Badger Cub

Badger cub in a New Forest wood. This particular image was ‘Commended’ in the British Wildlife Photography Awards Animal Portraits  2011.

Badgers can be found throughout the varied habitat found in the New Forest even though the acidic soil does not lend itself to high numbers of their favoured prey,  earthworms. The many badger images depicted in the New Forest gallery were photographed between late April until early July over many years.  Badgers tend to be most active earlier in the evening during these months allowing for images to be successfully taken using natural light thereby causing no disturbance to the natural behaviour of the animals themselves.

Arriving early, keeping downwind and avoiding unnecessary noise is essential to successful wildlife photography and with badgers even more so as they will test the wind and listen intently at the sett entrance long before emerging into view. As with all wildlife, respecting the subject will usually bring reward.

Fallow buck in autumn sunlight

A new forest fallow buck and autumn bracken

Eurasian Otter on a Scottish Sea Loch

Eurasian otter hunting along the shores of a sea loch on the Isle of Mull

Eurasian Otter

Eurasian Otter on the Isle of Mull

Ringed Plover on a Scottish shore

Inquisitive ringed plover

Ringed Plover

Ringed plover portrait

Bearded Reedling ‘Highly Commended’ British Wildlife Photography Awards

‘Highly Commended’  Animal Portraits BWPA 2013

A male Bearded Reedling also known as a Bearded Tit feeding on a frosty phragmites seed head in early February.  This image was taken at first light on a windless day with temperatures around -5C

Bearded Reedlings tend to feed mainly on protein rich insects for much of the year and these are generally found lower down in the reed bed.  This makes observation particularly difficult and often their presence is only confirmed by listening out for their characteristic ‘pinging’ call.  One of the best times to observe and photograph these beautiful birds can be during the Winter months when insects are scarce  and they are forced to feed on the lofty seed heads of phragmites reeds.  However a windy day will soon force these little birds back down out of sight.

Brunnich’s Guillemot

Brunnich’s guillemot at Alkefjellet

Mountain Hare on the Isle of Mull

Scottish mountain hare feeding along the shoreline on the Isle of Mull

Red Kite

Red Kite over Mid-Wales