Before I start, I’d like to wish everyone (if anyone is reading this, that is) all the best for the New Year. I hope the new year is kind to everyone.
I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, so for that reason, I haven’t. I intend to stay the same sarcastic, often grumpy person that I am. I will, however, aim to get out more with the camera and post more photos for everyone to take the mick out of.
As the title says, this was my first shoot of the year, or was it? I suppose that depends on how you define a shoot. I certainly took photos on January 4th, but they were half-arsed efforts with my heart not entirely in them. I didn’t spend any time thinking about the shot, the composition, or the framing. I was just going through the motions; it was something to do on a walk with the family. Certainly, looking at the photos when we got home, you could tell that my heart wasn’t in them; they had no soul. I didn’t even process them, nor am I going to.
So for that, today was my first shoot. A shoot where I thought about what I was going to shoot and how I was going to shoot it. One where I was going to spend some time and get a feel for the day and the conditions (I’m starting to sound as if I know what I’m doing!). I knew where I was going; I didn’t, but I had an idea of where I would end up, and sure enough, I did. I’m not complaining; I like Forest Farm or Forest Farm Country Park to give it its full name.
As I walked along the canal bank I met a fellow photographer exiting the first hide. A quick conversation ended with us both walking to the canal to see what birdlife was about. I’m not a wildlife photographer I’m not geared up for it but that doesn’t stop trying my hand at it to see what I can photograph. I was told there were Bitterns in the reeds by one of the hides if I’m honest I wouldn’t know a Bittern if came up and smacked me in the face while it was waving an ‘I’m a Bittern flag’. Continuing down to the canal Tom who was my newfound companion for the time being put some suet on an old wall to attract the birds. Sure enough, it worked and there was soon a gathering of small birds, some I recognised as Robin’s Blue Tits and Sparrows a lot I didn’t recognise. This gathering of birds spawned another gathering of sorts, people appeared from every nook and cranny to see all the comings and goings of the birds.
Making my goodbyes to Tom I headed north along the canal bank to see what would capture my eye and to get away from all the people. I’m not good at crowds. This part of the canal is usually empty of water in the drier months and that makes me sad. A canal is a living thing and needs water, now after all the rain we’ve had the canal was full again. A lot of trees have fallen this year and these will provide new habitats for fungi such as Beefsteak fungus, Oak bracket, Jelly Ear, King Alfred’s Cakes etc, and for insects and small mammals.
I am and always have been fascinated by water I used to sit on the banks of the local canal as a child watching the fish spawning in the spring months when the fishing season was closed (March 15th – June 16th for coarse fish). Approaching the end of the canal I stopped to take a few shots of the now-disused and defunct lock (Middle Lock) water was pouring freely over the lock sill into the canal below. I spent some time at the old lock which is now the end of the canal photographing a small plant that I had seen just before Christmas. The plant was clinging to life when I first came across it now it was beginning to thrive in the flood water.
After finishing at the lock I turned back intending to visit the hides on my way back to the car however I was distracted as I so often am and instead finished up watching the squirrels on the remains of the Forest Lock. Taking some photos I could have stayed for the remainder of the day only for my rapidly falling blood sugars (diabetes is a pain in the arse at times) which necessitated a hasty retreat to the car for the emergency stash of Jelly Babies.
