N-Photo - The Nikon Magazine - UK (2019-12)

Guided tours

USE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCALS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

If I ever get the time, I’d be keen to take a birdwatching tour on the Norfolk

coast during the autumn migration. It’s a chance to see birds in great

numbers and to photograph unusual arrivals. On my honeymoon in Kenya,

I requested a guide with knowledge of the local bird life and we saw around

a hundred species – most of them new – on a conservancy neighbouring the

Maasai Mara. I was as excited by the lilac-breasted roller as it was catching

the evening sun as I was by lion cubs climbing a tree. Being in the company

of an expert is a rare privilege and our guide, Charles, was brilliant at both

identifying the birds and approaching them with skill, so that I had the

best chance of a shot at close range and from an advantageous angle.

Left: Lilac-breasted roller, Kenya. Making the most of local expert knowledge

is one of the most valuable things you can do as a bird photographer.

pursue their passion with a fervour that bemuses the
casual bystander. Keep an eye out on social media

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photograph some of the more unusual species.
In recent years I’ve crossed countless counties in
search of vagrant species and spent hours on
wetlands humming with visiting water birds. From a
sighting of the rough-legged buzzard on the Essex
coast, to a morning spent with the bearded tits that
 
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I spent with a quartet of waxwings on an Oxford
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Plan holidays with an eye on the birdlife

If one of the delights of birdwatching is its

accessibility – you can, as we’ve seen, enjoy bird life

from the comfort of your own garden – then another

is certainly its transportability. I organize holidays

with bird photography in mind and while I am a great

admirer of the subtle beauty of British birds, foreign

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sometimes more arresting in their shape, too.

From the lupine hillsides of Tuscany to the jungles

of India; from the vineyards of Provence to an

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of Iceland, the world is a wonderful place for the

birdwatcher and photographer.

Above left: African

penguins, Cape

Town. Near or far,

no matter where

you are, there’s

bound to be local

bird life that will

be of interest.

Above right:

Rough-legged

buzzard, Essex.

Keep an eye on

social media – you

never know what

might migrate to

your area.

VISITORS AND FOREIGN BIRDS