August 2022 Viewfinder
There is some unexpected summer lovin' in this month’s Opposite View Wildlife Photography newsletter.
I cannot believe I am about to say this … I have really enjoyed the summer months.
Summer hasn’t traditionally been a productive time for my wildlife photography. All the smaller birds are resting up and moulting after another busy breeding season, hiding in the annoyingly thick vegetation. When they finally pop up on a nearby branch, the light is often too harsh for getting decent images. Spotting seabirds has traditionally meant making plans to travel to colonies, which we can't do often. Oh, and don’t get me started on the sunburn (being blonde and fair-skinned), horse fly attacks or trying to capture swallows in flight.
Last year, I relied on the black-backed gulls nesting on a chimney a few doors down and a local kingfisher nest to keep me on my photography toes, but even they have proved elusive this year.
So, why the summer positivity in 2022?
Firstly, the discovery that I don’t have to get on a boat or travel down to Bempton Cliffs to get my seabird fix. As it turns out, there are plenty of reliable spots to watch gannets, guillemots, terns and shags along (fairly) local coastal stretches.
Secondly, I have been able to spend time hiding my pale skin away from the sun by sitting in the cool shade of the woods and watching the trials and tribulations of the local roe deer, including two tiny kids. Apologies for the delay in sharing all the images that have resulted from these encounters; I want to ensure I am doing their story justice. Watch this space.
Finally, summer is a month that can surprise you. Forget the reliability of autumn and winter sightings and embrace the unlikely encounters. For me, this included a super-chilled seal next to a busy coastal path on a sweltering day (more about how I took advantage of that opportunity below).
Summer 2022 has not been all joyful in the world of wildlife photography - there has been sadness and frustration too. I have seen the devastation of the avian influenza outbreak while witnessing first-hand how dry the south of the UK has become. It is heartbreaking to reflect on the grim implications for the future of our wildlife and landscapes, but we must so we can do everything possible to help.
What I will take from this summer is not only an improvement in my camera and fieldcraft skills but mostly the relationships developed with local wildlife, which has been a truly humbling experience. I will leave you with the closest I got to photographing summer lovin' this month. The image below shows roe deer buck Quint sticking closely to one of the does during the rut.
Autumn, here I come!
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
Opposite View Wildlife Photography
Through my lens
Close encounters of the harbour seal kind
The seal was right in front of us, hauled out on a rock close to the shore and easily visible from the coastal path. I’m not used to this kind of close-up seal. I’m more familiar with the faraway blurry blob on the horizon seals.
After I’d got over my initial joy at seeing the harbour seal, I looked at my options for photographing him. In this blog, I share photos from this surprising summer encounter and explain how to capture images without disturbing these sensitive mammals.
Species Spotlight
Shag - the seriously serpentine seabird
“I do love a shag”, presenter Megan McCubbin stated as she watched the live cameras at Hauxley Nature Reserve in the recent BBC Springwatch series. With those words, she created a bit of a furore on Twitter and prompted some completely inaccurate journalism. Many bird lovers will know she was simply referring to one of our sexiest seabirds.
In this blog, I share the secrets to the shag's fishing success and why photographing them is not a task to be sniggered at.
And finally…
The local roe deer have been busily munching away, ensuring I’ve been able to capture some lovely footage (above and below).
Don’t forget that you can watch more videos, including the camera trap clips from my time in the Lake District and lots more footage of my urban foxes, on my YouTube channel.
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