I think its good to escape from the office for awhile each day and especially when the weather is as nice as it is today.
On of my favourite haunts is the Jubilee River. Its also a great nature reserve in its own right. I have been visiting it for a year now and you get to see the full cycle. Lots of gulls and terns, young chicks now. In the winter you can see plenty of Redwing and Fieldfare. Look out for Skylarks too!
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I would like to thank Mike Coates and fellow staff/volunteers for the excellent Nightjar walk that took place on Saturday night at Farnham Heath reserve. There are indeed plenty of Nightjar around there plus other species such as Woodcock and Woodlark.
We didn’t see any Nightjars sadly but they were around as their calls could be heard. We did however see a few Woodcock.
All in all a very interesting walk around the heathland and I want to go back for another recce. I couldn’t hear any myself but the other people could. I may not be able to hear certain frequencies!!!
Lookinmg forward to tuning into Springwatch tonight. However I am not sure whether I really like Bill Oddie or not, I kind of like and hate him at the same time. Does that make sense? Are you the same? Discuss! Great programme anyway with plenty of inspiration for people to follow suit, to go out into the great outdoors and explore.
Saturday 31 May: An Evening on the Heath, walk at Farnham Heath
Take an evening walk around Farnham Heath with the RSPB Reserve Manager Mike Coates, looking out for bats, moths, woodcock and nightjars. Warm clothing and a torch are advisable. Booking is essential. Phone Mike Coates on 01252 795632.
8.30 – 10.30pm. Meet at the Rural Life Centre, Reed’s Road, Farnham GU10 2DL
We are planning on going to this event, as supporters of the Heath Project. If we are able to and get a place, I shall write up a report after the event and post it here on the blog.
Just seen a red kite near Hook in Hampshire! They are spreading!
If you want to see Red Kites in the wild, head for Buckinghamshire and for the village of Stokenchurch. On a good day you can see probably 40 birds up in the sky at the same time. They climb to incredible heights until they become nothing more than a mere speck in the clouds and gradually descend towards terra-firma at which point you can witness them circling in large groups.
On my first visit to the area I spent a number of hours driving around to find the best spot to set up for the day with the camera gear. I stopped dead in my tracks as a group of twelve kites dive bombed a pond outside a farm. I could see them at close quarters and they didn’t seem at all perturbed by my car. I tried to take a few shots through the window but it didn’t work, as soon as they caught my movement they retreated, gained altitude and once again became specks high in the clouds.
The photo shown here was taken from a small woodland copse in a field about a mile outside of Stokenchurch. I sat there for awhile watching these fantastic raptors circling above and gradually they came in close enough for me to be able to take some decent shots. There is no doubt that with a little more research I could probably better this and get even closer and without the need for a beefier lens (my biggest is a 500mm and the one I used for this shot). One option would be to set up a hide in a good location and spend some more time there which is something I am planning for another day!
I found this rather beautiful but haven’t got the foggiest what it is! If you know what it is I’d most grateful if you could tell me 
I found it in an arboretum that runs alongside Dorney Lake which is full of some interesting plants that I’ve never seen anywhere else.
This shot was taken using my trusty D200, a tripod + ball head, a Tamron 90mm macro lens and…
dah-dah!
My new “Plamp”!!!
It sure makes anchoring things down so much easier and I can use it to manoeuvre stems into the frame so much better. It was worth buying and I am sure it will be a regular tool of mine on future shoots.
