When birds come close to the front of the Tern Hide at Blashford Lakes, then nice large images can be taken of the them. This was the case today as a Lapwing patrolled the gravel outside of the hide. The wind blowing its head feathers into a punk like appearance. Also close to the shore was a Little Grebe – swimming along next to the gravel.
On a recent visit to Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve, I had the pleasure to watch and photograph some Common Terns feeding their youngsters at close range. Viewing them from the aptly named Tern Hide overlooking Ibsley Water, the young terns perched on posts only a few feet from the windows. Here is a profile picture of one of the juvenilles sitting on one of said posts. I was also fortunate
Radipole Nature Reserve is an RSPB reserve in the centre of Weymouth, Dorest. The reserve is a wetland with lots of reedbeds that provide shelter for a variety of birds, including Bearded Tits and Cetti Warblers. Recent improvements to the walkways and the Visitor Centre have been made in 2012. The walkways allow the photographer to overlook and access more of the reeds than in the past. A hide which
Mount Cairngorm in the Cairngorms National Park is a place to visit in both the Summer and the Winter. In the winter there is the ski and winter sports, and during the summer there is mountain biking and walking. The Mountain has a funicular railway that will allow you to go up near the top ( but you can’t go outside at the top – unless you take a guided
Fleet pond is a bit of a misnomer of a description – it is in fact Fleet Pond is the largest fresh water lake in Hampshire and the nature reserve totals 54.6 hectares in size. It is located near the station at Fleet Hampshire. The pond is a local nature reserve and as such is a haven for wildlife. The pond is also surrounded by woodlands and 3 walking trails
Brownsea Island is a popular spring to autumn tourist attraction in Poole Harbour. The Island is famous for it being the place of the first ever Scout camp, having one of the few surviving Red Squirrel populations in England. Visiting the Island presents the photograph opportunities to photograph the red squirrels, peacocks and chicken up close, whilst the woodlands also have some deer and of course the trees themselves to
Keyhaven is a small village near the coastal town of Lymington. Nearby is the start of a coastal nature reserve that runs from Keyhaven to Lymington – owned and run by Hampshire Country Council. Details of their ownership and a leaflet on the reserve is available on their reserve webpage. The reserve has several circular walks around the lagoons, mud flats and salt marshes. The Keyhaven end of the reserve
Stanpit Marsh is an SSSI Nature Reserve run by Christchurch Council, and overlooks Mudeford Bay / Christchurch Harbour where the local two large rivers the Stour and Avon converge into the Sea. The marshes attract a range of birds and is a much visited location, offering a good walk around the North Side of the harbour with views to the Bay and back along the river to Christchurch Priory. As
Slimbridge is a Wildlife & WetLands Trust in Gloucestershire. The reserve is extensive and features several hides overlooking both the Trusts captive birds and out of the reserve to local wild birds. Slimbridge is just of the M5 between Bristol and Gloucester, and is open all year bar Christmas Day. Tickets to the reserve can be bought in advance online ( and at the time of writing this saves 10%
Summer is a time of colour for birds – with the adults in their breeding plummage – and the youngsters adding to is as they start to fledge. Perhaps one of the more startling transformations that is viewable in the UK is that of the Turnstone. From a drab white and brown winter birds – the adult breeding plumage is a bright orange. I was lucky enough to see one
