Wildlife Photography across the Water: Planning your Spring Trips in the UK

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Planning your Spring Trips in the UK - Part 5

In Part 4 of this series, I said I would take you across to the Cairgorms to have a look at some of the wildlife you might hope to see there.

I have been there on three occasions in the May/June time of the year and have never been disappointed....OK maybe just slightly that I haven't got any pictures of Crested Tit, but then winter is generally better and easier as there is more chance of getting them around feeding stations when they are out of the breeding season. I digress.

Osprey is usually a good target species, and the Rothiemurchus Fish Farm at Aviemore was always a good bet, but then they went and got silly with their prices, insisted that you were accompanied etc , so unless you have got too much money to shell out then there are other places, but you will need to do your own research on that. Being a Schedule 1 species, you will need to ensure you will comply with the law particularly during the breeding season, and given that they are a migratory species, that will be all the time they are present in the UK. But if you do your research you can get some half decent images, although never as close as you can in say Florida.

Sunset silhouette

Dogfight Osprey v Herring Gull

Trout Supper for the kids

Just before the dive into the pool

Everybody's favourite Squirrel

Plenty of other subjects to be had - Dipper

Slavonian Grebe

Regular readers will remember I posted a few shots from this part of the world when I went there this year. Link here to more Squirrels

There are so many wonderful places in the Cairngorms to see and watch wildlife that I cannot do it justice in just a single blogpost.

The Findhorn Valley for Golden Eagle and other raptors, the Grouse on the Moors, plenty of waders around the lochs, Goldeneye and other ducks on the lochs. Dipper, and wagtails oin the flowing burns, the forest birds and that's your best chance of Crested Tits, as well as Redstart and Treecreeper,and the woodpeckers.

If you are willing to lug all your heavy gear onto the tops you have chances of Snow Bunting, Mountain Hare, Ptarmigan and Dotteril, but whereas you used to be able to take the cable car ride up to the top of Cairngorm, you cannot do that with the funicular railway, as part of the operational licence is that walkers have to stay in a small compound, unless they have walked themselves to the top. It is long, hard and can be cold and the mountain weather can be awful . We were there in late May, and they will still skiing up there, and the cloud base was below the car park level.

But on a nice day, and it you are strong, well equipped and mountain capable, fit and minded to go to the Cairngorm plateau, it is a wonderful place to be.

A good book worth buying if you do go is from a series that I have recommended before is below

Martin

No comments:

Post a Comment

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.