Wildlife & Nature Photography Help Please

[DigiDiva]

I am hoping to concentrate on my nemesis, nature/wildlife photography for the rest of the year. Have just taken delivery of a new 150 - 500 mm lens so this should help. What I would like advice on, is when is the best times of year for capturing the following (have tried looking online but can't find anything worthwhile):

1) Fungi
2) Frogs/Toads
3) Puffins (Farne Islands - is his June/July)?
4) Poppies
5) Rapeseed Fields
6) Swallow chicks

Thanks

[Reinardina]

1) Fungi
2) Frogs/Toads
3) Puffins (Farne Islands - is his June/July)?
4) Poppies
5) Rapeseed Fields
6) Swallow chicks

Not a wildlife photographer myself as I can't really photograph moving things, though I did photograph a baby toad last week. Must admit it was 'hand held.'

For the rest I think you simply have to go out and keep your eyes open, as I guess a lot of it is weather and topography dependent. I know for a fact that swallows are here, in the south, earlier than further north. Only a matter of days, but still ...

I remember seeing swallow chicks last year in Holland in June/July.

Poppies, are summer flowers, if I can trust my memory.

Rapeseed fields you can't miss when you're driving around. I saw some very yellow fields in the distance last week Tuesday, but too far off to see what it was. When in a car, that should not be a problem.

Puffins you photographed before; I think when you contact whoever organised that trip, they can tell you.

My advice would be: just go out and shoot nature/wildlife wherever you come across it. Don't miss a deer or a butterfly, because you're hunting frogs. You'll soon get to recognise the places/times which are most suitable for what you want.

Time of day (light!) will also play a big part, in what is out and about.

Not really answers your question, but I don't think you can pin a timetable on nature.

[ABERS]

Google is a good source of info for each of your requests.

If you have any back numbers of photo magazines have a look through them, each of your requests appear annually with monotonous regularity.

Let's hope your recent purchase helps you overcome your nemesis but I think there's much more to it than a long lens.

[Hinfrance]

My neighbour is a wildlife photographer.

He uses much more than a long lens - in his case a couple of mega expensive L lenses and weapons grade tripods. He also sets up environments with suitable backdrops, puts out the right kind of food, has multiple flash units suitably arranged with wireless, infrared and audio triggers, portable and permanent hides within which he waits, after rising before dawn, for hours and hours in the dark and/or freezing cold* with two camera set ups ready to shoot. Not forgetting the camo clothing and making sure he stays downwind and as quiet as a very quiet thing.

In short, I am amazed by the pictures he takes, but I like my bed, have little patience, and would rather not spend THAT much on gear.

*this doesn't bother him, he's ex special forces - in fact I think he rather enjoys it!

[Oldboy]

1) Fungi. This is around all year but mostly in the damp of Autumn. Check rotten logs or marshy ground.

2) Frogs/Toads. Can be seen all year but more visible in Spring. Tadpoles should start appearing about now, morphing into frogs around mid June when they leave the pond and make there way into forests looking for damp ground. Look for them around the full moon of June.

3) Puffins. Only visible during breeding season as the rest of the year they are at sea. As they start breeding late Spring and take about five/six weeks June/July sound about right.

4) Poppies. Spring/early Summer.

5) Rapeseed fields. Flowers appear around April/May.

6) Swallows chicks. Swallows arrive back in early April so chicks should start appearing end of May/early June through to August.

Just remember to keep your eyes open as you walk around and most importantly enjoy yourself. 

[jinky]

The puffins are back early this year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-26564033
I`m hoping to go to Skomer and see them in May. You should have plenty of opportunities from May to early July

[DigiDiva]

The first year I went to see the puffins, I timed it perfect however, I had little experience and though I captured some precious moments, the images were shot in JPEG and the highlights were blown out. This spolied them from being decent wildlife images. Not sure if anyone from the old DCM forum can remember these images of the seagull stealing the sand eels (they were having a tug o'war) from the poor little puffins mouths.  The second year, I left it too late and they had mostly left. The third year I was too early and they hadn't all arrived yet and none had any hatched chicks. This will be year four so hopefullI can time it perfectly.

Thanks everyone for their comment so far on my little thread. Reinardina, I have failed miserably with puffins the last 2 years with my timings, as mentioned above. Don't want to leave things by chance and hope to know what type of wildlife I am after before I go out through the remainder of the year. Abers, I love you idea of looking through the back issues of my DCM's, I hadn't thought of that. Have failed on google from finding what I wanted though.

Hinfrance - I'm not T H A T dedicated haha! Oldboy, thanks for the info you provided. Jinky, just rwad the link and I got very excited. I love Puffins and find they are like little cute old men with really sad faces that pull at my heartstrings.

[Cabbyjohn]

"Just remember to keep your eyes open as you walk around and most importantly enjoy yourself.  "



I only have a bridge camera because being quite elderly and relying on public transport, I don't want to be carrying a heavy bag of equipment around with me. As has been mentioned, some good photographs can be taken purely because you are in the right place at the right time. I live quite close to a country park and have managed to capture a few decent wild life photographs, (Decent for me that is). Simply because I kept my eyes open.  I have just posted a photograph I took with a second hand camera which cost me less than £25 off ebay when I first started to dabble with digital photography. The quality is poor because I was about 50 ft away, but it inspired me to treat my hobby more seriously. 

[Andrew]

Oil Seed Rape is in bloom at the moment, though it has bloomed early this year. South Suffolk is full of the stuff and I've finally managed to take a picture of it.
I've always given it a wide birth on the grounds that it is often done to death - but this time i just set the Aperture to f1.4 and created an abstract with a band of yellow, band of brown for the bare trees and band of blue for the clear blue sky.

I suspect that will be my one and only attempt at shooting Oil Seed Rape. Must go and find it to upload it now I've mentioned it.