Wildlife Photography in Southern England, a talk by Robin Morrison
Robin lives in Ilminster and does much of his photography within Somerset, Dorset and Devon, particularly the Somerset Levels. He took up photography in 2010 and has submitted his work to various competitions, with much success. His emphasis is as much on the composition of the photo as on the subject.
The presentation started with 2 short videos, the first being of rivers, filmed in June, and the second of flooding on the Somerset Levels. The latter included some spectacular sunsets. The standard of these videos gave us a taste of the quality of the photos to follow.
Robin has done some work for Springwatch and Winterwatch including a sequence of a Gannet catching garfish, taken from Start Point. Also taken from above was a seal swimming upsides down whilst in pursuit of garfish. Other shots, taken from a boat out of Brixham, were of dolphins, Shearwater and a Storm Petrel.
An amazing sequence of the emergence of dragonflies from a reed bed at sunrise was taken at Ham Wall. Scores of the insects climb up the reeds prior to taking flight and against the backdrop of sunrise the resulting photos were ethereal and very beautiful.
Hares have ‘two key senses’ and Robin had several shots showing their large eyes and ears. But they do not have such a good sense of smell and so by blending into the background and keeping very still they may come quite close. He had a delightful shot of a hare facing him on a frosty morning, its whiskers and fur clearly coated in ice. Robin remarked that he was pretty cold too!
Early 2024 brought much flooding to the Levels, and Robin used a drone to get some superb photos of the area, also some atmospheric frost and fog scenes. From ground level, Cattle Egrets were seen with, and on, sheep and c20,000 assorted ducks were present. Otter and roe deer were also seen.
Short sequences showed birds taking food from other species, such as Redshanks waiting for a Godwit to extract a worm and immediately grabbing it. Similar behaviour was shown with Oystercatcher and Sanderling.
Moving away from the south west to Norfolk there were some wonderful shots taken at Snettisham of waders leaving the shore at high tide to stand shoulder to shoulder on roosts in gravel pits. The iridescent colours of Starling were evident as two birds vied for food on top of a large post.
Following a break for refreshments, Robin recommenced with photos of beavers, which are now found in several areas of England and Wales, though most of these are enclosed. Patience, and early starts, resulted in some endearing shots of beavers on the river Otter, including some of adults with kits. Unlike otters, beavers swim without causing a bow wave and they sink beneath the surface silently. They are modifying the landscape, for better or worse, and their lodges are impressive.
Robin is involved with monitoring of Curlew on the Levels. These birds are in dire straits, though, as they can live for about 20 years, their poor breeding success is not immediately apparent. Predation, including by Marsh Harriers, and damage by grazing cattle are the main problems. It is very difficult to find nests in long grass and drones and thermal imagers are being employed, so that the nests on farmland can be protected with the cooperation of farmers.
Robin is also particularly interested in raptors and is involved with the Taunton Peregrine Project. Following the loss of eggs which rolled off a flat roof on the minster, a gravel tray was provided and used by the Peregrines. The chicks are vulnerable to predation by gulls during their first week but we saw some lovely shots of fledglings and young birds, including some perched on the floodlights of Taunton cricket club!
Ospreys and White-tailed Eagles can now be seen in Poole harbour. The Eagles are certainly very impressive. Robin was surprised when driving in the area to pass an Osprey perched on a post, with a fish. He was able to pull in, and get some photos, the bird apparently quite unfazed by the passing traffic. The presentation finished with dolphin, red squirrel and a prize winning shot of a squirrel on an oak apple.
This was a delightful evening, showing photos for their artistic value rather than solely as an illustration of a subject. Many thanks to Robin for such an enjoyable evening, and to Helen for arranging it.
Pat Thomson
