THE I - RPS · wildlife photographer and tour leader, which I’d always dreamed of doing, but hadn’t planned on doing quite yet. That’s my life changing news! I’m sure Liz

THE

MAGAZINE OF THE NATURE GROUP OF THE RPS

IrIs

Issue No. 93

Winter 2005-2006

1 The Iris - W inter 2005/6

Contents

2 Editorial

3 From the Chair

4 A Fellowship with Botanical Printsby Andrew N Gagg FRPS

9 Salud, dinero y amor – y tiempo para gozarlos!by Terry Wall ARPS

13 Fungi of Spring & Summerby Kay Reeve FRPS

15 Nature Group Residential Weekend

17 Flowers of the Limestone Pavementby Tony Bond FRPS

20 Kruger National Park - A Photographer’s Dream, Part IIby Ludi Lochner

25 The Isle of Mayby John Bulpitt FRPS

28 A Photographic Journeyby Stephen Deakin LRPS

31 The Nature Group Conventionby Ian McEvoy

32 Obituary - Michael Shirley ARPS

Picture Information

Cover Artemesia norvegica by Andrew N Gagg FRPS

IFC Oystercatcher, Isle of May, and Rabbit, Isle of May both by John Bulpitt FRPS, see article on page 25

BC Heracleum sibiricum by by Andrew N Gagg FRPS

Publication information

‘The Iris’ is published by the Nature Groupof the RPS three times a year. Copy andpublication dates are as follows:

Spring Copy deadline 23rd JanuaryPublished mid March.

Summer Copy deadline 23rd MayPublished mid July.

Winter Copy deadline 23rd SeptemberPublished mid November.

All contributions should be submitted tothe Editor. Items covering any aspect ofnature photography and/or natural historyare welcomed, including reviews onequipment and relevant books.

Copy may be sent by email or on disc as.txt or .doc files, or printed using doubleline spacing on one side of the paper only.

Photographic images may be supplied asdigital files on CD providing that they are atleast 2555 x 1830 pixels in size andaccompanied by a printed copy 6” x 4” orlarger for colour matching purposes.Original transparencies and A4 glossyprints are also acceptable. .

No payment will be made for material usedand whilst every care will be taken, neitherthe Editor, the Nature Group or the Printerscan accept liability for any damage that mayoccur to photographic material submitted.

The views expressed are solely those of thecontributor.

Distribution:

‘The Iris’ is forwarded to members usingaddress labels produced by the RPSMembership Dept in Bath. Any member notreceiving their copy should contact thatdepartment so that their name appears on alabel in the future. However the Secretarywill be pleased to post single copies to thosemembers who have failed to receive them.

Copyright:

© All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted in anyform or by any means without priorpermission of the copyright holder.

© Photographs and articles individualcontributors. All other material the NatureGroup of the Royal Photographic Society.

Printed by Stanley L Hunt (Printers) LimitedMidland Road, Rushden.

Design & layout by Dawn Osborn ARPS

Committee

Officers

Chairman: David Osborn FRPS 19 Mount Street, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9DB Tel: 01263 511221 E-mail: [email protected]

Vice Chairman: Geoff Trinder ARPS The Croft, Carrhouse Road, Belton, Doncaster, DN9 1PGTel: 01427 872051

Immediate Past Chairman: Robert Hawkesworth FRPS5 Ravensdale Drive, Wollaton, Nottingham, NG8 2SL Tel: 01159 281050

Secretary: Margaret Johnson LRPS53 Mapperley Orchard, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 8AHTel: 01159 265893 E-mail: [email protected]

Treasurer: Trevor Hyman LRPS 3 Northcourt Lane, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1QATel: 01235 524909 E-mail: [email protected]

Committee MembersProgramme Co-ordinator/NG Rep to Advisory Panel: Nick Jarvis ARPS31 Meadow Way, Irthlingborough, Northants, NN9 5RSTel: 01933 651477 E-mail: [email protected]

John Bebbington FRPSQuantock View, Newtown, Langport, Somerset, TA10 9SETel: 01458 253027 E-mail: [email protected]

John Jones ARPS 31 Bridgefields, Kegworth, Derby, DE74 2FWTel: 01509 672125

Patricia Kreyer ARPS ‘Fairfield’, 22a St Catherines, ELY, Cambridgeshire CB6 1AP Tel: 01353 661277 E-mail: [email protected]

Chris Wood LRPS 113 Walnut Tree Road, Charlton Village, Middlesex, TW17 0RRTel: 01932 711434 E-mail: [email protected]

Ex-officio members

Editor of The Iris: Ms. Dawn Osborn ARPS5 Crompton Close, Little Haywood, Stafford, ST18 0YS Tel: 01889 881928 E-mail: [email protected]

Exhibition Secretary: Peter Jones ARPS 3 Curlew Close, Mountsorrel, Loughborough, Leics, LE12 7EDTel: 01509 412286 E-mail: [email protected]

The Chairman of the A&F Nature Distinctions Panel, thePresident, Director General, Hon. Treasurer and FinanceOfficer of the Royal Photographic Society are also ex-officiomembers.

Nature Group ExhibitionsCopies of Nature Group Exhibitions dating back to 2000, areavailable to book for camera clubs/photographic societies. Ifyou would like to book one of these or the current or nextyears’ Travelling Exhibition, please contact: Peter Jones ARPS,details above.

Field Meeting ReportsPlease send these directly to the Editor (address above) bypost or email.

The Iris - W inter 2005/6 2 www.thenaturegroup.org

Editorial

Firstly, a huge thank you to all who responded so quickly to my plea for articles. If yours isn’tincluded in this issue it will be used either in the Spring or Summer 2006 issues.

In this issue Andrew Gagg FRPS tells us howhe went about putting together his successful ‘F’panel and shares with us some of the stunningfloral studies which made up his submission.Congratulations Andrew! In addition to theconclusion of Ludi Lochner’s advice on visitingthe Kruger, there are also interesting accounts ofphotographing birds in Texas, fungi in spring,flora on limestone pavements and the Isle ofMay. In addition we have reports on the NatureGroup Convention and the NG Field Weekend atthe Kingcombe Centre near Dorchester.

In this issue you will also find the annualplea to members to host a Field Meeting. Pleasedon’t put off filling in the form - Nick Jarvisdesperately needs new leaders and new venuesto be able to put together a programme ofevents for next season. Don’t be shy - give hima call. Field Meetings are a great way to get toknow other members, meet new friends andenjoy a day out with like minded people.

The centre pages of this issue of The Iris,comprise your Entry Form for the 2006 NatureGroup Exhibition. Please read the instructionscarefully. Every year Peter Jones’ job is mademore difficult because members fail to correctlycomplete the entry form. The 2006 exhibitionincludes a section for digitally captured images.Please read the instructions carefully and followthem precisely - we don’t want to scare off ournew Digital Section Secretary by creating toomany difficulties in his first year. I appreciatethat you may not want to remove pages fromThe Iris, so you may also download the EntryForm from the website. Speaking of which -have you logged on to our new website yet?

Planning of the next issue of The Iris isalready underway and will contain items ofinterest from around the world and closer tohome. So, watch this space.

Sitting here on the shores of Lake Minnewankawatching the early morning mists gently riseand drift above the surface of the waters, I feelthe chill of autumn in the air as I soak in theatmosphere of another beautiful Canadianmorning, the only sounds to break the silenceof this tranquil setting being the waters lappingat my feet and the eerie almost haunting callsof the Loons breaking the chill silence. Wendyand I are on our travels again and thousands ofmiles from home in this wonderfully evocativesetting in the Rockies, I cant help but pause fora moment and wonder at life’s strange twistsand turns - how just when you think you aresettled and secure, events beyond your controlimpact and create major life style changes whenyou weren’t looking for any. Even stranger, bothDawn and I, hundreds of miles apart findourselves in exactly the same situation!

The upshot of that statement is that since Ilast wrote ‘From the Chair’ I now find myself inthe position of calling myself a professionalwildlife photographer and tour leader, which I’dalways dreamed of doing, but hadn’t planned ondoing quite yet. That’s my life changing news!I’m sure Liz will tell me its something I shouldhave done years ago - thanks Liz!

So I wonder, if I’ve travelled half way acrossthe world and managed a fairly major careerchange, what on earth have you all had tocontend with and been up to over the past fewmonths? Nothing too drastic I hope.

Back home and once again I find myselfsitting at the PC on a wet, grey and rainymorning. Summer a distant memory. Here inNorfolk it actually wasn’t so good, warm yes,but with too few bright sunny days until mid-August. August has never been my favouritemonth; there never seems to be much aroundto photograph and the light is always too harshwith bland hazy skies.

Anyway we’re into Autumn now - perhapsmy favourite season although I don’t reallyknow why - it just feels right and there’scertainly lots going for the NH photographer.Hopefully this year the fungi season will beproductive - due to long dry periods at the endof the summer, the past few haven’t quite metmy high expectations!! I confess to thoroughlyenjoying the challenges of fungi photography

and, as always, I’m looking forward to a goodautumn crop and with winter knocking on thedoor I wish you all likewise.

News from the committee is that we’ve allbeen very busy during the past few months.I’m very pleased to announce that our effortshave paid off and we are introducing a digitalsection in the 2006 annual exhibition. I’mhighly delighted about this and see it asanother milestone achieved by the group.However, because we can’t even begin to guessthe entry level, the closing date for DI entries isone month earlier to allow adequate time forprocessing and entries are to be sent to adifferent address from the prints and slides.Therefore please do not send CDs with print orslide entries (or vice-versa).

Can I ask you all to actively support theannual exhibition, very few of you do, it’scertainly one of the best NH exhibitionsaround, it’s your exhibition and if it’s the onlyway in which you’re able to support the group,then please enter.

May I also remind you all about our othermilestone achievement - the group web-sitewhich continues to go from strength tostrength. If you haven’t yet signed up andjoined in its activities then please do so, it canonly be as good as you all allow it to be.

The subject of encouraging new andyounger members was raised at the last AGMand on that subject I’d like to welcome CathrynNurse our newest and youngest member to jointhe group. I hope that your studies allow you tojoin in our activities and I look forward tomeeting up with you during the years to come.If you feel that you need any help or adviceCathryn, please do not hesitate to give any of usa call, send an e-mail or post a message via thegroup’s web-site.

On a final note and on behalf of my fellowcommittee members I would like to take thisopportunity to wish everyone a very MerryChristmas and a very happy and prosperousNew Year. Make 2006 the year you get moreinvolved with Nature Group activities.

From the chair

www.thenaturegroup.org 3 The Iris - W inter 2005/6

I have always specialised in photographing wildbotanical subjects, ever since I hijacked myMum’s hobby when I was at college.

I gained an Associateship in 1989, partly I believeon the strength of a small book I was asked toillustrate for Macmillan, by no less than Dr. MaxWalters and the late Dr. Franklyn Perring, primemovers in the Atlas of the British Flora, and majorcontributors to the Flora Europaea. On thesuggestion of our photographer at the BBC, I had gone straight for an ‘A’ without attemptingLicenciateship. This piece of arrogance paid off,and I accepted my award, very pleased but notfeeling as if I’d made that much effort.

Too many years elapsed, until I decided that timewas no longer on my side, and that if I wanted toachieve the ultimate distinction from the RPS Ihad better get on and do it!

I attended a workshop in Swansea, taking aselection of what I thought was the right kind ofimage, and from it gained an idea of what wasrequired, principally from Harold Grenfell FRPS. I had thought of showing all parasitic plants –Orobanche, Cistanche and the like, but myselection was unnecessarily narrow it seemed. My wife Christine came with me, returninghome with a phrase which was later to haunt me– the now badly over-used expression “the wowfactor”. (Blame the TV lifestyle programmes forwearing this one out!)

Subsequently, a submission of twenty slides failed,with comment to the effect that members of thepanel were familiar with my published pictures,and it didn’t seem to represent the best of mywork. Oh dear! “Could try harder!” Now what…?

Realising that I needed advice, I contacted TonyWharton FRPS. My only correspondence with Tonyhad hitherto been a somewhat fractious exchangein print in these very pages over inaccurate spellingof Latin names. Putting all that behind me, I phonedand paid an initial visit, in slight trepidation, butcoming away with (a) the significant notion thatI should create and submit prints next time and

(b) the fact that Tony is a really nice guy, with alot of knowledge and a desire to help aspiringapplicants succeed, and that he does not bite!

As the digital tide was rising rapidly around me,the prospect of creating twenty digital prints ofgood enough quality was daunting, but notnearly as daunting as the idea of doing the samething by darkroom methods! I whittled down thecollection of ‘possibles’ I had shown to Tony totwenty-five or so, taking heed of his partingremark that the final selection must be mine, asthat was an essential part of the test.

It is now almost traditional to refer in these casesto ones spouse as ‘my sternest critic’ - believe meshe really was (and still is). Christine continuedto scrutinise my selection minutely, regularlybelabouring me with the now-hated “wowfactor”. I had tended to include ‘scientific’pictures of rather dull plants, but I was proddedtowards those images which had most visualimpact, in terms of colour, composition andstriking subject. Rarity was never a consideration– I knew a poor picture of an excitingly obscurespecies would get me nowhere.

There was now a fair mix of digitally originatedimages from my ‘new toy’ – an Olympus E-1, andfrom scanned slides, some going back a good fewyears – one or two had been part of my ‘A’submission. The transparencies were all takenwith one of my Olympus 35mm cameras –mostly the OM4Ti, using a favourite 24mm lensfor ‘habitats’, and a 50mm macro for ‘portraits’.They were all from my library, built up overmany years, as my attempt to record, at least inpart, the flora of Europe. The final title thereforewas to be ‘Flora Europaea’.

My methods are mostly conventional, but my bigbugbear has always been tripods – I hate them. In the context of close-ups, depth of field is solimited, and camera shake so likely that it isessential, but it is no use battling with all thatironmongery if the plant isn’t still! If there’s theleast bit of breeze when you make the exposure itbecomes pointless. Finding a support low enough


A Fellowship with Botanical Prints

Andrew N. Gagg FRPS


Lysichiton americanus Crambe maritima

Ranunculus glacia Armeria maritima - thrift


to get down ‘eye to eye’ with the subject can bedifficult. The legs don’t spread far enough on most‘miniature’ tripods, so that a big camera is unstableand topples. ‘Benbos’ will get you down low or intoawkward positions (and your camera!) - I rememberdescribing them in print once as ‘dementedbagpipes’! Ground spikes are possible if there isground to spike, but the most interesting plantsoften seem to grow on solid rock!

I suppose the missing ingredient was patience.Patience to carry a tripod, and patience to adjustit with care, and the patience to wait for a lull inthe breeze - I’ve now learned that an opportunityusually does offer itself, eventually.

Part of the reason for using a tripod is of courseto enable the use of a small aperture to gain depthof field (and a concomitant long exposure). Whena composition is just a single flower, its centreshould be sharp, like the eyes in a portrait, but thenearest parts need be acceptable as well. So whilein very close work, it is a battle to have sufficientdepth of field, it can be a two-edged sword – anicely defocused background is frequently what’sneeded to isolate the plant and avoid distractions.

Biscuit-brown stems, all at different angles, areone of the worst offenders. So depth of field needsto be checked using the ‘stop-down’ button.

A sensitive issue is ‘gardening’. A bit is inevitableto obtain an image that is free from foregroundvegetation and un-marred by distractions. Myguidelines have always been: (a) Put the plant and its habitat (including othernearby plants of the subject species, or any other)first. Ensure that young plants are not crushed inthe effort to make the best picture. (b) Whatever you move (especially that which isliving) should eventually be replaced where itcame from, uninjured. It can almost always bepressed gently to one side rather than cutting oruprooting. My old white sun hat has often been agentle weight for stems and such, and sometimesdoubles as a white reflector! (c) Do nothing which affects the scientific truth ofthe resulting image. My purpose in this kind ofimage-making is to make an honest statement aboutwhat a particular species looks like in context. (d) Cast around to select the most suitablespecimen first, and the results will probably besuperior, with less effort needed.

Serapias cordigera Cistanche phelypaea Trifolium montanum

One technique seen in some of the images is theuse of wide-angle. My favourite lens was my24mm Zuiko, and now the wider zoom on my E-1 does the job. A plant can be shown whole, andin context ecologically. Such an image is packedwith information, and can be pictorially striking.For small subjects I use dioptric supplementaries.Because of the short focal length, I can oftenwork hand-held without detriment. This allowsme free rein to sort out composition unhinderedby all that metalwork!

I spent the winter of 2004 getting through stacksof printer paper - nothing special, just EpsonPremium Glossy. Early on I had abandoned theidea of satin-surfaced papers which seemed todiminish the sharpness and colour of the finishedprints. After much thought I decided to submitA4 prints, the advice being that a good A4 wasbetter than a less good A3. I experimented withmargins and borders, and decided on a black pin-line (not more than 1mm) around the image todefine its edge. Outside that I put about 15mm ofwhite. I worried about this reduction in the areaof the printed image too, but the effect was whatI wanted.

I got through gallons of ink - an oddcombination of Jessops Epson-compatible colourink and Jet-Tec black - it was what I knew and Isaw no reason to fiddle with the recipe. What Ineeded of course was to keep fullest control ofnuances of colour balance, plus printing up ordown to get the maximum information into theprint. I made a chart for each image, noting assystematically as possible what I had done toeach version, keeping it together with all thenumbered prints until I achieved what I thoughtwas ‘the one’ in each case. I revelled in thecontrol. I’d never had the ability to achieve thesame results in a darkroom.

Having produced a fairly finished batch of prints,I considered mounts. Dark boards were discarded- I was advised that they were not in fashion, andI was not going to contradict. Next I thought tomatch the board to the colour of the print paper,but found nothing that was an exact match inany manufacturer’s range, so I sought a very palecream just far enough away to avoid theimpression of a ‘bad match’ with the white printmargin. After much searching I found Britannia‘Astral White’ an extremely thick (3400


saxifraga bryoides Arctotheca calendula


microns/4mm) board that produced a beautifulwide bevel round the window. My chosen mountsize was 22” x 16”, a pleasing proportion whenaccommodating a caption window and withinthe size given for the assessment display stands.Such heavyweight board was beyond my abilityto cut cleanly. so I sent the whole lot off to alocal framer, with a full-size measured design foreach mount with a window for the print, andanother for a caption. To preserve the uniformityof the presentation the windows were both thesame width. I set a fixed margin at top and adeeper one at the bottom, the difference in thevarying height of my prints being taken up bythe variable distance between the upper andlower windows. The captions were all quite long,with the scientific name of the taxon, authority,English name, and locale. After experimentingwith the colour, I printed them in a mid grey, onthe same Epson glossy paper.

I gave a great deal of thought to the overall look ofthe completed panel - considerable significance isplaced on the display being balanced. My final lineup consisted of twenty portrait format images, in a‘seven, six, seven’ arrangement. Considerations suchas strength and quality of colour in each image, andthose which were obviously more appropriate to

the right or to the left of the display wereaccommodated to the best of my ability. To resolvethis I used a set of 3” x 2” prints each mounted onwhite paper of the correct scale size to simulate itsmount. This gave an impression of the separationbetween the displayed prints – an advantage ofputting A4 prints in fair-sized mounts, reducing theinteraction between neighbouring images.

All decisions made, paperwork and labellingdouble-checked, it was all boxed up andpersonally delivered to Bath. It weighed a ton,and I remember saying to the lady on receptionthat I was ‘glad to see the back of them’ thinkingthat I’d be happy never to set eyes on them again!

The rest, as they say, is history. I gather that thepanel were fairly whole-hearted in their decision,and it can be imagined what I felt when thatspecial letter of acceptance arrived!

It remains only to thank the RPS members whoso willingly gave their advice to such good effect,in particular Tony Wharton.

Finally my affectionate thanks to Christine, “whomostly made it possible, if occasionally totallyimpossible!”

‘Do you want the good news or the bad news?’asked my partner Wendy scampering downstairsfrom her latest trawl on the internet. Just beforeChristmas she had hatched a plan that she knew Iwould be unable to resist; I had to merely find myairfare and to celebrate my forthcoming birthdaywe would be off to Texas for a week’s photoshoot.

The bad news was that my birthday was going tostart early at 0400 hours so that we would reachour destination in time!! However, I digress! Forsome time now we have been enjoying the images,via an email bulletin, from an American birdphotographer and one of his favorite destinations isthe Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Ninety-eightper cent of Texas is privately owned and after someresearch we discovered that many landowners, someof whom are actually photographers in their ownright, are opening up their private property to otherphotographers. This entails a daily fee, per person,for photographic access, but well worth it!

So, on 4th May we flew Gatwick to Dallas withAmerican Airlines, our airline of choice, stopped

overnight and then flew down to McAllen thenearest airport. We had arranged the whole weekvia email with Audrey Martin of Lens and Land,just one small group of landowners who share thesame philosophy. John and Audrey Martin are thebrains behind the Valley Land Fund whose primemission is to save habitat and as time has gone on,have inaugurated Lens and Land and established abiennial Land Valley Photo Contest with handsomeprizes for photographers and landowners alike.

From the word go, the level of hospitality wasoutstanding. Audrey had booked our motel for usarranging a ‘photographer’s discount’ and gave us apersonal warm welcome at their home, not farfrom Edinburg. Chachalaccas squawked as we droveinto their gate. Four dogs rushed out followed byAudrey who ushered us into their conservatorywhere we sat down to chat with an ice-cold drinkmeanwhile keeping a keen eye on the feeders! Wethen walked around the property with Audreyshowing us all the purpose-built hides with pondsand feeding stations, some designated for morninguse and some for evening.

Salud, dinero y amor – y tiempo para gozarlos!

by Terry Wall ARPS

Northern Cardinal

John arrived home shortly afterwards and then weall set off for ‘The Javelina’ their second propertysome 30 minutes drive away where again we hada guided tour of all the hides so that we couldchoose which properties and hides we would liketo try during our four days with them. Nothing isleft to chance! There are diamond-backedrattlesnakes in this part of the world and the packthat they give you has advice on what to do in caseof a related emergency - each photographer is alsogiven a radio to keep in touch throughout the day.Each hide has birdfood, towels, handwash andboth sites have restrooms with privacy screens. Thefact that Wendy demolished one as she sat downshall not be mentioned!!!

So, for the first two days we shot at ‘TheHomestead,’ the third at ‘The Javelina’ where wehoped to see and photograph Bobcat! and then asthe early-morning birthday surprise was nigh,returned to ‘The Homestead’ for the final day. Johnand Audrey were the most engaging hosts – theytook us to supper, cooked us meals and could notdo enough to ensure the success of our visit.

Audrey’s favourite treat for the birds is banana!!This was a surprise for us but not for the GreatKiskadee waiting impatiently every morning athide number one!! Beautiful Northern Cardinalsposed obligingly whilst waiting for a snack andmany small migratory songbirds flew in to drinkand bathe. There simply isn’t room enough to listthe possibilities so I advise you to browse on thewebsite: www.lensandland.com for furtherinformation. Last but not least after our finalshoot at John and Audrey’s we all went out for aBotana Platter, a delicious Mexican dish, at a localrestaurant, accompanied by Mariachi musicians –a superb evening.

Wednesday 10th May. My birthday! I will notrepeat what I said at 0400 hours but at 0500 wewere off to meet our guide for the day, localwildlife photographer Larry Ditto who had beenthe winner of the first ever Valley Land FundWildlife Photo Contest. Meeting at a local garagewe stocked up on the traditional Americanbreakfast of doughnuts and coffee and squeezedinto the back of his battered old pick-up truck.

Black-crested Titmouse

We eventually arrived at Roel Ramirez’ Ranchnear Roma; it was enormous! Now we under-stood the need for a guide. Setting up in a largeconcrete hide we were surprised to have avisitor; Roel himself arrived bringing a delicioussecond breakfast of hot bacon & egg tacos.

Finally we sat down to shoot. Green Jays came intempted by oranges and the pond proved to bethe essential magnet for birds and mammalsalike. By 1000 hours it was too hot and tooharsh but we stayed put until Roel arrived againthis time bearing lunch and an enormouscardboard box containing a large sticky Birthdaycake!! We repaired to the ranch for lunch wherewe met his wife Frances who had arranged allthe culinary surprises. Time for a nap…

Exhausted but undaunted we set off out again fora different afternoon raptor hide. After a few hourswe declared a truce and retuerned to Edinburg -we had another 0530 start the next day!

The next two days of our trip, we both agree,were the highlight of the week. We journeyed toLos Colmenas de los Cerritos, a ranch managed

by Lowry and Jessica McAllen on behalf of hisparents. Here the hospitality and photographywere simply outstanding, several morning andafternoon hides being available, built andprepared with great care by Lowry himself. Safely ensconced in a low level hide, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Northern Bobwhites andBlack-crested Titmouse zoomed in and out and wehardly knew where to look. After a very fruitfulmorning we had lunch with Jessica and Lowry,followed by a short siesta. Revived, we set offagain for our afternoon shoot. We spent bothafternoons working from a hide set next to a hugepond. The light was gorgeous - Scissored-tailedFlycatchers swooped in to bathe, Cardinals galoreperched for our entertainment, but for us, thehighlight of the afternoons were the PaintedBuntings. These beautiful birds, which wenicknamed ‘paintbox buntings’, came in to bathejust in front of us, perfect size, perfect light!

However, la piece de resistance was our finalmorning at Los Colmenas. Pleading old age andexhaustion we asked for a slightly later start of0730. Lowry was anxious that it would be toolate for his star performers but we arrived at the


Painted Bunting Green Jay

ranch in good time and followed Lowry off to adifferent morning hide. We settled ourselves inand as he pottered about putting food out aHarris Hawk flew into the tree behind him towatch. Breakfast was late!!

Lowry drove off and the hawk flew in. Half anhour later he exited left and to our amazementtwo Crested Caracara adults entered stage rightfollowed by a large pink-headed youngster! Wehad heard some undefined screeching andwhistling noises – now we could see theculprit…. They trotted across to a thoughtfullyplaced roadkill rattler and proceeded to tear it topieces and feed it to the chick. Half an hour laterwe had scarcely had time to breathe again and asthis family exited left, in trotted a second adultpair accompanied by two large youngsters! Anoutstanding wildlife experience!

So, if you are wondering where to go for your nexttrip or need an idea for a birthday treat, this is it!!

If you are still wondering about the title of thisarticle, it’s a local toast that Audrey introduced usto: ‘Health, Money and Love – and the time toenjoy them!!’


Harris Hawk

Great Kiskadee


Iam writing this on a wet day in September. The rain is streaming down the windows anddripping off the trees in the garden. Not a day foroutdoor photography, then. But rain at this timeof year is really quite welcome to the fungiphotographer. Provided the weather stays reasonablywarm, a good autumn season is in prospect. Allfungi depend to a certain degree on moisture, so,with a bit of luck, my local woods and pasturesshould offer plenty of interesting subjects overthe next few months.

But autumn is not the only time to go looking forfungi to photograph. The spring and summer canbe very rewarding too providing there is a fairamount of rainfall, and the photographer has theright information about when and where to look.

In fact the year begins by offering the fungiphotographer one of the most exciting subjects of all. These are Scarlet Elf-Cups, belonging to thegenus Sarcoscypha. They vary in size from one to

five centimetres or so, are cup-shaped, obviously,and are usually brilliant red inside and pinky-whiteoutside. They help the photographer by growingon logs covered with green moss, thus providinga perfect background! I have seen white ones,which from the natural history point of view arevery rare and interesting, but the red ones areextraordinarily photogenic. They are perhaps morecommon in the western half of Britain, and the wayto find them is to look for the habitat - fallen logswell covered in moss. In my area they can be foundfrom the second half of January until March, butin most years the first week or two of Februaryare the best. In a wood where they are prolific,they are quite spectacular - as though someonehad scattered the forest floor with rubies.

The Morel season begins in March. They offer thephotographer some of the most unusual shapes innature, but in my experience are not particularlyeasy to find, as they do not seem to fruit, or at leastto fruit prolifically, in their known sites every year.

The Fungi of Spring and Summer

by Kay Reeve FRPS

Scarlet Elf-Cups, Worcestershire, February. Mitrophora semilibera, Warwickshire, April.

This spring was good for Disciotis venosa, a disc-shaped fungus which grows at ground level,whereas spring 2004 was quite exceptional forVerpa conica and Mitrophora semilibera. I wonder -was this because the previous autumn had beenexceptionally dry? This year I visited the samesites and found very few compared to theremarkable display of previous years .

The Morel season continues into May, with speciessuch as Morchella esculenta and Morchella rotunda.When I have found these, which is not very often,it has always been in dune slacks. The books do notidentify these as prime places to look!

In spring, many of us visit the woods to photographthe wonderful flowers that grow there. The nexttime you are photographing Wood Anemone, seeif you can find its little fungal partner Dumontiniatuberosa, a small brown cup about the size of athumb nail. I have seen and photographed it, buthave not yet been able to include it in the samepicture as a Wood Anemone flower. This could beone of my projects for next year.

At the end of April, look for St. George’s Mushroom,Calocybe gambosa, a dirty white fungus which oftenforms really remarkable rings, requiring a 20mm.lens at least!

May and June bring the spectacular bracket Polyporussquamosus, or Dryad’s Saddle. This is quite common,and you should have no difficulty in finding one,but finding one in good condition is a differentmatter. The weather is beginning to be warm anddry, and they shrivel up quickly. In fact, summerweather, with its limited rainfall and drying winds,is not particularly helpful to fungi, but one to lookfor in the high summer months of June and July isthe Summer Bolete Boletus aestivalis.

Some species can be seen at any time of year if theweather is right. Examples are the Fairy RingMushroom, Marasmius oreades, Oyster Mushrooms,Pleurotus species, Velvet Shank, Flammulina velutipes,and Jew’s Ear, Auricula auricula-judae. There aremany others of course, and many other specialistsof spring and summer which I have not been ableto mention. If you are interested in fungi and havedifficulty finding them yourself, join your localWildlife Trust, go on a fungi foray and find outwho knows about the sites to visit. Good hunting!


Dryad’s Saddle, Warwickshire, June. Bolete and Rockrose, Buckinghamshire, July.

Asmall group (nine residents plus day visitors)gathered at Kingcombe Centre in Dorset for

an enjoyable weekend of photography organisedby Kath Bull ARPS and Nick Jarvis ARPS.

After a welcome to the area by one of the staff wetucked in to an excellent meal after which we wereintroduced to some of the plants and invertebrateswe might hope to see during the weekend.

Saturday morning dawned cool and dull but a fewof us got up early to look at the moth trap catch.The Centre’s Robinson trap did well - 177individuals of 28 species - but a small actinic‘Moonlander’ trap, kindly loaned to me byWorldwide Butterflies, was not so successful. Thecatch included both of the Swallow Prominents(Pheosia tremula, the Greater, and P. gnoma, thelesser – rarely seen side by side) and several fineCanary-shouldered Thorns Ennomos alniaria.

The day’s venue was an old plant nursery -Ryewater nursery - which had been transformedinto a wildlife reserve by its owner, Clive Ferrall(with whom I had made quite fortuitous contactearlier in the week). He kindly showed us round

the main parts of the reserve (including histropical butterfly house) before letting us loose.We were impressed by the variety of habitats hehas created - limestone scrapes, rough grassland,ponds, lakes, sunny banks etc. and although theweather was far from ideal in the morning wefound Clouded Yellows Colias croceus flying and asolitary male Chalkhill Blue Polyommatus coridon.There were an enormous variety of botanicalsubjects, including the bright blue ChicoryCichorium intybus, and Wild Marjoram Oreganumvulgare set among a stand of Wild Teasel Dipsacusfullonum.

After a cup of tea we wandered into Kingcombemeadows where we found Bloody-nosed BeetleTimarcha tenebricosa and roosting Common BluesPolyommatus icarus which occupied us for atime. Later we found and photographed twomagnificent Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillarsDeilephila elpenor in the garden of Beech Cottage.

For our evenings entertainment Kath had invitedColin Varndell (our leader on previous Dorsetweekends). He gave us an excellent slide showentitled ‘Wild Dorset’.


Nature Group Residential Weekend -

Kingcombe, 26 – 29 August 2005

Yellow Horned-poppy - Glaucium flavum

Sunday morning was one of those magical mistylate summer mornings with dew-spangled spiders’webs and those of us who were up early enoughfound no shortage of subjects. The moth trap haddone less well, but there were still a few goodsubjects. We were harassed by a young Robin, whoclearly knew all about moth trapping!

After breakfast we visited Powerstock Common, aDorset Trust reserve lying on Lower Greensandbut with an old railway cutting running throughchalk. There were numerous Red Admiralbutterflies Vanessa atalanta on Hemp AgrimonyEupatoria cannabina and we found a predatoryShield Bug Picromeris bidens feeding on a Heraldmoth caterpillar. After lunch, Douglas Hands anda couple of others made a beeline for the pondwhere they were found attempting in-flight shotsof Southern Hawker dragonflies Aeshna cyanea.The old railway cutting provided a total contrastto the acid common, with abundant AutumnGentians Gentianella amarella and a range of otherchalk flora. We caught a fleeting glimpse of aHummingbird Hawkmoth Macroglossumstellatarum but the most spectacular find was afully-grown Fox Moth caterpillar Macrothylaciarubi, on its pre-hibernation wanderings.

Returning for afternoon tea some of us decided tolisten to the end of the Test match while othersrelaxed or went off in search of other subjects.

The evening gave us an opportunity to look atimages brought along by group members.

Monday was a Bank holiday, so we decided to setoff early for Cogden Beach on the Dorset coast -and arrived before the car park began to fill. Wefound excellent subjects including a Great GreenBush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima, bright freshclumps of Yellow Toadflax Linaria vulgaris, and -surprisingly so late in the summer - some pristineYellow Horned-poppies Glaucium flavum. In placesthe shingle was fringed with flowering specimensof Restharrow Ononis repens and there were seedheads of Strawberry Clover Trifolium fragiferum.

Again, dragonflies exercised some of the group,as did a fine stand of the structurally interestingGreater Horsetail Equisetum telmatela, back-lit inthe afternoon sun. We found numerous GardenSpiders Araneus diadematus and the closely relatedA. quadratus on their webs, although the windcaused some problems, as it did for those whoattempted to photograph dehiscing seedpods ofthe Greater Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum

Finally back to Kingcombe for a last cup of teaand the journey home. All had a very enjoyableweekend; we were made welcome and well caredfor, and found plenty of subjects for everyone.

John Bebbington FRPS


Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar - Deilephila elpenor

Picromeris bidens feeding on Herald moth caterpillar

The Iris - W inter 2005/6 www.thenaturegroup.org

Nature GroupResidential

Field Meeting Tuesday30th May to Friday 2nd June 2006

Kingcombe Centre, Toller Porcorum, Dorchester DT2 0EQ

Following the recent field weekend at theKingcombe Centre, members agreed they wouldlike to return there for a short break in 2006. Anumber of features contribute to Kingcombe beingan good base for nature photography. Set in ruralDorset, the Centre has a variety of photographicopportunities on its doorstep - thanks to a Lotterygrant and a great deal of hard work by volunteers),its own bird-hide, paths by the river, a pond with adipping platform, plus access to Kingcombemeadows and Dorset Trust grounds.

The cuisine is of a high standard; organicallyproduced from local sources and deliciouslycooked and served. The menus and packedlunches are varied and healthy. Staff are friendlyand helpful. A mini-bus is available for Group useand there is a comfortable lounge for relaxingafter supper. Aditionally, a variety of naturereserves, all within a short drive of the Centre,provide further photographic opportunities.

In 2006, breaking with tradition and hoping toencourage members who can’t get away atweekends we are offering a mid-week stay. In allother respects the programme will follow apattern of out for photography during the day,and, following supper, relaxing while showingand viewing members pictures.

In recent years there has been an increasingtendency for members to delay booking for eventsuntil near to the scheduled date. This causesproblems! The organisers have to make a blockbooking for accomodation at the Centre and agreea cut off date for cancellation if insufficientbookings are received. In the event of cancellation,members who have booked early aredisappointed. If you are interested in joining thegroup, but feel unable to give a firm commitmentat this time, please register your interest. Wewould appreciate your cooperation in this matter

Cost:- £150 - £175 according to accommodation. Includes full board, packed lunches,accommodation and VAT at17.5%

If you would like to obtain further information,register or request a booking form, please contact:

Kath Bull ARPS, Segsbury, St John’s Road, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 1RT. Tel: 01892 663751. E-mail:[email protected].

RPS Nature Group - Field Meetings 2005

Location

Meeting Place

Grid Reference

Leader(s)

Day & date

Cost (eg car parking)

Main subjects of interest :-

Items to bring (tick as applicable and addany other neccessary items below).

Stout Shoes � Wellingtons �

Waterproofs � Packed Lunch �

Additional information:-

Name

Address

Tel No:

E mail:

Please return this form as soon as possible/or to arrive not later than 8th January 2005

Nick Jarvis,31 Meadow Way, Irthlingborough, Northants, NN9 5RS

Tel: 01933 651477 or E-mail details to: [email protected]


One of the most distinctive habitats in Britainis limestone pavement. Examples are to befound in the Carboniferous limestone whichstretches from Morecombe Bay eastwardsthrough southern Cumbria and NorthYorkshire. Limestone pavement is not restrictedto Britain - the Burren, in the Republic ofIreland is famous for this habitat.

The origins of limestone pavement go back tothe last Ice Age when glaciers coverednorthern England. These acted as giant planingmachines in the places where we now findpavements. When the glaciers retreated theyleft these flat areas of limestone and dumpedthe occasional erratic. Since the retreat of theglaciers, rainwater has carved the pavements inblocks of limestone, clints, divided by deepfissures known as grikes.

Unfortunately, the fascinating shapes andcontours created by water made the rock veryattractive to gardeners. During the 1970s it wasrealised that unless positive action was taken,an irreplaceable habitat would be lost. This ledto the purchase of Gait Barrows National

Flowers of the Limestone Pavement

by Tony Bond FRPS

Nature Reserve (NNR), Silverdale, in 1977 by what was then the Nature ConservancyCouncil. Gait Barrows is the most accessiblelimestone pavement reserve and containsboth damaged and undamaged pavement.Since the seventies, gardeners have beendiscouraged from using limestone bycampaigns to stop extraction - you mayremember one such campaign run by thelate, great Geoff Hamilton of BBC GardenersWorld. However, I have no doubt thatextraction, legal or otherwise, is still goingon somewhere.

Part of the fascination of limestone pavementis that you can find yourself looking atwidely differing habitats all at the same time!There are enormous differences between thecool, dark grikes and exposed limestone andthese result in very different types of flora.With the passage of time, soils have built upon the surface which may be of sufficientdepth to support trees - Ash (Fraxinusexcelsior) and Hazel (Corylus avellana) are themost common.



Conditions in the grikes are ideal for a rangeof plants which we would normally associatewith a woodland habitat. Ferns are prolific,the commonest being Hartstonge (Phyllitisscolopendrium). Others include Hard ShieldFern (Polystichum aculeatum) and thenationally rare Rigid Buckler Fern (Dryopterisvillarsii). Flowering plants are found in theshallower grikes and these can vary from thevery common Ramsons (Allium ursinum) tothe rare Angular Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatumodoratum) and Dark Red Helleborine(Epipactis atrorubens).

On the surface, where there are accumulationsof soil, you will find a wide range of limestoneloving plants. In the spring these include suchfavourites as Early Purple Orchid (Orchismascula), followed by Thyme (Thymus drucei),Common Rock-rose (Helianthemumchamaecistus) abd Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotuscorniculatus). While limestone tends to bevery dry, any wet flushes may contain twospecialities, Globe Flower (Trollius europaeus)and Birdseye Primrose (Primula farinosa).

If you are not already familiar with the delightsof limestone pavement and wish to see them foryourself, you do need to be aware of the dangers:

• The rock is very slippery when wet• Vegetation can often conceal grikes.

A permit is required to visit Gait Barrows andmay be obtained by writing to:

Robert Petley-JonesSite ManagerSouth Cumbria and North Lancashire NNRsEnglish NatureFish House LaneHaverthwaiteUlverstonCumbriaLA12 8PE

Members of the RSPB may wish to combine avisit to Gait Barrows with Leighton Moss, whichis just down the road.

Pictures illustrating this article:

Page 17: • Globe Flower (Trollius europaeus),North Yorkshire.

• Yew Berries (Taxus baccata),Gait Barrows.

Page 18: • Dark Red Helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens),Gait Barrows.

• Ramsons (Allium ursinum),North Yorkshire.

Page 19: • Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foeidus)in damaged pavement, Gait Barrows.

• Birdseye Primrose (Primula farinosa),North Yorkshire.


Planning your dayGenerally speaking, lions and other members ofthe cat family (though not cheetah) are nocturnaland therefore sleep during the day, for instance inthe shade of a tree. This will reduce their visibilityunless they are close to the road. Therefore thebest time for photographing them is either in theearly morning or towards evening when they maybe on the move. These animals can often befound walking along the roads as it is easier thanbarging through the undergrowth. During theearly morning and late afternoon a road sightingcan provide excellent photo opportunities.

Raptors and other large birds such as storks needthe thermals generated during the heat of the dayto keep them airborne. This means that they aremost likely to come within photographic rangewhen they are roosting during the early morningand late afternoon. To photograph these subjects,you must be out in the field when the campgates open at sunrise (about 4.30 am in mid-summer!) and during the last two hours or sobefore sunset (6.30 pm in summer). You mayalso see them on night drives, which areorganised at all the camps of the Game Reserveand which I can thoroughly recommend. Bookthe night ride when you arrive at a camp –essential in order to avoid disappointment.

Around midday, the camps can often be thesource of exceptional opportunities for takingphotographs of a limited number of species.

The grazers, comprising many buck, wildebeestand zebra, and the browsers such as the giraffeand black rhinoceros, feed towards a waterholeduring the morning and then away from thewaterhole in the afternoon. By positioningyourself near a suitable water hole or in one ofthe hides, some excellent photographs can beobtained of game coming to drink as thetemperature rises. If the opportunity presents,set up your camera to capture the reflections ofthe animals drinking. This can add charm andinterest to the photograph.

Bush craftIn order to maximise your photo opportunities,it is very important to know as much as possibleabout the behaviour of your intended subjects.The best sources of information are specialisedbooks on specific species, eg big cats, huntingdogs, elephants, and journals and magazinessuch as The Ostrich, Africa Birds and Birding,Africa Geographica and Getaway. TV programmeson wildlife can also be sources of informationon animal behaviour.

Kruger National Park -

A Photographer’s Dream, Part II

by Ludi Lochner

In the early morning, some birds will be occupiedwith proclaiming their territories from highperches providing suitable photo opportunities.As the morning progresses, birds will be feedingbut also seeking to dry their feathers after thedampness of the night before. This is a time whenthey will be sunning themselves and preening,another opportunity for interesting photographs.Having preened, they are likely to stretch theirwings, another opportunity for interestingphotographs, and then they may look around.This is often an indication that they are about tofly off. You should heed this warning and makethe most of any remaining photo opportunities.Chris Weston mentions that defecation is anothersign that a bird may be about to move off.

Birds begin feeding again at about 1.15 (you canjust about set your watch by it!) If there is awatering place in the camp – a dripping tap, birdbath (now discouraged), or a pond, a number ofseed eaters and birds like the Bulbuls will comedown to drink. I carry a hide (from Kevin Keatleyof Wildlife Watching Supplies – Tel: 01884860692) and a suitable folding seat for theseoccasions. If you intend to use a hide, a tripodwould be a necessity. However, it may be possibleto manoeuver your vehicle into a suitableposition for use as a hide.

Elephants are generally benign creatures and willallow you to approach fairly closely. However, theycan be dangerous when there are young calves -you should never come between a cow and hercalf. A lone bull or groups of bulls are also usuallybenign but can show aggressive tendencies. Ensurethat you do not become trapped within a herd, forexample when elephants are crossing a road.Always give yourself an avenue of escape.

Be careful not to block a path used by hippos toand from a pool. The hippo is notorious for beingthe animal responsible for the most humanfatalities in Africa. They can also cause seriousdamage to a vehicle.

Keep out of the way of rhinoceros. They are shortsighted and very often bad-tempered and cancause serious damage to your vehicle, includingturning it over.

All other animals in the Game Reserve are notdangerous to persons within a vehicle.

It can be rewarding to stop in fords, particularlythose with water, and to spend as much time thereas passing traffic will allow. After a while, thingsstart moving and subjects are noticed which wouldnot otherwise be spotted from a passing vehicle.

Birds of different species may gather in bushes ortrees to eat ripening seeds or hatching insects.Although some may fly off when approached bya vehicle, they will often return and provideexcellent photo opportunities. Patience andoptism are all that are required!

Photo opportunities are everywhere - be alert.

General Tips• Never send photographic equipment asunaccompanied luggage! Carry your lenses andcameras as hand luggage. My Lowepro PhotoTrekker has yet to be weighed at Heathrow.Other, lighter equipment is packed in a Peli-caseand checked as hold luggage. Whether or notyou declare your photographic equipment onentry to South Africa is for you to decide. I carry a schedule of all the equipment that I takeinto the country and have persuaded the customsofficials to rubber stamp the same schedule eachtime I enter. That seems to overcome the problemfor me. If you are worried about excessweight, send your clothes and personalbelongings as unaccompanied luggage.

• Carry your camera’s instruction book withyou. I find it useful to refer to my instructionbooks when attempting to resolve problems.

• I also pack a set of watchmaker’s screwdrivers,lens cleaning equipment, a large Swiss Armyknife and a Leatherman Wave tool.

• Always carry spare batteries for your cameraand flash - batteries are not generally availablefrom shops in the Game Reserve.

• Pack a length of string - useful for temporarilyholding back foliage at a camp watering spot.Duct tape can also be useful (ie for attaching atemporary perch above a bird bath).

• Set up your equipment before you leave camp.If you don’t, you may miss opportunities. It isgood practice to return all camera settings to astandard setting after any picture taking session.

• Always be ready to take a picture - unusualphotos will occur when least expected. My beanbag is permanently on the car window with thecamera plus 400mm zoom lens on my lap, mycotton bush hat protects the lens from dust.


• Don’t just shoot close-ups. An animal in itsnatural habitat with the background in focusmakes an attractive picture.

• Animals and birds move quickly - if you havea good shot lined up, make several exposuresto ensure that if the subject moves or blinksyou will have more than one to select from.

• Flash, including fill-in flash, tends to mesmerisebirds and they will often remain in position fora number of rapidly-taken flash photos. Try toget a highlight in the eye, particularly if the eyeis black and surrounded by black feathers. Fill-in flash can be helpful in these circumstances. Aslight angle of the head usually avoids red eye.

• Exposed film is a valuable asset. Ensure that nofilm is ever mislaid or lost. Once removedfrom the camera, store your exposed filmimmediately in a safe place. After each session,replace exposed films with unexposed rolls.

Final WordsFor the serious wildlife photographer, there canbe few destinations that beat the Kruger NationalPark for photo opportunities. You would beunlucky not to see the Big Five – lion, leopard,elephant, rhino and buffalo in a visit of a weekto ten days.

The Park has the advantage of offering reasonablycheap accommodation, food and drink. Havingonce visited it, you will want to return!

Pictures supporting this article:Page 20 Pride of the Cape, Page 21 Brown Hyaena and pup, Page 22 Bateleur Eagle and Rock Monitor, Page 23 African Monarch.

Mike Lane’s New

Price £9.95 including postage

Where to Photograph

Wildlife in Britain47 of the top sites in Britain to photograph wildlife

Britain is not an easy place to photograph wildlife. Apart from the unreliability ofthe weather, our birds and mammals are not very approachable on the whole.However, there are places where our wildlife can be photographed with relative ease.Some of these are well known, such as the Bass Rock, but others are kept secret by afew in the know.

This book aims to show you some of these ‘secret’ locations. It is not a guide towhere wildlife can be seen, there are plenty of those already, especially for birds. Itconcentrates purely on sites where photographs are possible without the need forextensive fieldwork.

Site maps are provided for most of the locations. There are details as to what you canexpect to photograph, at what time of day, and with what lens. Everything you needto find approachable Pine Martens, Brown Hare, Grouse, Deer, Seals, Kites and more.

Available online from www.nature-photography.co.uk or by post from the author:Mike Lane FRPS, 36 Berkeley Road, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands B90 2HS U.K. Contact Mike for further details: Tel 0121 744 7988

Email [email protected]

Antarcticaincluding Falkland Islands and South Georgia

February 2006 - 4 places available

David Osborn Photo-toursspectacular wildlife photo-tours organised by David Osborn FRPS EFIAP

Birds of FloridaMarch 2006

Limited availibility.

Canadian RockiesSeptember 2006

The FalklandsNovember 2006 & 2007

Limited availibility.

For full details on these and other toursTel: 01263 511221 or

Email [email protected]

Wildlife & Photographic Tours - Escorted & tailor made worldwideTel: 01509 415428 Email: [email protected] www.wildwatchtours.co.uk

FinlandJanuary 2006 - 3 places only available

SpitzbergenDeparting July 20066 places available

The Iris - W inter 2005/6

Since I became an enthusiastic naturephotographer in the mid 1990’s, I have paidan annual visit to the Farne Islands and/or BassRock to photograph sea birds. The boats fromSeahouses/North Berwick respectively are alwaysfull of photographers willing to swap ideasabout how and where to photograph wildlife.But on these trips I have never heard a referenceto the Isle of May nor as an avid reader of naturephotography books have I ever seen a referenceto ‘The May’. And yet it is by far the bestlocation I have experienced for sea birdphotography.

It was only towards the end of 2004 that I firstheard about The May. Gordon Bramham ARPSsaid that after a week’s stay on the island he hadthrown away all his earlier sea bird pictures andhe gave me the contacts I needed to plan a trip.

The May is situated in the mouth of the Firth ofForth a few miles off the coast of Fife. IronicallyBass Rock can be seen clearly from the Island.The May is 1.5 km long and is a haven for tensof thousands of nesting seabirds, which flourishon the steep cliffs and rocky shores.

The Isle of May

by John Bulpitt FRPS

A light beacon, the first in Scotland, was built in1656. It required between one and three tons ofcoal a day. This would be logistically difficulttoday so one can only imagine the problems inthe seventeenth century. The current lighthousewas built in 1816, by Robert Stevenson, theUncle of Treasure Island author, Robert LouisStevenson. It has been a National Nature Reservesince 1956 when the lighthouse was automated.

I visited The May for week in July 2004 withRichard Revels FRPS. Day trips are possible but ifyou plan well in advance it is possible to stay fora week. There are only 6 bunks in an old light-house and preference is given to bird ringers. Ifyou are keen to visit, contact: Mike Martin, Booking Secretary, 2 Manse Park,Uphall, West Lothian, EH52 6NX. To be reasonably sure of a place contact Mikeearly in January.

We arrived by boat from Anstruther after a roughcrossing on a wet Saturday morning. The boatmanwas obviously used to photographers as he had ahoist to lift our equipment plus clothing and

food and drink for a week ( or slightly longer asthere is no guarantee that you will leave on theappointed day). Heather Angel had been residentthe previous week and was waiting on thequayside to be taken back to civilisation.

Our accommodation was warm and comfortablewith a gas cooker, two gas fridges and emergencyfood cupboard which would have fed us for aweek if we had been unconcerned about shelflife. A chemical loo with the deceptively romanticname of ‘Elsie’ was situated in an outhouse.There was a lounge with a small library.Residents were encouraged to write a daily log -these dated back to 1934 and made fascinatingreading. We did not have a shower and somehowthe sea never seemed that tempting!

There are two resident wardens as well as anumber of ringers and researchers who live onanother part of the Island. The wardens wereextremely helpful allowing us to recharge ourbatteries as well as allowing us to use a one manhide overlooking a sandwich tern colony.



One researcher was in residence – Dr Mike Harrisfrom the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology – one ofthe world’s leading authorities on the Puffin. Hisbook ‘The Puffin’ (ISBN 0 85661 038 0) makesfascinating reading. Today there are 68,000 pairson The May compared with only 10,000 in 1982and less than ten in 1959. Puffins can fly at50mph, and into a 60 mph gale. Their wingsbeat at up to 400 beats per minute; they weigh400/500grams; and have a life expectancy of 25years. They can carry up to 60 sand eels in theirbeaks! Unfortunately this topic never comes upwhen I play Trivial Pursuit with my family.

The weather during our first couple of days wasovercast, which allowed us to explore the Islandthoroughly as well as giving the right light forportrait shots. Apart from Puffins and sandwichterns, we photographed arctic and common terns,oystercatchers, lesser black backed, great blackbacked and herring gulls, guillemots and bridledguillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills and fulmars.

On day three the wind got up and we were ableto concentrate on our real task for the week,photographing sea birds in flight. We spent manyhours on North Plateau above Bishop’s Cove in theSouth of the Island, which was ideal as it was closeto many of the main nesting sites and on a directflight path to and from the birds’ fishing grounds.

Richard and I thought that we would work welltogether: my knowledge of sports photographycoupled with Richard’s massive experience as apro wildlife photographer would combine wellwhen trying to nail a difficult subject like puffinsin flight. The truth is that Richard brought farmore to the party than me. It just goes to showthat knowledge of the subject has far more valuethan technical skill in photography. Althoughboth are important, technical skills are relativelyeasy to learn.

We were both using Canon 1D’s and appreciatedthe advantages of digital when tackling such atricky subject. I was using a 70-200 f2.8 lenswith a 1.4 converter, Richard a 300mm f4. Bothcombinations were hand held and the light wasusually good enough to shoot at a minimum of1/1600th at ISO 200. At the time I was shootingJPEGs but I have been persuaded that RAW isbetter for nature photography particularly tocorrect errors such as underexposure.

In sum a wonderful week. If you have enjoyedBass rock and the Farnes, you will be bowled overby The May. Anyone contemplating a visit iswelcome to email me: [email protected].

Picture details

Page 25: Puffin in flight. Canon 1D, 70-200 +1.4. between 1/1600 and 1/3200 at f4.

Page 25: Our lighthouse ‘home’ during our stay.

Opposite: Razorbill in flight, Canon 1D 70-200+ 1.4 converter. 1/1600 f4.

Above: Young puffin. Sometimes they get lost ontheir way out to sea. This one wandered into ourback garden and of course we had to photographit before sending it on its way.

Inside Front Cover; Oystercatcher. Canon 1D, 500f4 + 2x converte at f8, (lens borrowed fromRichard in case my wife thinks I have beenkeeping something from her!). tripod .

Inside Front Cover: Rabbit - there are lots ofthem on The May, some very confiding.


Greater-spotted Woodpecker Lichen Xanthoria parietina.

Whooper swans

When my father gave me my first camera, hesparked a life long passion - to record the worldaround me on film. That first camera was asimple cartridge loading Halina; the onlyadjustments being weather symbols. The firsttime I used it was on a European holiday, Iwould have been seven or eight, and on visitingsome tourist spot or other, one of the otherpassengers on the bus pointed out that I had notremoved the lens cap. That mistake corrected Ithen managed to get some really good out offocus shots of the strap. I was always careful toensure that the horizon was never horizontal inorder to add a dynamic element to the picture.Since then I must have made every mistake inthe book.

Journeys by motorbike seemed capable ofvibrating loose and even destroying a couple ofcameras, including the tank like Zenith which Ipurchased second hand at age sixteen - myfather’s camera lost its viewing screen on onetrip. Minoltas attracted dust to their back platesor film roller guides which even Lehmann’s, thecamera repair people, could not prevent fromrecurring. I recall one of their chaps saying thathe had never seen a more accurate meter than ona Minolta 3. Accurate metering aside, knowingthat the film would be scratched led to mypurchase of a Nikon F3 for the simple reasonthat it had a plain film back plate which did nothold dust. At that time I thought that the F3would see me through till the end of myphotographic days. Okay, auto focus had arrivedwith the F4 plus a few lenses and a pretty heftyprice tag, but I reasoned that by careful lensselection, I could live happily without an autofocus body and for many years I got on verywell with my F3, 20mm, 60mm AF Macro, 105f1.8 (the best lens I have ever owned) and 300f4 AF. Later, once the price was right, I added anF50, not only for use with the 300mm fornature shots, but for social portrait work - atwork I was often called upon to ‘record themoment’ and it became neccessary to have alarge quick-recharge flash unit for the F50 so aMetz 40 joined the camera bag, along with awaist-mounted Nicad battery pack.

The years passed - somewhere along the wayalong I obtained my ‘L’ from the RPS . That wasonce I understood how to make up a submissionof slides, completely misunderstanding at firstjust what was required of such an award.

I now use a Canon 10D. How fantastic thesedigital cameras are! Who could have guessed thatso much progress would be made so quickly.Now my home ‘lightroom’ is producing A3 printswhich to me at least, are of knock out quality.

The Canon 10D is a cracking good camera andthe bundled software works but I do not like theRAW conversion program, finding it difficult tocomprehend. Upon seeing some wonderfulimages shot as RAW files with a 10D it becameimmediately apparent to me that RAW imagerecording is the only way to go. Or so I convincedmyself at the time. Getting what one originallyphotographed not only to display upon a screencorrectly but also transferring that vibrancy throughto the printed image must be one of the biggestproblems with digital capture. I never got aroundto printing wet/chemical colour images findingblack and white difficult enough, also my dark-room was just not of that capability. When I finallymoved into a home of my own one of theintentions was to have a permanent darkroomand a model railway. Neither happened. Lookingback I am really glad I never got around to fixingup the rear bedroom as a darkroom. The modelrailway is on hold but is an idea that surfacesfrom time to time along with the desire to buy anew Triumph Bonneville.

Now I have ‘gone digital’ is it right for me toexpect almost instant results with just the press of a button. I think the reasonable answer to that isno. I do not use half or even a quarter ofPhotoshop CS’ functions. I like the ability toamend the metadata of the image in the browserbut find PhotoShop’s inability to see Windowscharacter map images of symbols really frustrating.Try adding ?? to your metadata entries and see theresult. I have settled for three entries in thekeyword column - eg, bird, animal etc., species,then gender. Now on searching for images I can

A photographic journey

Stephen Deakin LRPS.


call up the appropriate specie and gender ifrequired. The only problem with this method isthe Keyword list is becoming extensive.

Photoshop works really well with dual displays, soI have installed a Matrox duel head video card(around seventy five quid) in my PC (an excellentinvestment) and am currently using a basic fifteeninch for drop down menus and pallets and aMitsubishi Diamond Pro 930SB to view images.

Photoshop is not a complete solution. I still haveto download images via a third party software (inmy case Canon’s own) to extract the voice filesfrom my S50 and the embedded JPEGs from my10D (this is for easy storage and playback throughthe DVD player), the RAW files go in their ownfile. That sounds easy enough but misses out onevital step - the appended metadata. Images stillneed to be opened in Photoshop before splittingor stripping out any individual images, this is theonly way I have found to keep all the data notonly the same but searchable. I do wonder if I ammissing something within Photoshop or has it allbeen put right in CS2?

It has become apparent that within a few yearsthe decoders and/or hardware to read storeddigitised information can become unavailable,rendering the data unreadable. The only devicestill in use since the start of the modern PC isthe Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Floppy disc drivesare no longer fitted as standard to some PCs andserial ports are no longer fitted to allmotherboards, having been superseded by USBand Firewire. The same might be true of digitalimage formats in the future. So Adobe haveproduced a program capable of converting RAWdata files into what will become known asDigital Negatives (. DNG). Available as adownload to registered users at Adobe’s web sitehttp://www.adobe.co.uk/ Hands up all theclever people who realised that Adobe did notintend the DNG plug-in to actually work like anyother plug-in. If you are bemused, as I was afterdownloading the so called future preferreddigital file format, read on for my solution toworking with DNG files. After downloading youshould move your current Raw file converterfrom the Plug-in folder and install the new onewhich then sits there and does nothing. TheAdobe web site ‘Help’ says double-click on theicon to open DNG converter - to do this you

need to use the follow the path: Programfiles>Adobe> Photoshop CS>Plug-ins>Fileformats folder. Not really easy to access, or Idon’t think so anyway. After talking to thePhotoshop help line (0845 052 2222) it becamea little clearer what to do with the DNGconverter. I decided to copy a shortcut to theStart menu. Now its much simpler to select afolder containing RAW pictures after openingthe converter or find pictures in the browserthen go to Start select DNG and convert. Picturesof other formats such as JPEG will not betouched. Personally I shoot only in RAW modenow as I have found other formats are too easilymucked about with for my liking. Will I beconverting all those RAW pictures to DNG? Themore I think about this question the more Ithink not. Conversion to DNG can wait until thatformat is required for a specific reason. At themoment the few files I have converted asexperiments have been saved to the same folder,but it may be preferable to have a separate HDDon which to store all DNG files upon. Mymotherboard is already fully loaded with drivesso my only option is to have an external drive.This might prove to be sensible as Photoshop CSDNG is supposed to be compatible across Macand Windows platforms. However, I believeApple format their HDDs differently to Windowsand are thus rendered unreadable by each other.If anyone has actually used DNG on bothsystems from the same store I would bedelighted to hear of the results. I guess a fileburned to DVD-R or possibly DVD-RAM wouldbe the ideal way to feed Wintel and Macintoshmachines cross platform.

All I now need to do is concentrate on improvingmy ‘Seeing Eye’? Surely those superb imagesmust be achievable now? That is assuming I don’tmake the wrong camera settings or the automaticfunctions don’t get in the way. My first everKingfisher sighting was not captured at allbecause the camera would not fire, I have no ideawhy, and of course, once the Kingfisher hadflown away, the camera worked perfectly!

Editor: Some of Stephen’s images can be seen on page 28.


Thirty five members and friends arrived atBrooksby on the afternoon of Friday 12thAugust and gathered together for tea and cakebefore settling in to their rooms for theweekend.

During the evening we were treated to afascinating talk on underwater photography byMalcolm Hey. He showed some wonderfulpictures of the creatures beneath the waves,superbly lit to bring out their lovely colours.Sometimes it was difficult to comprehend justhow small some of these creatures actually wereand hence how difficult it had been to photo-graph them in the swaying currents of the sea.

The next day, Saturday, commenced with ahearty breakfast before we were given a choicebetween indoors or outdoors. Indoors we had adistinctions advisory session with members ofthe Nature Group Panel. Several groups ofprints were put up including a fascinating panelof lichens taken by John Jones at locations acrossthe British Isles from Cornwall to the OuterHebrides. Others included birds, flowers andwidlife from both the Falklands and Africa.Comments were made and advice given by ourexperts with the hope of producing successfulsubmissions in the future.

Several members chose the outdoor option andtook the opportunity to go to Browns HillQuarry, a local nature reserve, to look forbutterflies, damselflies and dragonflies. Howeverthe weather was not so kind and the rain thathad threatened all morning decided to descendheavily, calling a halt to the proceedings.

Following lunch we all took shelter in thelecture theatre and enjoyed a number of shorttalks including one by John Jones entitled ‘TheSkokholm Experience’. John leads many trips tothis wild life haven and his pictures illustratedthe flowers, lichens and birds that can be foundthere. It certainly seems to be a naturephotographer’s dream.

In the evening, after an excellent silver servicedinner we enjoyed a talk on insect photographyby John Bebbington. John uses a unique rangeof supports, lenses and flashguns to producesuperb pictures of plants, butterflies, moths andother insects and his equipment is oftenpurchased cheaply but cleverly adapted by himto bring out the detail in his subjects.

On Sunday morning we were treated to anotherfeast of insect photography, this time from AndyCallow. His pictures concentrated on evensmaller creatures to be found in our countrysideand he showed many examples of these atenlargements up to ten times on film!

At several times during the weekend memberswere given the opportunity to show their ownwork and we could see the diverse interests ofour membership. Most were projected slidesbut there was one digital sequence, taken byMaggie Manson and shown via her digitalprojector. Many members now use digitalcameras to produce prints but I am sure thatfuture meetings will include an ever increasingnumber of projected images as we grasp thisnew technology.

The convention broke up after lunch and weeach made our respective ways home after whathad been another very enjoyable event. It hadbeen an excellent opportunity to renew oldacquaintances and to make new ones, to discussdifferent techniques and to see the superbresults that can be produced. Our thanks go tothe organisers, Martin Withers and RobertHawkesworth and to their helpers for theirefforts to make this weekend so successful, alsoto the staff of Brooksby Agricultural College,Leicestershire for looking after us so well. I hopethat in two years time even more members willbe encouraged to join in.

Ian McEvoy

Nature Group Convention -

Brooksby, 12 -14th August 2005


It is with sadness that I have to report the death ofMichael Shirley at the age of 84. Michael had anindefatigable spirit, a spirit that gave himcommand of his life until the moment he died,from a coronary thrombosis, in his own home,‘Laburnums’, in Horam, East Sussex. Confined tobed for just a few days, with some ‘chestinfection’, he told me this was the first time in hislife that he had been ill, and unable to work in hisgarden. Whatever the cause of this indisposition,he had no intention of being moved to hospital,and continued to give orders to whoever came toassist him until the moment he died.

Michael was an only child. At an early age, andwhile in boarding school, he developed a love ofnature, and a curiosity, especially about insects.On leaving school he joined the Natural HistoryMuseum in London, then during the war yearshe followed a career as a fighter pilot in the RoyalAir Force flying Spitfires and Typhoons. Heenjoyed his flying and continued in the post waryears as a civil aviation pilot based in Iran. Heloved to relate stories of incidents involving hisdaring piloting skills and mishaps.

Upon retirement, in the late 1970’s, he, with hiswife Joan returned to live in his parents ‘property’in Horam. I first met Michael when in the early1980’s he joined Tonbridge Camera Club, theUnited Photographic Postfolios, the RoyalPhotographic Society and the Nature Group.Michael was a keen supporter of theseorganisations. He led Nature Group field tripsaround East Sussex, and many is the time thatthose present would sit in his sun loungedrinking tea while discussing the days events,identifying subjects, or being shown some newpiece of equipments that he had made. Michaelloved a practical challenge. On the club circuit hewas a perceptive judge and an interesting lecturer,often using a practical, hands-on approach.

Throughout his life he continued to be acommitted naturalist, knowledgeable andquestioning, never taking anything at face value,always ready to disagree with a statement or anevent that he considered was false or pretentious,but equally ready to admit he was wrong on thosefew occasions when he could be proved to be so.

His memory and intellect were phenomenal. Hewas observant. He loved originality. ‘I can referyou to a definitive picture of... Why take anotherlike it?’ ‘Branch out on your own. Do your ownthing.’ was his advice. This was in his later yearswhen his eyesight was sadly failing and he did nonew photography. Determined as ever, Michaelthen invested in Lunar software for the visuallyimpaired, and with the help of friends, despiteincreasing macular degeneration, he continued tocommunicate via the Internet.

Michael managed his large garden until a few daysbefore he died. He told me he was making it morelabour saving. Although he is much missed bymany of us, I like to think that Michael has toldenough stories and spread a little of himself aroundto so many people that he won’t really go away.One cousin survives him; his wife Joan died a fewyears ago.

Kath Bull ARPS

Obituary - Michael Shirley ARPS


Great Diving Beetle - Michael Shirley ARPS

‘An Interactive Guide to

Obtaining your Nature Associateship’

Updated V2.0 CD-ROM now available - for PC only.• Containing four additional successful applications and advice on electronic submissions. • Approved by the RPS Council as an official RPS publication, and by the Chairman of the

Distinctions Advisory Panel as guidance advice. Over 140 copies sold to date.The best advice for anyone considering applying for an Associateship in Nature Photography is toattend a Nature Distinctions Workshop. However for many it is not always possible to attend, and theCD is designed to cater for such applicants.

The guide is the result of collaboration between John Myring,Colin Smith FRPS and Tony Wharton FRPS, with advice fromChris Mattison FRPS and in discussion with Carol Agar, RPSDistinctions Manager. It was the first distinctions guidance CD-ROM to be produced, not only by the Nature Group, but forthe RPS as a whole. The ‘Guide’ benefits from the extensiveexperience of the authors viewing of numerous applications,both successful and otherwise and takes a structured approach,leading the user through all of the aspects that need to beconsidered. Coverage is given for both print and slideapplications as well as the additional requirements needed tomake a Digital application.

Users will find a main menu, the sections of which lead to further sub-menus which expand intospecific sub-sections. The main sections include:1. An introductory detailing the procedure of assessment day and how applications are assessed.2. Advice on selection and presentation of prints, with an interactive section to emphasise

consideration of print formats and layout.3. Advice on selection and presentation of slides, with interactive sections covering masking, spotting

and showing order.4. An interactive ‘tutorial’ set of twenty seven images from which to select the best application set ,

considering both the good and bad points of each image, and comparing their opinion to those ofthe authors who provide comments on each of the twenty seven pictures individually, using ‘hotspots’ to demonstrate points for consideration. Finally the authors’ selection is shown with reasonsfor including/omitting images.

5. There is a selection of successful applications shown in the form of individual presentations.The CD-ROM (PC only) is available for only £10 - including p&p. To purchase your copy send acheque for £10 payable to ‘RPS Nature Group’ to Nature Group Treasurer, Trevor Hyman LRPS, 3Northcourt Lane, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1QA.

CongratulationsThe following members recently achieved their Associateships:

Terence Bickley, Atherstone, Warks - Mixed subjects slidesEric Garnett, Liverpool - British Butterflies printsElizabeth Hilton, Gower, Swansea - Geology printsJohn Price, Skipton, N Yorks, - Birds of the World printsPaul Sievers, Newbury, Berks. - Alpine Flowers slidesRonald Thomas, Birkenhead - British Birds prints

Documents

THE I - RPS · wildlife photographer and tour leader, which I’d always dreamed of doing, but hadn’t planned on doing quite yet. That’s my life changing news! I’m sure Liz