Autumn and winter photography

Looks like autumn is well and truly here now and it won't be long before we're all under a foot of snow again!!!

Its not all bad though - one doesn't have to get up at 4am for the dawn light and there is frost, autumnal colours and hanging mist to pep up any photo.

There's also the annual influx of thousands and thousands of overwintering birds - I do like seeing all the gravel pits (down here in the south) with wigeon, teal etc... and the odd goldeneye!

I'm hoping to buy a drysuit and construct some sort of floating platform for the camera, to take very low-down shots of our overwintering wildfowl - at eye level. These sort of shots really inspire me and I'm very much looking forward to wading through ice-cold silty mud and discarded shopping trolleys to get the shot I so want!

Has anyone else got a late year photography project in mind - to try and really make use of the colder months? It would be interesting to hear of any.

TBR

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Permalink Reply by Kate MacRae on September 26, 2010 at 19:41

Hi Doug.... My winter challenge is to locate my fox den and then try and think how I can put a hide there. Luckily the land owners are very understanding! Also winter challenge is to get some owl boxes up, ready for the spring... hopefully creating some good photographic opportunities. Photographically, I am just going to concentrate on my garden and the feeder tree I have set up. Today I found some really nice perches and I am going to experiment with placing them to get some good shots of all the species who visit... the nuthatch probably being the greatest challenge. The main advantage of that is there are loads of birds visiting and I can sit in the conservatory with a cup of tea..... sounds a darn sight more attractive than the drysuit and freezing mud!

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Permalink Reply by The Black Rabbit on September 26, 2010 at 19:47

Kate - good luck with the den locating! Have you got a trail cam?
As for your garden birds - I'm a little jealous for the first time re garden birds! Up until we started keeping chickens, our garden was full of feeders for all sorts of birds - we even had a HAWFINCH visit once!
But I'm not comfortable with feeding most wild birds now (basically don't want to have our hens mix with wild birds too much), so I have only kept my woodpecker attractor post and jay table (monkey nuts).
All the other birds tend to go to our neighbours, so, if you don't mind - I'll watch for your birdy photos and get my fix there then!!!
Doug

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Permalink Reply by Kate MacRae on September 26, 2010 at 20:07

My hens are up the other end of the garden! This feeder tree has been SO popular... is was manic on there today and it is only about 1.5m from the conservatory window, so I can sit on the sofa with my camera, through the VERY clean glass (I cleaned it yesterday) and photograph to my heart's content. They come SO close... it is just wonderful watching them.... I could do it all day. Today I put a camera on one feeder and collected some lovely moss and lichen covered branches, which I have set up nearby. I am hoping to get some good natural photos on these. I put them up, went round to the front door, put the kettle on... looked into the conservatory and the goldfinches were already sitting on them! Cool! Keep an eye on my blog for updates.

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Permalink Reply by The Black Rabbit on September 26, 2010 at 21:01

Of course! We've discussed this before haven't we?!! I forgot you were a fellow hen enthusiast!!!