A quick one on fieldcraft

John h

John h

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5
My dilemma is:- I have just started photography again after a stretch of looking after my wife and having to give up work and become her carer. We had to move to a bungalow in a beautiful village where after chatting to the local Councillor I have been asked to document and photograph the wildlife on a stretch of river that runs through the village for some 3 miles. The problem I have is do I concentrate on one area on one stretch of land or bundle it generally and try to take in the whole length. I have permission from the land owners on several stretches but because of the layout some is more public assesable than others. What do people think, we have beaver and I have found several lodges but this is on more secluded parts, so do I just concentrate on that?.
 
I have been asked to document and photograph the wildlife on a stretch of river

That's not what I call a dilemma :) I call that an opportunity to show off you photography skills, May I ask what gear you use?

As for the Beaver a hide would be required also being able to shoot at Dusk as they are mostly Nocturnal and keep upwind from the Lodge is a must also no noise - I use a Simon King pop up hide with some success

also, Beavers will not be the only wildlife along a stretch of river - many other area's to consider I think? And maybe stay away from area's that have public access too

Just my take on things


Les :)
 
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Get the largest OS scale map you can find and start walking the river. Mark-off areas of interest, areas to avoid (but don't right them off). Get out at dawn and dusk, look at the ground for animal & bird tracks ... grab a book that helps identify them. Listen not only for bird song but animal noise ... shrews and voles are quite noisy when they are foraging for example.
If there are beavers there maybe otters ... look for spraints & pull-out points. Dom't overlook the river itself there will be a lot of life under the surface.
The main thing is to look & listen and have fun
 
I would walk the whole stretch and see what you find. I have been doing something similar in my local park, I do a 3.5 mile loop most mornings and photograph anything that I find interesting. In my case that includes trees, blossom plants etc as well as any wildlife and I post them on our streets WhatsApp group. Different times of the day with different light makes some otherwise dull scenes beautiful.
As an aside, despite being 12 miles from central London, I have seen 52 species of birds. It is amazing, when you claim an area as your local patch and visit it regularly you get to know what is where and, more importantly, when something unusual turns up.
 
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While you're walking the stretch, chat to walkers and bird watchers that you're passing, most will be happy to chat for a minute or 2, especially if they know why you're asking. Your councillor friend should be able to get you a large scale map of the area so you can pinpoint where you take shots from - OS 6" scale maps would be ideal.
 
You could look for areas of the river that might have an interest to wildlife. My favorite would be a wier/lock/eddyRapids(fast moving shallow water). These places are a a hive of activity for Kingfishers,Dippers, Herons,Egrets etc. Dont get hooked up on birds either, if you have a Macro lens (or Raynox DCR250) theres the smaller world to document also.
 
Thanks everyone, I use a canon 70d have a camo hide and camo netting. Using a 250 lens have had some good results. Have used trail cams and have set them up where deer tracks are so have a rough idea where the watering spots are.
 
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