Outdoor SIG - Visit Reports
2024/25 |
2023/24
Bempton - June
Following Steve Race’s presentation in December 2023 from ‘Yorkshire Coast Nature’ HPS was offered a bespoke ‘diving gannets’ boat trip at Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington. The boat can only hold 12 people which was readily filled from the Outdoor Group sailing 1st June 2024. Unfortunately, there were very high offshore winds that day which led to the cancellation of the boat. We had all travelled up the day before and met at the RSPB site to be greeted with some fantastic light – if only we could hold our cameras steady because of the gale that was blowing! For most people it was their first visit to Bempton and everyone thought it was a fantastic location. The site is especially good for gannets but puffins, razor bills, guillemots and kitiwakes can also be seen. There are also barn owls and short-eared owls. While we were all disappointed the boat trip did not go ahead there were some great images to be had from the cliffs (see below). Maybe second time lucky for a boat trip in 2025!
Welney - November
We had glorious winter weather for our visit to Welney in November. The wind was light and the day ended with a wonderful ‘fenland sunset’ which added intense colour to the Washes. The site was partially flooded though we were able to access the main hide as well as the Lyle hide where there were numerous black-tailed godwits feeding. Lady Fen was also wet though the conditions did not stop us from seeing at least five hares. Welney as always provided us with numerous photographic opportunities particularly at sunset. Sadly there were no owls though we did see a barn owl on our way back over a petrol station on the A10!
2022/23
Norfolk Broads – July
Ten of us visited the Norfolk Broads in early July. The weather was typical of a British Summer – cold, breezy, and cloudy with occasional rain! As a result, sightings we hoped for of some rare butterflies did not materialise, but other opportunities more than made up. We particularly enjoyed a boat trip on Hickling Broad (despite the rain!) which gave us views of Spoonbills and there was a distant sighting of Ospreys at Ranworth. It was chance to learn about the remarkable life-cycles of dragonflies and attempt to photograph them! The results of our efforts are below. All in all it was a very enjoyable and social trip. We are now looking forward to the new season!
Lakenheath Fen – May
A small but select group of us went over to Lakenheath Fen in early May. We were rewarded with a bright, warm day if a little breezy at times. There was plenty of activity on site mostly from the nearby American air base! Nevertheless we saw Bittern, Cuckoo, Hobby and Marsh Harrier to name a few. Photography was challenging as always but that is why we keep going back!
Norfolk – November
In late November eight of us went on an exploratory visit to sites east of Norwich. Over three days we explored wetland reserves, old wind-pumps and parts of the coast. We had decent weather throughout: a front went through before we arrived and a second overnight leaving us with breezy but bright conditions during daylight hours and plenty of colour in the evening sky. The visit was instructive and we learned a good deal about where the best photographic opportunities were. Highlights for me at least were the grey seal colony at Horsey, the otter at Strumpshaw Fen and the common cranes at Hickling. But the real stars were the starling and nearby rook/jackdaw roosts – the latter I have never seen or heard anything like before anywhere!
Bradgate Park – October
We had decent weather for our visit to Bradgate Park in October. Wednesday was overcast as was early Thursday morning but the clouds soon gave way to Autumn sunshine. We explored different areas of the Park compared to last year but still found plenty of both Fallow and Red deer. Bellowing echoed around the Park, there was much play fighting and I saw at least one full scale fight between two Fallow stags. The challenge was getting that different shot showing engaging deer behaviour. Inevitably you have to spend more time with the subject matter to do this. Bradgate Park is the ideal place.
Rainham Marshes – September
Our first visit of the new season was to RSPB Rainham Marshes. The weather was good, still warm with plenty of high cloud and the M25 flowing. The site was undergoing extensive maintenance work to the footpaths which restricted access and several of the scrapes have dried up over the Summer. Despite this the 10 of us had an excellent day with prolonged sightings of a water vole and grass snake which we were able to photograph – a first for many of us! There was some Dragonfly activity and a few frogs. Apart from some distant Common Snipe few waders were spotted. But a good start to the season!
2021/22
Therfield Heath – April
We met in April just after sunrise at Fox Covert on Therfield Heath. The forecast rain showers did not materialise and we had a decent morning if somewhat breezy. The aim was to photograph the pasque flowers which grow on a nearby site. Pasques’ are the county flower of Hertfordshire and are very rare confined to a few chalk and limestone grasslands. The flower only blooms in April usually around Easter. For more details of the flower see here: https://www.kew.org/plants/pasqueflower
We drove up to Therfield village and a viewpoint where we could see a larger herd of fallow deer but sadly no hares. The morning was rounded off with breakfast in McDonalds and a discussion about the focus for future visits.
We drove up to Therfield village and a viewpoint where we could see a larger herd of fallow deer but sadly no hares. The morning was rounded off with breakfast in McDonalds and a discussion about the focus for future visits.
Avalon Marshes - February
Our visit to the Avalon Marshes in February coincided with storms Dudley and Eunice. Thankfully we included the lull between the storms and were able to hear bitterns booming across the marshes and photograph marsh harriers, egrets, herons and a variety of other birds. But we came for the starling murmurations and to see approaching half a million birds swirling overhead then dancing above the reeds in front of us on both evenings must be one of our Winter wildlife spectacles. It’s a
challenging spectacle to photograph and several of us tried our video functions for the first time!
challenging spectacle to photograph and several of us tried our video functions for the first time!
Welney - November
When I arranged our visit to WWT Welney I didn’t know that storm Arwen would bring hurricane force winds and snow to the North East coast. So with bad weather forecast – should I cancel or proceed as planned? There is of course no such thing as bad weather only the wrong clothes and you can get some great images in terrible conditions! Four of us braved the visit to Welney!!
Some observations:
Some observations:
- The dry Autumn has lowered the water table leaving large areas of grass visible across the Washes and Lady Fen;
- Whooper swans are very strong flyers even in the teeth of the gale that blew but some young birds did get disorientated;
- The site has Short-Eared owls, Little owls as well as Barn owls.
Bradgate Park - October
Our first meeting of the new HPS season was at Bradgate Park. Everyone who visited thought it was a great location for outdoor photography. The park has a healthy population of both red and fallow deer. We timed our visit for the start of the annual rut and were not disappointed!
The afternoon session had reasonable light giving way to light rain at dusk. The following morning started off dull but gradually brightened through the day. Sadly, no frost or mist but reasonable conditions to explore the park. The deer are easy to find and with a bit of patients some good images can be obtained. There were several other photography groups in the park. Some images from the visit are shown below.
The afternoon session had reasonable light giving way to light rain at dusk. The following morning started off dull but gradually brightened through the day. Sadly, no frost or mist but reasonable conditions to explore the park. The deer are easy to find and with a bit of patients some good images can be obtained. There were several other photography groups in the park. Some images from the visit are shown below.
2020/21
Rainham Marshes
With the M25 flowing both there and back and decent weather, Rainham Marshes proved an easy place to visit in mid-July. The site was dominated by geese and coots which seem to have taken over. There was a rumoured stork on site but none of us saw it! Instead we found many egrets and a marsh harrier flying around but always far from our cameras! The photographic highlight proved to be a pool of frogs. There were also good opportunities for wild flowers and butterflies/insects. A one-way system operated on site though all the hides were open.
Lakenheath Fen
In early June the Outdoor Group headed north east to the RSPB reserve at Lakenheath Fen. The day was warm and humid (and plagued with traffic problems). While there was a good deal of activity on site – we saw and heard cuckoo, bittern, marsh harrier, bearded tit and hobby for example – the sightings were poor and the photography challenging! Many of us took to pointing our cameras at the smaller species including dragonflies and insects.
Dockey Wood
Early May saw the Outdoor Group visit Dockey Wood at Ashridge to photograph the bluebells. We met at first light but the conditions on the day were pretty dreadful with a strong, cold wind blowing. I do not think the bluebell display was as good as previous years maybe because of the cold, dry conditions throughout April.
Images taken by the members present are shown below. Despite the conditions there are some great images!
Images taken by the members present are shown below. Despite the conditions there are some great images!
Startop’s End Reservoir
With lockdown easing the Outdoor Group were able to meet in April. We choose Startop’s End reservoir so that the Group could practice photographing ‘birds in flight’. This is a difficult subject to get right and with most people out of practice using their cameras it proved an ideal location. The weather was even kind to us!
There were a variety of birds present during the afternoon and plenty of opportunities to practice. Notable species included common terns, mandarin ducks and black headed gulls. A selection of the images taken by members is shown below.
There were a variety of birds present during the afternoon and plenty of opportunities to practice. Notable species included common terns, mandarin ducks and black headed gulls. A selection of the images taken by members is shown below.
2019/20
Ashridge
Ten members of the Outdoor Group made an early start to meet at Ashridge on 24th October for the deer rut and autumn colours. We made our way through the woods in the dark, listening to the call of a Tawny Owl and hearing the bellowing of rutting Stags, finally arriving at the Old Deer Park. In very poor light we saw two large Stags often locking antlers and a group of Hinds. We moved on round the deer park listening but never quite seeing more deer activity in the woods. The trees were starting to turn but have some way to go before they will be at their best. The poor light made photography very challenging but there is something special being in the woods at dawn with a group of enthusiastic, like-minded people. The light did not improve turning to rain around 09.00am. We all went for a ‘Brownlow’ breakfast and planned the next visits for the Group. A few members planned to return next week.
