Tangarreg Pools Photographic Hides

What better way to spend a Monday off work than indulging in a few hours of uninterrupted bird photography which, apart from around my own garden bird feeder has been somewhat lacking lately. On today’s agenda was a long overdue visit to Tangarreg Pools, custom built photographic hides run by local photographer and wildlife enthusiast…

Capturing the moment

Having been feeling rather under the weather for the past week or so, a tempting sunset and the promise of starlings felt like the perfect antidote to cheer me up. I opted to use my wide angle lens in anticipation of some impressive skies and Aberystwyth once again delivered one of it’s spectacular sunsets. The…

Days Out: National Botanic Garden of Wales

Today we headed south down to Carmarthen to visit the National Botanic Garden of Wales. This 500 acre site is dedicated to conservation and home to an impressive collection of approximately 8000 different species of flowers and plants from the UK and around the world. Despite not feeling my best, a day immersing myself in…

Sighting: Golden Ringed Dragonfly

Having spent some 6 years now living beside the harbour ‘gap’ in Aberystwyth I feel I have come to know the area and it’s inhabitants rather well. Even so there is still the occasional new sighting to surprise me. Whilst the delicate damselflies are a relatively common sight during the heat of the summer I…

M.E Awareness Day – ‘Nature Therapy’

I was recently invited to write a guest blog for A Focus on Nature Org about the benefits of the natural world, particularly those suffering from disabilities or mental health issues. With today being M.E Awareness Day coming up, it felt like the perfect time to share my piece celebrating ‘Nature Therapy’. #MEAwarenessDay2021 — Lockdown…

If you go down to the woods today…

With sunny skies and a few hours to spare between shifts at work on Friday, it was the perfect opportunity to hunt for bluebells in the grounds of Nanteos Mansion. Nestled between two small nature reserves, Old Warren Hill & Coed Penglanowen their ancient woodlands provide the perfect unspoiled habitat for numerous species including these…

Decimation

A visit to one of my favourite local ‘patches’ earlier this week did not bring me the joy I had hoped for, in fact quite the opposite. On arrival I discovered to my shock and horror that the hedgerow running the length of the stream at Plascrug ditch has been decimated! Where once there was…

In search of snowdrops

As winter begins to make way for spring I have been eager to find a good spot to photograph snowdrops, before they wilt and wither to be replaced by more fair-weather flowers. All I have found so far is a few underwhelming isolated clumps here and there on my daily walks, not quite the carpet…

Rush hour

Another superb evening to catch up with our famous Aberystwyth starlings as an overcast sky cleared just in time to produce a rather lovely sunset. I opted to use my wide angle lens again today and this turned out to be a wise decision as the starlings appeared from all different directions making it difficult…

2020 Highlights – Nature Therapy

Whilst 2020 was not the year any of us would have wished for, despite the anxiety and the uncertainty there were a few positives about the periods of lockdown as we were no longer able to mix with friends and family and do many of the things we once took for granted. I like many…

Shoot for the stars

A somewhat underwhelming display from the starlings this evening, although the early arrivals did create a few interesting shapes in the sky . What do you see? A shooting star perhaps… —Photographs copyright of Claire Stott/Grey Feather Photography ©greyfeatherphotography.com If you like what you see, you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram (@greyfeatherphotography) to see my latest photographs….

A pier with a view!

A few evenings ago I wanted to capture the nightly starling spectacle here in Aberystwyth a little differently. Rather than observing from my usual seafront vantage point, on this occasion I hoped to capture a unique perspective right from the heart of the action. Thanks to the assistance of Hannah and the Royal Pier bar…