European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition

I am very pleased to have 2 images Highly Commended in the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and one of those also received the Prize of the Audience award. I didn't go to the bunfight in Germany as it clashed with Wildphotos in London and that meant having to choose between presentations by Joel Sartore and "Nick" Nicholls and that was a tough choice.

The dolphin photo is rather poignant for me. The image is of a chance encounter between man and animal that is obviously being enjoyed by both but this dolphin’s time spent with humans eventually ended badly for her. More on that later.

Bottlenose dolphins, Moray Firth

Around 130 coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) live in and around the Moray Firth. A few years ago calves started to appear with spinal scoliosis and it is possible that this condition is on the increase. While working with the CRRU in September this year I was surprised to see 2 2009 born calves with this condition in a group of 21 dolphins. The cause is as yet unknown but there are several theories. One is that it’s a hereditary condition and increased occurrence is due to inbreeding within the population. Although generally regarded as a resident population, recent collaborative photo ID research between various groups has shown that dolphins from the Moray Firth have travelled round to the west coast of Scotland and even as far as Cornwall. Another theory is that it’s caused by a build up of persistent environmental pollutants. Research, particularly on other odontocete species e.g. killer whale and beluga has shown that as apex predators they are particularly at risk from organochlorines, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals. The pollutants build up in the animals blubber and females “dump” high loads into their calves in the placenta and via lactation.

Another theory is that the condition is caused soon after birth by trauma and observations made by CRRU this year lend further weight to this idea.

Another issue that is causing considerable concern is the plan to allow further oil and gas exploration in the Firth, including one area inside the Special Area of Conservation set up under European legislation specifically to protect this vulnerable population. More here.

A fine healthy calf breaching. The white stripes on the calve's body are foetal folds from when the calf was bent double in the placenta.

A very young calf with a pronounced scoliosis.

A scoliotic calf of around 2-3 years old.

Oil rig moored for maintenance in Cromarty Firth.

2 of this year's calves with adults.

Oil rigs moored for maintenance in Cromarty Firth.

Adults breaching beside the boat.

Pine Marten

As the controversial idea of a pine marten reintroduction to southern England gathers momentum I thought I would post on some of the background science involved in PM conservation.

Although it is recovering well in Scotland and Ireland the jury is still out as to whether there is a viable population in England and Wales. Is there, as one of the wildlife charities involved claims, a remnant population of survivors that are poised to re-colonise the southern UK as soon as conditions permit, or, as other experts claim, perhaps a few escapees from wildlife collections and private keepers that show up from time to time that are too scattered to form a viable population. Regardless of this, it is probably not unreasonable to suggest that the pine marten will gradually spread south from Scotland and repopulate northern England. However it will take an awfully long time for them to reach southern England, if ever. If suitable habitat exists, why not reintroduce this species, once one of our most common predators, and now the UK’s second rarest (the wildcat has the dubious distinction of being the rarest) and is almost certainly extinct south of the Thames, sorry Severn, and probably a good deal further north?

But where would they come from? Recent DNA analysis of museum specimens has shown the original Welsh (and I think English but I could be mistaken) population was genetically quite different to animals currently living in Scotland. The Irish ones are different to both. It seems that the original Welsh (and English?) martens are more closely related to those of central Europe while the Scottish haplotype are closer to those found in Scandinavia. Why? Given that the pine marten was – and still is in North America - a valuable fur-bearing mammal; could there have been introductions in the dim and distant past? Perhaps Monty Python had the answer: Bloody Vikings! This is pure speculation on my part of course.

The DNA work is being done by Pete Turner and Catherine O’Reilly and their (very small) team at Waterford Institute of Technology. Using baited plastic tubes (originally trialled at Wildwood in Kent on captive martens) they collect small samples of hair for DNA analysis to study the interrelatedness and distribution of pine martens in Ireland. They are now also working on the identification of possible marten samples collected in England and Wales.

Camera trap image of a wild pine marten in southern Ireland.


Camera trap image of a wild pine marten in southern Ireland. I am trying to photograph non-habituated martens in their natural forest habitat, but despite long days spent in a hide in the middle of an Irish wood, I have yet to get photos other than by camera trap. They are not particularly nocturnal and have visited the cam trap in daylight but not if I am in the forest. I think they hide behind trees waiting for me to leave.

These images were taken with a Trailmaster IR monitor, Nikon D200 camera and multiple SB800 and SB25 speedlights.

Captured by a camera trap a wild Irish marten using the hair tube. A small piece of chicken is fastened inside the tube and a sticky patch traps a few hairs from the marten's neck.

Pete Turner collects the hair sample.

Jacinta Mullins of Waterford Institute of Technology extracts DNA from the hair sample. Jacinta explained the process in some detail but I won't bother to post it here. Besides, I didn't understand a word.

Hopefully, the pine marten roadshow extends to Scotland next year where I will be collaborating with local photographer James Moore: http://jamesamoore.blogspot.com/ James already has some great PM photos and will bring in-depth knowledge of the local forests and wildlife to the team and I will bring, er...

Water Vole Workshop 4

I returned home a couple of days ago for a bespoke water vole day. Despite it raining pretty much all day, plenty of really good photo opportunities presented themselves. Things seem to have quietened down a bit at the bottom end of the stream but there was still lots of activity up near the house and the top weir. We continued well into the evening - it had stopped raining by now - and had a play around with flash and slow sync (second curtain) on a couple of squabbling youngsters.

We can continue with the voles for at least another 3 or 4 weeks this year as there are still plenty of juveniles and a couple of adults showing themselves well if anyone is interested in a one to one day or getting a couple of friends together.

I took the self-portrait below just for fun. It was shot with a radio released camera on the footpath by the house.

CRRU

Chanonry Point didn't go so well with plenty of dolphins around but all well out feeding on mackerel. I did get a couple of nice shots of the female Zephyr and her 6 week old calf. What a difference a couple of weeks makes. In early September last year I got some great shots as the dolphins came right into the channel to hunt salmon.

I'm now en route back to Ireland to follow up on the pine marten project. In the meantime here are a few pics from the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit/Earthwatch team last week.

There was some of this:

Lots of this:

Some waiting for a minke whale to surface:


There he is:

Some really cool skies:

One of these:

Some of these:

And of course these:

And when the work was done, some of this:

And this:


I'm back home in October and will post some serious stuff then.

AFN

Moray Firth 2

Definately a motley crew! Ale(ssandro) and the all-female Earthwatch team. A tough job but someone has to do it.

I have just finished a brilliant 10 days working with CRRU. I'm now at Chanonry Point on the Inner Moray Firth for more dolphin photography, this time from land.

No time yet to process the many images of dolphin, minke whale and gannets but I just wanted to say a quick thanks to Kevin Robinson and his team: Ale, Jamie and Marina and particularly to the Earthwatch volunteers who made my stay there so enjoyable. I was amazed at how such a diverse group of people can gell so quickly and work together gathering and processing data. From a very cool Grandmother from Portland OR, who spent her 70th birthday cold, wet but happy in a RIB collecting data on minke whales to her 18 year old country music loving (very strange, but whatever!) grandaughter from Santa Barbara, CA. So, thank you Liz, Adra, Rosie, Gisa and Marilyn.

Bottlenose dolphin and newborn calf.

Moray Firth

A few days into my work with the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit http://www.crru.org.uk based in the lovely old fishing village of Gardenstown on the outer Moray Firth. Although the weather has not been too kind for the first couple of days we have now managed to get out on the water on 3 days and have had great encounters with a small group of bottlenose dolphins and yesterday 2 minke whales. Weather days provide the ideal opportunity for photography of a nearby gannet colony. On windy days the birds stay close in to the colony rather than fishing offshore.


So farI have have only had time to edit and process a few images from the last couple of days. These 2 dolphins approached the boat and breached as we were shooting photo ID fin images so they are a bit tight but I think it still works. AFN.