Plans for Summer 2018

I have two main plans for wildlife photography this summer. Between now and mid-June, I will be photographing Roe deer. Throughout July, butterflies and moths will be my main focus.

Roe Deer

I've been visiting a Roe deer site in Sussex since 2011. It's a very special location, featuring the presence of buttercups, orchids and other wild flowers, which is something of a rarity in our heavily cultivated Isles. If I could meet my younger self, I would shake him for his breathtaking naivety in sharing the name and location to 7 billion people, but as I don't currently own a DeLorean, a flux capacitor and a case of stolen plutonium, it would be unfortunate if my evening visits to this sensitive site clashed with the activities of anyone with a similar interest in Roe deer.

I visited the site earlier this week and spotted a pregnant doe grazing in a field. She was quite content to have me nearby, as I sat very still and didn't try anything impulsive. Display the wrong behaviour and the deer will make like a tree and leave.  I've found through experience that in the right location, building up trust by observing, while respecting boundaries suits both me and the deer. I hope you like my sneak preview from the other day and look forward to bringing you more deer over the coming few weeks, including some Kids, should I stumble across them.

Pregnant Roe Deer

Pregnant Roe Deer

You may have seen my bluebell work this spring, which I took exclusively in a Sussex woodland populated by both Fallow and Roe deer. The nice landowners culled Fallow deer with gay abandon earlier this year, but there are still plenty of Roe. The woodland also has a large collection of wild foxgloves and beautiful ferns.

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Marbled White and Large White butterflies are quite easy to approach once immobilised by the cool evening air. The Six-spot Burnet moth is similarly easy to work with a close quarters. It would be lovely to photograph other butterfly species this year. Still, I will need all the stability that a pair of chopsticks and clothes pegs can bring, as even the slightest wind can cause ruinous subject movement. There aren't many Roe at my butterfly sites, but where we're going we don't need Roe.

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