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Naturally motivated

There has been a lot written and discussed about why we are motivated to go out and take pictures of nature – after all its a pretty pointless exercise in the most part. It perhaps satisfies a natural ‘hunter’ instinct in us – particularly for blokes! There is a sense of capture, something tangible to bring back and show to people – a trophy if you like. We can recount our experiences through words and this is an equally influential medium but a picture is somehow more real and can now be shared very easily and quickly through the internet. Once images have been secured there seems to be an almost irresistible urge to get back home and upload them onto online forums, blogs, Facebook and Twitter for the whole world to see. And even this may be too tardy a response for some – with images being beamed across the globe from mobile devices whilst still poised to capture the next trophy. Its all very bizarre but there must be something within the human psyche that makes many of us do it (although I haven’t got to this latter critical stage just yet!). There is of course more than an element of ego involved here and who isn’t bouyed by positive comments about their images from friends, colleagues and very often complete strangers through social networking sites? Should I really be bothered by what someone I have never met or even know thinks about my pictures? The point is I am but I don’t know why!

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Jackdaws – setting up home.

For the past few weeks the jackdaws in my garden have been very vocal with their loud ‘jack, jack, jack’ calls and there has been a frenzy of activity around the various nest sites as they, at first, squabbled over the prime des res and then began to build their nests. The story really began when we bought the house, which was then an empty old farmhouse, to find a massive heap of sticks in the two fireplaces – the work of jackdaws dropping would-be nest material down the chimneys. It took several barrow loads to remove them after which we fitted wire netting! Soon afterward, I erected a tawny owl nest box in the far corner of the garden in a large old tree, which was immediately commandeered by jackdaws and has been used by them ever since – so they were re-homed successfully!

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Finnish sky at night

Matters of the universe, space and other ‘unearthly’ goings on are, for the most part, well beyond my levels of comprehension. I guess I’m not alone on that one. I find programmes like ‘Wonders of the Universe’ currently showing on BBC, fascinating but when ‘the Prof’ starts talking about other sun’s that are millions of light years away it makes my brain hurt! We all seem fascinated by the ‘goings on’ beyond our own small world and especially so, for me anyway, those natural phenomenon that we can actually see and experience first hand without the need for the Hubble telescope. It sounds daft but I still really enjoy seeing the rising or setting of the sun or a full moon. Everyday occurences – well less so if you live in northern Scotland or indeed Finland in winter!

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Grousing around!

This morning I got up at the unearthly hour of 3.00am setting off under a setting half moon across the Grampian mountains to a windswept patch of moorland where I hoped to witness one of the spectacles of the birding world – male blackcock strutting their stuff in an attempt to impress the ladies. The display ground or lek is a traditional area of open moorland that has been used by generations of male blackcock. Some leks can be of more than 30 males but the one I’m working is around 8 birds which is a fairly typical number.

The moorland track was running with water from recent snowmelt and is was a slippery climb up onto the lek carrying two rucksacks – one with my tent hide, sleeping bag and two tripods the other with two telephoto lenses and camera bodies –  and a flask of coffee to keep me awake!

I soon found the lek site with the aid of my head torch and set about erecting my tent which I use as hide for the blackcock as it provides a good low viewpoint, plus I can get into my sleeping bag and catch forty winks whilst I’m waiting for the birds to arrive. With the tent erected I piled everything inside and pinned a camouflage netting across the tent opening and set up the tripods one for my 300 f2.8 lens the other for a 200-400mm thereby giving me some options for compositions. Cue mini-disaster – I had forgotten to put the tripod plate back on the 200-400mm lens so there was no way I could attach it to the tripod head! I manged to kind of balance it and then tried to tie in on with some cord I had with me. Not ideal and not exactly rock solid but it might just work!

It was just getting light when the first bird dropped in but it was nervous. I could several other birds lingering around further back and expected them to gather together in the main arena of the lek. It was a couple of weeks earlier than when I did them last year and maybe they weren’t in ‘full leking mode’. I was worried that maybe the hide was putting them off and this may have been the case but again last year and on every other occasion I have photographed blackcock, they have never shown any signs of unease about the hide. It was also quite windy and I know this does sometimes make them nervous or alternatively there may have been a raptor around that was spooking them.

A few birds eventually came onto the lek but didn’t display very much and soon departed for the pine trees lower down the hill. It had been a largely fruitless morning in terms of photography but I had learnt something more of their behaviour and also not to take anything for granted . As I packed up I spotted four mountain hares eyeing me suspiciously in the bright sunshine that was now breaking over the nearby hillside. I left them to it and turned by attention to red grouse which turned out to be more obliging and photographable from the comfort of my vehicle. Not in the same league as their close relatives for excitement and entertainment but enjoyable nevertheless.

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Norwegian blue!

I had been staring out from a wooden hide at a dead fox lying on a snow swept hillside for the best part of ten hours when one of my inmates happened to mention the classic Monty Python ‘Dead Parrot’ sketch, featuring a Norwegian Blue (for a reminder, or for those not old enough to remember it, the full sketch can be seen here). The fox that had our undivided attention in no way resembled a parrot but it was definitely dead albeit its tail did ‘twitch’ every so often or so it appeared in the strong wind. The unfortunate fox and parallels to the Norwegian Blue had at least relieved some boredom whilst we waited for our target to show up. Some of us had taken to photographing said fox and I even filmed it! It wasn’t an action-packed sequence but at least the spindrift added some drama!

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Sunshine on a rainy day

After a week sat in front of the computer it was good to get out on Friday for a ‘field meeting’ at the Coigach Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve north of Ullapool. The weather forecast was pretty poor and photography wasn’t the real purpose for the visit but I took my kit as usual – you never know when an opportunity may arise. Rain and grey clouds were a constant companion as I headed north but on arriving at Achduart near Achiltibuie dramatic ‘god rays’ pierced through the storm clouds that hovered menacingly over Loch Broom. I quickly grabbed the camera and 24-105mm lens and began to shoot a number of images. The sun continued to break through the clouds for the next half hour or so painting a continually changing picture over the dramatic Dundonnell skyline. A fantastic sighting of an immature golden eagle further lifted the spirits, its huge size made obvious by the ‘sparrow-sized’ ravens that mobbed it as it soared high and out of view over Ben More Coigach. The rain and heavy grey clouds returned soon after but I was more than happy.

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Winter hues

Photography, whether as a hobby or a profession, is a fickle business for all sorts of reasons and there is often a very thin line between success or failure, certainly in photographic terms. Yet the whole experience of obtaining the images can be hugely rewarding even if the pictures themselves can be a bit of let down when viewed back at home. But does this really matter. Is it the experience or the final image that is more important? I would like to think that the experience is the most enjoyable part of the process but then I’d be lying to say that I wasn’t bothered about the outcome of my pictures both from a personal perspective and in the reaction I gain from showing them to others. Of course ideally I want both the experience and an award-winning image to show for it! That said, the joy of achieving what I consider to be a good shot is relatively short-lived whilst I will remember the experience of being there for much longer.

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Garden dickies

You may have noticed that its turned a tad nippy over the past week – in fact as low as minus 17 here and not much above minus 7 all week so least it to say the garden birds have been keen to get to the feeding station to top up on peanuts, seed and apples. With snow hanging on the branches I’ve spent several sessions sat in my deckchair whilst birds have been dropping in to feed all day long.

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