30 24 August 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
KITLIST Bugspray ▲
Becauseofthe habitats that
grouseareoften found in,
you’relikelyto come across
ticksandmosquitoes – which
are unpleasant at the best
of times. Mosquito nets and
eco-friendly bug spray is
strongly recommended.Binoculars
Redgrousearenotoriousforblending
intotheirsurroundings,somuchso
that you can be right next to one and
never notice. Binoculars will help you
to scan your surroundings from further
afield to plot your approach.
ALL PICTURES © TESNI WARD
A red grouse peeps out
of recently cut bracken
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk II, 300mm,
1/800sec at f/5.6, ISO 400
Whilea lotofcontroversysurroundsthe
presenceandmanagementofredgrouse,
it’sundeniablethat thesebirds areexciting
toseeandphotograph,saysTe s n i Wa r d
REDGROUSEarehighlycharismaticandquirkybirds
thatcanbefoundonmanyheathermoorlandsacross
theUK,yetdespitethistheycanbenotoriouslytricky
toapproachandphotographowingtotheirskittish
natureandnegativeassociationswithhumans.This
challengeonlymakesit morerewardingwhenyoudo
managetocaptureimagesof thesewonderfulbirdsas
theygoabouttheirbusiness.Butbeforeyoucaneven
considerdoingso,youfirsthavethechallengeof spotting
themandthenapproachingwithoutflushingordisturbing
them.Aswithanyanimal,eachbirdhasitsowntolerance
tohowclosetheywillletyouget,andunderstandingtheir
bodylanguagewillbekeytoavoidunduedisturbance.
Behaviourssuchasfeedingandpreeningareusuallya
signof thebirdbeingcomfortable.Hunkeringdown,alert
behaviourorwalking/flyingusually indicates that you’re
toocloseandthebirdis uncomfortable. Personally
I choosetomakemypresence known rather than trying
tosneakupwiththeuseof camoufl age as they’re less
likelytostartleif theyknowwhere you are at all times
andcankeepaneyeonyou.When approaching, it’s best
togivethemextraspaceandtime to minimise the risk of
themspookingorleavingsoI will often sit quite far back
andwithintheireye-lineforsome time before I even
considergettingthecameraout or start taking images.
Somesitesdonotrequireapproaching on foot and a car
canbeusedasa portablehide. Grouse within the vicinity
of roadswillbeusedtotraffic and vehicles and are more
likelytocomecloser,butyouneed to ensure you don’t
blocktheflowof traffic orpark in any dangerous areas.WILDLIFE WATCH
Tesni Ward
Tesni is an award-winning
professional wildlife
photographer based on
the outskirts of the Peak
District. While the majority
of her work focuses on
British wildlife, she also
photographs projects
across the world and has
aspirations to promote
conservation and education
through her images. See
http://www.tesniward.co.uk.Red grouse
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