Throwing a little money at the problem
Red Kite up close and personal (Z7ii, 500mm, f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 400)
The Red Kite was so close I could only get its head in the frame. It was almost too close for the 500mm lens to focus. The detail in the image was beautiful with distinct strands of feather and rich detail in the eye. It is rather marvellous to be able to observe shy birds of prey up close. And that is what I was able to do a few weeks ago on the Wiltshire Downs in England. I enjoyed it, even though it was a pretty cold February day. How did I get that close to a skittish bird?
Red Kite - Agile flyer (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 640)
If you, like me, live in a city and work, then access and time commitment are two constraining factors in wildlife photography. How do you optimise the opportunity to obtain good shots and enjoy your pursuit? I may only have a day or two to spare on a location, particularly if I must travel a significant distance to get there.
Common Buzzard coming in to land (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/2500s, ISO 1250)
Ironically, during the pandemic, when we had some freedom to exercise daily, time and access became surprisingly less of a constraint. I would spend most days at dawn in my local park, before the dog owners and cyclists arrived. This allowed me to observe the wildlife day in, day out for a few hours before getting back home for the Zoom calls for work, rather than spending the time on the office commute. This repeated time commitment was highly beneficial to my photographic pursuit. It allowed me to observe behaviour of animals over time and to spot good places for photography. I could come back again and again to optimise for light and positioning. Thus, increasing the chance of capturing interesting animal behaviour. Some of the results of this can be found in the gallery section of this website. In particular, the repeated observations of a Kestrel family over many weeks resulted in some highly rewarding photos - a result of time (made possible by the pandemic) and access (my local park).
Common Buzzard fly-by (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/3200s, ISO 720)
However, beyond my local park, time and access are again a premium. To drive a long distance to seek out specific species works if you have the time to optimise that access. If you only have a day or two, for example a weekend, it is harder to make it count. See my ‘Spot the Potoo’ blog and my frustrations in trying to photograph the Red Crossbill. It can become a bit futile and frustrating unless there is wildlife in abundance which oblige by being easy to spot and photograph. Or, if you can enlist some help …
Unsurprisingly the Starlings didn’t care to hang around any longer (Z9, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/2500s, ISO 4500)
Here is where another factor of wildlife photography kicks in: The debit card. Seeking out specific animals and optimising your chance of good photography often means enlisting professionals: Local guides or commercial wildlife hides. Hides can be booked in advance for a fee. Weekends are, for obvious reasons, popular. Unlike general hides at places like RSPB sites (see my trip to the Isle of Wight for a day in a public hide), these commercial hides are optimised for photography. They are often built low into the terrain to obtain a better angle, and they take light and sun direction into account. Wildlife is enticed by food and the background and ‘environment’ has been optimised for pleasing photographic results. Some of these hides are pretty advanced with heating and tea making equipment (and one even had a bottle of sloe gin!). Others are relatively basic, cramped, leaky and muddy, but in good locations to attract specific species. The fees vary accordingly.
A Kite or a Stealth Fighter Plane? (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 640)
These types of hides are a great way to enjoy wildlife photography, and often the only way to beat the time/access constraint to observe and be in the presence of specific species. Some of these hides will fit more than one person, and you may have to share with other photographers. Mostly this is no problem, but occasionally it can be a bit frustrating, with excessive noise and movement. I must say I prefer to be on my own – just me and the wildlife. It is a great way to disconnect from daily life, de-stress and reflect while engaging in close contact with nature.
Red Kite inspecting a piece of innards from a dead Pheasant (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/3200, ISO 800)
For some of my favourite hides, I tend to be a repeat visitor. By returning frequently you get a better understanding of the potential, the local wildlife behaviour and hopefully optimise the chance of good weather / light conditions. Every visit brings something new and different too, and you become increasingly selective about the shots you attempt, and you experiment more. In one hide, on my third visit I ended up using three cameras – with two on remote triggers – giving me options to shoot at different angles, low down and even use a wide angle up close to the action.
A Buzzard scanning the horizon (Z9, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/3200, ISO 1600)
Some hides are exceptionally popular, and you need to book well in advance. An early morning start is required as for most of the hides you need to be inside and settled before dawn to avoid disturbing the wildlife. One favourite hide of mine is a Buzzard and Kite hide in Wiltshire, which means a wake-up call at 4am for a 100-mile drive, to ensure I can settle into the hide around 7am. I visited this hide a few weeks ago. I put my trusted 500mm f4 on the gimbal plate and the smaller 300mm lens on a second body for shooting handheld through the one-way glass. This time I wanted to focus on arial activity, and hopefully catch some Buzzards squabbling, hence the 300mm which would give me a bit more width and flexibility to swing around quickly to catch the action. To freeze the action the shutter speed would be north of 1/1600s so handholding wouldn’t be a problem. The 500mm would be perfect for portraits.
Squabbling Buzzards (Z9, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/3200s, ISO 2200)
The Kites and Buzzards are beautiful birds, and this hide provides an opportunity to observe them close up in a way which otherwise would be difficult to achieve. Even then, patience is required. The fact that you’re hidden from the birds is no guarantee they’ll show up. This time it was only fields and blue sky in my viewfinder till around 10:30am – and sadly some of the best light came and went before the first Kite turned up. From then on till 3pm there was plenty of activity, and towards the end the sun poked out and created a few moments of great light too. That is the gamble. A hide can really help – but with the weather and with the wildlife there is no guarantee. Money may help to get better access, but time, patience and repeat visits are key to get that great moment when everything comes together: When the wildlife obliges, the light is good, and you manage to capture it perfectly – a sharp well composed shot … the moment we all wait for.
Feasting on a dead Pheasant (Z7ii, 500mm, f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 900)
See my Birds of Prey Gallery for more Buzzard and Kite shots.
Don’t drop the catch (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/3200, ISO 800)
Stand-off (Z9, 300mm, f/4, 1/3200s, ISO 1100)