Matt's Photos

Strix aluco

2012-03-01T22:21:00.001Z

Simple tawny portrait from todays AP magazine shoot at the Centre.

Thanks for looking

Knock on Wood

2012-02-18T18:38:00.001Z

Photograph of Izzy rearing some woodpeckers last Summer. An old photo, but a good one... and one a few people haven't seen yet.

Thanks for looking

Douglas

2012-02-16T14:59:00.000Z

Today we welcomed a new member to the family. Izzy has always wanted a tortoise, and with her birthday coming up I decided to get her one. Here are a few photos of "Douglas"

Still trying to work out the macro and the depths of fields, but an experiment above.

Just to show how tiny he is. 4 months old, and big for that age!

Thanks for looking

Otters on Ice

2012-02-06T23:16:00.000Z

Last Friday I spent half hour with our otters. They were enjoying playing on the ice and I managed to get a couple of nice pics. Emmy & Tamar above, just venturing out onto the ice.

Walking over the ice.

Running over the ice.

Walking on water.

Dancing on ice.

Close up.

The one above is one of my favourites from the series.

Peeking out of the water.

Swimming through the slight bit of thawed ice.

Snother one of my favourites, climbing out onto the ice.

Simple portrait.

Experimenting with the fish eye, got some nice ones of Grace swimming under the ice. Lots of her paws pushing on the ice, but unless you knew it was an otter it would look very strange. The one above I think you could just tell it was an otter, of course if you already knew that you would see it straight away.

Another one of my favourites. A very close shot of Grace on the ice, again with the fish eye. It keeps surprising me, her nose was practically on the lens here. Makes a nice dis-proportioned portrait of an otter on the ice.

Thanks for looking

Couple more...

2012-01-27T21:43:00.002Z

Couple more photos I've just had a chance to look through. Florence yawning above, Lancelot below after his dinner.

Katie and Lancealot through a fisheye...

Close up of a squirrel...

And another...

And one of a squirrel trying to grab my camera!

Thanks for looking

Wolf Conservation Trust

2012-01-24T16:46:00.001Z

On sunday I went to the Wolf Conservation Trust on a photographic day. Was it any good?... Well, yes and no.

If you were to go just to see the wolves, get close to them, get to take them for a walk and even get to stroke them then it is great. It is easy to see them, the volunteers are very friendly and helpful, they have a few different types as well as a couple of hybrids and I believe the only arctic wolves in the country.

If you were going purely for photographs, then I think you may be disappointed. The day is advertised as 10am - 4pm, but they volunteers finished it by 2.30pm. What was involved was 4 areas of photography, 3 of which were only for about 30 minutes and the fourth, although about an hour or so, was the least beneficial.

The day started with a de-briefing and health and safety, with tea and biscuits. After this we went to the first enclosure to take some pics. There were two places you could stand. On a platform high above the pen, or a small area in front of the pen. The first removed the obstacle of the fence, but meant you were shooting down on the wolves. The second put you on their level, but you had the fence to contend with. This was arguably the best enclosure for some great photos, as they had one wolf which was fairly new and had not yet been "over familiarised" as I believe there other wolves had been. It was the most wolf like, but still came fairly close for photos. Unfortunately I didn't get much here.

After this we took 2 wolves out on a walk. It was quite strange walking with these two powerful predators on a lead, but by the end of it it did feel like you were just out walking a couple of dogs. You were allowed to take your camera with you, but the opportunities were not great as they were on leads and had 8 handlers surrounding them.

After a short break for lunch, we went to the second pen to photograph some younger wolves. This was a much better enclosure from photographic terms, the light was at a better angle, you were on the wolves level, and there were holes cut in the wire to put your lens through. The only problems were the holes were too high to get to wolf level, and the background when the wolves were on the mound was another enclosure in the background.

Another short break for tea and biscuits, and then we went to see the arctic wolves. They tok us to a smaller area then they usually do apparently, using the light as an excuse, but it felt a bit rushed to me. Once again we were shooting through the wire, and the gap we were in between the 2 fences was very narrow, but I managed to contort myself small enough to lie on the ground. I go my better photos here I think, but it would have been nice to have a go at the usual spot too.

So overall. The weather was not brilliant, but not bad either and was certainly good enough for photography. The problems were the limited access, the angles they make you photograph from and the limited time. I received this as a gift, and enjoyed it very much, but if I had paid the full premium to go and then got told we were finished at 2.30, when it is scheduled till 4.00, I would have been very disappointed.

As for the wolves... they were great, extremely well looked after, the volunteers were very dedicated and obviously had a huge amount of passion and care for the wolves and were happy to talk and answer any questions about them. The only thing I would say is the wolves were too humanised with the contact they receive from the volunteers. You forgot you were looking at wolves a lot of the time.

Here are a few of my pics I got...

Fisheye Test

2012-01-06T16:53:00.000Z

I got a new lens for Christmas. A fisheye lens. 1st chance to take it out today for a little play, and it is going to take some getting used too... However once I have I think it could be a great little lens, and I already have some ideas of how to use it to hopefully get some cracking images.

One of the sky showing off the effect it gives.

This one surprises me. Eagle owl, biggest owl in the world. I was only 2" away from her and it managed to fit her all in full frame.

And a little go at a landing, once set up properly this could work well.

Thanks for looking

Vole's Eye View

2012-01-02T22:32:00.001Z

This photo has had a lot of attention over the last few days so I thought I would re-post it. I really like this photo, but I know I could do better now with he new equipment I have and the experience of taking this one. Hopefully I will get a chance to replicate it later this year.

Thanks for looking

Owls

2011-12-12T22:53:00.000Z

... and a Heron. Little silhouette.

Andy found a nice little perch on one of his workshops yesterday, I just had to try it out. A few different angles here but Archimedes was not fully co-operating... I will hopefully post a few more in a few days when I have had a chance to try it out a bit better.

And Florence on a nice little log ;-)

Thanks for looking

Flying Squirrel

2011-11-30T18:11:00.001Z

Some free time today, and with a little sun trying to break through I thought I would try to take some photos.

Above is my favourite, and what I set out to try an capture. A red squirrel mid jump. Very happy with this one, but if I was to critique I think it would be nicer with a clean background... I did look round the enclosure first though, and this was the best on offer.

Below are a couple of others...

Haven't taken a photo of a pine marten for quite some time. Pleased with this simple portrait, even if the background is a little anaemic. Thanks to Gary for the netting to hide the wire. (Finally got round to using it Gary!)

And another simple portrait of Florence the tawny owl.

Thanks for looking

Red Squirrel

2011-11-19T21:06:00.001Z

Our red squirrels are as good as ever, so I thought I would spend a bit of time with them this morning. I set up a beautiful photo... all I needed was a squirrel to go to the exact spot I wanted. I waited, and waited, and would he?... of course not. Oh well, another try another day.

Here are a couple from what I did get. A slightly quirky portrait above showing off the incredible ear tufts they have.

Below a few from through the leaves... I think he got a bit bored of posing after a while.

Thanks for looking

Few new pics

2011-10-31T13:29:00.000Z

What with our busy season coming to an end, and the light drawing in, I have had little time to take photographs. Above is a wild heron from the hide I set up. Just a test shot really, and hopefully next year I can utilise the hide much better.

Below a bog standard stag roar for this year... and some nice portraits of our new, and no longer shy, otter Grace.

Thanks for looking

Harvest Mouse

2011-10-04T14:14:00.002+01:00

Saturday evening I took a half hour to take a few photos of Harvest Mice before Dr Who came on... priorities!

My favourite is over on my 500px page, and is by a very long way my most popular photo over there too! But these are a couple of others I snapped.

I like the one above, looks like he is walking on stilts :-)

Nice little portrait below, and high in the sky on the last.

Thanks for looking

Experimenting

2011-10-04T14:11:00.000+01:00

One evening last week I took out the Shortie and Longie in the evening for a bit of experimental work... didn't really work out for me, but I know where I went wrong. Hopefully next time I get a free evening with some nice red light I will do better for you.

Above is Fawkes in typical portrait style.

Below I was trying out my new macro lens. Wow... macro is hard, completely different ball game and will take some getting used to, but unbelievable quality and how close you can get, and this is only a 105mm lens!

And then I thought I ought to take the opportunity to try a bit of Rouse's Red Ring of Fire technique...

Yep, I blew it a little... but I know where I went wrong and will hopefully nail it next time.

Thanks for looking

BWPA Photo

2011-09-26T23:05:00.002+01:00

Now that they have been officially announced, I can let you all know I was lucky enough to get one of my photos into the British Wildlife Photography Awards this year.

Two of my images were short-listed, and the one above of Flo the fox was selected and commended and will appear in the BWPA book and touring exhibition. I am very excited about this as many professionals enter this awards too, so to be in with the likes of them is quite special.

I have my invite to the awards and book launch next month, and can't wait to go. I will certainly be entering again next year too.

Thanks to all of those who spotted it in the papers these past couple of days as an advert for the awards, pleased that both the Times and Telegraph also used it as one of their few chosen photos for their story on the awards.

Thanks for looking

Countryfile Competition

2011-09-19T23:13:00.002+01:00

I entered a few photos into the Countryfile competition this year, and out of all the 55,000 entries the above photo, "Fox in Snow", was selected as the winner of the "In all Weathers" category. Of course I am very pleased and am now awaiting to hear of the final vote as to whether I won either the public of judges vote. Fingers crossed.

Surprise kitten update, do do do!

2011-09-03T21:53:00.001+01:00

OK, so I'm sorry we kept it quiet, but it was important to have the minimum of stress and attention for Kendra after the trouble she had earlier this year. But yes, she has had a litter of kittens. Above is a photo taken yesterday evening as they have just started appearing as the light is starting to fall.

Thanks for looking

Water Voles

2011-08-22T22:31:00.000+01:00

Spent about an hour by the water voles yesterday morning, and got some really nice photos and video footage. I will post a video at some point on the BWC blog.
A marsh frog is above, and a few water vole photos below.

Some exciting news to be posted in the coming days...

Thanks for looking

Water Voles

2011-08-20T20:40:00.000+01:00

Our water voles have been brilliant recently, a new litter of youngsters are growing up on the island display and are completely at home being out and about while people are there watching. I am hoping to get some nice photos of them over the next few days. I have two in mind... One of a water vole on the bank with its reflection in the water, and another of a vole swimming in the water. Here are a couple I got this morning, not quite there, but showing the potential.

Thanks for looking

Foxes at Dusk

2011-08-12T10:54:00.000+01:00

Trying something a little different... Don't think it quite got there, but almost what I had in mind. I will keep trying and put up what I get if and when I achieve it.

Also, do check out this photo sharing website: http://500px.com/sweetmart

It is a truly inspiring photographic website. Anyone can join and share their photos, and the overall quality is phenomenal! Apparently it has been going for a while now, but I have only recently discovered it. I have joined to share what I consider to be my "better" photos, and to hopefully improve my photography to get them up there with the top rated ones.

Many professionals using it, and some extremely talented hobbyists. Oh, and do chuck a vote or two my way if you like what you see. ;-)

Thanks for looking

Backlit Fox Cub

2011-07-25T23:13:00.000+01:00

... shame about the background. Thought I would lose it with the high exposure compensation, but never mind. Still like the idea and the composition.

Thanks for looking

Fox Cubs Playing

2011-07-21T21:43:00.000+01:00

Was sat in the Fox enclosure last Friday night and spent an hour watching Flo's cubs hairing around and playing. Light was low, but I took a couple of photos before giving up and just enjoying watching them. Below are a couple of the better ones I got.

I will try again when we finally get a Summer!

Thanks for looking

Pine Martens

2011-07-14T23:28:00.000+01:00

Andy Rouse was at the BWC today, running one of his "Visions of Light" workshops. While I was waiting for him to arrive this morning I went to spend a few minutes with Bonnie and Clyde. Noticing a very small patch of light breaking through the cloud cover to catch the end of one of the logs in their enclosure, I ran back to get my camera and decided to take a couple of shots.

Nothing too special, and I had to have a small depth of field to get a decent shutter speed in the low light, but hey... they are of pine martens, so I like them.

All the above are of Clyde, the one just above is nice with the paw up walking forward and the tongue licking his lips. The photo below is of Bonnie.

Thanks for looking

New photos

2011-07-01T23:02:00.000+01:00

Above is a photo of Bonnie from, I think, end of last year. Just come across it again recently when looking for a new photo for Liza and I quite like it.

Below are three new photos taken this afternoon. The first of Robin in his new enclosure, just a simple portrait shot for the blog. Then two in sequence of a fox cub running. He was playing with Frodo before playing with his siblings, once they saw me they all ran off... but I managed to get these two pics of the last one.

Other photos...

2011-06-21T21:48:00.001+01:00

A few more photos. The one above is of a mole coming up through a mole hill. It is the same as one I posted last time, but after a little tweaking on the computer. It is funny that such a simple photo has given me such nice feedback, and I thank everyone who has come up to me and spoken about it.

Below is a very young fallow fawn in the grass, taken from quite a distance away to avoid disturbing her. Shot low to show how easy she hides away in the grass and to add a little blur, but still keeping the right eye in view.

The next one is of Fawkes, the shot-eared owl. I know he looks different, he is in his upset mode of tucked in and ear tufts up (see I told you they DID have ear tufts, just short ones hence the name) hopefully this photos will keep you naysayers quiet ;-) He got upset when I started walking away to look at different angles, so I took a couple of photos. Looks nice in the light with the background practically black.

The last one is of one of three baby rabbits that Izzy hand reared earlier this year. It's a close crop to get the fence out of the background, but works quite well as she is bounding towards the camera lens to see what is going on.

Thanks for looking

Photos

2011-06-13T18:19:00.002+01:00

I love and dislike this time of year in equal measures... I love the fact the weather is nice and I have lots of time to take photos and do the jobs needed for work and myself. But I get so frustrated that it is still not enough time to do all I want, and need to do for myself and work! I have lots of photos I wish to share, but may have to end up keeping many back for the quieter Winter months. Until then I will try to post at least a few once a week to show you my latest projects.

Today, a few random photos of Damson, a Roe Deer, Short-Eared Owl and a Mole.

Thanks for looking

Yorkshire - Malham

2011-06-06T14:55:00.000+01:00

At the end of last week I went up to Yorkshire to see my family. While there we went to Malham Cove for a day. I did not realise they had nesting peregrines otherwise I may well have put up with the weight of my larger lens, so alas only had the wide angle. However, somethings are appreciated more with just seeing with the eyes so I was not disappointed.

While there Izzy spotted the male peregrine in the tree in the photo above. I have circled the tiercel. I couldn't see it myself, until I zoomed in on the photo above on my camera. Although very pixelated... you can definitely work out the bird in the crop below...

We then climbed up onto the limestone pavement, and walked along the cove top. Eventually we came to where the peregrine was seen below. Peering over the edge we saw he was still there, bold as anything. So I took another quick snap seen below...

To you photographers out there, that was taken at 85mm and cropped a little, so we where fairly close. My first photo of a wild peregrine.

Also while at the cove, we had the pleasure (and one of my highlights of the day) to watch a little owl hunting. We enjoyed the spectacle through an RSPB scope, but I did take a photo too with my camera, again at 85mm. This time not cropped... can you see the little owl in the photo below?

No?... Me neither, but I promise you it is there, on the triangular rock to the left. But even at a high crop it's not really distinguishable unless you know what it is.

Anywho, had a good time away and saw much wildlife including sand martins and kingfishers to name just a couple. A few nice scenic photos too that I may post if I run low on wildlife around the centre.

Thanks for looking

Fox and Badger cubs

2011-05-31T21:18:00.000+01:00

The 3 young orphaned fox cubs, which Katie is currently doing a great job of rearing, have just started to get very playful and active in the photography pen. Today I spent a few minutes in there with them to get a couple of publicity photos for Liza to use. The above was one of my favourites.

Below is a close up of Honey, our new badger cub.

Below is one of the fox cubs pouncing on her sibling.

And another from the other day of a barn owl...

Thanks for looking

Tawny Owl

2011-05-29T22:21:00.000+01:00

Florence the tawny owl, out on the reserve in the evening light.

Thanks for looking

Few photos from this evening

2011-05-21T23:55:00.000+01:00

A few photos from today. Above a woodpecker that Izzy is rearing, after three chicks were found abandoned in a fallen tree.

Below a bumblebee buzzing around while I was waiting for fox cubs to emerge.

Below, one of my favourite fox cub photos from tonight...

A simple photo of some buttercups...

Damson jumping through the buttercups...

And a broken dandelion, don't know why, but I really like this one...

Thanks for looking

Another Fox Cub

2011-05-20T22:53:00.000+01:00

Another photo of a 3, maybe 4 week old fox cub. Ahhh...

Thanks for looking

Flo's fox cub

2011-05-16T22:42:00.000+01:00

Few photos of Flo's cubs on the BWC blog, but this one is my favourite. One of the "little ones" exploring on the edge of it's den, and looking through the foliage. Nothing special, but a nice keepsake of 2011's litter of cubs at 6 weeks old.

Thanks for looking

Fox cub

2011-05-10T23:18:00.000+01:00

I spent five minutes this afternoon with the fox cubs, before they started getting a little too adventurous for their own good. Managed to get a couple of nice photos of all three together, for the BWC blog, but the above was my favourite. A nice little and simple portrait photograph of a 3 week old fox cub. I like the expression on her face and the "funky" hair in the back-light.

Thanks for looking.

Living Landscapes

2011-05-09T16:53:00.000+01:00

Was flicking through "Living Landscapes" by Andy Rouse today, and it made me realise I should take some more photos of the animal with in the environment instead of just straight forward portraits. With that in mind I had a look back at some of the ones I already had which may fit the bill... these are my favourites.

Above, Minnie the otter. Complete accident as I was cursing the shorter lens when I took it. But on reflection when I got it home, I really liked the composition and reflection.

This time Lilly... Close up on wide angle to show her habitat behind her.

Hedwig the snowy owl. All year he seems completely out of place, yet after a snow fall it all suddenly makes sense.

Harvest mouse after a release onto our nature reserve.

And a little fun one from a couple of years back. Not the best photo, but I like it's simplicity. Little editing in aperture to bring out the sky and silhouette the crows.

For those who haven't seen Andy Rouse's "Living Landscapes", check it out. Especially if you are a photographer.

Thanks for looking

Bee Swarm

2011-05-03T14:32:00.000+01:00

A bee swarm appeared in the fox enclosure over the weekend, took a couple of snaps, none of which were to special, but gave me the thought of below... Jigsaw puzzle anyone?

Thanks for looking

Marsh Frogs

2011-05-01T22:50:00.000+01:00

Put a photo up on the BWC blog of a marsh frog the other day, and made me look back at a few others I have taken. Here are some of my favourites. The one above taken the other day, the three below over the last couple of years with my old camera.

Thanks for looking

Wildcat kitten

2011-04-26T14:25:00.000+01:00

A slightly closer crop than the one I posted on the British Wildlife Centre blog. One of Kendra's wildcat kittens of 2011 at only a few days old.

Thanks for looking

Bluebells

2011-04-20T17:46:00.000+01:00

It is that time of year again when Liza is after some new, seasonal photos to promote Spring and Easter. What better way than with the bluebells. Unfortunately this year, the bluebells coincided with our open period meaning I had little time.

I was a little disappointed with what I got, but then only had 20 minutes so can't complain. Here are a couple of the better ones, along with a badger shot from last year.

Thanks for looking

Dance of the Adders, 2011

2011-04-17T22:30:00.000+01:00

Finally got a chance to get the camera out while the adders where dancing this year. I have a couple on the BWC blog, and a few more on my flickr, but this above photo is my favourite of today!

Hopefully get another chance over the week. I love watching this "dance", something I never tire of.

Thanks for looking

Dance of the Adders

2011-04-12T13:44:00.000+01:00

Our adders have started dancing at the Centre these past couple of days. I have no new photos I'm afraid, so thought I would put up this oldie...

One of my favourite photos I have taken, and has been used by a lot of people/organisations. Most recently by the Sussex Wildlife Trust for a simple blog post.

Thanks for looking, and hopefully I can post some fresh 2011 dancing images soon.

Squirrel and a Mouse

2011-04-10T17:51:00.000+01:00

Thank you all for your kind comments to me over the weekend, and about not only the BWC blog and it's new look, but also my photos and blog.

Since a few mentioned the new header to the BWC blog, I thought I would post the original image above. Taken at the end of the Summer season last year, one of my first photos with my new camera and lens. Always been a favourite of mine but never found a use for it until now. Cropped out the top of the tail and the pole it was sitting on for the blog header to make it look a little better, and keep it thin enough to be a header.

And as per request, the harvest mouse photo below which made it into the papers a few weeks back. Not my best, and out of the ones I sent this was the one a little out of focus! But hey, guess that didn't matter to them.

Thanks for looking, and yes I will keep this blog going to compliment my flickr page (which will be updated with new photos and sets next week)

New photos for a new blog look

2011-04-09T10:06:00.000+01:00

You have probably noticed the new look to this, and the BWC blog. I was just getting a little tired of the old look and felt like a change. The BWC blog is still about clean look and the stories and links. This one has a darker background which I think shows the photos off a little better, plus the pics are larger too.

Anyway, Harvest Mouse above. One of a few new ones we released onto our reserve a few days a go.

Titch, one of last years badger cubs.

And a dormouse. Not great, but is a teaser for what is to come. We are home to a large collection of breeding dormice, for release, and I am hoping to get a nice little setup going for photographers to come and photograph them. Hoping to have enough free time over next couple of months to experiment a bit.

Oh, and recently found the stats page for these blogs! Brilliant. This blog is doing as well as I thought, just a few views from regular photographers to the centre and family I guess. But the BWC blog has exceeded all expectations. Because of this I may very well ease this blog out. Most the photos on here are used on there anyway, and ones I don't use but are good enough can be put up on flickr.

Thanks for looking

Stoatally stoatish

2011-04-05T17:07:00.003+01:00

Many of you have probably already seen this over on the BWC blog... but I really like it. When I took it I thought, meh... it will do for the blog. But the more I see it the more I like it.

Thanks for looking

Birds and a squirrel

2011-04-01T14:51:00.000+01:00

A few more of my recent photos... sorry for lack of posts lately, I am just looking at possibly setting up some sort of website or changing where I blog. The "Keepers Blog" in particular has been a massive success, and I am tinkering with making it a little more professional.

Thanks for looking

Couple more pics

2011-03-21T19:44:00.000Z

Couple more photos taken this afternoon. Quick uploads, no editing except a slight crop on one above and slight shadow removal on the last one.

Thanks for looking

"Strix"

2011-03-21T14:59:00.000Z

Another Tawny, this time just the one, in a tree. Thanks for looking.

Ivy Owl

2011-03-19T22:09:00.001Z

"Strix" and "Aluco" in the ivy. Thanks for looking.

Spring has arrived at the BWC.

2011-03-15T22:21:00.000Z

So last year was the fox and the daffodil, this year I thought I would try something a "little" different. One harvest mouse on a daffodil.

And below, ... re-creating Pickles and the flower. This time from a different angle and with some back light. I tried to do an exact re-take on last year with a bit of foreground blur (as seems my style lately) but Flo decided to be annoying instead. Had a great morning bonding with her though I don't mind missing out on the photo :-)

Thanks for looking

March '11

2011-03-13T12:49:00.000Z

Finally managed to get out with my camera this year. Bit of an on and off day weather wise, but managed to get a few photos. Here are a few of my favourites.

Thanks for looking

Tawny Owl

2011-03-04T14:03:00.000Z

An oldie, but since I have not had a chance to take any photos lately I thought I would put up one of my newly edited photos.

Tawny Owl flying over our nature reserve... edited to remove the telemetry that showed on both owl and reflection.

Thanks for looking

House Mouse

2011-02-15T23:02:00.000Z

Thank you for looking

Bonnie in a log

2011-01-21T19:56:00.000Z

A couple of photos of Bonnie in the log I found. I have edited these a little s well, trying out my new Aperture program I got for Christmas.

Thanks for looking.

Pine Martens

2011-01-09T12:50:00.000Z

Put a new log in with Bonnie the other day. Idea is it will eventually go into a new photographic pen at the Centre, but thought I would try it out first with the pine martens. Was a little dark, but got a couple of shots.

Will try again another day, if time may even try with the squirrels and owls.

Thanks for looking

Otters on Ice

2010-12-22T21:22:00.000Z

Not to miss them out. Above Lilly, our new photographic star it seems, running on the ice. Below, Stirling alls done gone grown up and catching me some food his own. He caught a moorhen the other day. Missed the action unfortunately, just there in time to see the evidence.

Thanks for looking :-)

... and the Pussycat

2010-12-20T19:55:00.000Z

OK. Last of three quick posts today. Put up some Snowy Owl pics and Badger pics below if you missed them. Some of my favourites this snowfall are of the wildcats, here are just a few.

As always, thanks for looking.

The owl...

2010-12-20T19:53:00.000Z

Couple of Hedwig out in the snow today. These are straight from the camera, nothing done to them. I may well post a couple after some minor tweaking as I have got the one of just the eyes looking stunning if I do say so myself!

Thanks for looking

Just for Jo...

2010-12-20T19:48:00.000Z

Few photos of our "tame" badger, Titch, in the snow. I will be posting a few wildcats in a moment hopefully, and maybe a couple of snowy owls too.

Thanks for looking...

Snowy Owl

2010-12-18T22:53:00.000Z

Another fall of snow at the Centre, and again I just can't get out there myself with the camera. It is so frustrating! Last time I only managed and hour because of my cold... this time I was looking after Chris Packham all day today, and all day tomorrow too!

Oh well, I am hoping there is a little snow left on Monday for me to get out there in it, but I fear even if there is it will be messed up from where we have worked this weekend. Already the otter ponds look awful with no unmarked snow :-(

One forecast is for more snow Monday and Tuesday, if so you can be sure I will be out in it, another is for milder weather and the snow quickly disappearing. Either way I will be happy. Snow means nice photos, no snow means I can get out for some food (running low) and get home for Christmas on Boxing Day.

In the mean time, above is another photo of Hedwig I took couple of weeks back. This one looking straight down the lens.

Thanks for looking, and Merry Christmas to you all if I don't make another post before next weekend!

Bess in the Snow

2010-12-02T16:22:00.000Z

If you missed the squirrels below, check them out! Not being big headed but the first one is one of my favourite photos I have ever taken! If you have seen them, great... these ones here are of Bess in the snow. We have about 18 inches of snow at the Centre, and walking around the back of the nature reserve it got up to 2 foot! Most I have ever seen.

Thanks for looking

Red Squirrel in the Snow

2010-12-02T16:18:00.000Z

Didn't stay out too long again today, but couldn't resist a few shots of this squirrel since it was following me around the copse watching me struggle in the snow while he coped effortlessly. Above is my favourite, plus a few others below. Oh, and a 2nd post in a second to show some photos of Bess out and about.

Thanks for looking

Snow Photos

2010-12-01T20:12:00.000Z

Not feeling too great at the moment unfortunately, but wanted to get some photos in the snow under my belt for this year. Only lasted an hour out there before needing to go back to bed, but here's hoping I feel up to giving it a better go tomorrow or Friday before the rain comes and washes it all away on Saturday.

Snowy owl photo is one I wanted to get next time it snowed here, and I am pretty happy with it really. Couldn't of done much better on my own... need another pair of hands to manage the owl really. I really like the fox below too. Otherwise, here are just a few I managed to take this afternoon.

I'm going to have to create a website or something where you can view these full size... the second one above, Oscar careering through the snow, you don't really get full justice of it from the little pic on this blog, but the snow is being kicked up all across the frame of the photo in a nice, natural framing way.

Anyway, as always, thanks for looking.

Owls on Reserve

2010-11-24T18:31:00.000Z

A few photos from today. Had a bit of nice weather at the same time as flying the owls. Liza still after photos to promote our bird days so I went down on the reserve to try and capture a few. Couple of nice ones here I am sure we will use.

I like the extra space with the barn owls, just fits them better for my liking.

Finally got a good one of the reflection of a tawny. May remove telem though.

And trying something a little diff, don't know if I like it or not but there ya go.

Thanks for looking

Super Squirrel

2010-11-20T22:55:00.002Z

Thanks for looking

Flying Owls

2010-11-16T18:12:00.000Z

Few quick pics of the birds flying on the reserve today for Liza. Didn't get anything really to be honest, good enough to use, but nothing that stood out. Here are a couple, may post a few others over the next few days.

Above Hedwig head on, looks little soft for some reason but its sharp large.

Barn owl head on.

Trying something a little different with the above.

This one is something we are trying to get the Tawnies used to... flying over the water. Tail just clipping water and a nice reflection. Obviously not focused but you get the idea.

And this one pin sharp, but clipped the wing on the left. Be nicer with the warm evening light, nicer reflection, maybe little lower to the water and a bit of "Splume" ;-) Another day another try though. Oh, of course the telemetry has to be removed too.

And a straight forward portrait of a tawny in the late afternoon sun. Only came out for a brief time so made the most with a quick snap.

Thanks for looking

More dogs

2010-11-15T19:59:00.000Z

Struggling with paperwork during the day, not much light left to take photos with, but managed to get a few shots of the dogs this afternoon during a day off. Damson above, Bess below.

Hope to have some good ones up to show you over next few weeks. I have been given some "photo" jobs to do by David and Liza. Expect to see some otter cubs, birds and owls over the reserve and....

... well that would be giving it all away. Lets just say I don't think I will be able to get the last one, but if I do it will be good!

Bess running

2010-11-12T21:20:00.000Z

A few more of Bess running, taken yesterday afternoon. Check out the "spume" in the 2nd one below... Chris Packham eat your heart out! :-)

Thanks for looking

Fawkes

2010-11-10T20:21:00.001Z

Our first "Owl and Bird of Prey" photographic day today, and it turned out to be just an "Owl" day. But I feel no complaints could be made, I mean... all 7 British species of owls photographed in 1 day... where else can you do that at such a reasonable price?

Any way the day was a big success. I have learn't a lot about how we can do these days next year. What worked well, what didn't work, timings all sorts of things. Maybe most importantly, you can't please everyone all the time. I try, but it is impossible. Lots of good feedback from the day too to give plenty to think about, a lot of it conflicting with what other people have told me too proving my above point, but still all good. Means I will have to play each individual day by ear a little depending on the skill and enthusiasm of the photographers in questions, but also have some set ideas that we always do to ensure some good work is taken away with them.

When running a photographic day I never take my own camera with me, it just doesn't feel right, but today I had it with me to try and get a couple of shots for Liza to use as advertising... I failed! Combination of some portraits/flying required me to be with the owl and so not being able to photo them and the fact it just felt a bit awkward me photographing while the other photographers were there when I should of just been over seeing the whole thing.

I did take half dozen shots of Ethel in the bramble (which this blog didn't allow me to post, so check out official BWC Blog to see one of them) and about a dozen of "Fawkes" my two favourite owls. Ethel for individual Fawkes for species.

Here are a couple of the best ones of Fawkes. I was messing with back lighting again and wanted to get some faded twinkly bits with the foreground and background. Above is the closest I got to what I was looking for, below are a couple of others.

This last one I think is just awesome... right side of face as you look at him is only slightly less in the light than the left, but look at how much more dilated that pupil is! Amazing!!!! I have an even better photo from a few months back showing this, I may well post that over the next few days too.

I will get Liza her pics over the next few weeks with the keepers help, so look out for plenty of Owl shots over the Winter.

Thanks for looking

Wayhey, actually posted 6 of them without knowing :-) Deleted others so here is just one of them, prob the best of her in the bramble.

Again, thanks for looking

Dogs

2010-11-07T23:11:00.000Z

Izzy got a new puppy just over a week ago. Her name is "Damson" and she is a Lurcher x Collie. She is currently living with me and Bess at the Centre, and I must admit she is quite cute :-)

Here's a few pics of her running around this morning...

And not to leave Bess out...

The last one was taken just over a year ago, but is one of my favourites. She loves playing with her frisbee, and this shot was just timed perfectly. Shame settings weren't quite right, but then it is bloody hard throwing a frisbee and then trying to take a photo of a dog catching it at the same time ;-)

Oh yeah... It won a photo competition award for first place in the "Sport" category??? Didn't think it would qualify as sport but entered it on an off chance and glad I did... I put that 50p for winning to good use!

Thanks for looking

Autumn Hedgehog

2010-11-03T19:07:00.000Z

Rich was taking round a photographic group today and I saw them taking photos of one of our hedgehogs in the fallen leaves around the picnic area. Looked really nice so I picked up my camera and took a couple of quick shots. When I have more time I think I will spend a few minutes with him (the hedgehog, not Rich) in the leaves and see if I can get anything decent.

Thanks for looking

New Kestrel

2010-11-02T23:28:00.001Z

Last night I went out to pick up my latest addition to the family... a Kestrel. It is a juvenile, and from the size and the colouration coming through around the eyes I think it may be a male. Of course I will be training it to fly, and of course I will be using it for display work at the Centre. I am trying to acquire a breeding pair of kestrels for the Centre as well, but may well wait till into the new year. I will post more info on the background of the kestrel on the BWC blog over the next week or so.

Kestrel on the glove, taken by Katie Thompson

Me with the Kestrel, taken by Katie Thompson

This last photo I took today of the two barn owls we have with Katie. This little size doesn't do it justice, but the back lighting effect with the stormy clouds and sun peering through in the top left corner really make it quite dramatic. I have been experimenting a bit lately with some back lighting, and have to say given the right subject and conditions I think it can be made to look very nice.

Thanks for looking

Few more pics of the deer

2010-11-01T17:04:00.001Z

Not posted any for a few days now, and not used my camera much either to be honest. Very busy at work. But here are three I took a couple of mornings ago, trying for something a little different.

Above is a back-lit stag in the morning light. I don't usually edit the photos except cropping, but I did increase contrast on this one just to emphasise the silouete and halo effect.

Below is a close up of "Penny" eating the grass. Shot with the 70-200, maybe would have been better on the wide angle.

Finally a close up of a deer eye. I have taken a few of these recently because I quite like the effect, but this is one of my favourites.

Ethels eye

2010-10-27T15:16:00.001+01:00

No new photos today so I thought I would put up an old picture I took, which you have probably seen already, but with a little manipulation done to it. I downloaded an amazing little app for my ipad called "colour splash" What it does is it turns your photos black and white, and then by just using your finger you can paint the colour back into areas you want to. Really easy to use and very effective.

Messing around with it the other day, and I quite liked the way this one came out. Really brings out the colour of the eye (obviously) and the essence of the owl.

Thanks for looking

Pine martens in the rain

2010-10-26T23:37:00.000+01:00

The rain didn't put me off today. I tried to get a few shots of the Pine Martens while it was wet late this afternoon. I tried before with my old camera with not much success, but my new camera and in particular my new lens meant I got better results this time around.

The pictures don't really do justice for how dark it was, but for you photography buffs out there I was shooting at f2.8 iso1600 to get these, and I don't think they came out that bad really. Would of been nice if they looked a little wetter, Hamish had water dripping off his nose, but he is not used to cameras yet so I couldn't get any of him.

Thanks for looking

More from the HCT

2010-10-25T21:56:00.000+01:00

More of my photos from the hawk conservancy trust. It really is a fantastic place, you must go if you never have. It has a very familiar laid back and friendly feel to it just like I think the BWC has. The HCT is how I would imagine we would of been if we did raptors and owls, and they would be like us if they did British wildlife.

I love photos of birds in flight, but also really like photos of the interaction with the falconers.

I am loving my new camera!!!

2010-10-22T20:22:00.000+01:00

I really am spoiling you all at the moment... here's a load more pics, these ones are from today. First few of the deer in the morning mist. Then a couple of fox portraits followed by a bitey polecat, then finally otters and cubs.

All the otter ones were taken from outside the enclosure, it was late, light was low, and I just couldn't be bothered to jump in to be honest. Do need to get some decent photos of them though before we re-home them.

Oh, and I had an idea today, don't know if it is possible or if I would even keep up with it but... How about a photo a day for 2011. One photo posted everyday, taken on that day, for the entire year. 365 photos in 365 days! A challenge I say, let me think about it and maybe I'll give it a go and see how far through the year I get.

Thanks for looking

The Hawk Conservancy, nr Andover

2010-10-21T20:50:00.000+01:00

I went to the Hawk Conservancy today with Izzy. Thought I would take along my camera too to try it out on some flying birds. The focusing on my new camera is so much better than my old one, but this also has draw backs. I need to learn how to use this better focusing for moving objects. When I got it right, it was spot on and so much clearer. But since it was all new to me I got it wrong many times too, and it was very wrong :-)

The day was great. Very cold, but good fun. Since it was a quiet day for them they tried out a few of their "in training" birds in front of the audience. No big eagles were flown, but lots of great newbies which I had not seen before. Below are a few of my favourite pics at first glance.

Thanks for looking

Red Deer rut in full swing!

2010-10-16T21:28:00.000+01:00

Heard a clashing of antlers this morning, thought it may be an early start for the fallow since Alfie was being a wuss, but no... Alfie decided to give it a go. By the time I rushed back to get my camera and sneaked up on them they were practically finished. Oh well, maybe Alfie will fancy his chances again now he has had one go, and hopefully I'll get a bit more of a chance to get some nice photos.

Below are a few of the ones I did get. The one above is my favourite. Little soft, but I was half thinking "I shouldn't be this bloody close!" :-) Can you imagine it though in the pouring rain, mud splashing up around their faces? I must of been one of the only people in England wishing for heavy rain this morning :-)

And Eric's victory call after chasing Alfie off. Not as visible on this small version, but he had a bloody nose and a cut under his right eye. I was surprised Alfie ran off, he was showing the most strength for the bit I saw. Maybe confidence... another chance or even another year and he may well get there.

Thanks for looking

Photos from today

2010-10-15T16:47:00.000+01:00

The squirrel from yesterday looking over the shoulder fully. Maybe this one is a bit better. And below a few photos of the Deer I took early this afternoon.

Thanks for looking

More pics...

2010-10-13T22:12:00.000+01:00

Polecat. I don't have too many photos of the polecats, hopefully I'll get a chance to spend some time with them over the coming days.

Was passing through the Copse while a photographic group was in there. This little squirrel sat perfectly eating a hazelnut in front of them. They were all photographing him from the front so I thought I would try something a little different. From behind with him looking over his shoulder slightly. Came out better than I thought. Also got one with him looking a little more and full face in shot, but I preferred this one with just the eye.

Thanks for looking

Few pics from today

2010-10-12T23:13:00.000+01:00

Eric roaring in the morning mist, trying out a 80-400 lens

Still with the 80-400, I quite liked the pose of three deer so took a snap. Shame the one on the left wasn't a calf too.

A common lizard

Close up of Florence, a Tawny owl

These few of a Tawny owl flying

I love some of the shapes they create in the air

The Tie-Fighter pose

And my favourite of them all, might be able to do something with this one in photoshop.

Finally one of Alfie thrashing around in some branches we gave him today.

Thanks for looking

New Camera

2010-10-10T20:09:00.000+01:00

I have recently got myself a new camera. I upgraded my Nikon D90 to a Nikon D300s. I am very happy with it, the jump was more than I thought it would be but I look forward to taking some great photos and learning photography a bit more seriously. I upgraded to get a little more speed and faster focusing. I also upgraded my lenses, and I have seen a huge improvement in the quality and sharpness of images with my new ones.

Anyway. Friday just gone a good friend of mine, Darren Rowley, kindly came and gave me a lot of help and advice in setting my new camera up and showing me what my new lenses were capable of. Darren helped me a great deal when deciding to get a camera a year and a half ago, helped me try a few out in the shop, helped set up the D90, and has had to put up with all my photography questions over the last 18 months too! Oh yeah, we also went out and took a few photos of course :-)

Above are a couple of my first few pics with my new camera. The badgers and squirrel I took on Friday, the tawny is Florence, taken yesterday evening on the fence around my decking.

Looking forward to the learning curve of the D300s and bigger better lenses, hopeful I will be able to post lots of photos on this blog over the coming weeks.

Thanks for looking.

European Eagle Owl

2010-09-30T21:46:00.000+01:00

What with the recent European Eagle Owl news, I thought I would put up a few of my shots. A couple of new ones from the other week down on the reserve, a couple of old ones some of which you may have seen and some you wouldn't have. And a new one I took today whilst experimenting both in the field and on the computer :-)

Me and Ethel, taken by Izzy

Close up of Ethel

Nice portrait taken through a red haze of dead bracken

Ethel in the woods

About to be caught, voles-eye-view :-)

The last one I took today, trying to get a photo at the moment of impact. Nearly got it too... just a fraction later and the talons would have been fully extended. I will try again soon hopefully.

Oh, and the digital manipulation?... I've had a copy of Photoshop Elements 8 for about a year now and never used it, only ever used googles picassa to crop etc. But thought today I would give it a go. All I did was a small crop, increase contrast a smidgen, and removed the anklets and telemetry!

Thanks for looking

Marsh Harrier

2010-09-26T23:30:00.000+01:00

A while back now we had a Marsh Harrier brought in to us. Nothing major was wrong with it, just a bruised wing that needed plenty of rest. So we rested it up and fed it up and after a few weeks it was ready to go. I took it down to the marshes where it came from last Friday and released back into its home.

Not the best photos, but some nice pics to document the release.

Whilst on the marshes for the limited time we were there we also saw a peregrine, kestrel, 3 other harriers and several water and wading birds.

Thanks for looking.

Owl and Raptor trial day, trial :-)

2010-09-19T20:49:00.000+01:00

OK, so I will give up saying when I hope to update this page... sorry for nothing yesterday, but here is one of each of the birds I took down to the reserve over the last week. Not necessarily the best but just some of my favourites. I will post a few from each bird over the coming weeks but at least this may wet your appetite.

I have some really lovely ones of Ethel in particular I really like, if I do say so myself, sat on a rock shooting through the haze of the dead reddish grasses.

Thanks for looking.

Short-Eared Owl, "Fawkes"

2010-09-17T20:19:00.000+01:00

Sorry for lack of an update after saying I would... I have taken a few test photos of all seven owls on the reserve, but alas just no time to resize and put up here. I will try hard to put a few more up tomorrow and Sunday night.

But for today, here are a few of our short eared owl...

Yes I know, I need a perch in this location ;-)

All thanks to Iz who helped me with all the owls out on the reserve, I could not of done it with out her.

Thanks for looking

Buzzard, "Fin"

2010-09-07T22:49:00.000+01:00

Exciting day coming up for me, a Bird of Prey and Owl photographic trial day at the Centre. I need to get a few birds happy to perform on the nature reserve, so am taking some time over the next couple of weeks to have a play. Up today was my buzzard, In"fin"ity.

She did amazingly well, flew like a pro and beautifully mantled a rabbit for me. Managed to take a few photos in the limited time I had, posting a few below. Enjoy...

For those coming in a couple of weeks, I told you I would make your mouth water! Look out for more photos from me playing with my birds over the next few days.

Thanks for looking

Few pics

2010-08-23T13:29:00.000+01:00

Had my camera on me yesterday for a quick snap of the barn owls with chicks, and happened to get a couple of David too, in feeding the squirrels. When I got back I realised I had not posted any on here for a while... only because I haven't taken any new ones.... so thought I would put a few up.

A couple of weasel shots, a couple of long-eared owl chicks and a few of David that I particularly liked.

Thanks for looking

Prints on sale

2010-08-13T22:55:00.000+01:00

At the beginning of the Summer I was asked to print off some of my photos to be sold in the BWC gift shop. Not thinking they would sell that well I agreed just to show support. Since then they have been selling really well and Mandy (who's idea it was and who has been framing them for me) has since made up some cards and is looking at the possibility of calenders and posters!

I would like to point out that these are sold at no profit to me or Mandy, all money made is given to the BWC.

Anywho, I have not been out with my camera since the Florence shoot, so just to wet your appetites I thought I would show you the top three sellers at the moment.

Above is a close up of Una licking her lips and is the current lead seller followed by...

My newest photo surprisingly, a straight forward portrait of a tawny owl and in third place...

The dance of the adders, as seen on springwatch. Actually maybe I should say that on the photo label see if it pushes it up to 2nd place : )

Thanks for looking

Back by popular demand

2010-08-01T23:00:00.000+01:00

Since I left this blog several weeks ago I have been asked by many people (well ok, just 3) to post some more of my photos up here. So I thought I will continue it. Where as before I was trying to regularly update it once or twice a week, this time I will focus mainly on the BWC blog and just update this one as and when I have some new photos which I can't or don't want to use for the BWC, but am happy to share.

With that in mind, here are a few photos I have taken since my last update.

This is "Florence" Izzy's tawny owl she has reared. She is doing very well and flying brilliantly. I put her on a perch outside my place to get a couple of portrait pics of her.

I took a couple of straight ones, then shot these ones through some pink/purple flowers to get the blurred colour haze in the foreground. Personally I like that.

This one is of the three tawny owls we have reared this year. Florence, Strix and Aluco. The later two reared by Katie. Katie is holding them in this photo, and the bruise is from a badger... not the owls.

This is a candid shot of the mink, and one of my favourites of him. Was just waiting by the badgers, photography not on my mind, but had my camera with me and saw him out the corner of my eye. Took one shot before he was off and it came out ok.

Earlier this year Izzy and I released a couple of brown hares that were hand reared.

This is a close up of Izzy releasing one of the hares, and is one of my favourite photos I have of her. I just love the fact Izzy is with one of her favourite animals, the composition and the lighting.

Thanks for looking

Few photos

2010-07-03T09:39:00.000+01:00

Photo evening last night. I was full of cold and not really in the mood to take photos to be honest, but still had fun taking a few snaps with a friend of mine who got me into all this photography lark in the first place!

Here are a few results. None that really stand out on first look through, but a few that I like.

The last 2 are our polecat kits, and probably my favourite photo is the one of the female polecat. A bit of tweaking and it may well be my best I have of a polecat.

Thanks for response and looking, As suggested by many of you, I will stick to just the BWC blog since most of my photos, and these ones are used for that anyway. Save you all seeing the same photos twice. Therefore this will be last post on this blog. I will leave it open in case I want to start it again in future on a different line of thought, but for now stick to the official BWC keepers blog to check out my photos.

http://britishwildlifecentre.blogspot.com

Thanks for looking
:)

Patience

2010-07-01T11:16:00.000+01:00

Work is manic at the moment, groups every day and evening... little time to take or post photos. I am joining a photo evening at the BWC tomorrow though so hopefully have some nice pics to post.

Many people have asked me to combine the 2 blogs into one. Since most of my photos are from the BWC it makes sense... what are your thoughts? Let me know in the usual ways...

Wildcats and a Hare

2010-06-17T17:41:00.000+01:00

It's been a while, so thought I would post a few pics. A couple of wildcat images I didn't put on the BWC blog and a portrait of a hare.

The hare pic was a bit of a rush job, would of made a better portrait with out the grass in front of her face, but for an actual photo I quite like it.

Thanks for looking
: )

Red Squirrel kitten

2010-06-09T10:52:00.001+01:00

There will be an update on out Red Squirrel situation on the main BWC blog over the next few days, but to cut to the chase behind these photos, I found one squirrel kitten abandoned and on deaths door and so took it in to rear expecting her to die over night.

She made it though, and is still doing well (although its still early stages) and so I took her out for a photo shoot yesterday. We have a Scots Pine in our walk-through enclosure, but I have never seen a squirrel in it, so I took the opportunity to use this youngster to set something up. Resulting photos are shown below.

Check out the wicked white ear tufts and white highlights in the tail!!! She will probably lose those as she grows unfortunately.

Thanks for looking : )

Badgers

2010-06-04T20:12:00.000+01:00

Not to name drop (ok, so I am name dropping) but I was helping Andy Rouse on Wednesday evening to get some photographs of our roe fawn, fox cubs and badger cubs. I didn't have my camera with me as I was there to get him his shots, but I learn't a lot from what he told me and just by watching him.

Today, on a day off, I decided to spend a bit of my time in the afternoon and evening to take some photographs. Top of my list was badgers... didn't have one I would of said I really like, but took a couple today which I am very pleased with. Above is my favourite.

Similar shot with a different crop.

Coming out of a Sett set : )

While in there they started to play fight, as they often do, but today it went a bit too far when they decided to include myself and Laura in on their game. That meant it was home time.

I met up with a good friend who has helped me a lot with my photography, Gary K Mann, who brought some fish in for our otters and mink. Unfortunately they weren't playing ball today, but I got a couple of photos of one of our grass snakes, a damselfly and spent a few minutes this evening with Clyde too. Here are a couple of pics to share...

Thanks for looking : )

Red Squirrels

2010-06-02T11:47:00.000+01:00

Not many updates coming up, I just can't see when I will have time to get out and about with my camera, so in the meantime keep an eye on my flickr photostream. I am updating this with my old photos, not all of them, and maybe not my best ones either, but just a few of each animal that I am happy to share on the web.

Photo above one of the first ones I ever took, couple of years back when I had a loan of a Canon 40D from Gary K Mann. Still used a lot today for advertising of the Centre. It is of Auburn and her 3 kittens from I think 2008.

Thanks for looking, will update as soon as I have some new photos : )

Tawny chick

2010-05-27T08:28:00.000+01:00

Here are a few photos I took of Florence, in and around the Dell.

Thanks for looking : )

Short-Eared Owl

2010-05-23T22:27:00.001+01:00

Check out my new short-eared owl, isn't she beautiful? More details on the BWC blog, linked in sidebar on the right -------------->

Photo taken by Izzy.

Thanks for looking : )

Jack

2010-05-22T00:01:00.000+01:00

Jack is now mine!

He has been getting on so well at the Centre, and both he and I have been going from strength to strength with the training and flying, but I knew that he was only on a loan period till the end of July. Therefore I expressed and interest with his previous owner, Brian, about the possibility of him staying with me permanently. Very kindly Brian decided to gift him to me. He liked the way we were working together, and could see we were both enjoying it. Likewise he could see Jack was being well looked after.

Here are a few pics of us in training this week, taken by my brother Tom.

And here's one of mine of Jack...

Obviously I am very pleased to have Jack with me permanently now. Many thanks to Brian for gifting him to me, and Paul for his continued support and help in the training of our birds of prey and owls.

Thanks for looking : )

Introducing Florence

2010-05-21T10:03:00.000+01:00

The larger of the tawny owls I collected a couple of weeks back now has been given the name "Florence" by Izzy, who is looking after her.

With Florence and Stix & Aluco, I hope to be able to get a nice progression record of photos from day old chicks to full grown tawny owl! I will post them in one post here when complete.

Florence is getting on very well, and spends most of her time at home with Izzy. She is doing a great job of rearing her, and I have a feeling Florence will be super tame! She has already done her first bit of education helping children with difficulties, and I may well be asking to 'borrow' her for the odd job around the Centre.

Another post tonight? I really am spoiling you... it will be exciting news about Jack.

Natrix natrix

2010-05-20T17:57:00.000+01:00

A few close up shots of one of our grass snakes I took the other day...

And one below which I took last Summer, and still my favourite I have of a natrix.

Thanks for looking.
/^^(m)^^\