Out in the wild, with a camera occasionally

Singing for a mate

Four months in, and starting to get a picture of the life of a local nature reserve. Firstly, location. For anyone near Stafford, it’s simply a case of parking at Sainsburys and walking down the river trail. Five minutes, job done.

Doxey is a floodplain, with the River Sow flowing through, and a number of temporary and permanent pools. Low meadow, copse woodlands and reedbeds provide a wide range of environments within a small area. One hide, 2 screens on site.

Currently, am chasing dragonfly species, though due to the poor summer, only sightings are Black Tailed Skimmer, Brown Hawker and damselfly newcomer to me, Beautiful Demoiselle.

Not sure if I’m the only one that does this, but I’m starting to prepare for forthcoming seasons, planning what I’m likely/hoping to see in the Autumn, Winter, etc. Keeps the momentum going when it comes to visiting the site. And like most wildlife photographers, always plan for the unexpected. Unlike a wedding, or a studio shoot, you can’t tick off a list of shots. You take what’s given, and even then, expect frustration at every corner - that elusive bird/mammal/reptile, will always have an unflattering leaf halfway across its body!