Update - November 2008

Apologies for the lack of online updates since January 2007. All my latest work is now sent directly to my online agent Alamy. Please follow this Alamy link to view my latest images. I intend to revamp the website during the winter and I will be displaying some of my new material. Thank you for all your support.

Fuerteventura - January 2007

Having post Christmas blues and a need for a break, Helen and I decided to head to Fuerteventura at the last minute for some sun, sea and Houbara's Bustard. See the following trip report for further details Fuerteventura Trip Report 3rd Jan 2007.doc.

Severn Beach - December 2006

Another first for me - Leach's Storm-Petrel. Horrendous conditions but a fantastic view of one of these rarely seen birds close to shore. Here I was lying on the rocks whilst the waves crashed against them sending sea-water spray all over me!

Dawlish, Anglesey and Puxton Moor - November 2006

Long-billed Murrelet - an amazing first for Europe and great to be able to say: "I was there...". Also a recent trip to Anglesey.

Elmley Marshes, Kent - October 2006

A short trip to Elmley Marshes having finished my University course, which I am glad to say I've passed!

Finally, what everyone has been waiting for!
Lesbos - April 2005

Well, it has taken over 15 months to finally process my images from Lesbos 2005 and I even managed to process this years' first. Hopefully you'll enjoy the images and I am now up-to-date with my processing. My first year to Lesbos was a great learning curve and I was hooked the first day I went out with photographer friend Jim Harrison. Most of the images were taken from the car and using this as our hide was certainly the BEST way to see and photograph the diverse bird species on the island and not constantly disturbing birds by leaving the car and walking out in the open which is very disturbing to tired migrants who are desperately trying to refuel before heading north further into Europe. The majority of species are migrants and they arrive in large numbers when the conditions are right. For further details about booking trips to Lesbos then please contact Richard Brooks.

Note: Images may be at the foot of the following pages listed in date order.

A good month for insects!
Woodspring Priory, Sandford Wood & Dolebury Warren - July 2006

Having been busy working on my final assignments for my University course I decided I needed some photography time and set about photographing some butterflies which seem so abundant lately. Having visited Woodspring Priory the day before I thought it would be an excellent place to visit early and see what I could find. All images were taken with a tripod, some with remote switch. No flash was used but I am trying to work out the best method for this as the light was very low due to the overcast conditions yet the butterflies were far less mobile. On 23rd July, I took a trip to Sandford Wood situated above Sandford Quarry. Here I managed to photograph Field Grasshopper and Ringlet Butterfly. Finally the Avon Wildlife Trust ran a butterfly training day at Dolebury Warren on 24th July and it was a superb day with 22 species including Purple Hairstreak, Silver-washed and Dark Green Fritillary. It was so hot however that after the first hour the butterflies were far too active for photography.

Butterflies, Slow Worms & my first Bird Fair - June 2006

After a successful Summer Birdwatchers Fair held at the Arrow Valley Countryside Centre in Redditch I spent some time photographing butterflies both in Solihull and also back home.

Russia - May 2006

Another amazing adventure and more of a recce for me, learning the ropes of travelling in Russia as well as getting to know some awesome nature reserves. Firstly, we spent 3 days in Nyzhne-Svirsky State Nature Reserve before catching an overnight sleeper to Moscow and then south-east to Oksky State Nature Reserve. As a note here I would like to say how wonderful it was to travel on public transport in Russia (especially the sleeper and express trains) that leave on time and arrive on time, where the carriages are clean and the service from the attendants was at their worst efficient whilst the cost is incredibly reasonable. We have a lot to learn! Our reserve guides, wardens and Russian interpreter were extremely skilled and as field scientists I am in awe of their knowledge and abilities. There was just so much to see and I really failed to turn our observations into pictures but with our packed itinerary it was very difficult. I shall certainly return with a list of 141 species to try and capture on camera. Here's a very small selection of wildlife that I did manage to photograph.

Lesvos - April 2006 (Part 3 of 3)

Well, here is my final instalment. It was another remarkable year and quite different travelling earlier in the season. There are many species (and more of those below) to add from last year and I will do so as soon as possible. Spending 10 to 12 hours in a car, watching and photographing birds may not be everyone's cup of tea but it certainly does give you a fantastic view of bird life, and watching their behaviour is fascinating. All the pictures from this trip except for a minority were taken from the car; showing how important it is if you want to birdwatch or take photographs; that the car is the best hide! Quite often I used netting over the windows to help conceal myself inside, especially for the shyer species like Green Sandpiper or Hoopoe. Others, however like Little Owl and Short-toed Treecreeper allowed me to get out of the car for a better view and thus much better pictures. I hope you have enjoyed the images and I shall shortly be writing my new talk on Lesbos for the 2007/8 season. I shall also be publishing my 2007/8` desk (& probably wall) calendars too so watch this space.

Lesvos - April 2006 (Part 2 of 3)

Here is the second instalment of images from Lesvos in April 2006.

Lesvos - April 2006 (Part 1 of 3)

This is the first of a number of updates on my two trips to Lesvos in 2005 and 2006. I shall be posting the 2006 images first and will get the 2005 images posted as soon as possible. For more information on visiting Lesvos please contact Richard Brooks. Lesvos is a fantastic venue for close bird photography as many thousands of birds travel through the island each spring. My thanks go to Richard & Jim Harrison for their company during this awesome trip.

Puxton Moor & Chew Valley Lake - April 2006

Finally caught up with three brown hares at Puxton along with some lovely flowers at Chew Valley Lake.

Norfolk - January 2006

Thanks to Richard Brooks for his hospitality, driving and good humour!

Vancouver Island, Canada - September 2005

I am finally catching up on some of my image processing from last year. After my trip to Alaska to photograph Grizzly Bears, I travelled down to Vancouver Island to visit family and to photograph bird species that I have never seen before. I shall add more details to the pictures shortly.

Slimbridge - February 2006

Penzance Beach - February 2006

Puxton Moor - February 2006

Having finally set up my feeding station again in a different location, I have managed one afternoon getting stuck in to taking pictures. The usual garden birds appear first on the scene but close behind there are bullfinches, redwings and fieldfare which I am hoping to attract nearer to the action.

Barrow Tanks - January 2006

Finally caught up with four winter plumaged black-necked grebes, although I couldn't have asked for worse conditions to take pictures in!

Westhay - December 2005

A winter visit to Westhay in Somerset for the starling roost.

Ashton Court - November 2005

Having decided to spend a few days preparing a talk and continuing with some University work my pager alerted me to an Upland Sandpiper at Kingston Seymour (a few miles from home). Not wanting to miss an opportunity on a bright sunny day I left home, leaving the cricket between England and Pakistan (very much with England on top - hoorah!) behind, shot to site and made quick work of seeing the bird. Sadly after a few minutes it took flight and fell into an 'out-of-bounds' field. After about an hour of brief views, I decided to catch up with the Grey Phalarope at Ashton Court in Bristol; my second for the year. This turned out to be very productive indeed and I managed to get some wonderful shots of this tiny robotic toy on the golf course pond!

Isles of Scilly - October 2005

My third year on Scilly was the shortest yet most productive. Sadly the photography did not go too well as several blisters prevented me from humping all my gear around the island. The highlights were plentiful in the form of Long-billed Dowitcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Siberian Stonechat and Rose-coloured Starling (all in Cornwall), Sora Rail, Blackpoll Warbler, Hawfinch, Ring Ouzel, Yellow-browed Warbler, Hoopoe, Paddyfield Warbler and American Wigeon and Green-winged Teal (both back in Cornwall). Here are a few common species that I did manage to get.

Hallo Bay, Alaska - September 2005

For over a year I have been dreaming about my trip to Alaska and in September it finally came true. It more than lived up to my expectations but it blew them away. Imagine, a bear, 10 feet long, weighing 800lbs, that can run up to 40 mph? Now put yourself 10 feet away from that bear with only the air you breathe in-between. Now that is amazing. For 6 days I sat, watched and photographed these wild creatures, behaving so naturally in their wild, unpredictable environment. The weather was so often on my side that I managed to capture several truly special, intimate moments. Here is a small sample of the 5000 images that I took. I shall post more here later in the year, however if you'd be interested in seeing more with a better explanation of my experiences then please come to one of my talks or invite me to your local wildlife or photography group. Click here for further details.

Bass Rock, Farne Islands, St Abbs Head & Common Head Moss - June 2005

Well, it has taken long enough to process them but they are finally ready (excluding gannets which will be on over the weekend - hopefully!). I took 5 friends to Bass Rock and the Farne Islands to photograph the seabirds. The weather did not let us down and we had a fabulous weekend. SmartTours.com as I have now become known is a figment of someone's wild imagination - or maybe not...enjoy the images. Thanks to Nick, Stuart, Jim, Chris and Anne for their support and camaraderie...I think they'll know what I mean.

Chew Valley Ringing Station - July 2005

Check out the kingfishers caught on my latest ringing course at Chew Valley Lake.

Southwest Ireland - July 2005

I've always fancied going to southern Ireland, especially for the scenery but also for the excellent flora and fauna. I think I underestimated the size of the country and tried to cover from County Cork to County Galway in a week! Hasten to add I saw a lot of the country but much of this was from the car. There were some exceptions though including Skellig Islands, Dursey Island, Inishbofin (where I saw my first corncrake), Beara Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher (very disappointing due to the ridiculous number of people), The Burren, Connemara National Park and many more. It has given me a taster to return and I shall focus on one or two counties and cover in much more depth photographing the widlife in much more detail!

Puxton Moor - July 2005

After my successes of my winter/spring feeding station, I thought it was time to take down the hide and posts and look forward to trying another area next winter. On my visit on 14th July, I discovered an amazing privet hawkmoth. I 'borrowed' it for the day and returned it that evening to the same spot where it posed for me on one of my perches. I then returned on 16th to find again some small skippers that I had noticed previously. I managed to photograph them along with a few other species to boot.

Goblin Combe - June 2005

As part of my training to obtain a dormouse license, I have to gain experience in both handling and examining them. Like bird ringing, I also need to learn how to sex and weigh them, both as adults and babies. This was my second trip out and we had 3 torpid dormice in 2 boxes. Amazingly this female had not even built a nest in her box at all. As the season progresses I shall put together a new section on dormice. For now please enjoy this wonderful image.

Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire - June 2005

A visit to Pembrokeshire to catch up with chough sadly did not result in any pictures but I did get a couple of reasonable shots of lesser black-backed gull. Not quite the same though...

Uphill, Somerset - June 2005

A rare woodchat shrike stayed near Uphill boat yard for a few days in mid-June. The form badius is from the W Mediterranean islands. It is identified by the lack of white on the primary patch and less black on the forehead.

Chew Valley Lake, Somerset - June 2005

I stopped in the lay-by at Herriot's Bridge for a quick scan of the gulls and ducks and noticed a very obliging grey heron sitting on a little weir that takes water from Herriot's Pond to Chew Valley Lake. Not to miss an opportunity...

Norfolk - May 2005

As part of my University course I had a residential week at the BTO HQ in Thetford, Norfolk. The objectives were to learn about bird survey techniques, which I did with full enthusiasm but being in such a great county for birds I made the most of the spare time I had. Early rising at 05:15 to get to a reserve for a couple of hours before lectures and fieldwork and then off again at the end of the day. Most days I would not get back until 23:00 so by the weekend I was pretty shattered. However, not to miss an opportunity I met up with Richard Brooks in Fakenham at the weekend and we spent a couple of days travelling around the north Norfolk area in search of some prospective bird photography. We did pretty well considering, having being forced to shelter in a hide for several hours whilst a thunder storm passed. It was worth the wait and as so often happens the sun came out and I got my best shots of pied wagtail, oystercatcher, linnet and swallow. I increased my British bird list with 4 new species; golden oriole, golden pheasant; stone curlew and purple heron. Hasten to add I did not manage any shots of these!

Lesbos - Late April 2005

I spent 10 days with my work colleague Jim in Lesbos. We spent most of this time in a car but believe me it was the most amazing photography experience I have had yet. I am still wading through the 4000 images that I took on the trip so you will not be surprised to find this section empty at the moment. I aim to have the cream of the crop online as soon as possible.

Puxton Moor & New Forest - March & Early April 2005

The end of March continued in busy fashion and a trip to the New Forest topped off a good month. I had 2 species to add to a growing list: ring-billed gull and wood lark. Sadly no pictures but I did manage a couple of tamer Mediterranean gulls. The hide at Puxton has been working well and I have moved it 10 yards further away from the hedgerow. This has improved the background and also ensures the birds hang around on the perches and feeders for longer. I also have had brown hare and roe deer very close to the hide although they are very shy at the moment. April's update should include some images of my hide setup so keep a look out. I love spring!

Puxton Moor & Chew Valley - March 2005

March has been an extremely eventful month so far. Firstly there was the photography show at the end of February, I set up my new feeding station, the weather improved ten fold and best of all I invested in a new Canon 1D Mk II camera. From my first couple of outings I am in love with this camera. I still have to put in the hours and the concentration but when the opportunity presents itself it is hard to miss the action with the speed of this beast. Not only that but the new software that I have downloaded from Andy Rouse's website has transformed my photography overnight. It is called Rawshooter and has been designed to process all your RAW image files. My first impressions are that it is a fantastic, fast, easy-to-use piece of software that I'd recommend to anyone. It is also free to download and receive updates for. Try it. This month so far I have taken in several visits to my new feeding station, which is the first I have set up and one that is teaching me many new tricks every visit. Birds are loving the spot and over 16 species are visiting or are in the viewing area. I am sure this will increase over time. I also hope to photograph fox, roe deer and maybe badger from this spot too. The second highlight so far was an afternoon at Chew Valley Lake. The sun shone all day and with a much higher water level brought birds in close to the hide - great for me. Finally a morning dash to the Forest of Dean only produced the highlight of mistle thrush. The following images are small reproductions of wonderful RAW converted files. If only the web were powerful enough to show off these 47meg TIFF monsters! Enjoy.