2012...The Year That Was

Ah 2012...the year of the Olympics, the Leveson Enquiry and the final series of The Thick of It, but it was more than that really. I've been busy this year with my GCSEs, sitting exams in January and the June to get some rather pleasing results in August. I saw The Stone Roses live. And Noel Gallagher. I was *that* close to getting a drumstick at The Enemy when they played the academy. And I spent a cumulative total of around 5 days taking photos. So t'wasn't too bad really.

So I thought, what with this being the eve of 2013 and the Fiscal Cliff (scary eh?) I better get on with it and write it down, like an egalitarian online version of Samuel Peeps. Minus the massive wig, obviously. So without further ado, get yourself an eggnog (or a glass of water. Or nothing. I'm not forcing you.) and let me regale with tales of bygone days spent out in the field...

I'm going with one photo per month, so for January I go back to my old house. The wind whistles and moans, the trees gnarled (well one of them was a bit gnarled) and the rain lashes the windows. I'm at the kitchen window, with GCSE Biology on my lap and a mug of tea in my hand, but outside there is something altogether more interesting (seriously!). A goldfinch sits on a piece of string, the only redeeming feature of the day. Through an act of contortion through an open window I get shots off, and that's my day sorted. Revision is so underrated...

February cleared everything up, out in the field I was with a brew in one hand and my glass in the other. Sat in a bush in Conwy, patiently waiting for a certain owl to show. No gloves too in sub-zero temperatures, I hasten to add. Thank God that Shortie showed was all I could say, although it took me several days to say it due to my development of what a hypochondriac like myself would called pneumonia...

...March came in like a Lion and left still very much like a Lion, if by Lion you mean a near-constant thunderstorm inter spliced with the odd clear patch and some frogs procreating in the back garden. I think my definition of a Lion is a bit off. Ah well, it was fun whilst the spawning lasted...!

...April came just 31 days after March, and with it a trip to meet world-famous wildlife photographer Andy Hay. It was a humbling but ultimately interesting experience meeting someone so much better than myself, but a good time was had by all and I finally got that Yellowhammer shot i've always wanted...!

...May came and along with it a crappy speech from the Headmaster followed by being booted out of school for study leave. Roll on I said, and I was right to be so happy with happenings for I had some belting macro shots from the garden. But the unequivocal highlight of May was a belting experience with the Redstarts of Derbyshire...

But, just like that, June was upon us and I found myself in a new house and my exams over! So off I pottered to Shetland, my year's highlight by an absolute country mile. Some belting shots and species to boot, with great weather and food...

...but as June melted into July all was not lost for I was off to the Pyrenees for a week of, as I said afterwards, birds, bikes and norovirus. Aside the last one that was a belter of a trip, with some good shots and new birds...including this rather fetching Rock Sparrow...

The next month was August and with this change came the hatching of the pupae found in my stomach into beautiful butterflies. Yup, exam season was on. Still, sitting on a campsite with my mates, 2 random people from Grimsby and an unconscious brummy made me forget this somewhat, as did a family holiday to Andalucia, where this Scarce Swallowtail was a surefire favourite...

But alas the four months of holiday were gone, to be replaced with the murk of September. This saw me once more on Hilbre camera in hand and amongst my favourite birds, the Dunlin...

More fun was to occur in October with a trip up north of the border to Inverness, and another stint on Hilbre with this memorable Redshank shot the best of the day...

....then back to the exams again, like hitting a brick wall but with less physical pain and more subtle references to how university application is inextricably linked to THIS VERY EXAM! So no 'true' trips out, just a shedload of Waxwings over Manchester and the North-West, what beauties...!

...so here we are again. A year of birds, butterflies and (for the first time) beer! Still quite excited about that last one. Still, we stand on the brink of a new year, but to be honest its going to be pretty much the same as the last so don't get too excited. Have a good'n and see you all on the other side. :)

Snowed Under

Anyone visiting this blog over the last few weeks would be dissapointed. Its a bit barren, i've been out and about with the camera but that's all i've done. Everything that has happened seems to have happened all at one. First my computer packed in again, then A levels REALLY started, then I said i'd do D of E, then I started appreciating how much I really do love sleep.

Don't get me wrong, I do love a night with just me and a stackload of photos to edit but I literally haven't had the time to do this, every evening is a maelstrom of Biology and Physics, every weekend a vain attempt to cram as much birding in as time allows. All in all this isn't a very satisfactory arrangement. So here I am again, hands held aloft and ready to regail whoever reads this with tales of birding and the like.

First off since I last posted i've been on the wader trail on the Dee. This is something I do every year (as i'm so original!) but of late have had to watch my step because of some animosity at certain roosts relating to the disturbance of the birds there. This is a photo blog and not a soap box and i'm not preaching or naming names, but it saddens me that one of my favourite places in the world is off limits now. Ah well, here's a Sanderling from afar in some rare sun...!

...and a little closer...

...I love these wee birds and their shorefront antics, like little clockwork toys! Now the next set of photos require a little background. I was out on the Dee (again) looking for waders when a shadow passed me. Not a real shadow, as that would require sun and obviously there was none of that, but a black shape against the obstinately grey sky. It moved quick down the estuary before pulling sharply up and meeting another shadow in the air. The two pigeon-esque birds tusselled for a bit with the sea behind. This was to be the theme of the day, for I was sharing my patch with a pair of Merlin.

Regular readers (or the singular, I don't know how many of you there are!) will have seen my shots from last year where i'd have only got closer to Merlin by shoving my lens up its arse. Not quite so this time, but I could still appreciate this bird even if it was sitting so far away the curve of the earth prevented eye contact...

...and indulging in some fencing...

...bit pissed off about the way the fence obscures it a bit but its such a great bird you could stick a golden statue of Jimmy Saville in shot and it'd still be OK. Because of this little beauty the wader count was on the low side, so when the light fell behind the point of ayr and the talacre dunes were bathed in golden light I crawled along the dee looking for em. First a Turnstone...

...then the 'oh God look at the light' shot...

...and as some bastard dog came out to me I managed this of a Redshank, to date my favourite wader shot I think...

...you got to love dog walkers haven't you? I returned home on the Merseyrail stinking of seaweed, covered in mud and listening to Green Day. Such is the live of the modern teenager.

And another thing, i've made a hide! I say made. And I say hide. Its a hole in the shed with hinges and a lock basically, but its actually given me a couple of hours of great birding so far. This fella has been the star so far, but I look forward to whatever it brings to me...!

So there you have it, a varied month to say the least! Couple that to my adjustments to sixth form (and the nagging feeling that I need to think about the future) and you'll see that its been an odd few weeks, but i'm off to bonny Scotland for a week which'll be right laugh. I hope...

Shetland 2012- Day IV: Contingency Plans

Well, as we approached West Sandwick from the north the sun was behind us creating beautiful golden light and it poured over the moorlands of Yell. We still hadn't seen a Golden Plover at that point, so armed to the teeth with tins of Sardines, some bread and a second battery we set off up onto the moors to find one. Sure enough, one was calling straight away. Now Golden Plover nest in loose colonies, with a couple of pairs fairly close together. This makes singling out a bird for a photo difficult. To augment this, there's nearly always a sentry bird, and this colony was no exception. I took a long distance snap and left it be...

...but this was quite late at night, I was tired and tomorrow was another birding day so I packed up, loaded my photos and slept the sleep of those that've crawled too far on their bellies!

Next day we heard the early morning forecast over breakfast. High winds, turbulent seas, no Mousa crossing for us! This was confirmed with a quick look at the Mousa website, and was a real pity for us as we were really looking forward to the chance of Black Guillemot and Divers. So I had all of a sudden a need for a plan B. This came from Jason Atkinson and Dougie Preston, who had both reccomended Burravoe on the south coast of Yell for Black Guillemots. So we had a look early doors, but nothing about. However, patience is often rewarded (even if it is from unusual quarters!) and we soon had 7 Dunlin...!

...Lift off...!

...a wee preen...

...I think Kelp and sullen sea water were my favourite background I had all day...

The walk back to the car was further sweetened by the appearance of Twite by a tumbled down chapel, one of my favourite birds and something I had on my Shetland 'wishlist' of things i'd love to see...

...how close....?

... but although we had these sensational views we did need to get on, so we left th Twite to their seeds, the Dunlin to their weeds and the Black Guillemots nowhere to be seen. But that's life, and wildlife in particular; win some, lose some, carry on anyway. I picked up this fella in the rock armour at Toft...

...and as we rounded the bend off the ferry we had this Redshank, which with some careful car manouvering was within shooting distance...

...but our real target was Red Throated Diver. I'd seen em before, the day before, but as Divers generally are they're right buggers to shoot! They're also a protected species so I can't photograph them with young, even if they were by the roadside (as they were on a number of occassions!). So I won't disclose where I saw them, but they were our target on the road up towards Eshaness, an area reccomended as the best area for them by Richard. Here's one by the road...

...but that's the best I got, although I can't complain as I watched an adult feeding chicks from the road! Another Shetland special was on the cards too, a pair of Whooper Swans...!

Now I see you looking at the water in the last two shots and I hear you think 'that's not exactly stormy, why wasn't this fella on a boat bound for Mousa?'. Well this was in the north, and as we drove south the extent of the wild weather was revealed. We pitched up at the Spiggie Hotel for the night, and continued south to Sumburgh for some afternoon Puffins. But the 6 foot breakers, howling winds and rain did not make for ideal conditions. However, non-ideal conditions often mean 'interesting' images, particularly as the Puffins struggled to land on the thin ledges...!

...or battled the wind simply staying there...!

...but at this point there was spray in the air and I didn't want any of it on my lens so I left them be and headed back for a right nice tea at the Spiggie Hotel and an early night! Who knew what the morning held? Who knew what would've been brought in overnight...!