Battling Through the Rain

There are good numbers of long-tailed tits visiting at the moment.

Who else is completely fed up with this weather now? It feels like it has been raining forever! As I write this I am watching rain run down the window to the backdrop of a featureless grey sky. The opposite of inspiring.

It has not all been doom and gloom though. We have had brief respites in the weather where the sun has showed itself, and although not enough to dry the ground, it has provided a few opportunities to get some nicely lit shots, and also a chance to lower the ISO!

The blue tits explored the first new tree with 2 minutes of its introduction.

I know that it’s a difficult thing to achieve with hide photography, but I am always trying to come up with ways to make shots different and interesting, so I have recently been introducing more natural props to the hide. I obviously want my customers to return, but what’s the point in returning if you are only going to get the same shots again? So I try to introduce variety to the hide. Nature provides me with variety as the seasons change, but I also want to add variety with different perches. I can easily change the simple perches for the classic ‘bird on a stick shots’, but I also like shots that look less ‘staged’ and more natural. To that end I am introducing more trees to the hide.

This will be an even more beautiful shot when the tree is out in blossom 😍

I will only be adding native species to the hide as I don’t think that it would make much sense photographing a goldfinch in a palm tree! So I am currently focussing on species such as hawthorn. Hawthorn will bring with it the added bonus of blossom in the spring and berries in the autumn. It will make for some perfectly natural and beautiful shots. Sadly, I got the trees just as they were losing their berries, but I know that there will be good times and gorgeous shots to come.

I am still working on developing the hide for the owl and I know I mentioned a blog about it, but it will come soon. I haven’t had many photography sessions with the owl, and sometimes I’ll just go to the hide to see if it comes in for a visit. What I will say is that when it does come in, it is an amazing experience.  

I’ll sign off with this delightful robin who posed nicely on the back of the pool for me recently.