Bird Photography Workshops… the story so far!
Our Hampshire Bird Photography Workshops kicked off in September and have been a great success, with superb photographic opportunities for a range of iconic British species, including kingfishers, kestrels, a range of woodland passerines and even a marauding sparrowhawk. Tour leader Emma gives us an insight into the sessions and shares some photographs taken on recent trips.
This year, specifically the virus that needs no introduction, has caused many of our plans to change and we have all had to adapt to a new way of living. Travels have been postponed and the uncertainty has been challenging, but if there’s one positive thing to take from it, it is that it has encouraged us to discover and appreciate the incredible wildlife we have right on our doorsteps. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been really enjoying spending time with clients again in some fantastic dedicated photographic bird hides in Hampshire. Located within easy reach of the M27 and M3, it is difficult to imagine the abundance of bird species that visit the area and it’s a fantastic space to spend a couple of days. The target species for the two-day trip are kestrel and kingfisher, but there is so much more to photograph, and we’ve had some exciting (unexpected) visitors to the woodland hide recently.
Image by Emma Healey
We’ve had four groups visit the hides through September and October, and some of the images that clients have taken have been fantastic - it’s great to see the results they’re getting. The format of the workshops is fairly set, with one day being spent in the kingfisher hide and one day in the woodland hide, which offers opportunities to see a huge range of birds, with kestrels being the main attraction.
Image by Bjorn Smidt-Olsen
I’d love to say that we’re getting consistent sightings every day, however, let’s not forget – this is wildlife we’re dealing with – and the great thing is that no two days are ever the same. One of the interesting things about the site is the interaction between the various species. If the kingfisher is quiet one day, it may be that the heron is nearby or that there is a bird of prey hunting in the area. On a good day, clients have been treated to multiple visits and dives in good light.
Some days there is less activity, with fewer visits, but to date we have a 100% success rate with kingfisher sightings and all clients have had the opportunity for at least a few images, which is fantastic as kingfishers are notoriously difficult to photograph in the wild. It can be a long day, but as it’s the bigger hide, this is where I base myself so when there is no activity, we have time to focus on any questions or discuss other photographic tips (quietly of course!).
Image by Emma Healey
The main species we are aiming to see and photograph in the woodland bird hide is the kestrel and there is a pair that visit, most, if not every, day. The small passerines, of which there is a huge range include blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits, nuthatch, wren and robin among others, are a fairly constant feature so there’s never a dull moment.
Image by Emma Healey
There is a great range of places for them to perch and a reflection pool, which enables clients to get some lovely images of them as they perch on the edge. Over the last couple of weeks, clients in the woodland hide have been treated with visits from a sparrowhawk, with two groups seeing it over three times in one day. It’s not been seen this much for a while and not many images have been captured, but last week one client managed to get a great portfolio of images of an adult male, which perched for about two minutes on a gatepost.
Image by Ron Tyler
As the seasons start to change, the lovely thing to note is the colour change in the backgrounds. The lush green bushes, leaves and trees are beginning to be more orange and brown, both resulting in lovely images, but ensuring that fresh images can be taken on consecutive weeks. As well as on the foliage around the pond and behind the perches, the orange tones of the morning light with the moss and berries makes for some beautiful reflections.
The images being achieved, and experiences clients are having, help to highlight the undeniable wealth of wildlife we have in the UK. Most of us are really keen to get back on a plane and see lions, tigers and bears, but I do hope that once the borders reopen we don’t overlook and make the most of how much we have on our doorstep.
Get in touch to book a place on our Hampshire Bird Photography Workshop.
