Otter

This wildlife park dog Otter had grown so accustomed to being fed fish by the keepers on a regular basis that it cried incessantly when I opened my kit bag to take this shot. I never wanted an image that appeared to have been taken in the wild, but I was looking for a shot that at least didn't look unnatural. I rejected pictures taken where the Otter was crying while standing on its hind legs in favour of this more naturalistic composition. The many initiatives to boost Otter numbers in the UK are achieving huge successes and improved water quality in many areas is also paying dividends. But numbers are still very low and an Otter in the wild remains one of my must-get shots…

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/50 sec, f/8, 344mm at ISO 400

Bald Eagle

I shot this truly statuesque Bald Eagle at a small zoo on one of those English winter days when the sky was leaden and there was rain in the air. I'd shot other eagles at the site before, but this time the aim was to try to achieve something with more of a painterly quality. So I opened up the aperture to blur and black out the background and upped the shutter speed to knock back the body feathers. With the Bald Eagle, there's little chance of the white head plumage being lost. I'm thrilled with the result.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/1600 sec, f/4, 200mm at ISO 640

Long-tailed Tit

I'm getting so weary of the absence of decent light. One day of bright sunshine in the past three weeks, the remaining days – many of them my 'black and white' days – spent struggling with high ISO settings and slow, movement and blur-inducing shutter speeds. Sometimes, however, I get lucky and this shot of a Long-tailed Tit is just about sharp, even at 1/25 sec. More luck than skill…

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/25 sec, f/8, 400mm at ISO 640

Blue Tit

Just because I like the composition – the strong vertical and the strong horizontal.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/160 sec, f/8, 400mm at ISO 640

Barn Owl

I'm trying hard to wean myself of my obsession with getting close; very close if I can. Too often I miss a cracking shot simply because I have attempted to get too intimate with the subject and – inevitably – have been rumbled and the bird/mammal/rodent has shot off out of the viewfinder. I dream, of course, of one day having in my armoury a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 IS USM lens. I really do believe that if I had such a lens my world would be a better place. If I had that lens, I would only take great shots. That's nonsense, of course. In reality, the key to great wildlife images doesn't lie in bigger, better lenses, but in fieldcraft. And I'm learning slowly that sometimes better images come from context. This shot of a resting Barn Owl is, I think, a good example. Had I been closer, had the day not been another expanse of endless grey cloud that rendered everything flat, and had I had at my disposal a longer lens with wider aperture settings then I would no doubt have captured another close-up shot of an owl. But would it have been a good shot? Would it have added anything? Probably not. Instead, I think this shot – the bird in the context of its surroundings and showing it not hunting, but simply stopping up for a while – is rewarding for me partly because it's not too up close and personal.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/320 sec, f/9, 400mm at ISO 800

Norfolk coast

I thought it might be nice to place this blog in some sort of context. Much of my photography is done in North Norfolk and I think this image – taken during December 2010's heavy snowfalls – illustrates why it's a privilege to live here. Mile after mile of unspoilt coastline, the huge skies, the magical light (when it's not interminably grey), the special allure of the saltmarshes and countless well-run nature reserves combine to make it the perfect place in which to indulge my passion (read obsession).

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/200 sec, f22, 17mm at ISO 200

Song Thrush

This Song Thrush seemed perfectly content picking up the scraps of peanuts and seeds dropped or discarded by a veritable army of tits feasting at a feeding station above. A beautiful bird in its subtlety of tones.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/100 sec, f8, 376mm at ISO 1,000

Barn Owl

This large, mature Barn Owl had been quartering a large area of uncultivated pasture in the shadow of one of North Norfolk's many rural churches. On a rather gloomy day and some distance from the owl, I had failed in my efforts to get a decent shot of the bird hunting and I missed its swoop on to something in the long grass. But when it showed itself again, I was able to get this image of it guarding its prey with a look that seems to say: "It's mine – be gone with you".

Geese in flight

The sheer number of geese that fly in over Norfolk during the winter months is awe-inspiring. Usually, I hear them before I see them – the air filled with their honking – and on this occasion I was able to capture this skein of geese (are they Barnacles?) in the same quadrant of the sky as this airliner heading north, presumably over Scotland en route to the USA. Can't help but speculate on how much more arduous the geese's journey must have been.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/160 sec, f 6.3, 200mm at ISO 100

Limited-edition prints

I'm lucky enough to have a selection of my work on show in a gallery within an 18th century barn farm shop here in beautiful North Norfolk. Some of them are reproduced here. Each is limited to 20 signed giclée prints on archive quality 420gsm paper. Anyone interested in any of the prints, which can be framed to the buyer's specification, should contact me through this site. The farm shop – Back to the Garden – is situated just outside Holt and is well worth a visit. ( http://www.back-to-the-garden.co.uk/ )

  

Goldfinch

If – by some huge stretch of the imagination – I were ever to find myself in the position of being able to rename key avian species, I think I would start with the finches common to the UK. To my eye, the Greenfinch is more golden than the Goldfinch, whose own distinct head colouring would surely lend itself to being re-branded the Redfinch. That would leave the Chaffinch, whose powder blue head would warrant the name of the Bluefinch. That would leave the Bullfinch and I guess that name should stick – few birds look quite the bruiser more than that one.


Canon 1DS MkII, 1/500 sec, f8, 326mm at ISO 200

Collared Dove

This Collared Dove was simply waiting on this tree branch for its turn at a feeder. Such a familiar bird, but in its way rather attractive. The grey of its breast has a purplish tint in certain lighting conditions and the red tint to its eyes is subtle but beautiful. What I like about the shot is the early afternoon light; the deep blues of the woodland behind the dove seem to complement its colouring perfectly and the yellows and greens of the branch are echoed behind the bird's left wing. One of those magical occasions when everything came together to result in a simple but rewarding image.

Canon 1DS MkII

1.  1,1000 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 200

2. 1/500 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 200

Black-winged Stilt

I confess to not having known a great deal about this graceful wader prior to having taken this shot. I know now that it is only a rare visitor to Britain (between April and Setember) and it has bred here. What I was drawn to through the camera lens was the bird's utter elegance, stunning livery (the black wing feathers have an almost satin sheen) and, of course, that fortuitous water droplet at the end of its beak.


Canon 1DS MkII, 1/250sec, f8, 298mm at ISO 200

Chaffinch in song

This shot was taken on the most glorious of February days; a frost on the ground, a distinct chill in the air and the clearest of blues skies above. Such a day had been a long time coming and I was determined to capture an image that conveyed the sense that spring wasn't too far away. This male Chaffinch lost in song seems to do the job rather nicely.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/250 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 200

Red Squirrel

The plight of the Red Squirrel in the UK is well documented; there are estimated to be just 140,000 left in Britain compared to more than 2.5 million Grey Squirrels (source: Forestry Commission). There are small strongholds in Scotland, northern England (notably in Cumbria) and Wales, but elsewhere geography is the red's only hope. It is on islands that the future for the Red Squirrel looks just a tad brighter; islands such as Anglesey, where it was once widespread. That was the position until the 1970s, when the invasive grey began to be seen in numbers. The theory is that they either crossed to the island on one of its two bridges or they – almost unbelievably – swam across the Menai Straits. What is clear, however, is that the population of the Red Squirrel in Anglesey has plummeted to the extent that there are now only around 200 adults (source: Friends of Anglesey Red Squirrels). Greys are now being live-trapped and a major Red Squirrel reintroduction programme is having success. These shots of captive Red Squirrels were taken at Pensthorpe nature reserve in Norfolk, which is part of the Anglesey programme, with healthy adult reds being relocated to Anglesey in a bid to shore up the resident population.

Canon 1DS MkII

1. 1/200 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 640
2. 1/100 sec, f8, 252mm at ISO 640

Bird bath

Just because it's a fun image…

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/800 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 400

Barnacle Goose

I've included this shot simply because I enjoy the tranquility of the moment. Shot contre-jour, there was never going to be much detail in the picture, but if anything I think that only adds to the atmosphere.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/2000 sec, f8, 308mm at ISO 200

Coot

Relatively weak fliers, Coots seem almost as happy on land as they are on the water. They can run vigorously on strong legs and possess long toes adapted to uneven surfaces. Coots also tolerate the presence of humans better than many more nervous avian species. This one – foraging for grass shoots or small insects – seemed not to mind a jot the presence of the camera. With a Coot, however, the head is rarely still and I had to lay for some time until I got the focus sharp on the bird's beak and eye.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/640 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 200

Blackbird

I love the emphasis on the eyes of this male Blackbird as it focuses hard on something in the distance; a food source perhaps or a possible predator. In birds, the eyes are the largest organs relative to their body size. Our eyes take up a mere 1% of the total weight of our heads, while most of the avian eye lies hidden by the skull and eyelids. The eyes of large owls are about the size of our own, but can account for one third of the weight of their heads. Starlings' eyes make up 15% of their head weight. In many birds, the eyes weigh more than the brain. Little wonder, then, that those who like to photograph birds so often need the subterfuge of a hide.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/320 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 200

Mandarin Duck

Can there be a more elaborate pattern of avian colours outside of the rainforest and the outrageous Bird of Paradise? The male Mandarin Duck's patchwork quilt of hues reminds me a little of a child's drawing of what a duck should be like or a jigsaw puzzle of elements drawn from elsewhere. By contrast, of course, the female is a little more subdued, with grey-brown body feathers and distinctive white eye ring descending down toward the nape of the neck. She is almost a negative print of her partner.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/160 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 200

Goldeneye

Usually confined in the UK to the lochs of the Highlands of Scotland (the only area in which it breeds), the north and the west, this Goldeneye was shot much closer to home at Pensthorpe nature reserve in Norfolk, where there is a healthy population. When the light is right (and it wasn't on this day) the green-black head of the male is stunningly iridescent. The female has a chestnut brown head, white neck and grey upper body, with the same brilliant yellow eyes.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/320 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 500

Who'll be first?

While it's impossible to say with any accuracy which garden bird individuals regularly visit the feeding station I have set up outside my office window, it is fair to say it has a limited catchment area. I was fascinated, then, when I initially put out this tube of fat and seeds, to see which species would be attracted to it first. It was always a safe bet it would be a Blue Tit – they're more numerous and more gregarious and they need to eat often – but would I be proven wrong and how long would it take. Well, it was a Blue Tit, but the surprise for me was how long it took for the new food source to be 'accepted'. It hung for two days surrounded by offerings of peanuts, sunflower seeds, mixed seeds, apple slices and nets of fat balls before luring in its first diner. The other interesting observation was that the Great Tits showed absolutely no interest in being first, simply flying past seemingly preferring the reassurance of their smaller cousins going in ahead of them. Front that point, of course, it became something of a free-for-all.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/200 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 1,000

Greenfinch

I'm not a fan of an anthropomorphic approach to wild animals, be they mammals or avian species. Wild birds, for example, do not have personalities. What they do have is traits. In the frenzy around a bird table or feeding station, an individual Blue Tit may seem the more confident, perhaps even aggressive. I have seen plenty barge a Great Tit out of the way to get to a string of peanuts and a Blackbird (a giant by comparison) will usually give way to a smaller, more strident bird. But that is not personality; rather, it is behaviour borne of necessity (perhaps the little tit hasn't fed for some time or has a nest of screaming infants at home) or a genetic blueprint over which it has no control. Having said all that, I am now going to risk contradicting myself by going all anthropomorphic over this Greenfinch, which seems to me to be decidedly cross as if it has been disturbed mid-meal. I adore how the combination of the glaring eye and crossed beak working hard on a sunflower seed combine to lend it a rather grumpy demeanour.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/60 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 800mm

Long-tailed Tit

This shot – taken after what had been a very harsh December, with heavy snow and prolonged sub-zero temperatures – illustrates well how the Long-tailed Tit's body shape alters during the seasons. Here, this tiny bird's body is almost perfectly globular, resembling a small ball of feathers attached to that oh-so extravagant tail. As the ambient temperatures begin to rise, however, the Long-tailed tit's body shape will become much more slender and seemingly longer.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/200 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 640

Time to buy a reference book

I need to add to my library of bird and wildlife books. While I'm good on British mammals and OK on most common avian species, my knowledge of ducks and waterfowl is not great and certainly doesn't extend to rarer ducks. I also come up short when it comes to identifying the male or the female of a particular species. So, I'm off to buy a reference book that should help plug the gaps. In the meantime, here's one of the reasons why…

Nice weather if you're a duck

I missed the focus on this shot – I would have preferred the depth of field to have allowed the beak to be sharp – but it was raining and dismal and the ISO was already approaching noisy levels. I've included it though because, strangely for an animal at home in the water, you don't see that many images of wet ducks. This one had been frantically diving, surfacing and then shaking, and then doing it all over again. The oil from the duck's preen gland is repelling water so effectively, with perfect droplets rolling off the folded wing feathers. The second shot's included simply because I like the composition and the duck's dance-like posture.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/320 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 640

Pink Flamingo

Just because these improbable creatures are such fun.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/640 sec, f8, 376mm at ISO 500

Questions, questions

What makes a picture compelling? What is about an image that repays the time spent trying to capture it? And why do some images leave one feeling indifferent – quickly skipped over in favour of something else – while another continues to give pleasure? There is nothing special technically about this shot; there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of shots of Chaffinches out there that are in every way superior to this shot. This picture is a current favourite of mine and yet it may leave you cold. Is it that I enjoyed the time spent waiting for the songbirds to come into the copse in which the hide was situated and the picture reminds me of that time? Is it the simplicity of the composition or the stillness it evokes? Or is it simply mood – today I like it but tomorrow, perhaps, another will take its place. From a photographer's perspective, it is, I think, an interesting thought: do we tend to appreciate the images taken most recently or will there always be special shots we go back to again and again.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/400 sec, f10, 400mm at ISO 640

Black-headed Gull

Sometimes – often, in fact – the small details can make a big difference. This was one of a number of shots of this Black-headed Gull in non-breeding plumage perched on a fence post and not up to very much. A number of images where the bird was looking forward or skyward were rejected in favour of this one. The reason is the bird's apparent concentration on something at its feet. The small gesture, I think, adds something of a narrative to what might otherwise have been a pleasant but unrewarding shot. And then (second shot) the gull decided it had spent long enough posing…

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/320 sec, f8, 376mm at ISO 500

Falcated Teal

The light was poor for this shot of what I believe is a Falcated Teal. I say 'believe' because the body feathers don't have the tell-tale marbling/dotting and the head isn't showing the rainbow of colours associated with the species. I persevered, though, because the light on the water is fabulous and the reflection still works well.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/125 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 500

White Storks

...don't come back without all the information needed. I took this shot during a visit to Pensthorpe nature reserve in Norfolk. I liked the symmetry of the shot. This, however, is not a bird with which I'm familiar and I'm now kicking myself for not having noted down the species from the numerous information boards that surround the lakes and enclosures. Time to do some research…

PS: Thanks to Faith 'Fay' Jordan for helping me out – these, she tells me, are White Storks.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/1250 sec, f4, 180mm at ISO 500

Northern Pintails

My knowledge of ducks isn't up to identifying this pair with any certainty (they look more Scaup than Tufted to my untrained eye), but I just loved the composition. Everything appears so delicate: the long, thin grass, the gossamer reflections in the water and the ducks themselves.

PS: thanks so much to Frank at 'The Early Birder' for putting me right – these are, he points out, Northern Pintails.


Canon 1DS MkII, 1/640 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 500

Low-light conditions

I'm tempted to think photographers (at least in the temperate UK) share something with farmers – for both, the weather is never quite right. For the farmer, it will either be too wet or too dry; with the photographer, it's either not light enough or it's too bright. I find myself craving the longer days and clearer skies that spring will bring. Winter can, of course, be wonderful – those bitterly cold days when the sky is a glorious blue and the light is crystal clear (T. S. Eliot's "mid-winter spring") can light up natural subjects in all their glory. Grey days, however, can render everything flat and lifeless. Happily, however, there are occasions when failing light or an overcast sky can produce images that are gentle and subdued, with subtle tones that are somehow right for the season. By contrast, I do find some of the most perfectly 'staged' avian photography – pristine backdrops (often literally backdrops), vivid colours and an almost total absence of any context – a little, well, too much…

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/100 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 800

Chaffinch

The male Chaffinch is such a beautiful little bird, the rust browns, the smokey greys and the flashes of vivid yellow are a stunning livery. This one seemed content to queue behind Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Great Tits before availing himself of a beak full of sunflower seeds. Ideally I would have liked a more appealing bokeh in these shots – the backdrop was a mix of branches and water and f8 was all I could open up to with a x2 extender mounted – but I still think the shots work nicely enough.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/320 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 640

Long-Tailed Tit

Spent much of the day holed-up in a hide, making the most of a rare burst of (milky) sunshine. I'm a big fan of Long-Tailed Tits, though I find them tricky to photograph. They're tiny, skittish and seem to hate dwelling for any length of time in one place. But those outlandish tails – simply made for fun photographic composition.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/200 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 640

Blue Tit

Such a miserable grey day here, so I'm at my desk shooting tits on the feeders outside. ISO bumped up, the aperture as wide as I can get it and – despite all that (perhaps because of that – a faster shutter and the lovely wing pattern would have been sharp) – a decent shot of a Blue Tit coming into a ball of seeds and fat.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/160 sec, f8, 400mm at 1,000 ISO