April 2024 Viewfinder
It has been a dry month in more ways than one in this month’s Opposite View Wildlife Photography newsletter.
An empty memory card at the end of the week is usually a bad sign.
And no, I hadn’t accidentally wiped my memory card; I just hadn’t captured any images worth keeping on my lunchtime or weekend walks. To say April has been a dry month for my wildlife photography would be an understatement. And it felt worse when compared with the riches of March.
You would think that, with the arrival of spring, there would be plenty to point my lens at but - even in usually reliable locations - there hasn’t been much wildlife of note.
As per usual, I don’t suppose the weather has helped. April has ended much as it began - very wet and windy - but there has also been dry and sunny weather and the real risk of wildfires in parts of the country. Walking through the woods to find the deer has become nigh-on impossible. A carpet of crispy leaves from the recent lack of rain combined with about a billion twigs and fallen branches littering the woodland floor has created a fieldcraft minefield. It doesn’t matter how familiar I am to the roe deer; one misstep, a loud snap, and they will run regardless.
So, I have invested in a new bit of kit to help me spot them from a longer distance and allow me to judge whether an encounter that won’t disturb them is even possible. That piece of equipment is a thermal imaging monocular. As I write this, it has only been in my camera bag for a couple of days, so there has been little opportunity to use it. However, I hope to thoroughly test it in the coming weeks, and I’ll share the results with you soon. My main aim with every encounter with the roe deer is not to get photographs but for them to remain relaxed around me so that I can continue earning their trust. I hope that the earlier I can see them using the thermal camera, the easier it will be to achieve this aim.
I had a moment of pure frustration around a week ago. I stood in the shade of the trees and watched the deer in the distance wandering further away from me while every movement I made came accompanied by a loud crunching sound. It was as though the leaves were cackling fiendishly at my efforts to be quiet. I then skidded on a twig and slightly twisted my ankle. I sucked in a breath, ready to expel it with a particularly loud swear word when a high-pitched ringing call dispelled the red mist. There was movement in the branches above my head. The shadows of tiny bodies flitting behind green leaves high in the canopy. Goldcrests.
I don’t have a lot of luck with these infuriating charming little birds. You may have heard that they are the UK’s smallest bird, weighing the same as a 20 pence coin. But have you also heard that they rarely sit bloody still for longer than a millisecond and inevitably always appear partially obscured or facing away from you?
I raised my camera and held my breath to see if they would venture to the lower branches. And, while I stood as still as I could on my throbbing ankle, a single shaft of sunlight spilt from a parting in the grey clouds, illuminating the few feet of woodland I now shared with my diminutive subject.
I’ll leave you with a photo of that goldcrest…in the light…facing me. A splash of golden wildlife to refresh this parched photographer.
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
Opposite View Wildlife Photography
Through my lens
Ex-damsel in distress - My shortlisted image in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2023
Last month, I received an email confirming I'd had an image shortlisted in the Scottish Wildlife Behaviour category of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards. When I say this was a complete shock, this is not modesty. I have been entering wildlife photography competitions for more years than I care to admit, and this was the first time I had reached the next stage of judging with any of my many entries. That is not to say I should have done better. When reflecting on my photography over the years, I see how much I've improved. I completely understand my lack of success in previous competitions. I also mostly enter these to force myself to look objectively at my images and to work out what others might see when they look at them. But, in a moment of honesty here, I am ready to admit that I have sought recognition in order to feel comfortable calling myself a wildlife photographer.
So, as well as the general surprise and delight at the news, the second shock was when I scrolled down the email to discover which photo had made the shortlist. In this blog, I share the surprising story behind the successful invertebrate image.
Species Spotlight
Rook - the companionable corvid
Sunlight dappled the woodland ahead. A kestrel flew by in a flash, its chestnut-coloured back caught occasionally in the natural spotlights. In the constantly moving light and shade, it was impossible to spot the chiffchaffs singing loudly from the canopy, but their repeated refrain was comforting nonetheless. However, it wasn't long before an entirely different tune drowned out their song of spring. As we reached the trees closest to the shore, a distant clamour became a cacophony of contact caws. The tallest and strongest trees contained nests in their upper branches. Any that didn't have nests were in the process of being stripped of long twigs. The breeding season for the rooks of Cambo Sands was noisily underway.
In this blog, I explain why community is key in rook society and share the traits they have in common with humans.
And finally…
Last month I showed you an image of a long-tailed tit busily constructing its intricate and beautiful nest. I have since put together this video showing footage of the parents' activity and a few more of the images I captured.
There are also plenty of other videos available to view on my YouTube channel - including waxwings, deer, seabirds, and all of my top tips videos.
Please subscribe to my channel to keep up to date.
Keep in touch
Thanks for reading this! If you have any comments or questions, opportunities for photography or if you would like to use any of my images, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
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