Todays Estuary trip with Ak Wildlife Cruises was different to any other I have ever been on or crewed on before, for many reasons. Firstly because I have never done a trip up the estuary aboard the "free spirt", so it was nice to have different scenery. But the main reason this trip was so different was because for this trip our clients were two families who came aboard for their child's birthday party. Now we don't normally have kids aboard that are 6-7 years old so I was a little worried they wouldn't be that interested or would get bored but I am happy to say that I have never been more wrong in my life. They were telling me all the wonderful facts about wildlife that they had read in books or seen on Deadly 60, a television series in which I can relate too because I am also a massive fan. It was absolutely brilliant to see them with such a great passion for wildlife and willing to learn from both Ck (Captain Keith) and my self. The future for our planet relies on us to protect it for the younger generation after us and with hope they will do the same, so they to can share the wildlife experiences we have had but after today I was happily proven wrong that not all kids are lost in to the world of technology. And that it's a bright future for the next generation of naturalists...
This morning I had the absolute delight of photographing my favourite bird, often referred to as the jewel of rivers and estuaries. Sometimes only seen as a blue and orange bullet darting across the water or if your lucky you will catch a little splash in the corner of your eye as it dives into the water for a fish. But today the very elusive kingfisher put on a spectacular show for me and fellow birders in the Ryan Fields Hide at the Hayle Estuary. On first arrival I heard the high pitched call as it landed on some pampas grass, I manage to get a quick glance through my binoculars before it flew off in the other direction. So after discovering that the bird was here, I set up my camera kit. For this shoot I used a Nikon D810 with a 600mm lens to get to as close to the subject as possible. After waiting no more than 40 minutes the bird returned, again calling with its high pitched song. It darted across the estuary then landed on some near by nettles that were close to the hide giving me the chance to get some nice shots. It stayed there for a while scanning the waters below before diving in to the water but this was to be an unsuccessful hunt by the king. So as it darts back out of the water it seemed a little dazed an unsure of where it dived from, so to my fortune is lands on the nearest thing it can find which was a rock that was half submerged in the water. The rock was just in front of the hide giving me the chance to get an even closer perspective of this little blue beauty. But as soon as it appeared it was gone again and dashed off leaving one very happy photographer and naturalist. As well as the Kingfisher there was also another bird I set out to photograph today...the starling. But this shoot was to focus on the birds beauty rather than the wonder of the murmuration. To do this I headed to the arty cornish seaside town of St.ives but on this occasion it was tourist invested. Not where you would normally expect wildlife photographers to visit but sometimes it's not all mud and hides. For this shoot I had to change my lens from the 600mm to a 70-200mm, f.28 lens as the subject matter was going to be a lot, lot closer than the Kingfisher. At first I could only see starlings sitting on the roof tops and chimneys which was too far away to get a detailed shot. So I decided to head along the seaside front where there was shops, cafes, chip shops and restaurants. This is where I could find the really brave and tame birds, it was amazing to see them just sitting on bins, walking in amongst the crowds and hanging around families with picnics. These birds had obviously evolved to become tame in order to survive by picking up scraps that people leave behind. So all I had to do was tread carefully towards the starlings and get down low for my shots. This was the end result: I am also beginning a new assignment shortly which I will keep you informed on. The assignment will be focusing on the common garden snail, the point of this project is to try and get people involved in all types of nature. Because as a child we are extremely fascinated by the world around us and some of us loose that spark as we get older, so I hope to reignite that flame by making the often referred "little brown jobs" more exciting through my photography. More photographs to be upload shortly from today and can be found in the wildlife section of my website. What another absolutely fantastic day crewing off shore today! Firstly my crewing skills have already improved since yesterday I came over my nerves of shouting out species for the clients and CK (Captain Keith), I still have a while to go before I perfect my rope skills but they will come in time. As for wildlife we saw 11 Harbour Porpoise which were rather close to the boat and even up behind us when we stopped to scan around. I instantly regretted only having a 300mm lens with me but did manage to get a fin identification shot. Also bird is almost certainly word today as we saw 4 peregrine falcons, which were two mating pairs, along with many gannets, Kittiwakes, Auks (guillemots,razorbills), 5 little egrets, Cormorants, Shags, 6 Grey Herons, Dark Phase Arctic Skua and oystercatchers. And not forgetting another Great Throated Driver in summer plumage which didn't hang around for too long but I did mange to get a nice view through my binoculars before it dived. My favourite moment had to be when we were sailing passed a gulp of cormorants when Ck noticed two seals which were very well camouflaged laying amongst the rocks. So my 300mm came in handy at last. Photographs can be found in the wildlife section from past and pervious Ak Wildlife Cruises. Hope to see you aboard soon! Today was my first official day as an AK wildlife Cruise member! I have crewed before in the past, so today was literally all about learning the ropes to refresh my memory. It was so great to be out at sea with Captain Keith again, who is a man I truly admire and look up to. Anyone who spends time to protect, educate and care for wildlife is a true inspiration to me and that is certainly Keith. On our four -hour trip we travelled up to 38 miles and came across loads of wildlife from common birds such as Grey Herons, Greater Black backed gulls, Kittiwakes, Juvenile shags and Cormorants. We also saw wonders such as Kestrels, three peregrine falcons, oystercatchers, gannets and a great-throated diver in summer plumage. As for cetaceans we were lucky to see three porpoises but they didn't stay around for long, as they can hold their breath for up to half an hour if they need to. The weather was very changeable throughout the trip with the odd shower here and there but this led to beautiful dramatic clouds, which made you stop what you were doing for a second to watch the sun rays shine through. Overall I had an exciting first day off shore but still have much to learn. (Pictures from the AK Wildlife Trips can be found in the landscape/wildlife sections), Hope to see you aboard soon! Exciting weekend awaits off shore in my favourite boat the "Free Spirit", Beginning of the my first term in the second year of University I was asked to step aboard Ak Wildlife Cruises once more but this time it feels different. This is down to finally having my own Uniform and a title on board. I will keep you updated on how my first official weekend crewing goes on Monday, along with any photographs. And if your ever down Cornwall and in need for some adventure simply look no further than the Guardians of the coast! |
Archives
January 2016
AuthorI believe that I was born in the wrong century and should have been born in the golden days of exploration I am also wildlife enthusiast. Find Out more on the home page. Categories |