Wildlife Photography across the Water: Planning your Spring Trips

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Planning your Spring Trips - Part 2

This year was the first year that I didn't go to Mull for a few years. I made six trips in five years. It is a fine place. There is a lot if ground to cover, and getting lose to the wildlife requires knowledge, skill, patience and some luck. OK, so no different to most other places in the UK to be honest.

Now I am either tight as I don't like paying for someone to put me in front of my subjects, or prefer the thrill of my own explorations. The truth is someone in between, and probably much closer to the last.

Let me explain what I mean. When I go somewhere new for a holiday, I usually have more subjects that and photos that I want to get than I know is reasonably possible, although it never stops me trying. With limited time in one location, I have tended to use a wildlife guide, rather than a photo guide to take me round an area so I can see what is where. Photo opps on these days are usually limited by the activity, and other people. However, if I can get a day trip out early on, I am then better placed to do my own thing for the rest of the week, or however long I have.

And so it was when I visited Mull on previous years, taking a trip out with Pam and Arthur Brown of Discover Mull, or Steve Duffield of Western Isles Wildlife this year on the Uists.

Mull is a great island with wonderful wildlife but not always close to you, so you do need to work at it.

The typical big target species that people go to see are Golden Eagle, White Tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier, Short Eared Owl, Ottter, and Corncrake down on Iona. Early May is a good time to see all of these species, with the SEO and HH being dependant on the vole population. The first couple of years I went the vole population crashed so the Harriers and Owl were nowhere to be seen.

All of the above were taken on Mull or Iona, the images below were taken on North Uist or Skye, but can be found on Mull

However, many of my best shots, in my opinion were not of the 'big' species. There are a staggering number of bird species on Mull, I usually just about cracked 100 in a week there. Some of the best photography can be had working these other species, which I will bring you in the next part.

Martin

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.