How much effort and time do you put in for finding locations?

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Firsty, sorry mods I just couldn't think of a better section to post this in so please feel free to move it.

Following on from this thread: www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/4-days-in-my-hide-for-this-one-greater-spotted-woodpecker.693751/#post-8405499
Glynn put a lot of time and effort in to get the photos he wanted and I admire his patience.
I’ve been lucky and have a very good location for a great spotted woodpecker that isn’t shy and this place is a eighty mile round trip
Since last year I’ve had five locations for a kingfisher and although I’ve seen one at most of them, I’ve yet to get a decent photo.
The furthest I’ve travelled for bird photography is a one hundred mile round trip and expect like many I’ve clocked up quite a few hours sitting in hides.
I know some members here are lucky to get a nice variety of birds in their gardens and use their own hide but I was wondering how much effort and what distance you have travelled for the one shot you desire.
 
I don't go far around 20 miles to a place were very few people go ( I like barn owls ) but most times I don't even see one but its the anticipation that I might see one and it might be close enough and it might give a good in flight pose and the sun might just be on it and it might just fly the right direction I spend many hours doing this but boy I do enjoy it :)
Rob.
 
700 mile round trip from Taunton to the Farne Islands to get a shot of a Puffin. Done over 3 days. But I got some amazing images.

Les.
 
I dread to think how many miles I put in a year but usually will travel anywhere I can do in a day and get back so 100-150 mile round trips at a push, I think if you want to get a variety of different birds you have no option than to be prepared to travel?
 
I am a great believer in serendipity. I do not (or, at least, very rarely) plan my photography. If I am with Bestbeloved, the place I end up will depend on which birds she expects to find where. I then walk around with my eye open. If I am on my own, I will take whatever turning in the road appeals. As well as serendipity, I also believe in Robert Frost's attitude (The Road Not Taken). At the very least, I do not end up with the same photographs as everyone else.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
Robert Frost.
 
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I have a garden hide, so 30 paces or so will produce decent images. I'm also lucky in that I live in the shadow of a huge woods which is part of a country estate that is teeming with wildlife, even semi wild boar. When I say 'shadow' it's exactly that, about 200-300 yards away. There's a river between us and it with many birds including kingfisher and there are also otters, even white ones a few years ago. There are a few old quarry and fishery ponds 4 miles down the road with all the usual, ducks, coots, moorhen etc and the occasional oddity, as well as an abundance of damsels in the summer months and the odd dragonfly.

I'm always chasing kingfishers locally, anything from 300 yards from the house to 8-10 miles downriver.

We have recently (still do, for now at least) had short eared owls less than half an hour from home.

I will occasionally indulge in a paid hide, I use Alan Mcfadyen's hides near Kirkudbright which is just short of 2 hours away. I also sometimes use a few fairly local RSPB hides, usually all within 40 minutes of home.

I don't think it's necessary to travel all that far for anybody, it's all there to be found. (y)

Time wise, hours, some more hours then some more. You may get fortunate and strike gold straightaway but it usually takes a lot of groundwork, especially learning habits and haunts of wildlife. Then after all that, it may move on and you have to start again.

It can be trying but I love it. Even going days, often weeks without seeing a kingfisher or whatever it might be is always offset by just being outdoors and in the wild, nothing beats scrambling through undergrowth and all the ensuing scratches it entails, or building a hide, long walks and long, long waits in nature, the rewards are worth it and they are not always pictorial. :)
 
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The most common place I go to view (and photograph) wildlife is Morton Lochs near Tayport (red squirrels, grey herons, ducks, geese, swans and a good amount of wildfowl, crossbills and a very good variety of other small birds - as well as an elusive couple of otters which my wife saw on her first visit and I've yet to spot - a 25 mile round trip from home

Next most common is Balgavies Loch near Forfar, a 30 mile round trip - largely the same variety as Morton Lochs but we saw a red kite there last week and there should be a pair of ospreys arriving there in the next few days.

Last Sunday we went to both of the above and also had a drive up to Glen Clova to take a walk up to Corrie Fee - loads of wildlife while driving up to the Glen - about a 90 mile round trip.

(Not birds but) If I was going much further than that we'd probably stay over night as we did last year to photograph red deer in Glen Etive (220 mile round trip) and dolphins at Chanonry Point (310 mile round trip).

We also base our holidays these days around watching (for the wife) and photographing (for me) wild animals and birds - this year we are visiting Mull and next year we are going back to Yellowstone Park.
 
There's no doubt that if you want pictures of certain species that don't occur near your home you've got to put the mileage in to get to see (and/or photograph) them. For example I could lean out of my bedroom window and take photos of red kites but I would have to travel many miles to see a crested tit. I guess it's somewhat akin to twitching in that some people will travel huge distances to see a rare species and others would prefer to potter around their own patch and see what turns up.

Part of the enjoyment for me is putting in the hours of research on the net or in books to find out what can be seen where.
 
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