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Curlew Hunt

Jun21
2017
Written by Stephen Street

It is quite a haul, cycling up from Esk Dale, through Little Fryup Dale and up to the open expanse of Danby High Moor.  I was still puffing and panting when I heard the first unmistakable call of a curlew.  It was not a happy bird.  At this time of year, young curlews are stretching their comically long legs, with ever-attentive parents keeping a protective eye on them.  Clearly, I was too close for comfort to a youngster.  The parent bird circled me twice as I steadily cycled along before it settled down.  A couple of minutes later it happened again from a different bird.  Then again from yet another bird.

That is three times curlews had accosted me in just over a mile.  I knew I had to come back but not with a bike, with my camera.

Which is why, a few mornings later, I was driving my car even more slowly across Danby High Moor than I had been cycling, listening for the faintest hint of curlews calling.  Nothing.  Then I heard the peeping of a golden plover and quickly zoned in on its location.  I came for curlew, but if they do not want to show their faces, I will happily photograph whatever comes along.  I did my best to get a good line of sight on the plover and position my car to avoid being an obstruction (more of a challenge than it may sound on a one-car-wide road).

In the past, I have always found plovers to be active birds that are constantly moving around and this one was no different.  I had to reposition myself a couple of times but eventually me, light and the plover came together in a nice enough way and I managed to get some photographs.  After a couple of curlew-less hours, and just as I was leaving, a curlew popped up as if from nowhere, walked around a bit and then wandered off into the distance, accompanied by the click, click, click of my camera’s shutter.

Nailed it – time for breakfast.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged behaviour, curlew, golden plover, North York Moors NP, spring

Spring Birds

May15
2017
Written by Stephen Street

I love the smell of spring in the morning.

A good spring morning lifts my spirit like no other.  As nature shakes off its winter coat and the whole world awakes from hibernation, I can’t help but respond in my own small way.  It usually takes the form of a long deep intake of breath, followed by an even longer exhale.  As the spring oxygen rush reached by brain I get an instant buzz and think, “This is going to be a great day!”

Something else that gives me a buzz is when a new crop of birds begins to show their faces.  Newly fledged, they are often more approachable than world-weary, man-shy, experienced adult birds.  Does this mean that they are automatically easier to photograph?  No.  But their natural inquisitiveness will often lead them to stay around a few seconds longer than normal, trying to work out whether this crazy-looking creature with one weird eye is friend or foe.

If you’re quick, you can get in and grab a picture, before protective parents cheep a warning that drags your subject away.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged North York Moors NP, wheatear, young bird

Springtime

Apr16
2017
Written by Stephen Street

There’s many a thing called a sign of spring, but for me a sure sign of spring arriving is the return of upland breeding birds to my local moors.

Lapwings are often the first to be noticed, screeching as they cartwheel through the sky, busily establishing pair bonds and breeding rights.  Curlew come next.  Despite being such large birds I normally hear their evocative burble before I seen them.  Golden plover and snipe follow quickly on and spring is then well underway.

WSB272 meadow pipit

Underpinning these more charismatic birds is the humble meadow pipit.  By far our most numerous upland songbird, they seem to be around for most of the year, disappearing only when winter’s weather takes a distinctive turn for the worse.  Because of this they usually give me my very first hint of spring returning.  Fliting around among dull clumps of heather they bring a refreshing sign of life to the dormant moors.  Especially when they let rip with their delicate fluty song and shake their wings.

I always find that it’s well worth taking the time and effort needed to get close to them.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged heather, North York Moors NP, pipit, spring

Early Frost

Dec17
2016
Written by Stephen Street

After the first snow of winter came… rain.  Actually, rain comes pretty much after everything.  However, it didn’t last and once the weather settled back sown some of my favourite late autumn/early winter conditions arrived.  Frost.

It always surprised me just how hard a frost is needed to transform hibernating moorland into a wonderland.  One night of minus temperatures won’t do it.  It takes two at least; three or more are even better as the frost then gets into and onto everything.

Apart from making everywhere look pretty, frost also creates some nice wildlife photography opportunities.  Birds that are typically shy and hide away at every opportunity begin to seek out the sun’s warming rays.  Particularly immediately after sunrise.  So, whenever a clear frosty night is forecast I automatically place myself on early morning photography alert.

I will head out early and slowly cruise along moorland byways, always looking well ahead for tell-tale signs of sunning birds.  I’m often fooled into thinking that a bird-shaped stone dressing a dry stone wall is something that it is not.  But when I do actually spot a sunbathing bird and the light is nice, I find that a slow and steady approach allows me to get much closer than I normally could.  I assume that once they get comfortable they don’t want to move unless they have to.  Just like sunbathers around a pool who don’t want to give up their hard-earned sunbed space.

However, I don’t just look at walls.  Grouse rarely seem to feel a need to seek out the sun.  They can be almost covered from head to toe with frost and barely seem to notice.  Typically, they will wait for sunlight to come to them.  I’ll often find myself taking photographs of frost covered grouse in dips and hollows, creating images in cool light and with little shadow, which can reveal an immense amount of detail.  Thereby displaying a frosty coating in all its glory.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged dawn, daybreak, frost, grouse, North York Moors NP, partridge, sunrise, winter

Essential Variety

Jul16
2016
Written by Stephen Street

When birds fly off to roost every evening who knows what they twitter about?  What a hard day they’ve had?  How far they have flown?  What a nightmare it’s been keepin on eye on the youngsters and another looking out for the local sparrowhawk bullies?  One topic of conversation must be where to find a good food supply.  That’s the only reason that I can think of for the number of birds that visit our garden on a daily basis.  It must go something like this: “‘Follow me tomorrow.  I know where ‘Soft Touch’ lives, you’ve only got to look in her direction and she will rush out with another sack load of seed.”

The downside to this is that a small fortune is spent on bird seed.  The upside is that I get to see a lot of different birds in my garden, which means that I stand a good chance of photographing them as well.  When I decide to have a garden bird session it takes me no time at all to set up.  I find an interesting prop, tape it to an old garden fork that I can stick in the ground at any angle I like, and place it close to one of our feeders.  Once in place birds will usually start using it very quickly indeed.  Next I set up my camera and tripod and then wait.  Usually I don’t even need any camouflage, but if I do I throw a bag hide over my head.

Now I only have three things to keep in mind.  The first is background (position yourself to get the best background that you can), the second is patience (there will be periods of high activity followed by periods of nothing – take them both in your stride) and finally, change out your prop regularly (variety is the spice of life).

I can remember watching a photographer who was proudly showing picture after picture that all looked the same, apart from the species of bird being photographed.  I decided there and then that I would’nt fall into the same trap because, nice as the pictures looked, I found it monotonous to sit through.  Now, when I get good shots of three different species, I try to make some changes to either my prop or positioning.  Or both.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged garden birds, hide photography, patience, tips

Sleeping Grouse

Feb20
2016
Written by Stephen Street

Where do birds go at night?  Off to roost usually.  Chaffinches and blackbirds disappear from my garden at dusk and head for nearby trees.  At least some of my noisy flock of house sparrows settle down for a cosy night under my roof tiles, but what about moorland birds, where do they go?

At this time of year the main bird that can still be seen around my local moors is the red grouse.  These are tough birds that find a nice tuft of heather to make their bed in, regardless of the weather conditions.  Sometimes on a frosty morning I can spot one still sleeping at sunrise.  Just like this one here, which seems to be oblivious to a coating of frost on its back.  But hey, like I said, these are tough birds.

Once the sun had clawed its way above the moorland skyline, signalling that this morning had well and truly broken, things begin to stir.  I’ll often start my day with a good long stretch of my arms and legs.  In this case my cooperative subject went for a short walk, yawned occasionally and had a good old top to toe shake-down.  By using a slow (ish) shutter speed I caught some interesting movement patterns.  Trying this can be a risky business and I’ll often end up with a totally blurred out and unusable image.  This time however, I seem to have gotten away with it.

Posted in Out & About - Tagged behaviour, creative photography, frost, grouse, heather, morning, movement, North York Moors NP
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© Peter CairnsThis occasional blog is a tasty serving of nature and wildlife photography, with a side dish of my experiences out in the field and lightly seasoned with any random thoughts that occur to me along the way.

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