European bison, Poland
Desp ite European bison being hunted
to extinct ion in the wild in the 1920s,
concerted breeding and reintroduct ion
programs over the last 80 or so years
mean that it is now possible to see free-
ranging and semi-free herds of Europe’s
heaviest land mammal once more.
Today, the population primarily inhabits
east ern European countries, with the
largest herds found in Białowieża Forest ,
a near-550 square mile primeval forest
st raddling the Poland/Belarus border.
Ironically, this is also where one of three
wild subsp ecies became extinct in 1919.
The rutt ing season (August –
Oct ober) has photographic
potential, as does the arrival of
calves (May–July), but a visit to
the area in February will enable
you to photograph bachelor
herds of male bison and maternal
groups against an arguably more
atmosp heric snowy backdrop.
Hajnówka in Poland is a good
base for your explorations,
but a dedicated bison safari is
advisable if you want to access
the protect ed areas of the forest.Amazon river
dolphins, Peru
With its pink colouration,
the Amazon river dolphin
(or pink river dolphin,
as it is perhaps more
commonly known) is one
of the most dist inct ive
dolphin sp ecies, and
a potentially st riking
wildlife subject. Although
it is a year-round
inhabitant of the Amazon
basin, February is a
particularly good time to
plan a trip to see – or perhaps swim with- the endangered freshwater dolphins, as
it coincides with the seasonal rains. The
reason this is benefi cial is because the
best location for experiencing pink river
dolphins is the 8,000 square mile Pacaya
Samiria National Reserve, which is only
accessible by water; when the rains come
and the forest fl oods, travelling by boat
becomes easier. The reserve is located in
the north of Peru, fi ve hours by boat from
the city of Iquitos. A number of operators
provide wildlife tours to the area – for
options, search for ‘pacaya samiria
national reserve tours’ online.
February 2018 Outdoor Photography 81More seasonal subject s
Flora
Black bulgar, rubber butt ons or King Alfred’s cakes (burnt!) (Bulgaria inquinans)- is a sp ecies of fungi found growing on dead oak or ash from Oct ober to March.
Small st agshorn (Calocera cornea) – a smaller version of the larger, more obvious
yellow st agshorn fungi (Calocera viscosa), so more of a challenge to fi nd
and photograph.
Beech woodwart fungi (Hypoxylon fragiforme) – up to pea-sized, these hard, round
organisms can be found growing on dead beech timber.
Fauna
Knopper gall (Andricus quercuscalicis) – it may be plant matt er from an oak tree,
but these curiously shaped growths found beneath the trees are act ually caused
by a small gall wasp.
Badger (Meles meles) – it is not the best time to photograph badgers, but freshly dug
earth at particular entrances of big sett s oft en indicates where the young may fi rst
emerge in April or May.
Bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) – can be surprisingly frequent visitors to the
ground beneath bird tables.(^1)
Cambo Country House and Est ate, Fife
Located on the east coast of Scotland,
approximately 20 miles south-east of Dundee, Cambo
Est ate houses the National Collect ion of Galanthus
(snowdrops), with 350 diff erent varieties. An annual
snowdrop fest ival runs from early February to early
March, and with more than 70 acres of snowdrop
woods to explore, there is plenty of opportunity to fi nd
yourself the perfect sp ot for your photography.
cambosnowdrops.com
2
Burton Agnes Hall, Yorkshire
Each year, this Elizabethan st ately home host s
a ‘Snowdrop Spect acular’, where visitors can take a
walk through snowdrop-carpeted woods. This year,
the event runs from 10 February until 4 March, 11am
until 4pm daily. Burton Agnes Hall can be found six
miles west of Bridlington, just off the A614 – its location
is ideal for combining with a trip to the UK’s largest
seabird colony at Bempton Cliff s.
burtonagnes.com
(^3)
Plas yn Rhiw, Gwynedd
Plas yn Rhiw manor house sits on the Llŷn
Peninsula in north Wales, just under 25 miles west of
Porthmadog. Although the house and its garden only
cover a small area, its current owner – the National
Trust – also owns 150 acres of surrounding woodland,
including a st unning snowdrop wood. However, access
is limited: apart from a couple of sp ecial ‘snowdrop
weekends’ in February, Plas yn Rhiw is closed from
November to March.
nationaltrust .org.uk/plas-yn-rhiw
(^4)
Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire
Lacock Abbey is perhaps best known (among
photographers, at least ) as the former home of William
Henry Fox Talbot, but from late January snowdrops st art
to bloom in the abbey’s woodland garden, providing
a blanket of white. To get the most from the admission
fee be sure to include a visit to the Fox Talbot Museum
and a wander through the abbey and its cloist ers.
nationaltrust .org.uk/lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museum-
and-village
(^5)
Petworth House and park, West Sussex
Covering 700 acres in the South Downs National
Park, the grounds at Petworth House have plenty to
off er photographers in winter, be it the resident fallow
deer, gnarly one-thousand-year-old trees, the Upper
and Lower ponds or views to the South Downs. This is
in addition to the snowdrops in the Pleasure Garden,
landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown in the 18th century.
nationaltrust .org.uk/petworth-house-and-park
World wildlife sp ect acles
© Cost
as Anton Dumitrescu / Shutt
erst
ock.
© Yann hubert / Shutt
erst
ock.com
Sensational snowdrops
Flowering from January to March,
snowdrops make great subjects at this
time of year, whether as the main subject
of an image or simply adding a bit of
interest to a wider landscape or wildlife
photograph. The fl owers favour the partial
shade off ered by woodland, and here are
some of the UK’s best snowdrop sites.
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