Gallery
Kingfisher Breaking the Surface
Getting a shot like this takes a lot of waiting. You find the perch, you set up low over the water, and then you sit there until your legs go numb. The kingfisher does all the work really — the whole dive is over in under a second. You just hold your breath, keep your finger on the shutter, and hope the autofocus kept up. This one did, and I came home very happy.
Red Grouse in the Heather
Red grouse are a moorland bird through and through. You find them by walking the heather until one explodes from under your feet, or by waiting quietly until one simply stands up and looks at you, like this one did. The North Yorkshire Moors are wonderful for them, especially when the heather is in full bloom and the light is soft.
Gannet Close-Up
Those blue eyes are something else. Getting close to a gannet colony is one of the best experiences British wildlife has to offer. The noise, the smell, the sheer number of birds all packed onto a cliff ledge is overwhelming in the best possible way. This one was entirely unbothered by my presence and gave me a long, unhurried look at that extraordinary face.
Nest Building at the Colony
Gannets steal nesting material from each other constantly. This one had apparently managed to gather a decent bill-full of vegetation before a neighbour could take it. The colony was absolute chaos behind it, birds landing and taking off in every direction. Finding a clean background in that environment takes some patience.
Hobby Hunting Dragonflies
Hobbies are one of the great joys of a British summer. Small, incredibly fast, and agile enough to catch dragonflies on the wing, they make hunting look effortless. This one was working low over the water’s edge, picking off dragonflies mid-flight and eating them while still airborne. If you ever get the chance to sit and watch a hobby hunt on a warm afternoon, take it.
Grey Heron Tosses a Catch
Grey herons are a bird I often overlook because they’re so familiar, which is a mistake. Watching one fish properly is a lesson in patience and precision. This one stood absolutely still for several minutes before striking, and when it did the fish didn’t stand a chance. It repositioned it headfirst and swallowed it in one go.
Little Egret in Golden Light
The light was extraordinary for about ten minutes that evening and this little egret flew straight through it. All white against that warm golden background, wings fully extended, yellow feet trailing behind. I was set up for something else entirely when it came past. One of those moments where you just swing the lens and hope for the best, and it actually works out. I never quite get tired of watching them fly.
Crested Tit on Scots Pine
If you want to see a crested tit you have to go to Scotland. Specifically the old Caledonian pinewoods, where these tiny birds spend their whole lives in the canopy. They’re not shy once you find them, which is lucky because finding them in the first place takes some doing. This one worked its way down a Scots pine right to eye level before moving on.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great spotted woodpeckers are birds I’d taken for granted for years until I actually sat down and watched one properly. The way they move around a tree, methodically working every crevice, is genuinely fascinating. This one paused long enough on an open branch to give me a proper look. The drumming carries a long way through woodland and always makes me stop walking.
Corncrake in the Open
You hear corncrakes far more often than you see them. That rasping call carries across the meadow all night and you walk towards it and the bird just keeps moving ahead of you through the long grass. So when this one stepped out briefly into the open I wasn’t going to waste it. They’re a bird in real trouble in Britain now, mostly holding on in the Scottish islands.
Jay Calling from the Stump
Jays are spectacular birds that somehow get treated as ordinary because they’re in every patch of woodland. That blue wing panel stops me every time. This one was up on a stump having a very loud opinion about something, crest raised, bill open. I’ve spent a lot of time watching jays bury acorns in autumn. They remember most of them, but not all, which is quietly important for oak woodland.
Bar-tailed Godwit Taking Flight
Getting low and shooting across the mud is what makes wader photography. This bar-tailed godwit was lifting off from the tideline in its rich rufous breeding plumage, wings thrown wide, just passing through on its way north. Some of these birds fly non-stop from West Africa to the Arctic without landing, which is hard to get your head around when one is standing in front of you on a British estuary.
Oystercatcher Against a Storm Sky
The oystercatcher is one of those birds that always looks like it knows exactly where it’s going. This one cut across a heavy incoming sky with total conviction. The contrast between that bold plumage and the grey background was too good to miss. Oystercatchers are noisy, conspicuous, and completely uninterested in going unnoticed, which I rather respect.
Barn Owl in Autumn Woodland
A barn owl hunting in daylight usually means it’s working hard for some reason, feeding young or making up for poor hunting the night before. This one was quartering the woodland edge in beautiful autumn light, utterly silent. Watching them fly is one of those experiences that doesn’t get old no matter how many times you’ve had it. Pure white and gold against falling leaves.
Puffin Peering Through the Clifftop
Puffins are one of those birds that make people who don’t normally care about birds stop and stare. This one was peering out from the clifftop vegetation, watching the sea below, entirely composed. They’re clumsy on land and in the air but transformed underwater. Coming back to the same burrow year after year with the same partner, carrying a bill full of sand eels. They’re remarkable animals.
Osprey Empty-Handed
Ospreys were gone from Britain for most of the twentieth century. Their return is one of the best things that has happened in British conservation in my lifetime. This one hit the water hard and came up empty, hauling itself clear with nothing to show for the effort. They miss more often than you’d expect. It circled, shook the water from its feathers, and went straight back to scanning the surface.
