osprey Photography ]

Not much happens bird-wise in Derbyshire in June – well nothing out of the ordinary anyway. What does happen though, is that the reed beds are full to bursting with birds, singing, feeding young, arguing, preening – you name it, it’s happening. A bit of patience and the results can be very rewarding. Primarily Warblers, both Reed and Sedge, but also Reed Buntings – a surprisingly beautiful bird, often overlooked.

Get the light right and the images can be quite provocative and serene. I am playing with my new toy at the minute, a 600mm f4. It has allowed me to get closer than before, but at the same time allows me to experiment with very shallow depth of fields, to try and capture that Bokeh or out of focus background, much loved by photographers and viewers alike. This shot allowed me to capture the Bunting in its environment, but at the same time offer a tranquil scene in the soft morning light.

Portraiture is not normally my thing, but I am beginning to enjoy it. In any case, capturing flight inside a reedbed is at best difficult, at worst impossible. I did however manage to get this Reed Bunting just as it took flight. The colours of this bird are quite stunning.

Of course it wouldn’t be right at this time of year not to show some “baby” bird images and Reed Bunting young are no less beautiful than their parents!

Reed Warblers are very active this time of year, feding young frantically in the bottom layer of the reed bed.

They are very adept at climbing the reed stems, even in windy weather.

Sedge Warblers are very active pre-breeding, flying straight up into the air, then parachuting down again. These images of a young nervous bird, make you wonder how they turn into that bird that flies hundreds of miles south, which then returns to the same place, to perform it aerobatics over the reed beds of Willington.