Recent findings
As the winter months close in, the wildlife in my garden is becoming more scarce, however the vole population is booming as always.
I still continue to document the same creatures such as the common frog, I find that they vary so much in size and colouration, making each one different from the last.
This southern hawker was a visitor to the newly built pond and also became the first of its species to appear on my field studio.
Southern hawker - Aeshna cyanea
Smooth newt - Lissotriton vulgaris
Bank vole (juvenile) - Clethrionomys glareolus
Common frog - Rana temporaria
Home Grown Wildlife
Its amazing how much wildlife you can encourage into your garden just by letting it grow naturally. Up until a few years ago we used to mow this paddock several times a year. Today many would see it as field of weeds but to me its a wildlife haven. I included the barn in the image below, as it is also an important part of the habitat. Lots of insects and spiders benefit from the red brick walls that warm up in the sun throughout the day. Some of my best findings have been discovered around the edge of the building making it an important area of my study.
The area of study: Paddock
Various species of arachnids living in the paddock
In order to encourage particular wildlife, I laid down six chip board panels amongst the grass. The panels provide a whole host of wildlife with shelter and in some cases a home. The boards warm up nicely in the sun which the snakes particularly benefit from.
A litter of bank voles in a nest under one of the panels
Within a week of putting down the panels, I had mice, voles, shrews and grass snakes living underneath them. Over the course of the summer I have lost count of the number of nesting voles that I have encountered under the boards.
The population of bank voles in the paddock is booming. Everywhere I look I find new nests. If you just sit and listen your can hear squeaking and rustling coming from within the long grass.
Amazingly, bank voles become sexually mature at just five weeks old. Female bank voles can produce up to four or five litters a year which explains the numbers found within my paddock.
I have been documenting the bank voles with the aid of my field studio to create ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ style images.
The setup
The results
To be continued…
Some recent additions to the Meet Your Neighbours project
Bank vole
Grass snake
High resolution images can be viewed with the following link:-
Life cycle of a frog
I have finally managed to complete the life cycle of a frog. Over the last couple of years I have missed certain parts of the cycle, but this year, after watching the tadpole stages closely, it has allowed me to document them as they turn into frogs. They whole process is truly remarkable and it is still as interesting now as it was when I was a child.
I have been trying to photography the tadpoles in different ways to make the most of them before they complete their cycle. The photographic process has been very time consuming but very rewarding.
High resolution images can be viewed with the following link:-
A few 'Meet Your Neighbours' highlights from last week
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Snipe Fly Rhagia scolopacea
Crab spider Philodromus sp
Running crab spider Philodromus dispar
Species TBC
Common frog Rana temporaria
Millipede Diplodpoda
Species TBC
High resolution images can be viewed with the following link:-
The white background setup
The white background setup has somewhat become an obsession over the last several months. It really is a great way to show the beauty of the subject without the distraction of anything else in the frame.
At this time of year the ground comes alive with a whole host of fungi. Now a lot of these are unsuitable for the white background approach, as many do not grow to a height that would allow a background.
But this one species that I recently came across did. The common stinkhorn Phallus impudicus grows up to a hight of 20cm, which is perfect for utilizing the white background technique.
Before heading into the woods with my equipment, I recced the location beforehand to find some good spots. Upon finding some good fungi, I returned later with everything I needed to successfully photograph my subjects on white.
My setup includes: -
Lighting - Elinchrom Ranger Quadra kit with two flash heads
Lighting Stands – 1x boom, 1x regular
Lighting modifiers – 1x softbox, 1 reflector
1x A2 sheet of white perspex
1x small tripod and clamp to hold the perspex
1x backpack
In the backpack: -
Flash power pack and cables
Canon 5D mk ii
Lenses from 24mm to 200mm
The setup
The result
70-200mm @130mm - 1/200sec - f14 - ISO 200
Devil's coach horse and a shaggy inkcap
Devil’s coach horse beetle (Ocypus olens)
Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus)
Spring it just starting to get going here in Worcestershire, but it is still quiet on the wildlife front. Its nice to see some of the game birds still skulking around the place as most have been shot from winter shoots. I find them amusing as they run like the wind when you make eye contact or as they try and duck down thinking you cant see them.
Pheasant
I have never photographed fish before. I was amazed at how colourful this stickleback was in good light. Photographing this type of subject was challenging as the fins are so thin that it very easy to loose the detail in them against the white background.
Three-spined stickleback
