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It was a much better day yesterday than on Tuesday when I saw the Bewick’s Swan, (previous blog) - that day was horribly cold, grey and generally very unpleasant. However, because the light was much better after an early morning fog had dissipated and the wind had dropped I decided to have another go at the Great White Egrets down at Llangors Lake, there are six birds there this autumn – quite a good count for the lake. These birds are expanding in numbers the same way as the Little Egrets did, it’s quite amazing to think that until relatively recently these birds would have initiated a ‘Twitch’. They are still reportable but are now quite widespread throughout the mid and south of the UK. Large numbers can be found on the Somerset levels and some areas of the UK are now, from an ornithological point of view, exhibiting quite a distinctive Mediterranean – like picture, with Little, Great and Cattle Egrets, Glossy Ibis and Little Bittern, etc. The northerly movement of these birds, hitherto found only in warmer climes, exemplifies how things are changing. I know this is only small and relatively insignificant in the bigger global warming picture but nevertheless these little examples are hard evidence of what is evolving around us. It was a shame that the Bewick’s Swan didn’t stay any longer but these Egrets should over – winter at the lake giving hopefully more photographic opportunities.
I was in the bird hide at the lake mid-morning and it was really quiet, just a couple of Water Rails scooting across a pathway between the reed beds and a brief visit by a fly – through Kingfisher. At some distance I could see a Great White Egret flying low over the lake coming in the direction of the hide. I was getting ready for the birds fly past, they generally don’t come too close to the hide because these are shy birds. This bird was, however, flying with an unusual purpose towards me and it kept getting closer until it came within shooting range of my lens, (Sigma 150-600 Contemporary), I took some shots at 600mm,



but the bird kept coming nearer, so I was forced to zoom – out. This is not usually the scenario that I experience with these birds but I still couldn’t frame the bird so I was forced to zoom out even more!



If I had brought my 600 f4 prime lens I would not have been unable to take a shot as most of the birds wings would have been clipped out of the frame.





Finally it slowed right up and landed, wings opened right out,



in a little disused channel that was used to launch small boats in years gone by. Annoyingly I could only take a shot through some Willows that were obscuring my view, (I am pleased to hear that these Willows will be cut down soon), because there’s no point in having a nice bird hide that is obstructed by foliage. The Egret didn’t stay long in the channel because it was now aware of my presence and it flew up and over the reed beds and disappeared – usual behaviour. I had, however, by virtue of a zoom lens got some real close – ups of a very shy bird.
At the risk of repeating myself, my little Sigma lens does it again!

A spell of very cold weather always accelerates the already southerly movement of northern birds to the UK and there have been, typically, large flocks of Bramblings reported around the country. Every winter there are movements of wintering Swans to the UK, Whooper and Bewick’s. However, both these aren’t usually seen in any numbers in this area. They tend to settle in the east of England and also the Severn estuary. I have seen the odd Whooper at Llangors Lake over the years.

See the Wedge - like shape of the head and the yellow marking on the bill is more extensive, extending past the bird's nostrils.
Calls are usually made in twos and threes.



I have never seen a Bewick’s around here, there have been birds seen, but very infrequently. That changed for me as I went for a walk this week on a bitterly cold day at Llangors Lake. There was an extremely cold and unpleasant wind blowing and the day was overcast with a grey flat light but I was hoping to see one of the Great White Egrets that are currently at the lake. As I parked my car in the little car-park at Llangasty on the shores of the lake I immediately heard a distinctive ‘Bugling’ call that really cut through the air, I knew it was something different and as I looked up a large Swan flew over me and disappeared behind the churchyard. I thought ‘Whooper’ which was great, but I remembered that Whooper’s characteristically call repeatedly in threes and fours, it’s what they do! This bird was calling singly and only once did it call twice, so I thought I’d take a look. I quickly went through a gate at the side of the churchyard so I could get a better view and I managed a few quick shots of the bird on the flooded meadow where it had landed.

A much shorter head than the Whooper and less yellow and more black on the bill.
Calls are usually made singly.



I looked through my binoculars and I could now see that it was indeed a Bewick’s Swan. It was quite restless, however, and it took off again and flew over to a group of Swans at the other side of the lake and I thought that was it. I walked over to the bird hide and I spent a fruitless hour there, but as I was about to leave I heard the call again and flying low over the water there it was coming towards me, as it passed the bird hide I took another shot,



but then it wheeled up into the air and flew back over to the opposite side of the lake. A brief encounter and sadly it wasn’t seen again by anybody else, just the luck of the draw!
Luckily I had decided to bring my little Sigma 150-600 lens with me for my walk because I thought that for what bird life was potentially on offer, bringing and also carrying my Canon 600 f4 was not worth the effort - The Sigma continues to be very useful.

When Susan and I were walking through a local deciduous woodland last week we saw about a hundred finches flying in a flock and in it were a good number of Bramblings. It’s always nice to see these wintering finches, they come mainly from Fennoscandia arriving in the UK in late October/November. They actively seek out beech mast to sustain them throughout our winter and can often be seen flying and feeding with Chaffinches, and because of their similar habits to these birds, they are easily overlooked.



However, they are easily distinguished therefrom, they utter a persistent ‘Squeak’ which with a little practice is easily recognised. Their plumage when observed is totally different from the Chaffinch, Bramblings have a conspicuous white rump patch visible when they take off from the ground, males also have a burnt orange colouring on their breasts. Chaffinches don't have these markings.



Male Bramblings will also have dark mottled heads and dark spots on the flanks and a striking yellow bill.



The females are less conspicuous but still have the distinct white rump patch.



I had previously watched them for a few days to see where they were feeding and I was fortunate to be able to drive my car along the forest track right up to them. I placed an old tree stump on the ground and spread a bit of sunflower seed around to supplement the natural beech mast and then strung some camo netting over the window of my car and just waited.
It wasn’t too long before I heard that tell-tale squeak and first the Chaffinches and then the Bramblings came down to feed.



When I casually looked in the car’s mirror I could see a woman walking down the forest track – no big deal, but as she approached my car, with camo netting draped around the windows and a 600mm lens sticking out of the passenger window, instead of walking straight past she walked around the front of the car and stood right in front of the passenger window, two yards from my lens and completely blocking my view. I was hard to believe what she was doing, she couldn’t have done a better job of spooking the birds if she had tried! I politely asked her if she wouldn’t mind moving and she jumped and said ‘Oh you shocked me’ and then she said sorry and walked away down the track. It was hard for me to comprehend how unobservant she was and I was about to say that if she couldn’t see me there then she should take extra care the next time she crossed a road, but I thought better of it. These people go for a walk in the countryside, and that’s fair enough, but I seriously doubt if they see anything if that is their level of consciousness.
Anyway about ten minutes later the birds returned and I was able to take more shots of about twenty Bramblings that were intermittently feeding around the tree stump in front of me.



The wind then really started to blow and the leaves were whipping around the feeding area disturbing the birds so I packed up and put the little tree stump to one side in case a friend of mine wanted to use it. I left contented but still amused by the woman’s behaviour.

I love Damselflies: beautiful, delicate and like all Damselflies, so transient. They grace us with their presence for just a short period of time, allowing us a fleeting glimpse of their ethereal - like beauty. There is a species - Willow Emerald Damselfly – what a lovely name! It began to colonise south eastern England about ten years ago and has spread rapidly and can now be seen, if you are lucky, mainly in Norfolk and Suffolk but also in small numbers in nearby counties. We visited a reserve in North Norfolk called Sculthorpe Moor, a very nicely laid out reserve run by the Hawk and Owl Trust. There were hardly any people there and we were able to wander around at our leisure enjoying the scenery and wildlife. While we were standing beside a damp area near one of the hides we could see a Damselfly moving around. We didn’t know immediately what it was, but it was an Emerald of some sorts. I managed to take a few shots with my little Sigma 150 – 600 that I now carry around with me everywhere and later on after consulting a field guide we could see it was a Willow Emerald!. A new species for us and one which cannot be seen back home yet, and perhaps not at all in our lifetimes. It’s always exiting to see a new species of anything, so it was a nice addition to a pleasant morning out.

Autumn is well and truly underway and now is the time to take a walk in a deciduous woodland. The full spectrum of colours are now on view and it is a truly beautiful scene.



Susan and I have been walking through our local woodland enjoying the spectacle. In addition the recent northerly winds have brought Bramblings to these woodlands and they are feeding on fallen Beech mast. These birds are really attractive especially if they have retained some of their summer plumage.



It’s a pleasure to see them. This past summer has provided a bountiful harvest which will hopefully sustain these birds along with the Chaffinches they associate with for the rest of the winter.

It reminds me of the old joke - 'Hello, RSPB, Jack Snipe speaking'.

Jack Snipe are quite uncommon in the UK but in the autumn but they can be seen in the right habitat, however, they are still difficult to get in front of your lens. They like a bit of cover and they tend to keep close to vegetation. They can be easily overlooked and will only fly if they are virtually trodden on and even then they don’t tend to fly far. There had been a bird reported at Titchwell Marsh, the big showpiece reserve in North Norfolk and I’ve said before I don’t like these big reserves, they are always packed out and they tend to be full of social birders with the hides full of noise with people talking and moving about. That’s fine if you like that, but I’m afraid I don’t so I suppose I’m what’s called an unsociable birder and that’s fine, I’m not criticising anyone – each to his own. Having said that I made my way to one of the big hides early one morning, it was one of the few days when it was raining quite heavily and therefore the hide was very quiet. I was there on my own and I was looking at the vegetation where the Jack Snipe had been seen previously and after about five minutes I could see it. They are quite distinctive and are, in good light, totally different to the Common Snipe.
Principally they have a dark median crown stripe as opposed to the Common Snipe’s cream coloured stripe.



The stripes down their back are more contrasting than the Common Snipe, a rich straw colour.



Their bill is much shorter and is also thicker at the base.



A very good field id is their comical bobbing up and down when feeding, almost as if they are on springs.
I waited paitiently for it to walk into the small gaps in the vegetation, and to be honest there weren’t many of those, so it was a far from ideal situation for a photograph, but I took a few before it disappeared again into deep cover. As people began to arrive and the rain has slackened I made a break for the car park, at least I had seen it.



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No visit to Norfolk for me would be complete without a sighting of a Barn Owl and fortunately these beautiful birds are widespread there. Almost every village has one nearby and I wish it was the same back home but that will never be because of the local farming environment. In north Norfolk I have a location I have been watching for as long as I can remember, and it’s virtually guaranteed to turn up a Barn Owl every evening. After my dalliance with landscape photography we decided to try and see, and hopefully photograph a Barn Owl, and after our first visit to this location we could see what looked like a male bird hunting in a cut field, which is unusual because they usually like rough pasture where mice and voles can try to hide. We found a vantage point where we could see into this field via a gap in the hedge that surrounded it and the next evening we lay in wait for the Owl. As the afternoon progressed and what we call ‘Owl Light’ approached, suddenly there he was, hunting in the same place as previously. I took numerous flight shots as he quartered the field, coming closer, then moving away again. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts you can get plenty of flight shots,






but a shot of an Owl on a post for example is more difficult. They frequently perch but it’s nearly always too far away for a decent shot, but this time it flew closer still and then perched on a nearby fence post.

You can see this is a male bird by the complete lack of any spotting on the breast and flanks and his overall white plumage.



It doesn’t happen for us very often so I gratefully took the shot before it was up and flying again and disappearing out onto the marsh in search of further prey.
Always a nice way to end the day!

Susan and I have just returned home from a couple of weeks in North Norfolk where we enjoyed some glorious autumn weather. We have been birding in Norfolk for over thirty years but we have stayed in a little cottage in Thornham, (now a very up-market coastal village), for about twenty five years, it is owned by a dentist from Sheffield who is a very nice down to earth man and who has a group of loyal customers who have been staying in his house since the beginning. The days were warm and sunny and although rare birds were limited because of the weather patterns, (in the autumn you can’t have rare birds in Norfolk with southerly winds), we nevertheless saw some nice wildlife. We ate out several times, once in our favourite pub, The Gin Trap in the village of Ringstead, where the cuisine is a cut above the usual ‘Pub Grub’ but with fairly reasonable prices and none of the pretentious nonsense of some establishments, the service is quick and the staff friendly. Typically we enjoyed - to start, deep fried mozzarella and pistachio savoury rice balls with a spicy sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese - for mains, fresh scallops on a bed of linguini pasta with vegetables in a delicious butter sauce - and for pudding, sloe gin crunch with a chocolate mousse, coffee ice cream and caramel sauce – delicious!!
We always drive on the ‘back - road’ from the Gin Trap pub in Ringstead to Thornham and you can stop and view Hares, Partridges and Pheasants in the fields at last light and on this occasion we saw three Barn Owls flying. Further on, as we neared Thornham, a small animal was caught in our headlights in the long grass, we thought it was either a Fox or a Hare but remarkably it was a Muntjac deer, (they are unbelievably small), and we enjoyed a very close encounter as it stared at us, frozen in the lights, then it disappeared safely into the fields. After another 100 yds’ there was something else sat in the middle of the road and as we approached it flew up into the lights - a Tawny Owl, it perched briefly in a small tree before disappearing into the night.
A very nice evening out indeed!

Thornham Quay is now only a shadow of its former self, as indeed are all of North Norfolk’s little harbour villages. Gone are the days when small ships used to navigate these now silted – up creeks, bringing goods into Norfolk from all over the world. As in many situations inevitable economic growth outstripped this mode of transportation and it became unsustainable and incompatible with the needs of modern life and the canals and rivers of the UK subsequently became disused. However, these quaint little places still retain their charm and you can still picture the scene as it was. The quay at Thornham still has its old coal barn and many sets from films have been made there. It is a lovely place early in the morning and also late in the evening, when you can have the place to yourself with only the call of the Redshank and the Curlew for company. Susan and I were there early one morning to photograph the old coal barn and there was no one else around - just as we like it. I looked down into the old creek and I could see a small delicate wader approaching, probing the silt, as it came nearer I could see it was a Spotted Redshank, a delightful little bird. I quickly brought a lens from the boot of the car and took a few frames, a good start.



We then proceeded to take a few shots of the barn from both directions, it really is a very nice spot to spend an hour.

A circular polarizer to cut down glare on the water and diffuse the early morning sun.
Three stop ND graduated filter for exposure compensation.

The old silted - up creek where small ships used to dock.



A circular polarizer to cut down glare on the water.
Two stop ND graduated filter for exposure compensation.

The old coal barn where coal was loaded off boats and stored before distubution all over north Norfolk.

North Norfolk has some quaint little Harbours and two quite near where we stay at Thornham are Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Overy Staithe. Sailing and fishing are a big part of this area’s way of life, sailing is mainly for pleasure but there are still a few boatyards that service the boats and many people still rely on fishing for an income. If you visit these little harbours outside the peak times you can get some nice people - free shots, which I prefer. The bigger harbours like Wells and Blakeney are far too busy for me, some people like to get the Hurly Burly of harbour life in their images, and I fully understand this, but it’s not for me.

All images taken with a circular polarizer to take reflective glare off the water and the boats.
Also varying strength ND graduated filters to compensate the exposure between sky and sea.

Brancaster Staithe Harbour.



Burnham Overy Staithe Harbour.




I slowed down the exposure to about 1 second for this last image to make the water look more dreamy.

It is a lot harder to get a nice sunrise in North Norfolk because of its obvious geographical location. However, we were out pre - dawn one morning, and there is also a blue hour before the sun rises, and as we drove along I suddenly stopped the car and I could see a possible sunrise through some Poplar trees. I quickly set up my kit and just waited for the first dawn light to appear above the horizon.

It was the only real sunrise photograph I attempted.



A two stop ND graduated filter to balance the exposure between sky and land.

After the sun has finally set and all the after glow has disappeared there is a phenomenon called the 'The Blue Hour' and this is so called because of the lovely cold blue light that occcurs just before dusk. It can be very photogenic and when watching sunsets there are three phases - the setting sun - the after glow - and the blue hour. Many people leave after the sun has set but this is a big mistake because what comes after can be and often is worth photographing.

Hunstanton incoming tide during The Blue Hour.



Canon 1D IV
Canon 17-40 f4 lens
Hoya Circular Polarizer to mellow the light on the water.
A one stop ND graduated filter to balance the exposure between sky and sea.
Manfrotto Tripod and Head
Please see equipment reviews.

Thornham high tide during The Blue Hour.



Hoya Circular Polarizer to mellow the light on the water.
A one stop ND graduated filter to balance the exposure between sky and sea.

The unusual layered Carstone and chalk cliffs below the town contain many fossils and are also quite an attraction for visitors.



Circular polarizer to cut down reflective light on the water on the beach.
A one stop ND graduated filter to balance the exposure between beach and sky.

They also provide a nice backdrop in the evening.



Circular polarizer to cut down reflective light on the water on the beach.
A two stop ND graduated filter to balance the exposure between beach and sky.

The town of Hunstanton on the north Norfolk coast is a very popular tourist destination and rightly so, known locally as ‘Sunny Hunny’ it is a very nice place. It has extensive beaches, good chip shops, (fundamental requirement), it is clean and well-kept and has some amusements for the young and also the young at heart. Our main reason for visiting, however, was for the remarkable sunsets over the town’s beach and these sunsets are different every evening. They vary from intense crimson and gold affairs to a subtle diffused yellow and blue and it is a pleasure to spend these evenings looking out to sea.
I attempted to photograph a few of these sunsets by waiting on the beach with an incoming tide. In one area the beach has a pavement of rocks in segments leading down to the sea. I set up here on a few evenings waiting for the sun to set, most people take photographs from the top of the cliffs but I found there was unwanted foreground in my shots from that position. To get a good sunset here the conditions have to be just right, I found a clear blue sky with blazing sun is no good because the sun’s dying rays have nothing to reflect off and also when there is a low band of cloud along the horizon this just blots the sun’s rays out. The best conditions are a light patchy cloud formation from the horizon leading up into the sky above, then the sun’s rays can break through and create lovely sunsets.

The bottom two images below are the 'after glow' after the sun had already set for fifteen minutes.







In all images a circular polarizer was used to dampen down the sun and cut down refections on the water.
Up to five stops of ND graduated filters to balance the exposure between the intense rays of the sun and the beach and sea.

The storms that we had at the back end of last week which were a remnant of the hurricanes that battered the USA have now thankfully blown through and we are now enjoying some lovely weather. Susan and I have been out walking locally over the last two days enjoying these beautiful late summer conditions. Down at Llangors Lake some Butterflies were on the wing and about time because it’s been a pretty poor summer for them.

Principally Small Copper,



and Comma,


were flying and showing in numbers.

Look at the way these Commas blend in to their surroundings,




The Dragonfly population at the lake at this time of year is almost exclusively Migrant Hawkers and these insects like to fly around trees and hedges and unlike other Hawkers they perch in view allowing a chance of a photograph.


Male.


Male and Female.

We had been watching these lovely insects and just enjoying the morning when we could hear some raptor – like calling, and then over the tops of the trees a Hobby flew into view and started hawking the Dragonflies. These lovely birds are a joy to watch and their aerial dexterity is quite amazing and it flew around for a few minutes treating us to a superb flying display as it ate Dragonflies on the wing, then just as quickly it disappeared out of sight.



A fine end to a very pleasant morning.

Overnight this website received its two millionth hit, another huge landmark for me. When I first initiated the website, as somewhere just to show a few images, I could never have imagined it would last this long and have this many hits. It has been responsible for me having images published in four books and numerous other media outlets. My ongoing blog continues to remain popular with visitors and has been for some time a fundamental part of the website, having about as many views as the images. Sometimes there are quiet periods, as there are in every nature watchers life, and when this inevitably happens you have to ‘Dig in’ and persevere and something will come along. This glorious summer is rapidly coming to an end and autumn is showing her face as the trees start to slowly ‘turn’, with Sycamore and Elder already exhibiting their beautiful autumn colours. Wader passage has been under way for some weeks and Ring Ouzels are being seen in a few coastal areas on their southerly back - migration. Similarly a sprinkling of Dotterels will also pass through the Brecon Beacons on their southerly journey.
At home we have had an abundance of runner beans in our garden this year and this week we have been boxing up hundreds of eating and cooking apples from our trees for storage over the autumn - we won’t be buying any apples for a while! Soon Susan and I will be going to visit North Norfolk, my favourite autumn bird – place. When we return our winter visitors will start to appear, Redwings, Fieldfares and hopefully some Grey Shrikes.
In conclusion, I intend to continue with the site for as long as I have the enthusiasm and more importantly the health, (we all want that), so once again I thank everybody who visits this site, (and hopefully enjoys it), and here's to the next million.
Steve.

Autumn Wader passage has begun in earnest over the last few weeks and although we don’t get big movements of Waders in the Beacons there is always a noticeable amount of birds in August and September. On Wednesday of this week there was a report of a Wood Sandpiper about twenty miles away from where I live and although this is a fairly common wader and I have seen large numbers over the years it’s always nice to have one fairly local. I have been very busy over the summer, taking advantage of the dry weather to work on my house and gardens, but now with all that completed I was ready for some birding and I started off by catching up with the local Kingfishers, see previous blogs and in order to stay in the birding groove, (because we are going to Norfolk next month, our favourite Autumn place in the UK - Good birds, early morning walks on lonely pristine beaches and nice pubs, what more could you ask)!! I thought I’d try and get a shot of this Wood Sandpiper. Yesterday when Susan and I arrived at the upland pool where the bird had been spotted I could see that the light was difficult, harsh sunshine from the wrong direction, it was obvious that the evening would have been the best time for a photo but perhaps the bird wouldn’t stay so I took what was on offer.
I was wearing wellingtons, and a good job too because the area around the pool was very muddy. I could see the bird’s favourite feeding spot, a muddy shoreline, and I knew that sooner or later it would return to feed there. I walked into a bed of tall bull rushes and just waited for about twenty minutes and sure enough I could see it appear out of the long vegetation and make its way to that area. I signalled to Susan who was sitting under a tree on a big log that the bird was on its way over and she had good views as it came into view. The light wasn’t ideal but that’s all that was on offer so that’s all there was and I took a few shots and had some excellent views of a nice bird. We left the bird feeding quite contentedly and had a look at some dragonflies on the other side of the pool, then made our way back to the car.

A nice day and a nice bird, as simple as that.

Following on from my morning on the River Usk two days ago I was back up early for one last try at my Kingfisher site. This time I got up 30 minutes earlier to avoid the Kingfishers seeing me. I know they tolerated me on Monday of this week but you never know if they will be spooked, so I wasn’t taking any chances.
I arrived at the site at 05.30 and I was greeted by a beautiful rolling mist on the river, you get this sometimes in the summer. Usually when this happens then there is going to be a fine day and that is what the weather forecast had predicted. This time I got set up underneath the overhanging willows straight away, (see previous blog), the cut willow braches were still there, as expected, and I arranged them around my hide and got undercover. It was just breaking light and I could hear that characteristic ‘Peeping’ that Kingfishers make. Then there was a blue flash as a bird zipped past me going up river.
It was now just a matter of waiting and after about half an hour the Kingfisher came back down river and flew past my perch, but then put the brakes on, did a ‘U’ turn, and then landed right on it. Perfect! – I took a few shots but the light wasn’t really good enough yet. I was confident the bird would come back because one thing I have found is the difficult part is getting them to initially use your perch. Once they have used it they will come back and I knew that they liked this perch in that position because they had used it previously.
As I expected the next time the Kingfisher came back up river it landed on the perch straight away, the light was much brighter so the shots got a little better. Quite quickly now the light began to intensify and when the sun had risen in a cloudless sky there was a beautiful light illuminating my perch.
Kingfishers are very busy birds and they are up and down their territory all day long, there must be a thousand places for them to fish from, especially when the river levels are low. However, they still have their favourites and I have watched them flying to the same spots time and time again and hopefully my perch would be one of those favourites!
I needn’t have worried because a bird landed there again and I shot it in glorious light,







this time it was an adult female, no sign of the juvenile from Monday.
I had taken many shots so I decided, once the Kingfisher had gone out of sight, to rotate my hide ninety degrees to see if any Dippers would show up. I took a few shots of Grey Wagtails as they fed around the hide, they are totally unfazed by people



and then a young Dipper flew in and I added that to my collection but there were no more around.



What happened next perfectly illustrates how fickle this wildlife photography game is: Another birder said to me a few years ago that I was lucky to get some Kingfisher shots I had posted on my website. I didn’t enter into any discussion about how lucky he thought I was – because, if he thought that getting up when it is still dark, carrying heavy kit through soaking wet grass, wading into a river, erecting perches and waiting in a hide for typically three hours is lucky, then our definitions of luck are very different. I have heard a few people say that it’s all luck, some of it is, but most of it is just plain hard work! If you do your homework, prepare properly, be prepared for failure and above all be persistent, then you will get results.
However, I had done the hard work and was just sitting in my hide enjoying a glorious morning, there was nobody around, there never is. Suddenly the Wagtails, the Juv Dipper and two Kingfishers scattered up river – I knew something was there, I thought perhaps a Raptor had flown across but even that doesn’t usually warrant that response. Then I could see something sliding along the shallows, in the undergrowth and tight up against the opposite river bank. I couldn’t get a clear view and I thought it was a mink, there are a few around, but then it disappeared and I thought that was it.
I settled back down to wait, but I sat bolt upright as there was an almighty splash as something rose up out of the river in front of me.



I couldn’t believe it, an Otter, it was now so obvious, I had seen some bubbles earlier on – a tell-tale sign, but I just didn’t think! I have seen these animals near the Kingfisher site a few times and I think I know roughly where their Holt is but I don’t disturb them.
Here’s where the luck comes in, (I’ll admit to this one!), I was facing the right way and I shot it as it rose up out of the water time and time again. I could see it was catching small fish which looked golden coloured with red fins, they looked like Rudd.



The Otter stayed fishing for about ten minutes giving lovely views and allowing me to watch its hunting technique.



Finally it disappeared down river as quickly as it had arrived, I was really pleased to see this charismatic and secretive creature and nothing else could top that so I packed up and left very happy.




For more Otter images please see, Latest Images, Otter - River Usk, Brecon Beacons.

Well I said I wanted more rain, but not all in one day!! And that’s what it felt like yesterday down on the River Usk near Brecon.
I thought I’d have one more visit to the river before the water levels start to rise in the autumn. I had watched the weather forecast for yesterday and it said a few showers passing through, no problem for me, a little rain - so what!
I was up at 05.00 and I was on the river by 06.00 - everything as usual was packed into my car the night before to save time.
I had been watching two Kingfishers for a couple of weeks on a favourable stretch of river, ie slow moving water with overhanging branches. Although there was only a pre – dawn light at this time, as I was erecting my hide on an area of banking a Kingfisher flew past ‘Peeping’ away and flying up river. These birds are always about in semi darkness, they can’t possibly see to fish but that doesn’t stop them from flying around. I had previously identified the exact spot for placing my perch in the river and I walked in until the water was quite high up my wellingtons. I placed my concrete flower pot, (see previous posts re perches), on a level area of river bed and put a perch I had brought with me down into the hole in the middle of the pot. I made my way back onto the exposed area of stones and proceeded to cut a few light Willow branches with my machete. I draped these branches over and around my hide to blend it in to the surroundings. I set my kit up and got under cover and sat there waiting, very soon I could hear a bird nearby but it flew straight past my perch, however, I was still hopeful because I felt it was in a good position. A light drizzle had begun to fall and I thought ‘Here come those predicted showers’. After a while the drizzle started to intensify into heavy rain and the heavy rain then descended into thrashing rain! At one stage I couldn’t see across the river to the other side. My hide is quite waterproof so I was confident of staying dry even in those conditions. After about an hour of monsoon – like weather the rain thankfully began to slacken. Disappointingly the Kingfisher continued to ignore my perch and after two hours I was starting to lose hope. I was looking out of the side flap of my hide and I could see the bird about twenty yards away sitting on the floor in front of a Willow tree preening, then as they do, it took off and flew up river out of sight.
After a quick deliberation I made my mind up to move my hide, (something I never do), but I was exposed to any further weather in my present position and there was no activity around my perch anyway. I quickly got out and retrieved my perch and erected it in the river in front of the willow where I had seen the Kingfisher preening. This didn’t take long because of my flower pot method, there wouldn’t have been time to mess around finding appropriate stones to erect a free standing perch. I moved my hide while still erected underneath the overhanging Willow for more protection from the anticipated weather, the skies did not look promising! I draped my cut branches around the hide as before. I was quite pleased how quickly I had managed to get all my kit undercover – the Kingfisher hadn’t returned back down river - or so I’d thought. Previously the hide was about thirty feet from the perch but now under the willow it was more like forty - but no problem. I was watching two dippers feeding amongst the stones nearby and then they flew and landed right outside the hide no more than a yard away but there was nothing I could do about that. I looked at my perch and I was somewhat taken by surprise to see a Kingfisher sat there looking in my direction. I must have missed it flying back down river, I couldn’t believe how quickly it had taken to the perch. It didn’t seem at all bothered and I started to take a few shots just as the heavy rain came back in, it was lashing down again!
The Kingfisher came back and fore the perch many times and looked quite at home. The other perch position just did not suit it, they can be so fickle. After about an hour the rain was easing off again and the bird had temporarily disappeared so I decided to make a break for it because I had got some half decent shots. However, as I was packing up it started again and because I had to make two trips to the car I had a good soaking, but I just couldn’t stay any longer in case more rain persisted. I may try one more time to see if I can get the Dippers and maybe some more Kingfisher shots.

This week I was on top of Allt yr Esgair, a hill near to where I live. I was looking down at the Usk valley and the state of the land below was startling. Everything was baked dry, it looked like something from another much hotter country and nothing like the Brecon Beacons should resemble. I took a photograph and when I got back home I compared it to a shot I took near to this time last year. The perspective of the 2018 shot is wider because it was taken with a full frame camera but the difference in conditions can be clearly seen. We really do need some sustained rain and quite soon to get the land ‘moving’ again. Also the river Usk is very low and contaminated in places with a horrible green slime, this slime denudes the river of Oxygen and makes things difficult for many small life forms. The river could do with a good scouring out to remove this problem and I hope the thunderstorms forecast for the weekend will do just that!

Here is a Collage of the two images.
I don’t have to say which image is 2018!