May 2024 Viewfinder
It's time to savour spring in this month's Opposite View Wildlife Photography newsletter.
“We should never take spring for granted”, narrated Chris Packham in the first episode of the new series of Springwatch, which began on Monday.
I couldn’t agree more. Spring is a month to be savoured in all its green glory before it is usurped by the golden reign of summer. Blink, and you’ll miss the blooming bluebells. Glance away, and this year’s young are all grown up. Well, not for me. Not this year. I have fully immersed myself and haven’t missed a thing … apart from writing this month’s blogs.
Yes, dear reader, I’ve let you down and can only apologise. But the folders filled with unprocessed images on my hard drive will testify that I’ve made the most of May from a wildlife photography point of view. This was in contrast with last month when I barely captured anything:
The truth is, you simply cannot afford to hang around. At the beginning of the month, I spent a lovely afternoon photographing attentive (and occasionally abusive) coot parents feeding their tiny chicks on an urban loch in the east end of Glasgow. When I visited the same spot last weekend, those same chicks had trebled in size and looked more like adult birds. It’s easy to miss the opportunity to watch and photograph the intimate interactions between parents and young when they grow up so fast. My advice is to grab your camera and get out there.
In taking my own advice, I was left with next to no time for writing in May and didn’t want to rush my next two blogs as they’ve been on my mind for a while. So, next month, I plan to share the details of how I’m using thermal imaging to improve my encounters with sensitive subjects that are easily disturbed. I also want to write a love letter to one of my favourite seabirds for my next Species Spotlight. I hope you’ll agree they’re both blogs worth spending time on. So, this month, the format of this newsletter is slightly different, and I’m using it as an opportunity to reflect on some of my ‘Through my lens’ writing and images from last spring. Normal service will resume at the end of June when I’ve caught up with all the image processing from my holiday in Northumberland.
Oh, did I forget to mention I’d been away? I can feel your sympathy for my lack of writing time predicament fading fast. So, I’ll leave you with an adorable image of the coot family I mentioned earlier and someone else’s wordsmithery, as I seem to be lacking in that department this month. Below are the lyrics to one of my favourite songs – Who Knows Where The Time Goes by Fairport Convention. This is the song that always springs to mind (pun intended) when I’m reflecting on the changing seasons and the constant passing of time. It is even more precious to me now, as we played it at my dad’s funeral in October. He was a big Fairport fan. Please give it a listen.
Across the evening sky
All the birds are leaving
But how can they know
It's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire
I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
Sad, deserted shore
Your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know
It's time for them to go
But I will still be here
I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
And I am not alone
While my love is near me
I know it will be so
Until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter
And then the birds in spring again
I have no fear of time
For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
Opposite View Wildlife Photography
Through my lens
Slowing the pace to spot springtime shots
The pace of winter walks is often dictated by the need to keep warm, especially if your circulation is as poor as mine. But even when you pick up the pace, the opportunities for wildlife photography are often easy to spot - with the lack of leaves on trees and bushes and any movement being at odds with the stillness that comes with the cold weather. When spring arrives and the vegetation begins to grow back, it is worth slowing the pace of your walk around your local patch. Not only will doing this keep you cool as the weather warms up, but it will also give you the time to notice the wildlife springing into life around you.
In this blog from last spring, I share images from recent encounters where taking my time has paid off.
Through my lens
Paying attention to wildlife for awayday photography
In the blog mentioned above, I explained why slowing down the pace of your walk on your local patch can help you spot opportunities for photographing springtime wildlife. Not only does a slower stroll keep you cool as the weather warms up, but it also gives you the time to notice the wildlife springing into life around you.
But what about when we aren't in a local spot we know well? How can we make the most of a couple of hours of wandering in a new location? With spring rapidly turning into summer and holidays and days out rightly taking priority, it can be tricky to capture wildlife images when you're taking short trips to new locations.
In this blog from last May, I explain why being guided by nature can help you to spot opportunities for wildlife photography in a new location.
And finally…
Last month I showed you a video of a long-tailed tit busily constructing its intricate and beautiful nest. This month, the nest is less beautiful but I hope you agree that the footage is just as adorable. These moorhens had built their nest in a tyre hanging from a barge moored on the canal in Hamiltonhill in Glasgow. In this video, you can watch the parents feeding their tiny chicks. Just to note that this activity was captured using my long lens without disturbing the birds.
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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