Has it really been a month ?
I looked back and must apologise for not updating things here for such a long time.
So lets come back up to date, in the intervening time we have continued to have some pretty appalling weather which has hampered my trips out a little bit. I know that’s a really poor excuse as some great photography can be made in the worst conditions, and that it is just a lack of motivation.
Having visited Anglesey back in June, I made a point of returning once more and having a weekend available I once again got myself moving and on the road early enough to get onto Anglesey to spend the most time possible. My first point of call was to be back at The Dingle, as I had only had a short amount of time here previously, this turned out to be a great decision as I was rewarded with some of the best encounters with UK wildlife that I have ever had.
From the wild birds ranging from Jays, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Robins and Chaffinches being amongst the most prolific visitors to the wonderful Red Squirrels the experience was truly uplifting. One of the young Robins kept coming almost within touching distance and was happy to hop around on the fencing as I attempted to capture images, with often posing in really nice placements. The squirrels were equally inquisitive and as I waited to look to capture images one of the squirrels approached to stand on the fence within half a metre of me - far too close for the 100-400mm lens on the camera, but an incredible opportunity for us to look directly at each other.
The time spent in The Dingle was really special and I suspect all other people stopping on the day had the same feelings after encountering the Squirrels and the Bird Life. I have no idea how many images I actually shot, but would have happily filled several SD cards in the camera and will definitely return several more times through the year.
How do you follow up such an encounter ? Well I tried by visiting RSPB Valley a little further up the Island and close to RAF Valley , and although the Reserve is quite pleasant the access to the ponds is limited for Photographers. The location might be a good option for those wanting to Photograph Aircraft due to its proximity to the Airbase and that might be something for me to explore at some point, although of course at weekends the chances of Aircraft flying are lessened.
With time moving on I headed up to South Stack , mainly for the Lighthouse on the peninsula but also there are good opportunities for Seabirds - particularly Guillemots and Gulls. There are some Puffins here also although viewing is limited through either Binoculars or a long telephoto lens. Still it is a location to practice Bird in Flight phtotography as there are so many birds whizzing about - be prepared to get a lot of blurred or missed opportunities as the Guillemots are really fast..
By now I was a little tired and knew I had a long drive home , but couldn’t resist trying a few longer exposure shots of the lighthouse with the fading light behind it - sadly not quite dark enough to see the illuminated bulb radiating out over the sea, maybe return on a winters day when the days are shorter.
