I’ve been getting a lot of questions of late regarding my wildlife photography especially regarding hides. So for the record – I do NOT use hides that bait specific types of birds or wildlife, or are set up specifically for photography. I don’t necessarily have an issue with these hides, many are ran very well and do so without any risk or behaviour changing methods ( although not all sadly ), it’s just not my thing. I don’t intend to go into the pros and cons of this type of photography, its just not what I am interested in, although I know many people who enjoy it and get great photos.
My philosophy is that I like to find, watch and hopefully see our birds and wildlife in nature, this means that around 90% of my trips out end without seeing what I was actually hoping for, but so be it, I still enjoy every minute regardless of if I get any photos or not, and often I get to see something I wasn’t looking for. I travel widely to look for wildlife, in this country and overseas , my camera is always with me and I do a lot of research, ask people for tips and know a group of very nice people who talk about where this or that happens to be.
I do from time to time visit hides at nature reserves ( RSPB, Wildlife Cumbria etc ) but these are just sheds in a place that wildlife might be seen, they are not baited, or even species specific, they are just a place out of the weather to hide in and watch nature. Mostly though, I spend a lot of time wandering around fields, lakes, roads, tracks and beaches with my eyes open after having done some research before hand. I don’t give exact locations for the safety of the wildlife, but if I am at a reserve like Leighton Moss I will always say so.
So to clarify, if you see a photo of mine of say a kingfisher, it will not have been taken at a tank, or a photography workshop, all my animals with the exception of my Dog Skye and the occasional sheep or cow are wild animals in their natural environment, that I have been privileged to see and photograph. I don’t as a rule ever take photos of tame wildlife and I never pretend it’s wild if it isn’t . What you see is what I see, where I happen to find it. Check my diaries, I often say things like while looking for Otters I saw this instead- it’s open and transparent.
I hope that clears up some of the comments – I am a wildlife enthusiast that happens to use a camera instead of binoculars, out in nature where the birds and animals may or may not show up.
Here’s to looking forward to many more happy encounters with wildlife…………..
