When it all comes together

Wildlife photography, like many things, is full of ups and downs. Sometimes, we feel like everything is going right. Other times, like nothing ever goes as planned. The reality is, more often than not, it’s a mix of the two - some good, some bad.

I have often said that opportunity is granted by time invested, and most wildlife photographers will tell you that a lot of planning, preparation and research, as well as countless hours spent in the field, go into capturing an image. In fact, I would go so far as to say that without these crucial elements, chances of success are hugely limited.

There are, however, on very rare occasions, exceptions to this, when something completely unexpected happens, something special, something unplanned, something that will evoke memories that last a lifetime.

On Sunday, it all came together, and I was blessed with a wildlife encounter that I will never forget.

One of my favourite types of birds to photograph are owls, and I was visiting a relatively local over-wintering site for Short-eared Owls. Shorties visit parts of the UK from Scandinavia and Russia most winters (they are resident in some parts of northern England and Scotland). Between the months of October and April, they can provide excellent opportunities for wildlife photographers and birders alike to observe and photograph as they typically hunt for rodent prey by ‘quartering’ rough grassland areas around dawn and dusk.

I arrived at the location around 14:00hrs in order to conceal myself using a ghillie suit. Despite having acute hearing and the capability of picking up a rodent’s heartbeat at over 10 metres, I have always found that by remaining relatively ‘blended in’ to my surroundings, they are rarely bothered by my presence whilst they a focused on hunting. As I walked to some vegetation that I had decided to set up in front of, I saw a different raptor rise from the ground some 20 metres in front of me.

Now, I have been fortunate to have been photographing owls for 5 years now, and I can, therefore, almost instantly recognise them by shape and flight pattern. What I had seen was almost as easy to identify as an owl would have been. It was another ground-nesting raptor species, the majestic Hen Harrier.

Hen Harrier (f) Surrey UK

I couldn’t believe my luck. Hen Harriers are one of the rarest raptors in the UK, mainly due to their persecution on grouse moors. They were driven to extinction in the UK in the 19th century but fortunately began to recolonise in the 1960s. Despite this, it is estimated that there are only 700 breeding pairs in the entire United Kingdom, with the majority found in Scotland.

Living in Surrey, it would be easy to go a lifetime without seeing one, without travelling, and even then, with Hen Harriers, there is never a guarantee. I have recently spent a week on Mull, a raptor stronghold, and only had one very distant view, so to be within 20 metres of a Hen Harrier in Surrey is a one-in-a-million chance.

These are the experiences that, as wildlife photographers, we live for. Not only did I get a good 30 minutes with the female Hen Harrier, but I also got over an hour with the 3 Short-eared Owls that I had hoped and planned for.