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In my intro post I talked about some of the places that I am lucky enough to live near and mentioned that all of them deserve more page space to really appreciate why they are special places for me. In this post I am going to take you on a walk that I do from my front door at least once a week. A walk that even if I see the same things, I never tire of. It is my go-to walk when I need a break from the office and one that always lifts my mood, soothes my mind and allows me to switch off completely. I’m going to break it into two parts because that is how I sometimes walk it, depending on my time and the weather, and also because there are two quite different environments within the walk which both merit attention. It is also a walk that makes me appreciate that you don’t always have to go to a specific nature reserve or high profile location to see a wonderful variety of wildlife. There is often so much literally on your doorstep if you just get out there and explore. When I first got the bird photography bug I was taking hundreds of pictures of the sea birds on the beach and trying to learn the craft almost exclusively there. As the bug bit deeper and began to take over I started to seek out different locations and realised that each one presented different challenges. I went from herons to wrens and, as with their sizes, the difference in trying to photograph them is like night and day.
Sea birds on the beach and on the water present their own set of difficulties but the small birds are so hard to grab focus on and even harder to isolate from the complicated backgrounds that hedgerows, trees and foliage create. It was a whole new learning experience and it is on this walk where I have spent more time than anywhere else trying to master the techniques you need to take an acceptable image of a small bird. Suffice to say it is still a work in progress. It is a simple walk. From my front door, a short distance through the residential area brings me to a path that leads to agricultural fields. The path is flanked by a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. An ordinary looking path but one that I quickly discovered is just full of life.
The end of the path opens out to fields that are full of wheat in the summer and ploughed furrows in the autumn and winter. Those changes of the landscape through the year sees different birds coming and going and it has been an absolute joy to record such a variety of birds on this small stretch of countryside. I’ve learnt so much, just here on this path and over these fields.
Once I had discovered that the trees along the path were bubbling with bird life, my first mission was to try and actually get an in focus picture of a small bird. I quickly discovered just how hard this was. Unlike on the beach, where I could get unobstructed views of the sea birds and could also get reasonably close to them, the challenges here became immediately apparent. Small birds just don't stop fidgeting, flitting from branch to branch, constantly moving their heads as they look for food or check for danger. They appear and disappear amongst the leaves and branches and then flee as soon as they get the slightest glimpse of anything alien to them, i.e. me. I had a lot to learn. I had to learn to move more slowly, to be patient, to stand, to wait, to watch. I had to learn about timing, different focus techniques, the challenges of light or lack of it in foliage, about shadows thrown by branches and leaves. I had to learn about the time of day the birds are most active, how the weather conditions affect how active they are. I had to learn what birds I would see through the seasons as this small stretch of countryside changed either naturally or by a human intervention. If all that wasn't enough, I had to learn what really makes a good small bird photo and then actually take one. As I said, a lot to learn and I'm not even a fraction of the way there yet but it's totally addictive, absorbing, hugely challenging and when you get it right, utterly rewarding. What makes it even more rewarding is watching nature's kitchen provide a varied menu of food and resources through the seasons for the birds and their young. Take a look at a little of this year's menu from the 'my favourite walk' restaurant. Spring - the starter
Spring is a busy time with the birds finding a mate, building nests and feeding young. Fortunately, as the countryside literally springs into life, there is plenty of bedding to be found for nest building and a never ending supply of insects to feed the family on. Summer - the main course
During summer, young birds are leaving the nests but still need feeding. Plants and crops provide seeds, while for some the juicy, soft flesh of snails or caterpillars makes a nutritious meal. Autumn - dessert
Autumn dishes up a forest fruits dessert (and even dried fruit for those that like it) on hawthorn, elder, rowan and blackberry and the birds gorge themselves, stocking up with winter on its way. A stress buster So not a bad restaurant I think you'll agree and all of this I found along this short walk in the countryside. I have had so much fun not just learning about how to get a good photo of the birds but also from just standing and observing their activity as the seasons changed. It's been enlightening and if anyone reading this is trying to find a way to de-stress, I can't think of a better way. I've seen such a variety of birds here and could have included literally hundreds of pictures in this post but you would never have got to the end of it, so I will continue to keep adding them to the galleries on the website and hope you will keep dropping in from time to time to see them. However, I have added a list at the end so do read on if you want to know. So this is the first part of my walk and sometimes, if I can only blag an hour or so off work before someone notices, I will go no further than to the of edge the field, but that's OK because there is always something to see. (I work for myself so it's usually my customers that will be emailing or texting 'Steve. where are you?' My wife, bless her, knows where I will be if I don't answer the phone). To be honest I could quite happily spend a whole morning just here (hmm have done, maybe more than once) and of course it is not just birds that frequent the place. I have also had the pleasure of watching a family of foxes that have a den on the edge of a field that is used for grazing horses.  To be continued ... If I have more time then I will carry on. The path winds around the edge of the agricultural field, past a reed bound natural pond and down to a stream called Ferring Rife, that meanders down to the sea. (The word 'rife' is a Sussex dialect word that means stream). We will carry on down the path in a future post. If you enjoyed the walk so far then look out for it, lots of fun with egrets and herons and also birds that I don't see on the first part of the walk.  List of birds I have seen (so far) on this part of the walk
Thanks I really appreciate you dropping in. If you don't already, you can follow my instagram page where I add the odd funny caption if the image lends itself to one, hopefully provoking a smile or two. If you want to comment or get in touch to share bird related images and stories then I'd be delighted to hear from you.
IG - @a.bird.in.the.lens E: [email protected]
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AuthorI live on the South Coast of England, close to the South Downs National Park and am totally obsessed with bird photography. I'm also passionate about bird conservation, addicted to good coffee and am very partial to a little nip of a smoky Islay whisky from time to time. Archives
August 2022
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