Polar Bear Feast
After four visits to Spitsbergen and no decent photographs of Polar Bears it all came good last week with seven bears being seen in one day and a total of twenty six for the ten day voyage. I am going to remember the thirtieth of July for a long time with spectacular Arctic weather in […]
Eighty Degrees North
The next two weeks I am in Spitsbergen, cruising the fiords on the Professor Molchanov and making shore landings by way of zodiacs as shown in the photo. The aim is to obtain good views of such things as Polar Bears, Walrus and Ivory Gulls but nothing is guaranteed. On last years visit the weather […]
Thirty Three Hour Bird
Thirty three hours,. Yes that is how long it has taken, sat in my hide over the last two weeks, before I finally obtained any film of the male Merlin. What a performance he put in by bringing three items of prey to the branch and because the female was not present he had to […]
Flycatchers In Decline
These are the only breeding Spotted Flycatchers I have encountered this year. They have young that are about to fledge and it is sad that one of the most charismatic birds of Summer has now disappeared from many of its former breeding sites. During the week I have spent many more hours in a hide […]
Hole In The Wall
This week I have spent six mornings looking at a hole in the wall. Inside were four young Kestrels and during the week they have been appearing at the entrance and are now fledging. Prey has been voles, mice and a frog and both adults have shared the task of providing the prey but visits […]
Long Wait For Jack
One of the pleasures of a lifetime in bird photography is the privilege of being granted a licence to film illusive species like the Merlin. The male (Jack) Merlin is one of the ultimate challenges and last week I spent more than twelve hours in my hide high on the Pennine moors in temperatures of […]
Young Everywhere
This weeks photo shows a young Kingfisher that has been out of its dark, smelly tunnel for only a couple of hours. It was one of three that were on a riverside branch and allowed my approach to six feet. Sadly at this stage young Kingfishers are oblivious to the dangers of the outside world […]
100 Hours Of Sunshine
One hundred hours of sunshine. Yes, that is how much sunshine we have had in the last week, although there has recently been a coolish North East wind. If last week was Short Eared Owl week then this week has been Hen Harrier week. It is twenty years since I last filmed Hen Harriers at […]
Trials Of Photography
Today’s photo of a female Short Eared Owl and her young is the ultimate climax to a week on Islay when we have had to endure every type of Hebridean weather. Early in the week there were strong winds and rain which, when it settles on the camera lens in the hide makes filming impossible. […]
Britain’s Rarest Slipper
As a variation from birds we took the opportunity to photograph one of only two Lady’s Slipper Orchids in Britain. The flower heads were just beginning to open and it was a rare treat to see this gem in the Cumbrian countryside.