Wildlife Photography across the Water: Busy time

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Busy time

The Xmas decorations are up inside and outside the house, The pressy's are wrapped and we are pretty much ready, Our friends arrive from the UK on Friday afternoon and then we are off to Florida early Saturday morning, Its a long drive down to crystal river from here, about 11 hours so we wont get there until the late afternoon/early evening and then 2 early mornings swimming with the Manatees, There wont be much time to think before coming back Xmas eve and then leave for New York 2 days after Xmas, Somewhere between coming back from NY and going to California at the end of January i am trying to fit in a trip to New Jersey to shoot the harlequin ducks etc like i did 2 years ago, I have the use of a beach house there so its just petrol and food so its do able, It always seems that my early year and late year are busy and the middle is quite on the travel front, I dont see 2012 being any different, I hope to get down to Florida when i get back from California and then save hard for the end of 2012 when i will celebrate my 20 years of marriage and all things going well we will get back to Australia, Its 4 years since our last visit and i really want to get back, Its a fantastic place and the shots from there have sold well,
The weather here has changed and the Nights/mornings are cold and frosty, Its bought in some winter visitors to the garden in the way of dark eyed Junco and Robins, The feeders have been much more busy as the normal garden birds are busy feeding, The woodpecker branch is in constant use and yesterday we watched as 2 fed and chased each other around the garden, Dogs still come into the garden at night but the deer and opossum are sill coming, I just hope that next year we will see fox and cubs, This time of year is a great time to start searching for fox dens, The trees being bare means good light in the woodland and the after rain you can see and follow fox and deer foot marks in the mud, Deer and fox use the same paths, I find that fox like an area of woodland near to fields so thats where i tend to start looking, I normally like to find 3 or 4 dens and as spring arrives start to feed near them and then pick the best 1 or 2 that are not to dark, I was at a party last week and was asked out of all the animals that i have photographed over the years what is my favorite which is difficult, My answer was that although Tigers are my favorite animal i have to say that i love to photograph the fox, They are in pretty much every country in one form or another and are real survivors, They can range from the easiest animal to shoot if they are habituated or the most difficult if totally wild, I like the challenge of the truly wild fox, Most people have foxes living not far from the houses and this is an added attraction as it means that where ever you are you have a great project on your doorstep
Here is a Manatee shot from last Xmas, Its a very busy time there and not the best time to go but as we are there what the hell

Crystal River where the Manatees are is a bit of a 1 horse town but there is a very small beach area about 9 miles away which had a lot of birds on it last year so i will be spending the late afternoon there

Dave

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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.