Back on the falconry tomorrow

 

I`ll be back covering some photography for a clients` Falconry Experience Day tomorrow with Carmarthenshire Falconry.

Their client will receive a set of private photos of their experience, hopefully adding to the memories of the day. 

If anyone wishes to book an Experience Day with them, mention if you would like the additional option of photos being taken by myself. Edited images would be with you within 24 hours.

WWT wicker scupltures

 

The volunteers on the Reserve team at WWT Llanelli have been hard at work creating sculptures made from wicker across the site. Some are still work in progress.

This Otter can be found in the area next to the canoe safari and Swan`s nest maze, and currently we are asking people what it should be called! "Otto" is currently in the lead as the most popular name.

Alongside the Lily pond area, next to the path that leads to the Black Poplar wood, there is a `nesting Lapwing` which should be finished in a couple of weeks. 

Along the path from the Heron`s Wing hide toward Vole City, a grass snake sculpture is near one of the viewing screens. 

Well done to the team on the Reserve!

Skomer Island, 18 May 2023

 

My first trip to Skomer this year was in beautiful weather, with ideal sea conditions for the crossing. I had forgotten how hard the climb up the 87 steps from the landing stage was though!

My `target birds` for the day were of course the Short eared owl, always being unlucky with them, and this year was no exception. I did come across one, my hopes were raised, but after an additional two and a half hours of waiting for it to take off from the bluebells, I gave up. Time was beginning to run out, so I headed back towards the path to the boat (and those steps again), and did some puffins.

I didn`t have time to go to The Wick, where the main concentration of seabirds are at this time of the year, but that will be for June.

On the June visit I hope to try and focus more on the Puffins at the Wick, particularly flight shots and landings, hoping to get those sand eels coming in for the Pufflings. 

Back on the island

 

After a long wait, it will be good to be be back on Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire again tomorrow.  This place is on my `must-visit` list every year, a wonderful wildlife haven off the South West Wales coast.

The information so far is that there has been the largest Puffin count of any year, in excess of 45,000 birds - how they count them I don`t know! Alongside them are a large cast of characters - guillemots, razorbills, oystercatchers, etc - but for those that know me, my main `target` for the day will be Short Eared owl. You never know, I might strike it lucky.

For those of you who have been to Skomer,  you will know that the first thing you have to do is go up the 87 odd steps from the boat! That will play up the asthma tomorrow! At least that the current forecast is looking good, and the sea swell should be slight, so hoping there will be no last minute cancellations.

Historically, before online booking came in, you would have to be down at Lockley Lodge to start queuing at 6am. Many people joining the queue later could be disappointed, as some people would queue on behalf of a group or party, and tickets have always been first come - first served. Now, the online booking system (which works very well) shows you availability not just for dates, but for the boat timings. Altogether, it`s a much better system.

I`ll be going back again in June to concentrate on the Puffins at The Wick/

Walks on the Reserve

 

The Dawn chorus walk last Sunday seemed to go very, with all those that attended enjoying the experience of going on to the Reserve early in the morning. It was a bit overcast, but none the less there were birds still singing and calling along the paths, Black Poplar wood, and the reed beds.

Next Saturday week, 20th May, i`ll be doing the `Walk with a warden` again if anyone would like to come along. (Meet at reception inside the WWT Centre for 11.30am start).

See you there.

`Experience Day` photography

 

Pleased to report that i`ll be back with Carmarthenshire Falconry at the end of May covering their photography for a customer`s Experience day.

Set in the Carmarthenshire countryside, i`ll be at Gelli Aur Country Park for the private session, with the aim of giving the customer a visual record of their falconry day.

If you are thinking of booking an Experience Day with Carmarthenshire Falconry, please let Steve know if you would like me to cover some photos of the day.

Thanks

Social Media ..... and useful thingies

Having taken the plunge and discontinued my website last year, I decided just to focus on using social media (facebook and twitter), together with my LinkedIN presence and of course this blog.

Well I continue to have a like / dislike view of facebook, and on more than one occasion have been tempted to just close it down, never to surface again. One of the main reasons for this is the use of facebook as a `platform` for rants and general nastiness, seen all too often at some stage during the average week. Why, I really don`t know, except I think some people might feel a bit more powerful hiding behind a keyboard

After weighing up the pros and cons of FB, I decided to plod on with it and try and use it positively. It has been good to come across people I hadn`t seen or heard from for many years, but best to ignore some of the other stuff that goes on..

Twitter I use less often now, and I haven`t bothered with Instagram nor TikTok. There are things to do away from telling the world what they probably don`t want to know about mm anyway, so I use Twitter sparingly.

Away from social media, I tend to use Zoom for video calling, although sometimes Teams or Skype. 

Why am I saying all this? Well i`ll be putting together a new contact card with fresh QR code, etc, so i`ll be streamlining what I use and how I can be contacted. All this soon, so having a think as to what I continue for the future. 

I`m open to any thoughts too, so get in touch if so.

Hopefully i`ll have the new contact card out fairly soon.