Wildlife Photography across the Water: bto

Friday, 24 September 2010

A quick round up

It has been a relative photographic drought for me over the last few weeks as you will have seen from the content of my postings. Well after tomorrow, I am hoping that I can get out and about with my cameras again.

50sq m of turf arrived today and once that is down tomorrow, we are going to take a bit of time off from the gardening.....at last.

With the breeding season over, we are starting to see more birds back in the garden, with increasing numbers of Blackbirds, Sparrow, Dunnocks, Tits and the occasional Woodpecker. Apparently, there was a beautiful Green Woodpecker on one of the feeding stumps the other morning after I had left for work.

Which brings me to some findings from the BTO that I received via email this week.

Apparently, Starlings and Song Thrush sightings at our garden feeding stations here in the UK are getting less, while Great Spotted Woodpeckers sightings have seen a four fold increase. I would cetainly agree with the first part of the statement in the case of my own garden.

For the full picture of how our garden birds are faring, I recommend you take a peek at this link which will tell you all you might want to know.

Martin

Sunday, 25 October 2009

Rain stopped play!!!

OK so not photography but painting.

In a desperate race against time, trying to get my front window frames painted and weather protected before the winter weather sets in, I suppose I should have done them a couple of months back.

While up the ladder this morning before the rain set in, it was a good time to reflect on my nature observations from earlier in the morning while out running.

Warwickshire, like many places is beautiful in bright early morning autumn light - great colours, great skies and fresh air all helped to take my mind off the pains in my legs.

The quiet lanes, tracks and hedgerows were buzzing with bird life today and it was a pleasure to see and hear skylarks, corn bunting, yellowhammer, green and great spotted woodpecker, redwings, flock of 250+ lapwing, numerous wren, long tailed tits, most of the corvidae as well as the more common species that one always see.

Yesterday, I went to a meeting put on by the BTO with a number of other keen birders to go through the work need to put in the Bird Atlas.

The project is now a couple of years in and involves collecting and registering roving records and timed tetrad visits to count and record species.

I half completed my work last year so will look to complete one of my local tetrad for the breeding birds survey so will finish that off for wintering and add another tetrad that I can also walk into from my house.

So another thing to keep me occupied and doing my bit for wildlife.

Martin

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.