Terry Whittaker Photo Blog

Corn Bunting

2012-01-22T01:20:00.001Z

I have been working recently on various 2020VISION assignments.

Wallasea Island is part of the Thames Futurescapes Project and a major coastal realignment plan. To mitigate for farmland bird habitat loss when Wallasea Island is flooded the RSPB have given over several hectares of the island to rotated conservation crops. This is currently holding a flock of up to 200 corn buntings, one of the UK's declining farmland species.

Wildlife Trade Cambodia

2012-01-20T23:10:00.003Z

Billboard in Koh Kong

I'm very pleased that my image of a female pileated gibbon - herself rescued from the wildlife trade and photographed at a rescue centre in Thailand - is being used by Wildlife Alliance in Cambodia to raise awareness about the illegal trade in wild animals. A series of signs and billboards have been erected around Phnom Penh and Koh Kong with more planned.

Wildlife Alliance operate the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team and the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center to address wildlife trade law enforcement and rehabilitation of confiscated animals. It's easy to become despondent when faced with the scale of wildlife trade in Asia (or anywhere else) but Wildlife Alliance are having a real impact in Cambodia. It makes what I do feel worthwhile when I see my work used in this way.

Phnom Penh
Sign translation: “HELP ME! Together we can stop illegal wildlife trafficking in Cambodia. Report Wildlife Crimes: 012-500-094”

Phnom Penh

A Touch of Wind

2012-01-18T20:53:00.000Z

Driving past the wind farm on Romney Marsh recently I noticed how the the light was striking individual turbines as the clouds drifted over. I thought it might make an interesting time lapse but of course, by the time I was set up the clouds were thinning. There is a brutal jump between clips that really jars but whichever way I edit them together it's ugly. Back to the drawing board.

Vietnam Endangered Primate Tour

2011-11-18T19:24:00.012Z

It was around eight years ago when Frank Momberg, then the Vietnam Country Director for Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Canadian Biologist Michelle Tung and I had lunch in a cool tree-shaded Hanoi courtyard restaurant. We talked about primate based tourism as a means to provide funds to local communities that were protecting isolated groups of critically endangered species of leaf-eating monkeys and gibbons. These were interesting times as FFI had field biologists like Le Khac Quyet scouting remnant karst forests in northern and central Vietnam and new populations of crested gibbons and Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys had recently been discovered. And more have been found since then. All were living in remote, unprotected forests that although had not been deforested due to the difficult terrain, were under pressure from fuelwood collection and hunting for food and medicinal products.

FFI was setting up community-based protection for these populations and helping local and national government agencies get to grips with firearms control and hunting. Frank was keen to find a way for the communities to generate income sustainably from the primates that would directly benefit the local people and give them an incentive not only to protect the wildlife but eventually expand the habitat. Frank has since moved on to a regional role but Paul Insua Cao, FFI’s s China-Indochina Primate Programme Manager and I have continued to explore specialist primate photography tours as a means to generate funds for the community and also help raise awareness back home about the plight of these critically endangered, but little known, species.

Karst Forest at Khao Ca

Villager collecting fuelwood, Van Long Nature Reserve

I made several trips to Vietnam around then and since with support from FFI and other NGOs to photograph primates. Although I had a very successful trip for Delacour's langur at Van Long my main interest was, and still is, the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, a strange- looking character thought to be extinct until rediscovered in the early nineties and now thought to number around 200 individuals in several isolated populations. I first tried at Na Hang Nature Reserve working with the Peoples Resource and Conservation Foundation www.prcfoundation.org and the Forest Protection Dept. Based in a lovely village of bamboo houses and paddy fields, 2 Rangers and I hiked up into the forest and looked over miles of forest from a karst outcrop. It was difficult to pin down exactly when TSNM had last been seen in this area or even if there were any left in this part of the reserve. The rangers, who were not used to babysitting foreigners in the forest moved very quickly, almost running, in very steep and difficult terrain and carrying heavy photo equipment it was impossible for me to keep up with them. To be honest, even without the kit, I wouldn’t have come close to keeping up with them. With a small population of monkeys (maybe) in a large forest this clearly wasn’t going to work.

Community Ranger Mr Khoan watching for snub-nosed monkeys, Khau Ca

My next attempt was at Khau Ca where FFI’s Le Khac Quyet had recently discovered a small population of TNSM in a remnant karst forest surrounded by villages and agriculture. I was guided by 2 members of the local community, Mr Hap and Mr Khoan. Based in a tiny hut at the forest edge, 6 km from and 600m higher than the village, Khoan and I hiked into the forest each day to look for monkeys. Although still in difficult terrain, Khoan was much more experienced at finding and watching wildlife and we moved at a sensible pace and as quietly as possible. Khoan found monkeys 3 out of 5 days and although I got photos on 2 of those days I didn’t get anything of the quality I needed. It was immensely frustrating and today, with digital, I would have been able to get much more than I did. It was just too soon though. The population had only recently been discovered and although protection measures had already been implemented the monkeys were still extremely shy. If they got the slightest hint of our presence, alarm calls would sound and they would be gone. Quyet had good photos already - he has amazing ones now - but he was able to spend long periods alone in the forest. And he has an uncanny skill in finding and photographing these animals. It’s different today. It will be just as challenging to get to the place and find the monkeys but they feel more secure and are starting to become habituated to people. A Chinese film crew recently got good images of TSNM (and Cao Vit gibbon at Trung Khanh) and so the time is right to take small groups of photographers into these places with a reasonable expectation of success.

It’s taken a long time to get from that lunch in Hanoi to here and it still feels like we are only now taking the first steps. Vietnam Endangered Primate Photo Tour

Delacour's langur group, Van Long Nature Reserve

Amazing Time Lapse

2011-11-15T15:48:00.004Z

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Donna Nook Seal Update

2011-10-13T14:47:00.012+01:00

Last year I wrote about the issues surrounding the Donna Nook grey seal colony in Lincolnshire.Link.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust have issued a statement that would appear to vindicate their position. Obviously one year's data is not enough to form a firm conclusion but it's pretty convincing. The statement is posted below with permission from LWT.

Donna Nook Statement 2011

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s management of the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve allows tens of thousands of people to enjoy the incredible annual spectacle of pupping grey seals without causing damaging disturbance to the very animals they come to see.

However, uncontrolled access to the seals about a mile out across the beach had been building from 2006, reaching a peak of 1,500 people in 2009. This was thought to be a contributing factor to the otherwise unexplained rise in mortality amongst the seal pups in this outer sand banks area. In response to this, in 2010, the Wildlife Trust requested that all visitors remained behind the fence line and did not venture out onto the beach.

The Wildlife Trust is thankful to all the very kind and supportive photographers and other visitors who did stay off the beach. The result was a dramatic fall in the mortality of pups in the outer sand banks area, despite extremely harsh weather conditions and the coldest December on record. The 80% drop in numbers of people on the beach coincided with a 50% drop in the pup mortality.

Disappointingly, 314 people refused to cooperate. All but two of these people, went on to the beach with the sole purpose of photographing the seals, of those the majority were with organised commercial groups, members of photographic clubs or professional photographers from overseas (including those from Holland and Germany where access to seal colonies has been banned due to disturbance).

Pup mortality in the outer sand banks remains higher than in the dunes area, perhaps because of those who insist on ignoring the Wildlife Trust’s request. If all visitors remained behind the protective fence, it is possible that the mortality of these pups could be reduced further.

Visitors captured some stunning images from behind the fence, dispelling the myth that you can’t get good photos there. It is a credit to those who have used their skill and ingenuity to capture excellent images without causing any problems to seals or upsetting other visitors.

In light of this evidence, during the seal pupping in 2011, the Wildlife Trust will continue to request that all visitors watch and photograph the seals from the viewing area and that nobody walks amongst the seals on the beach.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, October 2011

Endangered Dolphins Down Under

2011-09-28T18:51:00.000+01:00

Article in today's Grauniad about Hector's dolphins, the world's most endangered marine dolphin species - apparently. I photographed the above pair off Akaroa on the Bank's Peninsula a couple of years ago.

British Wildlife Photography Awards

2011-09-27T20:12:00.002+01:00

The winning images in this years British Wildlife Photography Awards have been anounced. Congratulations to Richard Shucksmith for his brilliant winning image of a jellyfish.

I'm very pleased to have 2 highly commended entries, the grey heron image above and the water vole video below. The heron photo was used as a double page spread in last weeks Sunday Times Magazine and looked really good. This was the first year for video entries but I'm sure most photo comps will soon have a DSLR video category.

The pine marten image below, although missing out in the awards, made it into the competition book.

New Zealand Wildlife Photography Tour

2011-09-04T09:51:00.003+01:00

A couple of years ago I visited my peripatetic daughter Megan whilst she was working for Kaikoura Whale Watch company in New Zealand. Readers of her blog will know she is now in Iceland and showing no symptoms of itchy feet. She took a couple of weeks off and we went for a road trip around the country to photograph as much wildlife as we could find. And what an adventure it turned out to be. Armed with a little research done in her South Bay bach we headed off in search of the world's rarest penguin, nocturnal kiwis and huge sealions that chase you if get too close. We did and they did. We had left it very late in the season and the further south we drove the more gnarly the weather got (it's an upside down world) and at the incredibly remote Mason Bay on Stewart Island (no roads, you walk or fly in landing on the beach) it was foul. I wanted to photograph kiwis probing for sandhoppers on the beach but the weather was so bad I settled for them in sheltered scrub behind the dunes. We drove north through snow-capped mountains and ancient old-growth forest and had a quick tour of North Island calling in to see friends and photograph a northern kiwi conservation project. By this time Megan had to be back at work and after a short stay back in Kaikoura photographing sperm whales, dusky dolphins and fur seals I took off back to North Island to visit the amazing Tiritiri Matangi Island. Some years ago New Zealand's Dept of Conservation realised that the eradication of the introduced predators that were causing mayhem amongst endemic species was going to be a long haul and in the short term surviving species of endemic, and often flightless and helpless, birds should be moved to predator-free island sanctuaries. Perhaps the best known and most successful of these has been Tiritiri Matangi off the far northeast coast. Most images of Takahe (not that there are that many - images or birds) are from here and the island is a paradise for several other endangered, endemic species like stitchbird, kokako, saddleback and little-spotted kiwi. Then, on route back to South Island a few hours photography of Whio (blue duck) on the lovely Manganui o te Ao river and a quick stop off in the mountains for the notorious and all too intelligent kea. For this I had the brainwave of covering all the vehicle's rubber trim with gaffer tape which took the birds seconds to remove. They do like rubber!

When Dobry at Focus4Nature asked me if I would be interested in putting together a couple of wildlife photography tours I immediately thought of New Zealand and how easy it is travel around the country and how accessable and spectacular the wildlife. The tour we came up with; Aotearoa: the Unique Wildlife of New Zealand is now up on the F4N website. It's going to be a great trip!

Carbuncle Cup

2011-09-01T12:54:00.002+01:00

So the new BBC MediaCity building in Salford has won the dubious title of Britain's ugliest new building. I like it and suspect the judges of having a touch of the Prince Charles vapours. Either way Salford has come a long way from Ewan MaColl's day.

Water Vole Photography Days Update

2011-08-11T15:43:00.001+01:00

I'm afraid these are on hold again for the foreseeable. There is no more oil, that was just a blip, but vole numbers are so low and they are so transitory that I simply can't guarantee a good days photography with them. Photos are possible in a variety of areas but with very long waits between opportunities. I will be spending as much time as I am able at the site to keep on top of what is happening and also to try and photograph some interesting behaviour that I haven't managed to get in the past. I'll keep this blog updated as to the current situation. Sorry about that but I don't like to take people's money if they are not likely to come away with a decent number of photos.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Water

2011-07-28T14:25:00.004+01:00

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago the water vole situation was looking promising and we were ready to start up the photo workshops/days again. I spent a few hours at the site over the past 3 days to get the voles used to the sound of cameras and equipment in and around the water. This was going well and rattled off a few frames with a remote camera in the water near the vole's feeding spots and some from the bank with a long lens. On the third day, before I could get started, I noticed there was a seepage of heating oil into the stream right where we do the close up, low level photos. Richard immediately had the pipes tested ( it's a new tank) and they are OK so it's obviously oil that soaked into the ground during the winter spill and has suddenly decided to leak out a little at a time. It really is a very small amount of oil but if the winter experience is anything to go by the voles avoid contaminated areas and indeed the adult female was nowhere to be seen. So, that's the situation at the moment. It remains to be seen how often this seepage will occur but obviously it affects what we can do at the site. There are voles throughout the stream but it's the ones in the walled area near the house that offer the easiest and most frequent opportunities. If you have recently booked a workshop or are thinking of doing so, I'll keep you posted on the situation as hopefully this is a temporary hiccup and we will be able to continue as planned.

Urbane Fox

2011-07-22T17:28:00.000+01:00

Ratty's Back

2011-07-22T12:36:00.003+01:00

I know, my blogs are like buses. I just happen to have a couple of days at home catching up on STUFF.

And so, after a poor breeding season last year, a disastrous winter decline and a minor oil spill to boot, Ratty is making a comeback at the mid Kent site. So much so and due to popular demand, we have decided to restart the water vole photo days/workshops. I will also email the very patient people who contacted me earlier in the summer asking about this only to get the stock: "soon, really soon, maybe next month" replies.

We'll ease into the photography as I haven't been able to spend as much time there as usual . Normally I do some intensive photography there myself to get a picture (sorry) of what's happening and where the most productive spots are and to get the voles up by the house a bit more habituated. I hope to get into some of this over the next few days. Just standing by the house drinking tea and listening to Richard expound his views on the current state of world affairs (lots of material at the moment) helps with this. These are probably the most culturally aware water voles in the UK.

For those of you who have photographed here before and know the site, there are currently two juvenile (getting quite bold now) and one adult (v.shy at the moment) in the area beside the house. There are voles in the ponds (lots of sign) and there is a good spot there for photos. There are good feeding signs and a latrine in the mid section where Wildwood did a lot of habitat work in the winter and there are voles down near the bridge. The two latter spots would require some time and effort to get photos but could be worth it. As before, by the house will be easier. The ponds a bit more difficult due the voles there never seeing people so they are much more shy. However with patience and a bit of canny fieldcraft this spot could be very productive as the habitat is really good now.

Last year on these photo days participants produced very high quality images, some of which are now held by leading nature photo libraries and also did very well in competitions including one by Sue North that reached the final round of the BBC CountryFile competition.

OK, anyone interested let me know.

Medway Valley Photo Competition

2011-07-22T10:00:00.002+01:00

Last weekend we held the workshop for the winners of the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership photo competition. This year the adult category was won by Jayson Worsfold and the under 18 snagged by his daughter Jessica. We had a full itinerary planned trying to take in a range of subjects but the windy weather put paid to any butterfly photography (Jessica is into macro) but luckily a couple of water voles put in an appearance and both mallard and moorhens had young on the stream. A few days earlier I put a hide in place at a good spot for late backlit rabbits and this worked out well with these ubiquitous but difficult to photograph animals posing nicely a few metres away. The day ended with a very nice bonus when one of the local foxes trotted past, pausing briefly for a few photos before going about her business. More info about the competition and Jayson and Jessica's photos here.

Urban Wildlife - Or Not.

2011-06-22T15:26:00.009+01:00

Looking for a particular shot I was just going through some images from the winter that I haven't really got round to editing and processing and this set appealed to my perverse sense of humour. Of all the categories in wildlife photography competitions, urban wildlife attracts the fewest entries. Picture libraries almost always have: Urban Wildlife - anything, on the wants lists and yet very few people shoot this stuff. In fact we seem to go out of our way for the same old when the scene is crying out for context. Go figure.

Click to enlarge.

Manul

2011-05-29T17:45:00.005+01:00

As I mentioned in the last post I recently popped into Port Lympne to check out the new Pallas' Cat enclosure for photo potential. And it's brilliant! This enigmatic little cat from the dry steppe and mountains of Mongolia is fast becoming one of my favourites and this enclosure gives a real impression of what they might look like in their natural environment. Photo-wise it will be better in few months when the rocks have weathered a bit more and it will definately be worth returning for both summer and winter pelage photos.
More on this species here: Little Cats, Big Attitude

Carpathian Lynx

2011-05-27T18:06:00.002+01:00

Taking a break from my 2020 VISION work I recently had a day at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park primarily to get some images of the recently arrived Carpathian Lynx and also check out the amazing new enclosure for Pallas' Cats. I'll post some images of those next. Although cloud was forecast, the day was bright and sunny all day, not really the best conditions for this kind of photography. The Carpathian lynx is one of the smaller, more distinctively spotted subspecies of the Eurasian lynx and the male I photographed is a very handsome cat indeed.

The opportunity has arisen to run photography events at a new facility specialising in small endangered mammals, mainly predators. I want to gauge how much interest there might be in these so if it's something that appeals to you please get in touch. At this point I'm not sure exactly what format the events would take but we have several ideas for workshops, with an emphasis on learning the techniques involved in photographing these types of animals, including flash, how to shoot through glass etc. Alternatively, or in addition, we could offer events where more experienced photographers are provided with access to rare and unusual species difficult or impossible to photograph elsewhere. The facility is conservation orientated and the photo events would simply be another source of revenue to help with running costs. All of the animals would be part of accredited captive breeding programmes and none would be kept solely for the purposes of photography or exhibition. Let me know.

2020 VISION Rutland Water Assigment

2011-05-25T11:50:00.000+01:00

My blog for the 2020 VISION Rutland Water assignment. See it here.

Mauritius Tour

2011-05-13T18:59:00.003+01:00

A short while ago I was invited to put together some trips for a new wildlife photography tour company focus4nature. The idea is that the tours are quite different to the destinations usually offered and would concentrate on endangered wildlife. The tours are are designed in partnership with local conservation NGOs and government agencies who benefit directly from the tours. In some cases we are visiting places that have rarely or never been visited by tourists let alone serious photographers. These tours will be an adventure and more challenging than than the usual photo destinations.

The first, to Mauritius has just gone on-line. We will be working with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation to photograph endemic and critically endangered species and the active conservation efforts to save them.

One of only 400 remaining pink pigeons © Megan Whittaker

The British and the Whales

2011-05-11T19:54:00.001+01:00

Whales and Dolphins: Cognition, Culture, Conservation and Human Perceptions

The snappily-titled new book edited by Mark Simmonds and Philippa Brakes of WDCS. Mark has written a chapter about The British and the Whales which features our very own Sandgate dolphin Dave (below) using a couple of my images.

Water Voles on the Telly

2011-05-11T16:33:00.001+01:00

I had a nice spread in several of the nationals a couple of weeks ago whilst I was away working on the 2020 VISION Rutland Water iWitness. The Mail , Telegraph and Times each used several images and text (kind of) from a story I have with Solent News Agency. Solent put them out just before a Bank Holiday on a blistering hot day and I guess they just hit the spot. This resulted in a TV interview with BBC Southeast which I had to dash back to Kent for. I'm much happier working behind the scenes but whatever it takes to get the word out. Talking of behind the scenes a big thank you to Hazel Ryan and Vicky Johnson of Wildwood who do the important stuff.

Winds of Change

2011-04-24T21:16:00.002+01:00

Comic courtesy of xkcd.com

Plastic Midway

2011-04-15T12:05:00.002+01:00

Seminar for CAM's Year of Photography

2011-04-13T15:10:00.000+01:00

I just watched this webinar (if that's not a word it soon will be) by Niall Benvie for the Year of Photography organised by Jose B Ruiz. It drags on a bit due to the translations but well worth the effort to stay with it. It's in 3 parts on Vimeo. Niall has a bit more to say about it on his blog. Part Two Part Three

Normal Service

2011-04-13T15:08:00.001+01:00

Sticking up a pretty (but essentially boring) picture of a swan and then disappearing for ages is hardly good blogging etiquette but I am very busy at the moment. I should have put this up. Is it me or is there something scary about this kid and her doll?

On Reflection...

2011-03-28T11:25:00.002+01:00

It's time for a pretty picture.

Tiger Trader Jailed

2011-03-26T10:00:00.002Z

Hats off yet again to ENV.

Dear Sir/Madam

A long-time suspected tiger trader Huynh Van Hai, owner of the Thanh Canh Tourism Park in Binh Duong province was sentenced on March 10 to three years in prison for selling tigers out the back door of his park, fourteen other people linked to Haiâ€™s illegal activities, including his son, received sentences ranging from 18 monthsâ€™ probation to 30 months in prison. In addition to imprisonment, Hai and two other subjects were fined more than VND 1.4 billion (about USD 70,000.00).

The Thanh Canh Tourism Park is one of eight private zoos and establishments in Vietnam that keep tigers. In 2010, a major investigation carried out by ENV found that the Thanh Canh Tourism Park was suspected of involvement in the illegal trade of tigers born at the park. Suspicions were based on inconsistencies in records maintained by the park and observations during regular inspections carried out by ENV and police.

ENV would like to congratulate the Binh Duong authorities, and in particular, the Binh Duong Police for pursuing this investigation that led to the prosecution of Mr. Hai and the other suspects involved in this case. This is a huge step forward in our collective efforts to end illegal trade of tigers in Vietnam. Binh Duong authorities are sending a strong message to other tiger farmers that may be engaged in similar illegal activities they too may see the inside of a prison cell if they do not obey the law.

For further details, please kindly look at the attachment and contact us.

Best regards

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc

Communication and Public Awareness Department
Education for Nature - Vietnam
No. 5, Lane 192 Thai Thinh, Dong Da District
Hanoi, Vietnam
Phone/fax: +84 4 35148850 - ext: 201, 202
E-mail: communication.env@gmail.com communication.env@fpt.vn
Website: www.envietnam.org (English)
www.thiennhien.org (Vietnamese)
www.savingvietnamswildlife.org (English wildlife trade website)

Spring is in the Hare!

2011-03-22T17:18:00.003Z

It's that time of year again!

Bad Moon Rising

2011-03-22T16:23:00.001Z

And so I completely missed the rising of the Supermoon. In the car park at Elmley RSPB with one camera running a time-lapse on the plumes of steam from Kemsley paper mill and the other in the car I was wondering where exactly the moon would rise when suddenly there it was, hiding behind a building. No chance of finding a nice bit water for reflections or actually getting my act together in any meaningful way I just grabbed the camera from the car and quickly changed lenses on the time-lapse camera and did what I could. It seemed to rise faster than usual (probably just me being slow) and soon lost its beautiful yellow glow becoming very bright very quickly. As it happens I preferred it the next night when it rose later in the evening through layers of patchy cloud creating some very moody images.

Music by Adam Castillo (creative commons licence). I like it because it sounds a bit like the theme from Blade Runner. I would have used the theme from Blade Runner but I don't think Vangelis would like it.

Water Vole Update

2011-03-18T23:09:00.002Z

I have been getting a few enquiries about water vole photo days. I will of course let those people know by email when we are ready to start again but in the meantime here is a quick update on the current situation. Last year we had a really good season photography wise but it became obvious that the water vole population wasn't in great shape as we went into the autumn. There were voles all along the stream but not in any great numbers at at time when the population should have been at its peak. This was probably due to a number of reasons, one of which was the extremely harsh previous winter which completely hammered the aquatic vegetation, not only from the cold but also the large numbers of mallard attracted to the open water and food. The water cress and starwort which the year before had blanketed the lower reaches of the stream didn't get going until very late although the crowsfoot in the faster-flowing middle stretch was OK.

A spill of heating oil into which eventually leached into the stream didn't help either but probably had very little effect on the voles. Mini booms and soak pads provided by the Environment Agency kept the oil contained in the walled area and very little dispersed downstream but this meant that the female vole that lives in this area moved out into the main stream.

Almost certainly the main reason for the population decline was a gradual change to the habitat over the past few years as the trees along the bank, many of which were coppiced or pollarded before the original reintroduction nearly 10 years ago, simply regrew. These shaded the banks resulting in less marginal and bankside vegetation which is essential to the voles for food and cover from predators. The Wildwood Trust has received a grant of over £14,000 from the BBC Wildlife Fund to monitor this population (and others) and to ensure its long-term stability. They recently sent a team to improve the habitat, cutting back willow and hazel to expose the banks to the sun once again. A sterling job they did too clearing large stretches which should allow the grass and herbs to flourish. So, we now have to hope that there are still enough voles to repopulate the stream. It's looking positive at the moment. I was there yesterday and there are several territorial latrines being formed and a few new burrows so fingers-crossed...

Sperm Whale Stranding, Pegwell Bay, Kent

2011-03-06T15:49:00.001Z

In the early hours of March 3^rd a juvenile male sperm whale stranded on the beach at Pegwell Bay near Ramsgate in Kent. It isn’t known for sure if the whale stranded alive but when first checked by members of British Divers Marine Life Rescue the whale was already dead. Even if it had been alive there is nothing that could have been done for it. Deep diving whales like the sperm and bottlenose whales - one of which famously live-stranded in the Thames in 2006 - cannot survive in the shallow North Sea and English Channel. Of course it’s not known if this whale came from the north via the Norwegian Sea or east from the Atlantic Ocean. Again it’s unknown if the toothed whales that turn up, often dead or dying, on our east coast are already sick and disorientated and that’s why they are so lost or have simply taken a wrong turn, ending up in an unhealthy neighbourhood. Once in the shallow seas they are unable to feed on the deep-living cephalopods that provide their diet and fluids and become dehydrated. Hopefully a post-mortem examination will help to clear up these mysteries.

I was in Essex looking for a reported flock of 2000 avocet when I heard about the stranding and by the time I got there the whale had already gone from being about the sad death of a magnificent creature to an issue of public health and order with Coastguards and police keeping curious people well away from the whale. Eventually the police put up a tape which allowed people to get close enough for a look without getting in the way of the scientists now gathering to collect samples and the contractors trying to figure out how to move and dispose of a 20 odd ton body. By nightfall the machine despatched to move the whale had proved inadequate to the task and heads were being scratched.

It was fascinating to see a sperm whale this close-up albeit under such sad circumstances. I have watched them in their natural environment, and an incredible sight it is too, but from a boat it’s a bit like looking at an iceberg, there is so much more beneath the surface. I have also been lucky enough to photograph them from a helicopter and from that perspective you get a much better idea of the grace of such a huge animal but I have yet to be underwater with one. That would be the ultimate sperm whale experience.

I set off back to Pegwell Bay at first light to shoot the whale being dragged off the beach but in the end couldn’t face it and turned round to go look for those avocets.

More photos on the website: Here.

Very cool new 2020 Video

2011-02-25T10:03:00.002Z

2020VISION is a multimedia project that aims to communicate the benefits of healthy fully functioning ecosystems, not just for wildlife but for people as well. 20 of the UK's top photographers along with videographers, writers and sound recordists will visit 20 flagship restoration projects around Britain. The thousands of images and hours of footage generated from these assignments will then be woven into compelling narratives and presented in innovative ways up and down the country – working with local partners and communities.

Vancouver Again!

2011-02-22T19:04:00.000Z

Fifth year in a row Vancouver BC is voted best city in the world to live. This is no surprise but Manchester coming in at 42nd, a few places ahead of London, may be.

New Zealand Fur Seals Clubbed to Death

2011-02-16T17:39:00.005Z

I just became aware of a report in the New Zealand Herald about the attack on the fur seal colony at Ohau Point a few kilometres north of Kaikoura in New Zealand. Not surprisingly this has opened up yet another Debate on culling fur seals. 23 seals were found clubbed to death in December and an expert has suggested that the final toll will be at least double that as the adult females killed would have dependent pups.

Ohau Point is just north of the famous whale-watching and lobster fishing town of Kaikoura. Pups and juveniles form crèches in large tidal pools where they are sheltered from rough seas. It's great fun to watch them playing in the pools where they no doubt are learning the skills they will need to survive in the open ocean.

It would be hard man who could club this little guy.

Hunted almost to extinction in the early 1800s fur seals have recovered well leading to conflict with fishermen. There also an issue with boaters when fur seals haul out on boat ramps. Technically it is illegal to disturb seals leading to complaints from some boaters. Common sense usually prevails and the seals are gently persuaded to move out of the way.

Some of a series of images Megan took from the whale-watch boat she was working on of a fur seal killing and eating a large octopus.

Feed the Birds (Twopence a Fish).

2011-02-14T13:56:00.004Z

Feeding the birds is a Great British tradition and we spend large amounts of money on seed, fat balls, mealworms and, I was surprised to find, fish. During the family Xmas holidays in Manchester I made my usual visit to the local Reddish Vale Country Park . This has always been a good spot to photograph herons but this winter I became aware that several of the locals actually buy fish to feed them. Some buy sprats from the nearby supermarket and some scraps from the fishmonger. Over a few days I saw 4 different people feeding them. The herons seem to recognise these individuals and immediately fly down when they arrive.

I started to feed them myself and this makes for some great photo ops. Initially I went for regular close-ups of the herons as they approached for a fish and soon realised just how difficult it is to get a shot of a heron looking directly at you. The head always seems to slightly to one side. I don't really know why as they have perfect binocular vision looking down that bill like a rifle barrel.

When the snow was gone from the ice I was faced with several of those grim, grey days in which the Northwest of England specialises. The herons will only approach to within a few metres (see top photo) but I thought that if I placed a radio-triggered camera and wide-angle lens on the ice with a couple of flashguns and throw the odd fish a few inches in front of the lens I might get some interesting shots.

Dark Side of the Lens

2011-02-05T11:05:00.001Z

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

I just came across a link to this short film on Vimeo.

A Flying Start to the Year

2011-01-14T00:23:00.004Z

I can't believe we are almost half way through January already. It feels like I have spent the entire time since I got back down to Kent after the holidays sat in front of the computer. Oh wait... Anyway, here is a short video of Brent geese in north Kent. This is shot on fields very close to the new London Array onshore substation at Graveney. Once the eelgrass is gone from the mudflats the geese switch to feeding on crops just inland, which the farmer just loves. More on that later.

Dark-bellied brent geese, South Swale, Kent, UK from Terry Whittaker on Vimeo.

Season's Greetings

2010-12-22T15:50:00.002Z

Eilean Dubh

2010-12-19T17:31:00.004Z

Eilean Dubh (revised edition) by Andrew Dowsett, James A Moore and Russell Turner | Make Your Own Book

"Welcome to Eilean Dubh – the Black Isle. Historic villages, playful dolphins, mountain views, peaceful landscapes, stormy coasts, secretive wildlife, huge skies...
The colour and grandeur of this special part of the Scottish Highlands is brought into focus by a superb collection of images gathered by three of the photographers lucky enough to live there. Take a look inside and share their spectacular world".

Check out this excellent new book jam-packed with stunning photos of one of my favourite places in the world. Beautiful coastlines, forests, pine martens, dolphins and a village called Jemimaville!

You can buy it direct from Blurb but a new edition printed locally on the Black Isle will be available soon direct from Russell (The Bassman) here.

Tiger Glue for Sale

2010-12-06T14:47:00.002Z

You really couldn't make this stuff up. At the same time as Vietnam is signing the St Petersburg Declaration to double tigers numbers by 2022, local government is up to its elbows in illegal trade.

Snow Voles

2010-12-06T09:36:00.005Z

As soon as we get a good fall of snow in the south-east corner of the country it feels like there is a rush to get some photography done while it lasts. This inevitably leads to frustration as often as not the roads are cleared just in time for the snow to have melted anyway. On the second day of the latest fall I managed to get to the water vole site and this is the most snow I have seen here. Apparently it was the same last winter but I was away at the the time and missed it. The stream never freezes as the water rises here at a constant temperature and so always feels cold in summer and warm in these conditions. After struggling along un-gritted minor roads to get there and back, that night it rained heavily and by morning every flake of snow was gone.

I was desperate to get there to change the batteries on the camera trap on the fallen tree and to see how many lovely photos I had of foxes crossing the stream in softly falling snow. Not one as it happens because as soon as the tree had a layer of snow along it, the foxes stopped using it. As always, the water voles posed nicely. They were very active foraging around the edges of and under the snow and there was also a lot of chasing going on which looked more like breeding behaviour than territorial aggression. Very early (or late) if it is.

Camera Traps - A Catalogue of Errors

2010-11-28T21:55:00.002Z

The nice man from the water board. And rain on the lens.

Neighbourly pooch.

Right subject. Wrong light. Normally, I set up a camera trap with a single flashgun initially and leave it for a few days to see what's happening and when. It also helps with foxes to get them used to one light before adding more. When I am getting regular hits I introduce more lights. The reason for this is the one, initial light is linked to the camera with a TTL lead which allows the flash to go to standby and then be woken up by the Trailmaster and this allows the batteries to last for several days. Secondary flashes are active the whole time and this exhausts the batteries in twenty four hours, even if they don't fire. I have been trying to find out what it is that NG do to their flashes that allows a set of AAs to last for a month. Charlie Hamilton James's blog has a neat idea for small lead acid batteries which I must try. Though my experience of camera traps is that the more things you add to the set up, the more things can, and will, go wrong. Incidentally this fox stopped coming as soon as I put in the extra lights!

Occasionally it comes together OK. This is one from late summer that I just got round to processing.

One from this week. The foxes are on the move as we approach the breeding season and young ones are dispersing. Over the course of five days, four different foxes crossed the stream on this tree.

New Report on Bear Bile Use - Vietnam

2010-11-23T12:33:00.002Z

If there was any doubt that the International Tiger Conference (earlier post) should be concentrating on addressing demand as much as protection this is it. It isn't by the way.

November 23, 2010

Press release

Vietnam

cannot have both Bears and bear bile

Ha Noi, November 23^th, 2010 – Twenty-two percent of Vietnamese people said that they have used bear bile in the past, according to the findings of the study by Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) on attitudes associated with bear bile use in Vietnam.

A total of 3,032 people were surveyed in three cities in Vietnam: Hanoi (north), Da Nang (central) and Ho Chi Minh City (south). The participants were randomly selected and interviewed by telephone to analyze the motivation behind bear bile consumption and evaluate demographic differences between respondents in their attitudes toward the use of bear bile.

The survey results suggested that:

· Bear bile is considered as a magic medicine that can cure a range of health problems including muscle complaints, bruises, digestive problems or even cancer. Bear bile is mainly used to treat specific health problems (73%). Bear bile is also used for general health improvement (24%) and entertainment purposes (14%).

· Hanoi has a much higher percentage of bear bile users than Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City. Thirty-five percent of survey participants in Hanoi claimed that they have used bear bile in the past, while only 16% of those in Ho Chi Minh City and 15% in Da Nang said that they have used bear bile.

· The percentage of men using bear bile is higher than the percentage of women in all three cities. Almost 1/3 of all male survey participants (29%) claimed to have consumed bear bile in the past compared to 17% of all women surveyed.

· People with higher education levels (college degree or higher) are more likely to use bear bile than people with lower education levels (high schools or lower levels). Bear bile consumption also rises with age and the use of bear bile is different between age groups.

Vietnam

is home to two species of bears, the Asiatic Black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Both species are being pushed to the edge of extinction, mainly due the illegal hunting and trade to support the demand for bear bile used as a traditional form of medicine. Bears are usually captured as cubs in the wild and sold to bear farms where they are raised and used to extract bile from the gall bladder. Currently, there are about 3,500 bears in farms in Vietnam, most of which originated from the wild.

“Vietnam’s bears are in trouble,” says Ms. Vu Thi Quyen, founding director and the author of the report. “Urgent and tough measures are needed to put an end to bear farming and trade in Vietnam.”

Based on the findings from this study, ENV recommends following actions:

· A long-term and sustained awareness campaign must be carried out in order to dispel the belief that bear bile is a form of magic medicine. The campaign should promote medical alternatives to bear bile (both herbal and western medicine) and highlight its perceived ineffectiveness as reported by former users.

· Stronger laws and more effective law enforcement are critical to efforts to phase out bear farming and eliminating bear bile consumption. All unregistered bears discovered by authorities should be confiscated and the owners appropriately punished.

· Studies should be carried out to identify major wild populations of bears in Vietnam where protection and recovery efforts should be prioritized; an analysis of commercial farming of bears and other endangered species and its impact on species conservation should be conducted.

The results of ENV’s study will help authorities and conservation organizations to develop more effective measures to address bear bile consumption and trade in Vietnam and enhance protection for what may be Vietnam’s last remaining bears in the wild.

“We need to face a tough choice,” says Ms. Quyen, “Vietnam can’t have wild bears and bear bile too.”

The full results of the study have been compiled in a report, An Analysis of Attitudes and Bear Bile Use in Vietnam (Vietnamese and English version). ENV wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for supporting this important study.

Persons for interview:

Ms. Vu Thi Quyen

The report’s author

Founding Director

Education for Nature – Viet Nam (ENV)

Email: quyenvu75@gmail.com

Contact person:

Tran Viet Hung

Communication and Public Awareness Manager

Education for Nature – Viet Nam (ENV)

Email: viethung.env@gmail.com

Phone: +84 4 35148850

Mobile: +84 9 78462159

Related Links

Bear webpage: http://thiennhien.org/CDBVG/index.php

Bear campaign TV Public Service Announcements

TCM alternatives PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6KUD2IfVBU

Bear extinction guaranteed PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6rDIPlMzA

Say NO to bear bile PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgkkQ84kmmk

Pop star My Linh PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z93p8Vlbzo

Younger generation Say “No” PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8DJTjCqtY

About Education for Nature - Vietnam

Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2000 as

Vietnam

’s first non-governmental organization focused on conservation of nature and the environment through education. Our mission is to foster greater understanding amongst the Vietnamese public about environmental issues of local, national and global significance, ranging from protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems to climate change. We employ creative and innovative strategies to influence attitudes and behavior, not only highlighting the need to protect Vietnam’s rich natural heritage and the living world around us, but also encouraging greater public participation in achieving this important and challenging task.

ENV’s efforts to protect Vietnam’s endangered bears

ENV has been working for more than five years to end bear farming and trade, carrying out a range of activities including investigations and surveys of bear farms, working with authorities to confiscate illegal bears, and combating consumer crimes such as selling bear bile and products made from bears, ENV’s legislative and policy arm works to build support amongst key government decision-makers and leaders to improve policy and strengthen legislation aimed at protecting Vietnam’s bears, and ensure that current laws are enforced effectively, while ENV’s public awareness and education unit carries out campaigns with the aim of reducing the consumption and use of bear bile and bear products. Recent campaigns have include airing public service announcements on TV and radio, campaigning through the media, billboards and advertising on buses, and public events throughout Vietnam hosted by ENV’s mobile awareness unit.

South China Tiger

2010-11-21T14:11:00.005Z

Today's Sunday Times reports the extinction of the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) quoting Sarah Christie of the Zoological Society of London as saying " The South China tiger is functionally extinct, meaning it has disappeared from the wild". This has been suspected for some time, with only sporadic and often unconfirmed sightings for the past few years. What is new, and alarming if you believe that reintroductions of captive-bred big cats are a viable conservation tool, is that Chinese scientists have recently admitted that no captive South China tigers are pure. All are hybrids. One assumes that this also applies to the tigers in the controversial rewilding project in South Africa.

The South China tiger is the fourth race of the species to become extinct following the Caspian, Javan and Bali tiger. Persecuted throughout its vastly diminished range for both its skin as trophy and its body parts for Traditional Medicine the tiger is being whittled away one country at a time. Of the five distinct geographical races left the Sumatran and Amur tiger numbers in the low hundreds and without concerted effort will be the next to go. It remains to be seen whether the International Forum on Tiger Conservation that opens today in Russia will be anything more than a talking shop producing yet more unattained targets.

For an example of how some countries approach the wildlife trade issue the photos below were taken in the Burmese border town of Tachilek just across the Mai Sai River from Thailand. Working with local conservation and wild animal welfare NGOs I visited Tachilek several times over a couple of years. It became increasingly difficult to openly photograph the traders and their wares as they were being hassled by the police and authorities, not for blatantly conducting an illegal business, but for allowing foreigners to film and photograph it. Apparently it is the same in other border town markets like Poipet in Cambodia. The other trend seemed to be fewer tiger skins on display and many more clouded leopard. Whether this reflects supply or that tiger skins and parts were now being traded out of sight rather than out in the open, or both, I wouldn't know.

Tiger skin for sale. Tachilek Market, Burma

Fresh tiger bone for sale. Tachilek Market, Burma

Indochinese leopard, clouded leopard, and leopard cat skins for sale, Tachilek Market, Burma.

Indochinese tiger rescued from wildlife trade. Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, Cambodia.

Surf's Up!

2010-11-21T12:17:00.000Z

We have seen the amazing images of surfing bottlenose dolphins by photographer and film-maker Greg Huglin now Killer Whales are at it in New Zealand

2020 VISION

2010-11-18T16:58:00.004Z

Britain's most ambitous conservation photography project from 2020VISION on Vimeo.

Sun Comes up, it's Tuesday Morning

2010-11-16T09:15:00.004Z

At home this morning so popped out the door to see what the sunrise looked like. On the horizon is a fishing boat out of Folkestone and the cliffs at Cap Blanc Nez. Just a couple of snaps straight out of the camera and cropped to wide-screen. I thought of fixing the flare, but then didn't. Then I remembered it was Tuesday and that reminded me of the Cowboy Junkies song.

Venus in Wrinkled Stockings

2010-11-15T20:32:00.002Z

A few weeks ago I was kindly invited along to a bat catch-up by the Kent Bat Group and Claire Hopkins and her team from Leeds Uni. We visited 2 sites where remote detectors had indicated that Autumn swarming was happening. The guys from Leeds were taking DNA samples by punching a small piece of tissue from the wing membrane.

Several Harp Traps were erected near the entrance to a cellar and an old mine entrance. The Harp Trap has 2 rows of tensioned nylon line. The bat echo-locates the first set of "wires" and flies between them but can't avoid the second set which it harmlessly hits and drops down into a collecting bag.

They are blowing on the bats fur to reveal its genitalia to determine gender.

Taking a small piece of wing tissue for DNA analysis. Apparently the wing heals completely leaving no permanent hole.

Claire examining a bat's wing to see how well fused the joints are. This is an indicator of whether it is an adult or juvenile. There are a number of parasites found on bats including bat flies, bat fleas, mites and ticks.The girls are laughing in some of these photos because it was all new to me and I was constantly asking them what they were doing. What's that? What's this? What are you doing now?

This is actually my favourite shot of the set. Depending on how your monitor contrast is set you should just be able to see the guy's faces.

A couple of these photos caused a bit of a problem as Kent Bat Group (KBG) were not too happy about showing bats being handled without gloves. Due to the rare occurrence of the rabies virus European Bat Lyssavirus in UK bats, KBG recommends that anyone handling bats wears gloves. The Leeds Uni guys often don't wear them as they feel it compromises their dexterity in working with these tiny, delicate mammals.

Can You Dig It?

2010-11-14T17:58:00.006Z

I have been photographing brent geese fairly intensively for the past few weeks. Dark-bellied brent (Branta bernicla bernicla) breed in Siberia with internationally important numbers wintering in eastern England. They arrive in the Greater Thames Natural Area in early October and usually leave in March/April. When they first arrive they congregate on mudflats with eelgrass (Zostera) until around the end of November/December when they disperse over wider areas to feed on grassland and crops.

Although I have been working with them on both sides of the Thames, on the Swale in Kent and Leigh-on-Sea/Two Tree Island in Essex, I prefer the Kent side because I am acutely aware of the effect on my carbon footprint. OK then it's because I don't have to get up so early to catch the sunrise. Because I normally start at low tide and follow it in I usually find myself arriving at the same time as the bait diggers. These guys go out at low tide and work until the rising water pushes them off the beach. They are after lug worm (Arenicola marina) the industry standard fish bait in these parts. And most other parts I imagine. Judging by the frequency and intensity of the digging I'd guess that for some this is a commercial operation. No one needs that many worms.

I have heard a few complaints from birders about the disturbance to the birds but it doesn't seem to be much of a problem. They move the birds around a bit but so do the the dog-walkers and the odd peregrine. There is no digging allowed on the main eel-grass beds (on the Swale) and it seems to be pretty localised. I know the increase in commercial bait digging on the Thames Estuary is raising some environmental eyebrows but in a way it's good to see people working out on the flats collecting a natural resource by traditional methods. And I guess a bucket and spade is as traditional as it gets.

Blue Ocean in Red

2010-11-05T11:09:00.003Z

The Blue Ocean in RED from Howard Hall on Vimeo.

I just saw a link to this video on the CRRU forum, thanks Pine.

Shot on a Red One camera this is some of the most exquisite underwater photography I have ever seen. Look out for the shots of the feeding sailfish where you can see the birds above the surface. And the blue whale!

Shark Bay - The Clue's In The Name

2010-11-03T19:22:00.002Z

Natural World on the Beeb 2 at 8 tonight. Dolphins of Shark Bay, Australia. Watch out for Ale (above) working in rather different conditions to the Moray Firth. Never heard anyone shout "it's a tiger shark" up there.

Also a neat taster video on the Telegraph website.

Pine Marten

2010-10-19T20:25:00.008+01:00

Three years ago I decided I wanted to photograph pine marten. Not only does this elusive, enigmatic omnivore hold a personal fascination, I believe it should be reintroduced to forests in the south of

England

, an area from which it was persecuted to extinction many years ago and I thought that if I could get some really good images it would help with the lobbying (nagging) process. In

Scotland

where the pine marten has made a remarkable recovery several estates offer commercial viewing hides and martens are frequent visitors to secluded cottages where they raid bird tables or are fed by the owners. This was the sensible and obvious place to try. So I went to

Ireland

I had been working in

Ireland

on other projects and knew that Pete Turner of Waterford Institute of Technology had an ongoing study of this species because I had seen the device he uses for collecting DNA samples trialled on captive martens at Wildwood. Pete set me up in one of his study forests where he knew a pair lived. Days later with many hours spent in a hide deep in the forest I had my first glimpse of a wild marten as it scampered around, with consummate ease, the crown of a tall pine. And that was all I ever saw of it. Pete uses baited tubes to collect hair samples and I was set up close to two of them. I would leave the forest just after dark and go back before first light and the bait was always gone overnight. I set up a camera trap on the baited tubes and sometimes the marten would arrive minutes after I left. I aimed the camera trap on a nice mossy log baited with pieces of chicken and stayed out of the forest. As suspected the marten would visit during the day if I was not there. I went back the next year to photograph some of Pete’s radio-tracking work and had another go with the hide but the same thing happened. Clearly my plan to photograph unhabituated, totally-wild martens had a critical flaw. The martens were totally-wild and unhabituated!

An Irish pine marten leaving a DNA hair sample.(Camera trap photo)

I make an annual pilgrimage to photograph bottlenose dolphins at Chanonry Point on the Moray Firth and several times on the beach heard tales of a pine marten occasionally seen and fed by wild campers in a nearby forest. Further research soon led me to local photographer and pine marten enthusiast James Moore. James had been photographing this marten on and off and she (as it turns out) had become quite used to his car parked near the treats he left out for her. He very kindly offered to help me photograph her and this led to us deciding to work together on a joint project. I saw the female a couple of times over the next few days from my car and although the potential this marten offered was obvious I felt that she was not entirely comfortable with the situation and we needed to try a different approach. Also, going through James’ photos it appeared that this female probably had kits and she wasn’t going to bring them anywhere near a car.

I set up a camera trap deeper into the forest and baited around it. The rationale for baiting was that as we were going to work with this marten over a fairly long period we would only feed her the types of foods she might find naturally (substituting chicken for small birds/mammals etc) and only enough that she would visit this part of her territory every day - Pete Turner’s radio-tracking project showed that a marten might only visit part of its range every few days but will swing by every day if it finds a regular food source - but not enough to sustain her so we she would still have to hunt and forage, teaching her kits essential skills in the process. We also hoped that the food we provided would mitigate any disturbance or behavioural changes we cause that might compromise her ability to raise her kits.

Female and 2 kits. (camera trap photo)

Camera trapping is difficult. It rains on the lens. The lens steams up at critical periods. They fail to go off or they go off when nothing is there. Once a woodpecker sat in the beam and took 200 self-portraits, all looking the wrong way. But occasionally you check it in the morning and something magical has happened. The very first night I had several images of the female and 2 well-grown kits. It would later transpire she had 3.

Adult female checking out my hide.

The next step was to put a hide nearby and leave it a few days for the martens to get used to it. On my first sessions in the hide the female would turn up, obviously a little wary, and collect up the food and take it to the kits I could hear nearby. Then one evening an experience I will never forget. Mum arrived first to check out the situation with kits calling from somewhere close and suddenly it seemed like there were martens everywhere. Up and down trees, kits rolling and tumbling, leaping onto each other in a blur of activity. At one point mum gave an alarm call and she and 3 kits instantly shot up the nearest trees until she gave the all clear. Over the next few days we had kits peering into the hide from trees 2 metres away, bouncing off the canvas and one time a kit pushed against the canvas wall of the hide with its paws and I gently pushed back and for a moment we were separated only by a thin film of material. Occasionally Mum would think this was all getting out of hand and would regain control with a sharp alarm that would send the whole family into the canopy where they would sit peering down, alert to danger but eager to play.

Kit sent up a tree by female's alarm call.

Adult female and kit.

Over the next couple of weeks James and I alternated in the hide but in an act of great generosity he gave me the bulk of the time as I had already extended my trip and had to be back in

Kent

soon. He is continuing to monitor the female as her young reach independence and winter approaches. Hopefully she will keep her territory and we can continue to photograph her new family next year and on...

My pine marten images from this summer have become my first contribution to the 2020 Vision project.

More Ratty

2010-10-18T13:21:00.000+01:00

A couple of short videos from this week of ratty feeding on water crowsfoot. I cheated here as the voles up at the top of the stream by the house don't actually have access to crowsfoot, it's all in the faster-flowing mid-stretch. I thought they might like some though.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2010-10-14T21:09:00.001+01:00

Beach management in south Kent. Longshore drift takes all the shingle from Hythe and dumps it along the coast in Sandgate. If these guys don't do this work a couple of times a year the beach ends up on my car.

This time-lapse stuff is a lot of fun but very time consuming. My excuse is that I'm practising for using it seriously - honest!

Bonfire of the Quangos

2010-10-14T18:52:00.003+01:00

Information from the Grauniad on the shake up in government quangos, including a nifty interactive thingy. Natural England, Environment Agency and Forestry Commission have all survived but are in for a good shake up.

British Wildlife Photography Awards

2010-10-08T14:41:00.005+01:00

I am very pleased and honoured to have won two categories in British Wildlife Photography Awards. The 2020 Vision Special Award wins me a place on the photography team of this unique and ambitious visual media project to communicate the link between healthy people and healthy ecosystems.

I am particularly pleased to have won this award with photos of a water vole introduction in my home county of Kent. Of course the real credit should go to Hazel Ryan and her conservation team at Wildwood and land-owners Richard Brown and John Pelly who all worked so hard to re-establish water voles on this stream. They were absent for twenty years and it is great to hear older members of the local community talk about how they used to watch the water rats when they were young and how good it is to see them back.

Urban Wildlife.
This image was taken earlier this year at Reddish Vale Country Park in Greater Manchester, just a few miles from where I was born. When I was young the River Tame was polluted with effluent from local industry and the only wildlife I remember was the brown rat. Now there are goosander, dipper and kingfisher, all indicators of a healthy environment. Country Parks were designated by the Countryside Commission (now part of Natural England) under the 1968 Countryside Act in the 1970s to provide natural spaces for people unable to get out into the wider countryside. Now usually funded and run by local authorities they still afford the opportunity for people to engage with nature who wouldn't be otherwise able to. Sadly, this has led to some extreme levels of vandalism and at Reddish Vale CP recently a mute swan was shot and killed with an airgun. Other urban country parks have suffered similar problems. Ironically perhaps, providing easy access to habituated wildlife demonstrates just how disconnected from nature some of us have become.

Fraser Island Dingo

2010-10-06T11:54:00.003+01:00

I have just received some original slides back from an overseas agent and have scanned and added them to my website. Fraser Island dingoes are considered to be the "purest" in Australia and most like the original dogs brought to Australia by aboriginal peoples. The dingoes I saw were extremely bold and clearly used to being fed by tourists although this was banned at the time. Not long after I was there a young boy was attacked and killed and there have been several attacks on people since, leading to ongoing lethal control of dingoes considered by the authorities to be dangerous .

So long and thanks for all the fish.

2010-10-04T11:19:00.001+01:00

Interesting article on interspecies communication from the Beeb.

Portfolio

2010-10-04T00:24:00.006+01:00

Just had a quick tidy up of my website with some older images gone and new ones uploaded. I thought I would use the embed gallery function to put a portfolio on the blog. I like this function but the format crops images a bit and so some of the birds have clipped wings in the slideshow but not in the originals.

Scent of an Ocelot

2010-10-01T13:34:00.010+01:00

With e-versions of books becoming the norm, short video clips are very important. Some animal behaviours lend themselves to this medium over stills. This is Mayan, the same ocelot from the earlier post. Ocelot scent has a particularly pungent, but not unpleasant aroma . Not until you put the car heater on that is, only to discover he has also marked your camera bag as part of his territory.

Water Vole Workshops

2010-09-30T08:50:00.009+01:00

We are continuing into October and possibly November with water vole workshops as the voles are still showing well and a recent survey by Wildwood showed better than expected numbers for the mid Kent site. Rather than scheduling set days for these I am putting them together ad hoc on demand. If you are interested in a day photographing one of the UK's most endearing and endangered mammals please get in touch for details.

Ocelot

2010-09-30T08:15:00.024+01:00

A couple of images from a few days ago shot to update some of my older small cat work for the new book. This old chap is called Mayan and he is well over 20 years old. No amount of cajoling and bribing with food would tempt him out of his nest box and I simply had to sit and wait for him to decide to show himself. 2 hours later he came out, patrolled his enclosure, renewed his scent marking spots, gave me a disdainful look and went back indoors. Cats!

Time and Tide

2010-09-21T19:13:00.007+01:00

My latest fascination/obsession is time lapse photography. This is my first attempt and I don't think the guys who made Koyaanisqatsi have too much to worry about just yet. Might also be a tad early to ask Philip Glass to do the music for my next one.

Blink and you miss the avocet.

Countryfile Photo Competition

2010-09-20T20:01:00.003+01:00

A water vole photo by Sue North, taken on one of our workshops earlier this year has reached the final round of judging in the 2010 Countryfile Photo Competition. Check it out here and why not vote for it while you are there? More of Sue's water voles on her website.

More Anthill Tiger

2010-09-18T21:40:00.012+01:00

A few more from the same set from Port Lympne but in glorious Technicolor.

This last one is a hand-raised black-footed cat kitten at the Rare Species Conservation Centre in Kent.

Black-footed Cats

2010-09-15T11:17:00.006+01:00

More wee cats. This time black-footed cats I photographed yesterday. I have been struggling with colours in Lightroom 2 and so have been playing around with trial versions of LR 3 and NX2. As before NEF files look great both before and after processing in the Nikon software but it still appears to be clunky to use compared to LR. From what I have read the conversion of RAW files in LR3 is as good as NX2. I don't know because I got completely sidetracked by the new presets in LR3. I thought it might be fun to try the looks-like-shot-at night-by-infra-red setting on these little nocturnal hunters. These were shot normally in very low light with a multiple flash (4) set up to imitate a nocturnal scenario. The hugely dilated pupils gave me the idea to go the whole way and try to make it look like infra-red. I'm not sure it does that but I like the result anyway.

Rusty-Spotted Cat

2010-09-13T18:10:00.018+01:00

Rusty-Spotted Cat from Terry Whittaker on Vimeo.

More work on photos for the work-in-progress wild cat book. Here are a few new images of rusty-spotted cats from Port Lympne. Lithe and tiny they are one of the most difficult cats to photograph. I use flash to even out exposures as due to all the natural vegetation the enclosures are fairly dark with hotspots. Tricky for photos but great for these secretive little cats.

Wedding Photography

2010-09-12T00:59:00.008+01:00

I have once again been asked to photograph a wedding. I have no idea why anyone would think that what I do in any way qualifies me to make even a half decent job of it. If I did shoot a wedding I suspect it would go something like this:

Photographing the Familiar

2010-08-31T09:52:00.011+01:00

The best time for the dolphins at Chanonry point is on a rising tide. Getting there at low tide provides good opportunities for photographing herring gulls busy feeding in the shallow water.

Always Smiling

2010-08-06T23:16:00.013+01:00

Solitary sociable "friendly" dolphins moderate their behaviour towards people in the water, playing rough with people who seem to want it and more gentle with those they perceive as less robust. Of course, in the excitement, they sometimes get it wrong but still I thought the warnings of some researchers that the dolphins were potentially very dangerous were somewhat exaggerated. Having said that, on my recent trip to Chanonry Point a couple of times I saw some pretty aggressive behaviour. It seemed to occur mostly when there were a lot of dolphins around and possibly when dolphins who had not seen each other for while met up again. I don't know whether this kind of social behaviour is about establishing some kind of dominance or hierarchy or has more to do with spontaneous competition for females but at times it got pretty rough, with huge adults breaching simultaneously and slamming into each other as they re-entered. It would have been amazing to see what what going on beneath the surface during these encounters but I wouldn't have wanted to be in there with them. Check out the blood in the last two images.

TED Global 2010

2010-08-03T11:35:00.005+01:00

Toni Frohoff of Terramar Research and POD used one of my images of dolphin watchers at Chanonry Point in her talk at TED Global in Oxford recently.

Spilling Over

2010-08-03T08:34:00.001+01:00

Spilling Over from Powering a Nation on Vimeo.

Life in Grand Isle

2010-08-02T13:45:00.006+01:00

An interesting combination of photography and interview by Magnum photographer Stuart Franklin in the Guardian on the weekend.

I often wonder about the power of imagery and whether gritty realism or beautiful photos of iconic species or wilderness, or indeed a balanced combination of both, do more to engage people. There is a very telling comment by one of the interviewees in the above piece when she is talking about BP or the authorities (I'm not sure which) trying to control the imagery coming from the Gulf by denying access to the beaches: "Their worst nightmare is the picture of an oiled bird or an oiled dolphin".

Further Threat to Vulnerable Dolphin Population.

2010-08-01T08:09:00.014+01:00

Back in Kent last night and I have a Medway Valley workshop at Yalding Fen this afternoon. Then it's photo editing and processing for a few days as well as checking out both the beaver and water vole situations. I still have those elusive underwater beaver photos to get.

Also catching up on the news. I was alarmed to see that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (is it me or should these really be two separate depts?) has licensed two companies to carry out seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration in the Moray Firth. I use oil. I have just driven to the north of Scotland and back so I probably use more than my fair share of it. I understand the need for further oil and gas extraction until more sustainable alternatives are fully developed but to quote WDCS on this: "One of the areas outlined encroaches within the boundary of the Special Area of Conservation, which was set up under European legislation to offer protection to what is one of just two resident, and internationally important populations of bottlenose dolphins in the UK." There seems to be little point in designating an area as a Special Area of Conservation, particularly to protect a marine species that is especially vulnerable to this type of activity, and then allow seismic surveys, and whatever may follow if they find significant deposits, inside or even very close to it.

One That Didn't Get Away.

2010-07-06T21:53:00.006+01:00

It really is an amazing sight, happening just a few metres offshore and it's free! After an extremely dry spell there don't seem to be that many salmon ready to make the journey upriver to spawn but hopefully the last two days of rain will bring more fish into the estuaries. There are a few decent salmon about however and as usual, on an incoming tide the dolphins lurk in the deep channel off Chanonry Point waiting to intercept them. Incredible acceleration followed by a swirl signals the end of the journey for one poor salmon. Initially I thought that when a fish went flying through the air it signalled a near miss or a fish desperately trying to escape but local (WDCS) guru Charlie Phillips explained that the fish is already dead and the dolphin has thrown it ahead in order to reposition it to swallow whole. On the salmon in the above shot you can see that it has been bitten across the body. The dolphins combination of accurate sonar and incredible speed and manouverability means they rarely miss, but I still like to think that the occasional flying fish is making a plucky escape!

Dolphins and Flying Fish

2010-07-04T21:27:00.007+01:00

We have hit a problem with the pine marten project, details of which I won't go into here as I am working on this population by the good grace and invitation of a fellow photographer and pine marten enthusiast. We will see over the next week or so how things pan out and if we are able to continue working with the current animals.

In the meantime the Moray Firth dolphins have been engaging in spectacular action albeit in pretty horrendous weather. Anyhoo, here are a couple of hastily processed shots from today. Although it's always good to photograph the balletic leaps and breaches of dolphins socialising and at play, nothing beats the explosive action of them feeding on running salmon.

A Quick Update from Scotland

2010-07-01T12:59:00.006+01:00

The pine marten project is starting to show promise for the future. The idea is to photograph martens in in a completely natural environment. No set ups, no gardens, just forest. I started this in Ireland a couple of years ago but was only able to get images with camera traps. I'm hoping that Scottish martens are a little more confiding. I have had several good sightings, but few images so far but it's early days. This female showed up yesterday.

The martens are my priority at the moment but as time and tide allow the Moray Firth dolphins are impossible to resist. Given the state of affairs in the Gulf of Mexico there is something tragically ironic about watching dolphins having so much fun with an oil industry vessel. It also demonstrates how vulnerable this population is given the proximity of the Beatrice oil field and oil industry facilities in Cromarty Firth.

Smallest wildcat in the world - probably.

2010-06-20T12:27:00.011+01:00

A couple of images and a hastily edited, short video of rusty-spotted cats at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. These amazing little cats - the smallest in the world - are tiny bundles of energy and are very difficult to photograph. Like all the cats, when they are still, they are very still, but not for long. I am trying to capture their fluidity of movement with slow shutter speeds and rear-sync flash.

I'm off to Scotland for a while and posts will be sporadic for the next few weeks but I'll update with new photos as and when I can.

A Tail of Two Beavers

2010-06-16T09:52:00.004+01:00

They were the best of times, they were the worst of times.

Is it a beaver going away, or duck-billed platypus coming towards? Who can say? To quote Steve McQueen in the Magnificent Seven when asked why he decided to try and photograph beavers underwater he said" It seemed like a good idea at the time".

Leave it to Beaver

2010-06-10T23:57:00.007+01:00

And so the longest days bring us back to the beavers. This is the only time when they can be seen out and about in daylight, with a window of about half an hour early morning and an hour (if lucky) in the evening. I haven't really got stuck into it yet as it really needs decent light due to the hours they keep and the weather is not helping at the moment. It's good to have the video capability now with the D300s as this produces good quality images even in very poor light.

Something About Mary

2010-06-09T08:45:00.003+01:00

As fond as I am of using movie titles and references wherever possible this is in fact the title of a TV current affairs programme by Australia's Channel 7. A profile of Mary Hutton, A quite remarkable lady and founder of Free the Bears Fund Inc an Australian charity dedicated to ending the trade in Asian bears for medicinal products and exotic meat.

The programme includes a series of still images I took for Free the Bears a few years ago in Vietnam.

You can watch the programme here.

Popular Populus

2010-06-08T14:45:00.013+01:00

I have seen water voles climb quite high after blackberries or willow but have never seen them eat poplar before. I'm sure the overhanging branches of this tree reached down far enough last year but were ignored. I thought the first image is interesting. The vole is not using its tail for balance but as a support or lever.

And another first for me on the same day. Well, night actually as it was almost dark when I took this. Paul on the first workshop last year witnessed a vole recovering her young that had wandered a bit far from the nest at a very early age, but this female is moving young from one nest to another. She moved 3 in all, a distance of about 30 metres. Interestingly this is (I'm pretty sure) the female in the previous video who has already raised a litter right beside the house. She was moving these youngsters from the far bank into the walled area by the house.

Ravens in Kent

2010-06-06T13:23:00.023+01:00

Ravens have returned to breed in Kent after an absence of over 100 years. In 2009, after reports of ravens being seen in the area for the past couple of years, a pair nested on the White Cliffs near Dover and raised 3 chicks. They returned this year and successfully fledged 4 youngsters.

Adult raven, cross channel ferries and in the distance, the white cliffs at Cap Blanc-Nez.

One of the adults calls to recently-fledged chicks.

The raven's return is not welcomed by all.

Two of the chicks play with a pebble in as a thick sea mist rolls in.

An adult raven (middle) sees off a pair of carrion crows.

One of the adults makes eye contact as it soars across a chalk cliff face.

An adult and 2 of the recently-fledged chicks on the ruins of WW2 defences.

More raven images on my website.

It's Not Just Water Voles

2010-06-01T18:02:00.002+01:00

Mill Stream Water Vole Updates

2010-06-01T08:42:00.013+01:00

Adult female in the top (house) territory. Her 2 young from May this year posted below.

As mentioned earlier we had a slow start with the voles this year. I guess this is due to the harsh winter which, with some help from the hungry mallard, killed off almost all the aquatic vegetation. It has taken the the watercress in particular a long time to get going again but it's off now but I doubt it will be as abundant as the last couple of years. The crowsfoot in the faster running mid stretch of the stream is also doing Ok now and starting to flower. What became apparent this year was how important willow buds and catkins are as an early food source when bankside vegetation is reduced.

The first young of 2010 made an appearance at around 3 and a half weeks old and were noticeably bigger than last years first ones which came out at the tender age of around 2 and a half weeks. I'm sure we only see these youngster due to the voles in the top end becoming habituated to the, now considerable, numbers of locals who come to watch them. Also here the stream is walled and contained making it much easier to see the voles. Richard puts out fresh-cut grass and herbs for the voles here so initially the young ones don't have to forage too far away from the safety of the house area.

It looks like there were voles born earlier in the rest of the stream as last night I saw a couple of larger youngsters zipping about further downstream in the wide, still reaches created by the old watercress beds. Once away from the house the stream becomes much wilder and the voles here are not habituated to people at all and so photographing them is more challenging but also more rewarding.

Ravens

2010-05-26T23:51:00.010+01:00

According to a panel of experts for The British Journal of Photography Masahisa Fukase's Ravens is the best photobook of the last 25 years. More from The Guardian.

Ravens are fascinating birds, often associated with death or solitude. In some cultures they are a bringer of life. My favourite Creation Myth is that of Canada's First Nations where Raven coaxed the first men out of a clamshell. This story is beautifully depicted in yellow cedar by Haida artist Bill Reid. If you get a chance to see this sculpture in Vancouver BC's Museum of Anthropology it's well worth the visit. While you are there pop over to Vancouver Aquarium and check out Reid's killer whale sculpture outside the entrance.

A few years ago while sailing around west Canada's Broughton Archepelago with a friend well versed in First Nation culture we came upon a petroglyph on an islet marking a burial site. Just a few metres inland, in dark and silent forest, we found a cedar box long since fallen apart and beside it a human skull with a soft covering of moss. I desperately wanted to photograph this poignant scene but could tell that my companion disapproved. We talked about it a little before my friend returned to the boat leaving me to decide. As I stood quietly in this place a raven started to call loudly and repeatedly from high in a red cedar. Nothing more was spoken about this on my return to the boat except that I commented on the raven. My friend seemed puzzled. "What raven?"

It Must be Summer

2010-05-25T12:38:00.009+01:00

When thoughts turn to photographing rabbits. Given their ubiquity they can be difficult to photograph, particularly any kind of behaviour other than alert and ready to bolt. First 2 images from last night at Mill Stream and then one from last year on the Downs. All taken whilst waiting for foxes that never came.

Interesting Article

2010-05-23T22:12:00.005+01:00

An interesting article in the Observer today.

In the words of The Wire's Lester Freamon "All the pieces matter".

International Biodiversity Day- 22 May 2010

2010-05-22T23:24:00.006+01:00

International Day of Biodiversity

Golden-headed langur (Trachypithecus p poliocephalus), Cat Ba Island, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. Only around 60 individuals of this critically endangered species survive in fragmented populations.

Delacour's langur (Trachypithecus delacouri), Van Long Nature Reserve, Vietnam. Around 300 individuals of this critically endangered, endemic species survive in fragmented populations.

Workshops, Weekends and Wekas

2010-05-21T13:04:00.011+01:00

Apologies for the fewer postings the past few days. It's the time of year with long days, early starts and an exciting photo project that appears to be drawing to a natural close- and more on that later. I have almost finished the website uploads. I'm keeping this site for wildlife and wildlife conservation /research photography only as this forms the bulk of my work and I just archived the last of my New Zealand stuff finishing with the marine, hence the salty flavour of this post.

This weekend and early next week is back to back workshops. Water voles on the weekend and there is still a place available on Sunday. Monday is the first Medway Valley Countryside Partnership workshop at Teston Country Park. There are still places available on this so if you are interested call Andrea on 01622 683695. This series of events at various sites in the Medway Valley over the next few months are open to all-comers of any level of photography skill. Unlike the water vole workshops which are aimed at those photographers interested in obtaining images of publishable quality, the Medway Valley events will be more about learning basic nature and wildlife photography techniques and field craft in an informal and friendly atmosphere - not that the WV workshops are formal and unfriendly of course.

Scouting for Boys - and Girls!

2010-05-16T14:07:00.009+01:00

It's been a hectic few days with trying to get more images onto the website, the first water vole workshop and an exciting new photo project that arose suddenly from a chance encounter. Somewhere amidst all this the local Scout group paid a visit to Mill Stream. Richard took them on a tour of the site explaining about the ecology of the stream and the conservation work done there. They didn't see any voles but got to have a go with a remote camera and see some of the images on it from earlier that day.

This weekend we also had the first workshop. There were lots of sightings including the (quite shy) female who has the territory around the top pond, but images were slow to come with voles all seeming to be on a mission and in a hurry to be somewhere with no time to stay and feed in the open. Things picked up in the late afternoon and a litter of young made an appearance beside the house - the first seen this year. A vole was seen at the bottom end of the stream where we did most of the habitat work earlier this year. The very harsh winter saw off all the aquatic vegetation an overgrowth of willowherb meant there was lots of cover but little food over the winter and so no voles. A couple of stretches of bank have been cleared and planted with grass and a few patches of common reed. This population should be less vulnerable to the seasons if the entire stream can overwinter voles.

Winter Stoat

2010-05-09T01:11:00.010+01:00

I just came across these images while sorting out new uploads for the website. While Megan and I were working on mountain hares earlier this year on the Dark Peak we came across this stoat charging up and down a snow field. It appeared to be hunting hares as it was checking out every old snow-hole.

This was quite high on the Yellowslacks valley at around 450 metres. I think the record for stoat there is almost 600 metres. This area falls between the regions where stoats change into a white ermine coat and although partially white animals occur I have only seen brown ones. Not that I have seen that many.

Which reminds me that a couple of summers ago, very near where we watched the stoat but a bit lower, I saw this weasel with a common lizard prey. Quality-wise not the best of photos due to heat haze off the rocks and being a fairly hefty crop but I think interesting enough to post.

2010-05-08T09:43:00.006+01:00

I had a fun day judging the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership photo competition along with Glyn Bareham of Invicta Photographic Club and Andrea Griffiths of MVCP. Overall winner was this amazing image by Daniel Dibdin titled: A Menacing Sky. Skies like this are a gift but the river and boats take it to another level. The other entries and category winners can be seen here.

Anthill Tiger

2010-04-29T22:15:00.009+01:00

A couple of days ago I was at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park to photograph health checks on one of the newly arrived black-footed cats. This diminutive predator, AKA the Anthill Tiger in its native South Africa, is one of my favourite wild cat species. One of the smallest cats, only the rusty-spotted cat is smaller (probably).

I really enjoy doing this kind of photography, it's a tremendous buzz trying to make good images while not getting in the way of busy, focussed people or falling on my ass. So thank you to the keeping and veterinary staff at PL for your patience.

I am currently uploading my wild cat archive to the new website and will be adding new species and updating older images over the next few months. Here is the wild cat images gallery and you can find more pics with the search facility.

Water Vole Workshop Update

2010-04-28T10:30:00.006+01:00

15 May: 1 Place available

22 May (extra day): Fully booked

23 May: 3 places available

11 June: Fully booked

12 June: PTES day, fully booked.

7 August: 4 places available

I can always put on extra days as long as I don’t have other commitments if the scheduled days are not convenient.

I Found a Dead Fox

2010-04-27T21:52:00.007+01:00

beside a gravel road... Mary Oliver.

I saw the other fox first, at a distance. A last year's cub standing beside the busy A20 and it seemed strange that it should it should be there at all. As I came closer I could see it was beside the dead one, sniffing it. I pulled over down the road but as I got out the camera it disappeared into a garden. It didn't come back.

A Nice Surprise

2010-04-25T00:17:00.005+01:00

Sitting on the bank of Mill Stream waiting for my current obsession, a particular wide-angle, water vole-in-habitat shot to materialise - radio remote in hand and mind wandering- I was surprised to see a grass snake swim quickly across the stream. I see them often, on the bank, by the ponds, but I have never seen one actually in the stream, which rises here and is cold.

Anyway the habitat shot will have to wait but I did get a nice vole swim-by.

Straight to Video

2010-04-19T23:33:00.010+01:00

Here are my very first attempts at shooting video with the Nikon D300s camera yesterday. Water vole activity on Mill stream has started to pick up and one female I saw is very obviously pregnant. The voles have dug a feeding hole in the car park bank which offers them some protection from predators while they forage on the new flush of grass. Territories are well established and the voles are quite intolerant of each other.

One video is a vole feeding on willow buds and new leaves. The next video is a vole poking around in the watercress for small pieces of apple I threw in there.

I am surprised at the quality of the footage, its better than I expected and it’s a shame it has to be compressed so much for the web. It’s a while since I shot any video and the first with a DSLR so it’s a steep learning curve. The main drawback is the lack of usable autofocus so I’m having to re-learn how to follow-focus manually - and by using the monitor rather than viewfinder. With a 500 lens it’s quite a challenge. The video mode has an autofocus facility but it’s not nearly as confident and fast as with stills and has a tendency to hunt. That aside it’s great having the ability to switch between media in one camera and with an increasing number of publishing projects having electronic versions for DVD or web presentation I think a video option will be very important. DSLR video is in its infancy and it will be interesting to see how it develops over time. Personally I’m wondering if my own current fascination (obsession) with it will fade. At the moment I’m desperately trying to learn quickly how to edit video properly.