Shaping up

Another evening, and yet another visit to the starling murmurations at Aberystwyth promenade. No two experiences are ever the same, and this is one of the reasons I am drawn back to watch the starlings time and time again. Conditions today were quite the contrast from just my previous visit with overcast skies and a…

The secret lives of sparrows

During my daily ‘exercise’ (or rather, sitting down with camera poised), my aim over the past week has been to capture the daily antics of a rather overlooked bird, the humble house sparrow. Not spectacularly coloured or great songsters but fascinating in their own right, they have always one of my favourites British birds and…

Aftermath

WARNING: Graphic content As storm ciara swept across the UK, bringing with her gale force winds and lashing rain we at least were able to cosy up indoors in safety and warmth. But spare a thought for all the wildlife who had no choice but to tough it out and battle the conditions. As the…

Inside the starling roost

Tonight I decided to take a rather different approach to documenting the starling roost here in Aberystwyth, rather than focusing on the skies I chose to look instead at the hidden world inside the roost itself. Although I did capture a few grainy images, photographing in the gloom did not produce particularly pleasant images, although…

Capturing the moment

I almost didn’t go and watch the starlings this evening, after a gorgeous morning of bright blue skies the clouds had rolled in ruining what I had hoped might be a glorious sunset… Keen not to be just a ‘fair weather’ photographer I headed out with low expectations. Given the somewhat underwhelming numbers seen at…

2019 Memorable Moments

After a hectic week at work I finally have some time to put my feet up and reflect on the previous 12 months. My photography took a somewhat new direction last year, and whilst birds were still been high on the agenda, a new love for macro photography proved to be a great learning curve…

Feeling the heat

The weather here on the welsh coast really does go from one extreme to another. After unseasonably chilly temperatures and what felt like endless rain for much of June, we are now being blasted by Saharan winds. As the temperature soared to 25 degrees today, I sought refuge in a shady spot beside the harbour…

Patience pays off

After weeks of relentless rainfall the sun has finally returned to Aberystwyth, just in time for the beginning of summer! Taking up my usual uncomfortable (and slightly damp) seat on the slipway beside the harbour edge this morning I soaked up some much needed sunshine whilst waiting to see what birdlife might appear. An hour…

The darker side of ducks

For all creatures no matter how great or small, their primary aim in life is to survive long enough to reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation. This instinct can result in some startling behaviour as demonstrated with the local mallard population here in Aberystwyth. Mallards are very common birds and often…

Nature’s architects: Part 2

Today my plan was to capture some close up shots as the house martins gather nesting materials down on the ground. Each year I eagerly await the arrival of these birds and these opportunity to improve on last years photographs. House martins return to the patch here in Aberystwyth each year, after a long migration from…

Sighting: Collared Doves

Just when I was beginning to grow a little tired of the same old routine, photographing the same birds at almost every visit, today there was a surprise encounter in the harbour. As I sprinkled some seed on the ground for the ever present pigeon flock several other pigeon shaped figures flew in and landed…

Splish splash

We are experiencing a rare treat in the UK at the moment… a bank holiday weekend with gorgeous weather as opposed to the usually dreary drizzle! Here a feral pigeon is beating the heat by bathing in the shallow water at the harbour edge. This individual is a youngster as it has yet to grow…