Snettisham in winter - a cold, early start...

Back in February, I made the trip to the RSPB nature reserve at Snettisham, Norfolk, to see the wader spectacular.  This is when a spring tide forces the many thousands of waders, here on migration, towards the shoreline, offering twichers and photographers alike unprecedented views of their morning flights.

Leaving my bed at 5am was not my favourite part of the day by a long shot and, when we arrived, it was still very much dawn and was very cold to boot, at around -11.

Arriving early ensures you see the birds waking up, including the flocks of pink-footed geese flying from their night-time roosts in the Wash, to their sugar beet feeding grounds inland.  It also rewards you with, if you're luck's in, some gorgeous views of the sun rising.

As always, the pink-footed geese put on a spectacle...

... and on this particular day, there were plenty of other like-minded folk to watch.

Once the sun was well on its way, the waders awoke and began to perform for the crowds.  It's always such an amazing sight to see so many birds flying in formation, changing their shape in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, after only a couple of hours, fog began to roll in off the sea which essentially put an end to any landscape photography involving flying waders.  There were, however, snow buntings flitting around, which began to feed on the shoreline.  The change in subject prompted me to begin thinking more about the composition of the photo, rather than just focussing on the subject and snapping away.  I began experimenting by lying on the floor (in the snow) to be at their level, as well as using shallow depth of field.  I'm very pleased with the results and I will definitely continue to play around with this.

My wildlife spotter (aka, my girlfriend) managed to spot this red knot lying quietly next to the path.  I think it must have thought that it was well blended in to its background which, if it wasn't for the snow, it probably would have been.  I sat perfectly still, allowing me to take some shots.

On our way back to the car, by this stage dreaming of the warmth it offered, I spotted this female blackbird rooting around in the undergrowth.  Again, she was very calm and posed nicely for this photo.

After finishing at Snettisham, we drove to North Creake on the hunt for barn owls, as I'd kind of promised my girlfriend that we would find some.  Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned, but we did see a few buzzards soaring overhead.

And finally we spotted a mistle thrush sitting quietly on a telephone line, a first time spot for me.

Introduction to Wildlife Photography, with Iain Green

I decided that, if I actually want to take decent photos, it probably wouldn't do any harm taking a course to get some tips and tricks. My knowledge of the fundamentals of taking a photo are pretty good (i.e. I know how to put the camera on to automatic and which button you press to take a photo! Only joking) but as I am, admittedly, very much an amateur when it comes to nature and animal photography, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some advice from a professional. Fortunately for me, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Barnes was able to help out, offering a days introduction to wildlife photography with photographer, Iain Green.

Iain has been a professional wildlife photographer for the past 14 years, with his subject focus being very much on wild tigers in India.  As there is a distinct lack of tigers in Barnes, fortunately, it was good to know that he was adept at a wide range of subject matter, with his attention turning more recently to the wildlife that is all around us, the wildlife of London, in all its shapes and sizes. Please do have a look at his website. There are some gorgeous photos to see there.



The day started off, at the wetlands centre, with a brief introduction from Iain, covering his experiences and some of the fundamentals of wildlife photography including researching your subjects, composition and, perhaps most importantly, respecting the animals and habitat you're working in.

Then it was out to take some photos. We started over at the Wildside of the wetlands centre, admittedly my favourite part of the site. Iain was able to remind me that I needed to think about shooting from different angles and not to be solely reliant on my zoom lens.

Here, for me, it was all about Tufted duck babies...



And flying bugs. In this case, an Ichneumon Wasp.



After a bite to eat, it was over to the other side of the site, to have a look in the hides and to take a look at the, very much in bloom, RBC rain garden. Iain gave some invaluable tips for the set-up of your camera and here, to put those tips into practice, it was all about the flowers on offer, taking photos from angles different than the usual.



It was a warm day and it looked like this starling had taken full use of the plentiful water to cool down.

I had taken a few photos from below, looking to the sky, in the past and like the results I had achieved. The plane flying through the frame helps to place the photo in a specific location, another of Iain's tips, directly under the Heathrow flight path.

Small skipper butterfly



Iain also offered a first for the wetlands trust, an introduction for me to the resident lizard population, basking on some logs in the sun.



Overall, a fantastic day spent in the sun, taking photos, getting great advice and tips from Iain.  Is Iain in any danger of me stealing his job yet?  Erm, probably not.  Has this made me want to practice and improve?  Absolutely.  Watch out Iain!