A Badger's Evening

I have been watching a Badger sett for a while now but, although it is a busy old place, taking photographs can be a little tricky. These wonderful animals tend not to venture above ground until the Sun has well and truly gone down and the use of a flash can disturb them.
So it takes time, patience and the understanding that sometimes I just can't take a photo because I have used the flash enough for the evening.
That said, last night was superb with three youngsters coming out for a play and watching these animals with or without taking a phot is an amazing privilege.

A Good Morning

This morning’s wander along the cliff top started pretty well and only got better. As soon as we reached the path a Peregrine was seen high above the cliffs, only to be joined very quickly by another. A few extra minutes taken to watch this is an easy decision and they looked stunning against the blue sky. Eventually I walked around the headland to the south and followed the path along the cliff top only to be greeted by three young Kestrels and a circling hunting mother.

The triplets stayed very close for longer than I could and I left them before I really wanted too.

The Purbeck Coast

I take any opportunity to get out on a boat to see the Purbeck coast from the water. Apart from the sea birds, including at this time of year our Puffins, there is always a chance to see Seals, Dolphins and who knows what else.

The coast itself is spectacular and last night, on a sea that was a little too choppy for photographs of birds, we headed out of the bay to Old Harry and then down to Dancing Ledge. As a bit of a geology nut being able to look at the formations of Jurassic Portland and Purbeck stone as well as the Cretaceous chalk of Old Harry never gets boring. As a wanderer, it is good to see the paths that I walk every day from a different perspective and to look on a land that I know so well but that appears so different from the sea.

I also had an invite to join the final Durlston Bird Boat of the year too but watched it leave the pier as I entered the bay. Whether you are on a large or small boat though, these beautiful evenings are just superb to spend on the water.

The Joys of Wildlife Photography

A lot of wildlife photographs are taken from hides that enable you to watch without being seen. The problem here is that I am not very good with hides, I am happier wandering and finding my subjects rather than waiting for them to walk passed my camera.

Finding the animals can be difficult but it really does add to the fun, then once you are within range you really are in the lap of the gods. On the most part you have very little control of which direction they come from, where they go, whether they stay in the shade or the Sun and of course how long they stay with you.

Last night I had the pleasure of being entertained by a young female Fox with the most amazing eyes, who I had met before, and five of the most annoyingly mobile cubs.

The Sun was rapidly setting and had already left the woods in a gloom that made photographing unpredictable little bundles of fur difficult. So because the photographs that I took were not quite what I was after, I thought I would share some of the ‘cutting room’ shots that always fill the camera after an encounter like this. Now all photos tell a story whether they are ‘perfect’ or not and these serve as a reminder that sometimes you need to admit defeat, put the camera down and just enjoy the chaos.

The out of focus shots, the dark shots, the shots with an annoying piece of grass in front the creature, the frustration and the fact that you will never truly replicate the sheer wonder of the event no matter how many photographs you may take: these are the joys of wildlife photography and it is completely addictive.

I was in completely the wrong place for this one, the Sun was almost behind the Fox

Grass can be annoying

I rushed this in low light

And this one

The Sun had well and trully set by this time