The sudden “whoosh” over our heads tells us that we are under attack. One after another Great Skuas turn in the air and aim for our heads. Sometimes they hit with a wing tip or their belly but the mere sight of them dive-bombing is disconcerting enough to send you ducking to the ground.
St Kilda, Scotland, is host to enough Great Skuas to make you feel that the species is doing well but this nesting area is vital due to decreasing numbers overall.
The Skuas have a reputation for being bullies and for good reason. It’s easier to steal someone else’s meal than to catch your own so Great Skuas (known locally as Bonxies) can often be seen intimidating other seabirds into dropping their food.
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Remains of other smaller seabirds can be found in areas where Bonxies live as sometimes become the meal themselves. Therefore a growing population of Skuas in one place can be controversial due to the impact they have on surrounding bird populations.
On St Kilda the need to protect the Great Skua is greater than that of other species though. As is often the way with nature, the impact that is had upon other species should even out as the years pass but from year to year the presence of these robust birds is made clear as they sit at the top of the hierarchy of the skies.
There are quite a few places on the island of Hirta where there is danger of attack from above. Whilst the inclination is to look up, it’s actually your feet that you need to watch as the Skuas are launching an attack to protect their offspring that are sat within the grass.
They are very protective parents and you can see why when you see their adorable chicks. They won’t stay that way for long though before becoming protective parents and pirates of the air themselves. There is a certain enjoyment in seeing Great Skuas though and watching them thrive in remote locations. With protected areas like St Kilda to host them, we should be able to enjoy the boisterousness of Great Skuas for years to come.
As the Summer takes over Spring, many wild things slow down and the height of activity comes to an end. However, you need only know where to look to find great wild views at this time of year. Summer is a wonderful time to visit wildflower meadows.
The colours are fantastic as is the wildlife. Many meadows are closely managed to ensure they come out in full impressive bloom and when they do, they aid the survival of many species of plants and insects.
This is a meadow I visited recently in North Yorkshire and I think you’ll agree, it certainly is quite beautiful!
The Embrace Nature UK garden gets a lot of visitors – some regularly and some just for part of a day. We’ve not been aware before of how many damselflies and dragonflies fly through the garden but this year, we’ve seen a lot!
Dragonflies have superb agility and are powerful in flight, which is thanks to their ability to move their two sets of wings independently. Sometimes it can be easy to overlook small creatures because of their size but if you take the time to look more closely, you’ll see how fascinating they can be. Insects such as Dragonflies and Butterflies are so brightly coloured that, thankfully, we can spot them a little more easily. However, this was not always a good thing though whilst bright colouring has been a factor in the downfall of butterfly populations, Dragonflies have escaped that particular evil. It was not uncommon years ago for people to kill butterflies for their collections. They once would have been numerous but now their numbers have dwindled, which has also not been helped by habitat loss and most likely pesticides. Dragonfly’s colours fade when they’re killed, which prevented people from collecting them, however their numbers have still declined due to habitat loss.
There are two main groups of Dragonflies – the True Dragonflies (Anisoptera) and Damselflies (Zygoptera). They are fairly easy to tell apart as true Dragonflies are unable to fold their wings whereas Damselflies and Demoiselles are often seen perched with their wings folded.
Spring and Summer are a great time to get out and about to local ponds or lakes to find Dragonflies. You may see them elsewhere and later on in the year but to see them en masse, it’s worth picking your place and time. We have always found very sunny days to be a great chance to see them sunbathing, which sometimes will allow you the opportunity to get a bit closer and have a look at their incredible colours and intricate wings.
Dragonflies are so well formed and evolved that they remain very similar to a genus of insects that existed during the Carboniferous period (approximately 300 million years ago); called Meganeura. The order containing Dragonflies and Damselflies is called Odonata, which in Greek means ‘toothed one’. As you can imagine, this would have made them somewhat daunting during the Carboniferous as they were a lot larger and some species had wingspans of up to 70cm.
However, it has not been the adult form of Dragonflies that has inspired the most fear in people. Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ appears to be partly based upon an earlier form within the lifecycle of a Dragonfly. Before metamorphosing into the winged adult, the Dragonfly lives as a nymph, underwater and as an effective predator. It’s lifespan as the nymph is typically longer than that of an adult and can be for about 4 years before it emerges to change. It has an extendable jaw, which is an effective hunting tool as it moves about underwater looking for prey. The extendable jaw has now become infamous through the film ‘Alien’ and the concept made the perfect frightening monster. Thankfully, now Dragonflies are somewhat smaller than their Carboniferous relations so we can observe and appreciate rather than fear this magnificent creature.
We had our own close encounter with this remarkable insect one day after heading into the Embrace Nature UK garden and finding a Damselfly in the Hedgehog’s water bowl. I fished it out and found that it was still alive but its wings were stuck together. As Damselflies need all four wings free to fly, the only way this one would survive is if we could separate them.
The Damselfly and I spent 45 minutes together as I tried to separate its wings with a blade of grass. We’re happy to say the patience paid off and after the lengthy struggle, it moved all of its wings and took off to freedom.
The only camera we had to hand was from the Kindle but here’s the little one who made it to fly another day!
Last year we enjoyed a wealth of hedgehogs visiting the garden and it felt like a long winter waiting for the next season of hedgehog activity. Now it’s here and it’s getting even more entertaining! Last night we had three hedgehogs visit during the evening. Two adults were sniffing and snorting at each other for a long time and even though occasionally they would walk away from each other, they would return to continue the snorting. They didn’t appear to be mating but we did wonder whether it could be a male and female working up to it. Whilst they were snorting away, a little rustle in the bushes alerted us to a juvenile (first for us of this year!) that made it’s way over to us. One of the adults came and sniffed at my feet and when the youngster came out, it scared the poor creature by heading over to it and circling it whilst sniffing until it seemed satisfied that it wasn’t a threat. The little hedgehog ran off at the first opportunity and seemed a little stunned by the experience.
Despite the hot and dry weather the hedgehogs seem to have no difficulty finding plenty to eat in the garden, which is probably mostly down to the birds scattering seed and suet during the day. We leave out large shallow trays of water so there is a large supply for these thirsty creatures.
After beginning to tackle the big garden project we made room for new fences to replace those that had been battered by high winds. The fencing company was familiar with the request for hedgehog holes and obliged; creating some perfect hedgehog-sized square holes all the way down the garden in the fences. They mostly stuck to putting holes in places where the hedgehogs would have walked before changing the fences and we can see that they’re using these holes. The other side of the garden sits a hedge, which is perfect for the hedgehogs to wonder from one garden to the next.
We’re looking forward to seeing how our hedgehogs get on and whether there will be even more visitors as time goes on…watch this space!
Sometimes you spend so long waiting for a good shot that when it finally arrives, you’re so excited that you can lose your composure and make silly mistakes. You can work around this to some degree by being so familiar with your equipment and shooting in a variety of conditions that your hands should act without you needing to think.
Some years ago we went to the Isle of Mull in Scotland to see White-Tailed Eagles. On this trip the boat-operator throws a fish into the water next to the boat, which usually attracts an Eagle to allow you a close encounter. I have always been of a polite demeanour, so whilst everyone else scrambled to the best positions, I found there was no space for me so I was left in the middle of the boat, standing on the seats, trying to get photographs. I hadn’t contemplated which settings would work best in this situation and was so overtaken by the awe of seeing a White-Tailed Eagle so close that the shots I came away with were nothing like I’d hoped for.
This has led me to consider the best-case scenario more before venturing out to take photographs. This way I can be prepared to take better images even when pleasantly surprised by a brilliant encounter.
There are still some experiences that catch us so unaware that there’s just nothing we can do to prepare for them. On a recent visit to St Kilda (again in Scotland), I carried the camera in my arms most of the time to ensure I would capture anything that popped up along the way. I did this continuously even though the camera is very heavy and St Kilda’s cliffs are extremely tall and steep, with one exception. I went to collect a trail cam one morning and as the walk to get there was fairly significant, I put the camera in my bag. What I didn’t know was that not far from the location of the trail cam was a group of rocks from which a huge bird would suddenly spring and fly off. The rangers hadn’t seen it for four days and we certainly didn’t anticipate seeing a Snowy Owl on a Scottish island. My immediate reaction was to grab at my bag and rush for the camera but the Snowy Owl was faster and all I got was some very distant shots.
A week later on South Uist, I had a close encounter with a Short-Eared Owl whilst taking the recycling to the local collection bin. This was the first time I didn’t have the camera on me whilst on South Uist.
It’s safe to say that you should always expect the unexpected, prepare for the best-case scenario and make sure your camera is fully prepped and on the correct settings before going out to take wildlife photographs. I always keep spare batteries and memory cards in my pocket rather than in my bag as in those moments where the experience is so unique and exciting, even a thousand images can be used quickly and you can never trust equipment not to play tricks on you at the worst possible time.
I have heard Wildlife Photographers previously say that you should be able to operate the camera with your eyes closed and I couldn’t agree with this more. It’s vital that you know your way around the camera extremely well for if the light suddenly changes or something that was stationary begins to move. This is where your user guide becomes priceless and regular use of your camera is a necessity – so when it comes to capturing the unexpected, you can be as composed and prepared as is humanly possible and enjoy that moment at the time AND in retrospect.
Something that is often considered one of the hardest parts of being a Wildlife Photographer is the early mornings. For me this is actually one of the more enjoyable aspects. There is something about being awake before most other people and catching the sunrise that feels a bit special. The earlier you’re out and about, the more active wildlife is and the better the light is. There is always the risk that the weather doesn’t obey the forecast and actually your beautiful sunrise is sat behind a wall of cloud; but when your morning goes to plan, it really pays off!
Knowing the right time to do photography is essential to getting really good photographs. The light is one of the key features that influences how well your photographs will turn out. Many of us have probably experienced days when the light is so bad that every single photograph you take is poor. Unless you can find enjoyment regardless, these days turn out to be a big waste of time. Instead a little bit of research can go a long way.
I regularly use ‘The Photographer’s Ephemeris’, which is an app available on the internet that tells you sunrise, moonrise, sunset and moonset times as well as the direction that the sun or moon are in at each time. Combining this with the weather forecast is priceless.
It is also important to know your subject and what sort of photograph you’re going for. You might prefer harsh daylight if you’re photographing buildings and want strong shadows. If you’re photographing most animals, they are probably more active in the early morning or late evening but you still want to allow enough time to catch the ‘golden hour’ when the light is at it best. You definitely do not want to be setting up your camera when the sun is already up or, for the evening, when it is hitting the horizon. Keep in mind as well that how long you have of the golden light depends on where you’re stood. If the sun is going to disappear behind a hill, casting you in shadow before sunset, you want to know that you’re there early enough to catch the last of the sun’s rays.
There is enormous satisfaction in getting it right and instead of looking at every photo and pressing delete, you are more likely to have a lot more useable shots and much more fun when taking your photographs.
As project garden begins, we feel it’s a challenge to create a really fabulous wildlife garden but worth the trouble. Our Embrace Nature UK garden was mostly aesthetically pleasing when we started but it lacked variety and had a hidden rubbish tip behind one of the fences.
After introducing bird food to the garden, the wildlife soon arrived. We now enjoy visits from quite a few different species of birds and we regularly see hedgehogs, however, our garden is far from complete.
We intend to create something that will support many varieties of species as we want them to find all that they could possibly wish for in one place. We’ll dig a pond, plant flowers that help insects and create spaces for animals to live, breed and hibernate. In the coming months you can watch this happen, right here, on the ‘Project Garden’ blog.
We hope that you will also be inspired to make your garden even more wildlife-friendly. You can even encourage a variety of wildlife by making small changes. Invite insects to the garden first and other creatures will follow. Before you know it, you’ll have a whole ecosystem right on your doorstep.
You can create a water source for wildlife quite easily, for instance, ponds are great for frogs, toads and (if you’re lucky) newts. A bird bath will help the birds to keep their feathers clean and enjoy a drink. A clean bowl of water helps hedgehogs to keep hydrated.
We look forward to exploring these aspects of a successful wildlife garden in more detail as project garden begins. We hope you will find it useful and entertaining to see the creatures we welcome along the way.
Useful Links:
You can find out more about some of the ‘wildlife garden’ basics on the RSPB website:
We spent much of 2017 watching hedgehogs in the Embrace Nature UK garden and assumed that by December they would all be hibernating. Much to our surprise, a young hedgehog was rustling about in the leaf litter on the night of 9th December 2017 in freezing conditions. We were aware that this was unusual but were unsure about what to do. Therefore, we brought him into the house in a cardboard box and got tapping away on the computer.
We were unable to reach anyone who could give advice or help, so helped the hedgehog as much as we we able to. We already had hedgehog food and gave him water. On the first night he was keen to eat and drink and seemed in relative health as he escaped through the handles of the box and went walkabout in the kitchen. We surrounded him with tea towels to keep him as warm as we could and gave him a hot water bottle under the covers but were sure to take it out before it got cold.
Hedgehogs are very messy creatures and are not particular about where they leave their faeces. Therefore we changed his bedding every morning and night and coincided the bedding changes with a weigh-in and an opportunity for him to have a walk about. He would explore the hallway and had little trouble climbing the stairs. He did not seem to exhibit any of the issues associated with a poorly hedgehog that we read about on the internet. It wasn’t easy getting an accurate idea of his weight to begin with so it wasn’t until a few days after finding him that we realised he was losing weight.
Too much human contact can be stressful for hedgehogs so we built our guest a slightly more substantial area to sleep and walk about in out of cardboard boxes. After learning how strong a hedgehog’s front legs are, we were sure to make the sides impossible to reach so he couldn’t escape and come to any harm.
Around the time that we managed to reach a hedgehog expert, it was clear that the hedgehog was not well. We’d read about worms and lungworm being potential issues and booked in as soon as possible with a vet who was experienced with seeing and treating hedgehogs.
We referred to the hedgehog as Haim (meaning ‘life’) though sadly, after a week of living with us, he passed away at the vets after beginning worming treatment. This is not an unusual scenario and many autumn juveniles cannot build enough weight or strength to hibernate. Once brought indoors, there is a fine line between life and death as they are easily stressed and even nature can work against them; most commonly with parasites.
We learnt a lot from looking after Haim but sadly not enough to save his life. Had we have left him outside he’d certainly have died as the snow began to fall. We found information on the internet to be mostly limited to suggesting numbers to phone for advice. As no one answered our phone calls for most of the short week he was with us, we were left to use our initiative, which wasn’t enough to help.
Therefore, whilst we are not experts on this subject, we’ve decided to give a few pointers to anyone who finds a hedgehog out and about during Winter. For more information, seek advice from local animal rescue centres – some of which may have a 24 hour helpline. The information below is for the duration between finding a needy hedgehog and gaining professional advice.
Not all hedgehogs feel the need to hibernate during milder Winters. If a hedgehog appears in good health and of a good weight in mild weather, it is probably fine and is best left undisturbed.
If you find a hedgehog awake in very cold weather, it is underweight or appears to be in poor health, it is likely that it needs your help. Bring it indoors, give it plenty of bedding or towels and a hot water bottle or heat pad under the bedding. Allow the hedgehog space to move away from the warmth and remove hot water bottles before they get cold. Provide them with food and water.
Contact a local animal rescue centre for advice. If you’re unable to reach them, call a veterinarian so you can combat potential health issues early on.
Take a sample of the hedgehog’s faeces to take to the vets. This will help them to identify any problems so they can treat as appropriate.
Try to keep noise and handling to a minimum with the hedgehog. The experience of being unwell or cold and then brought in to an unfamiliar location to begin with is probably quite stressful enough so too much noise or handling can exacerbate the problem.
Weigh the hedgehog if you’re able and confident enough to. We found that a flat electronic kitchen scale with a bowl on top worked best. I would pick up Haim gently with gloves on and a tea towel then rest him in the bowl to take his weight before placing him back with the tea towel. It was the weight loss that prompted experts to suggest a vet and get Haim treated.
Vary the hedgehog’s diet. Hedgehogs love meal worms but they’re not nutritious and can cause hedgehogs to refuse other food. A few meal worms are good for a treat, but here are examples of other foods and drinks that you can offer a hedgehog:
Scrambled or boiled eggs
Raw or cooked meat and chicken
Chicken in jelly (mash with a fork to make it easier to eat)
Very small amounts of plain cake or biscuit
Cat biscuits (chicken mixture is arguably best)
Hedgehog food
Water (it’s important to give the hedgehog a dish with water in so they can drink as they please)
Lactose-free milk (warm it up and check it with your finger to make sure it’s not too hot)
Do not overwhelm the hedgehog with too much food as they don’t eat very much normally. Do not take creatures from the garden to feed the hedgehog as this can make the hedgehog unwell.
Put food in a container that the hedgehog can easily eat out of but that doesn’t rattle when they touch it. Sound can put hedgehogs off of eating so the quieter everything is, the better.
It’s important to remember that the hedgehog might not make it and not to blame yourself if it doesn’t. Do the best that you can to help and get the hedgehog to an expert as soon as you can. If it doesn’t make it through, at least it will likely have died in a more comfortable setting than it might otherwise have done if left alone in the cold. Use sources available to you to make the most appropriate judgement as to whether a hedgehog needs help before taking it from the wild.
Even if you’re not looking after a hedgehog that requires your assistance, it is helpful if you put out food and water for any hedgehogs that decide to stay awake throughout the Winter.