Otterly Disappointed

A few years ago, the local town lakes proved a hot bed of mustelid activity with a resident Otter bitch utilising the three main lakes in the town and their adjoining river network to raise her family. This proved brilliant for a budding wildlife photographer like myself, who had only ever had a distant glimpse of wild Otters in the Highlands. It gave me an opportunity to get some photographs and watch their behaviour all usually on my lunch break from work.

So, after a couple of weeks of rumours that a resident Mother was back and with three small pups in tow, someone managed to get some photographs, it was confirmed and I was quite excited, in the intervening four years I can’t complain I have had some awesome Otter encounters up on Mull. But it’s always nice when you can drive five minutes down the road to see them. The only worry I had initially is one I still share today. Social media is so prominent nowadays and a lot of newer visitors to the lake (I can’t really talk, they probably visit a lot more often than I do) are very quick to share all shots and sighting on social media groups, both closed and to a wider audience in the town. Last time it wasn’t uncommon to find dozens of spectators perched on the edge of the water watching these normally elusive mammals. With early onset of grumpy old bastard, I find any one that doesn’t appreciate good field craft and basic wildlife watching etiquette unbearable and would rather miss out myself that witness such annoying behaviour, hopefully the expected throng of foot traffic bound for the lakes are respectful and understand it’s a mother with three young cubs.

Did I mention I don’t really like people? Probably a lot in my posts, with that in mind my own visits to the lake would try and coincide with the usual weekend lay in. I had a brief walk one Saturday afternoon, not expecting to see much but armed with the camera just in case. A few Cormorants perched wings hanging wide, standing sentinels from the big tree overlooking both lakes. The odd one dropped down to fish close to the fishing pontoons. I soon realised the Cormorant is a species I don’t really have any good shots of. So, body down flat among the dried Goose and Duck shit I found myself at water level clicking away as one bird surfaced in front of me. I did have a moment of fright and as the resident territorial male Swan didn’t like the look of one of last year’s Cygnets and headed flapping quite speedily my way to see it off. Only when you are at head level and about 3 feet away can you appreciate just how big and angry a Swan can be. Luckily enough I managed to get my arse up off the deck and camera to safety before they came splashing past.

Celebrating he drifted off into the shade for a big, dominant wing stretch. Even though on the far side of the lake, I couldn’t get the full reflection in with the 600mm. 

That afternoon visit started a trend though and at the time of writing this two and a bit months later, seven visits to the lakes and still no Otter sightings. I’ve been in the early morning for first light, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and even towards dusk. I’ve seen dozens of photos posted online and all I have to show for it are a few more shots of Swans and some fishing Cormorants in some nice early morning light, minus the fish!

I am off to the Outer Hebrides in 6 days or so where I’m hoping Otters are much easier to come by!

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Dry Mornings Adventure

After a week of solid deluge across the country it was nice to wake on a Sunday morning to sunshine and a slight frost, tendrils of mist hanging atop the rivers surface and the surrounding water meadows. The swollen river is pretty quiet this time of year with water sources everywhere even the water meadows are pretty lacking in Ducks and Snipe. 

The one species we seem to have gained in huge numbers is the Mute Swan, the wintering Swan herd has grown to 26 on the last count, enjoying the shallow flood water between the two rivers. Half a dozen or so Greylags also seem to enjoy feeding on the lush grass. 

The bright glow of the morning sun and the hanging mist gave a gorgeous diffused light, highlighting a pair of Swans on the river as well as making the landscape quite eerie and dramatic.

Mute Swan Pair

Misty Water Meadow Tree

 

River Test

Misty Sunrise

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Flooded Glory

While at Blashford Lakes in early January I had a quick jaunt just up the road to Harbridge, a large flood plain of the River Avon that attracts hundreds of Swans to its waters throughout the winter. I had hoped for a look at the rumoured Bewick's Swan that had been seen but no joy, so made do with photographing a rather obliging Mute Swan in some stunning light.

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Little Grebes - End Of March 2013

A project I have been looking to get cracking with for sometime was working with the Little Grebes on the river near the house, last summer and throughout the winter there has been quite a healthy population with pairs every 300-400 metre stretch along the bank. However a problem I have encountered in the past is that they seem to be easily the most spooked bird I have ever come across.

I've tried camouflage unsuccessfully, and on several times walking tight to the edge of the woodland to approach birds I could see on the water, and every time I seem to have been spotted a good 60-100 yards before I got anywhere near level with the bird, I recall hearing that tell tale plop as the bird disapeers under the water and heads for the shadowy safety of the bankside reed.

So finally on Easter Sunday I found some time to dedicate to a pair of Grebe that were starting to defend their territory. On a nice wide stretch of the River Test, it was a relatively bright morning and as I slowly made my way up the bank to a spot where the local Mute Swans haul themselves up out of the water on to the bank, here the foliage on the water edge was flattened nicely allowing me to rest my camera and beanbag in the small gap.

With the amount of rain which had fallen over the winter, water levels in the Test where at quite a high which was quite convenient for creating a very shallow depth of field due to the low angle of my positioning and the high water level. Having seen the Grebes at this spot quite a few times without managing any photographs, I was quite happy to see them further upstream at a safe enough distance not to disturb. So I led down on the bank and waited, letting the spring growth of the reed hide my form from the water.

45 minutes on and off of listening to the distinctive Grebe shrilling call let me know that the birds where starting to come a little closer, eventually coming into view on the reed edge of the far bank. I had set my camera to Low Speed Continuous shooting in a ploy to avoid spooking the birds with the machine gun chatter of my shutter going off.

Eventually one off the birds drifted out mid stream allowing me my first real close up view of this waterborne skulker, the red plumage on the back of its head glowing in the bright morning sunshine.
I tried to keep my lens movement to a minimum to avoid spooking the bird, and it seemed to work well as one bird was soon joined by its partner.

I was really happy with my 2 hour session on the river bank, and even the annoyance felt as a Kingfisher landed on a over hanging branch 20 yards downstream didn't distract me and my time with the Little Grebes. Plans where made at the time to visit them again when the green colouring of the spring foliage was present, and to this day I still haven't managed to wangle the time to visit them again. Although I am hoping now that they have bred successfully and have a small stripy brood following in their wake.

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The Last of February - 2013

Apologies, apologies to my regular blog readers, who are now not really so regular as I haven't posted for such a long time and seem to be so far behind with every post. So hopefully over the next week or so I can briefly summarise the past couple of months and get back up together with things.

The end of February was pretty slow, with extra hours at work starting to pick up, and weather at weekends pretty poor, opportunities to get out around the patch with the camera seemed to come at a minimum. Reports of the Bittern on the river by Dad and the ex-river keeper Jeff where still coming in at least once a fortnight, and several fruitless evenings and sunday afternoons were spent wading up and down the flooded banks to no avail.

Whilst waiting for the Bittern I did manage to stalk pretty close to a young Roe Doe as the light started to fade, getting within 20ft before she spotted me, insisting on a stare off for a good 2 or 3 minutes before she decided she didn't like the look of me and disappeared off into the water meadows.

Roe Doe

Plenty of Mute Swan activity on the river with the Cobs starting to look a little more enthusiastic about the forthcoming breeding season. Some interesting preening poses and plenty of wing flapping and postulating gave some nice photo opportunities.

The Conductor

As seems to be the norm now, the sound of Goldcrest song seems to follow me where ever I go, at least 3 pairs still present in the garden, and one even popped out onto a low branch to belt out another sweet chiming tune. There definatly seems  to be more Goldcrest about this Winter/Spring than I have ever seen before, which must be a good thing right?

As with the Goldcrests, numbers of Chiffchaff seemed to start to multiply towards the end of the month with at least a dozen seen and heard along one full length walk of the River, whether wintering birds starting to show off in hope of a mate or a steady but early influx of summer visitors.

Chiffchaff

A slight random call was received one monday evening as I made my way home from football, Joe Stockwell a good twitcher friend of mine had spotted some Shelduck on a flooded corn field just outside the village. In such a bizarre place the next morning I was up bright and early and out to investigate. And sure enough as the mist rose off the frosty ground, 6 Shelduck swam and fed on a rather large puddle in the middle of this crop field. Not to bad a patch tick!

Patch tick Shelduck

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Watermeadow Sunrise - 15th Feb

Having enjoyed the sunset so much the previous evening and having done a bit of weather research, a clear dawn beckoned so begrudgingly I set the alarm for 6am in the hope of getting a little closer to the feeding Mute Swans for some nice low level photography.

Opening the door as the first hint of light hit the dark sky, the cold fingers of Jack frost latched on to me pretty quick, I would need a coat! Walking through the water meadows I could already see a hint of colour against the dark sky. I managed to get myself over the rather narrow bridge in the dark on through into the water meadow.

I set myself up led down in the hope of some low level Swan images and waited, it wasn't long before the sky started to brighten, the pastel hues effecting the colour of the mist that hung above the frosty ground. I don't ever remember being out on such a stunning morning watching the atmospherics changing every second.

Early Morning Light across the Watermeadows

Unfortunately my plan didn't really come to fruition with the Wildlife all the Mute Swans from the night before fed on the floods but they were along way away from my lens, Plenty of Greylag & Canada Geese along with Mallard & Gadwall went about there business flying above my head, every wing beat audible on such a still morning.

A lone Brown Hare emerged out of the mist in front of me, but the light on the ground was still to dark for photography, a real shame as it looked very atmospheric shrouded in mist. As the light started to improve 2 Little Egrets appeared and dropped swiftly down on to the water, soon followed by a Grey Heron, I managed a shot of it landed through the mist although it didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped.

Descending Heron in the morning mist.

As the light got brighter I started to think about making tracks back towards the house and get ready for work. Not what you want on such a stunning morning. I did take a couple more landscape shots before I left the sky now pinker than the original orange colourings half and hour or so before. Quite a stunning hour and a half well worth braving the early alarm and cold for.

Pink sky in the morning - Beautiful

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