July in Photos
This month has been fantastic for photography; I’ve photographed nature in all kinds of places. Some shoots were planned, while others were completely by chance. Here are some of the best moments - I’ll let the photos do most of the talking!
Running Rabbits
One evening, I stumbled across a warren of rabbits near the railway tracks in Weymouth. I returned the next day with my camera to see if I could get some shots. There were quite a few young rabbits, and they seemed to love skipping around as it got cooler.
The setting was great, although there was the fairly large obstacle of it being a very popular dog-walking route! Watching the dog’s reactions when I slowly appeared from the ground was very entertaining, as was watching the rabbits shoot around in the last of the day’s sun.
Burgess Hill Bugs - and Henry
It was a wonderful relief to be reunited with my Dad after several months apart. We made up for it with some mini-adventures! Both working busy weeks from home, it was a bit tricky to fit in bigger trips, so when faced with choosing a location to walk to the dog one evening, we opted for a nearby short walk.
Well it turned out to be a very good choice!
Once Henry had finished stealing the lime-light, I spotted something pretty special. A Wasp Spider!
It’s position was a bit too awkward for me to get a better shot, but I’m still so happy when I look at this photo. It was a first for us both.
Chilltastic Mr Fox
Not long later we were walking back to the car park, which is on the outskirts of a busy residential area, when we were stopped in our tracks by something very unexpected. A Fox!
It stood up and stared right back at us… Then it sat back down. Despite it still being quite light and us having a dog, it seemed incredibly calm. Of course, thinking there would be nothing else to be seen, I still had my macro lens on. I wondered if I would actually have time to change it. Turns out I did! This was one seriously chilled out fox.
Correct lens attached, I then spent a good 10 or more minutes lying on the floor taking photos in the last of the light. As me, my Dad, and Henry, were watching the fox, it too seemed to be enjoying the view, looking over the football field it was sat near, apparently people watching!
While it was by no means tame, we were wondering how this fox had become so comfortable around people. That question was answered as we watched it run towards a lady who began to feed it. Of course!
A Wild Day on the Knepp Estate
Of all the nature reserves I’ve visited in England, Knepp is by far the wildest! And that’s down to the brilliant work of the Knepp Estate and their re-wilding project. The management style, put simply, is as little management as possible! They carefully introduce a few helpful species, then let nature do its thing.
Those species include 3 types of deer, pigs (taking on the role of wild boar), cattle, exmoor ponies…
…and Storks!
These huge birds were introduced last year, but failed to breed. This year they were much luckier and 2 pairs succeeded! There is a viewing point to see this nest, on top of a stunning oak tree in the middle of a field. All 3 were there for us to see. We sat here for some time and were treated to a very close flyby of one of the chicks, testing it’s wings, as well as the adult bird returning to feed them.
It looked like a dangerous job. That’s a lot of big wings and sharp beaks to avoid getting hit by!
As a birdwatcher, it was a brilliant and bizarre feeling to see these birds in the wild for the first time. We all love seeing a species for the first time. That is such an exciting moment! And yet, here is a species that no one could ever have dreamed of seeing in the UK, because it simply didn’t exist until now.
But wow do they look at home! I look forward to the days when seeing scores of these beautiful birds soaring high up in the summer skies becomes a normal, regular occurrence.
If you’d like to see more information on the project at Knepp, check out their website, and definitely check out the book, Wilding.
Comet Neowise
When the photos of Comet Neowise started appearing I really didn’t think I’d be one of the photographers heading out into the dark. I really like sleeping.
However, a week later the best time to photograph had changed from 3am to 10-11pm! Much more manageable. I grabbed a trusty OS map and looked for the highest point that wasn’t too far from home (which was back in Dorset at this point). My Mum joined me on this adventure, and after a bit of googling, compass checking, app downloading and car manoeuvring we were set-up by the side of a road for a starry stake out.
The moment it came into view was unforgettable!
The literal jumps for joy increased quite substantially when I took a test shot and it was actually in frame!!!!
I’ve seen much better shots than these, but I’m super happy with them anyway. A little slice of history!
Hope you’ve enjoyed this bitesized update! I wonder what August will bring?
