Hello,

Thanks for taking time to look in.

The preservation of our wildlife is important to me hence " Putting Wildlife First" in my banner.

I care about the conservation of our and all wildlife. I believe that our wildlife are entitled to and deserve a place to live on this planet without harassment from us. 

I am a member of the RSPB, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust and SOS and the Ramblers Association.

I make stuff from wood, which sells in the charity shops to raise funds.

Bird boxes and signs mostly.

Photography

A dozen lenses and three camera's later I am still trying to capture a good shot. Many of the lenses I have used in the past have been old style mechanical lenses with the appropriate adapter for my Canon 400D DSLR.  These did provide some interesting shots and quite good results for the money as they were fairly cheap to buy on the usual online auction sites.

I eventually decided to go more up market with lenses and  bought a Canon 70-300mm  USM IS lens only to be disappointed with its performance although it was expensive at £330+. I eventually sold it on eBay.

I now use two Canon camera bodies a  7D and 450D.

 Canon 100-400mm Zoom IS USM lens

 Canon EF 5.6 400mm

Canon+ 1.4 extender.

Canon 17mm-85mm lens

Canon 24mm-135mm lens

Monopod

Tri-pods two

Tenba Camera rucksack

Lowe Pro Toploader 75 AW

Lowe Pro Town & Country Rucksack

 

The extender disables the AF function so its not used a great deal. You can tape the contacts to  make it work  on AF but it was slow and I worried about destroying the gold contacts with adhesive.

My lens of choice is the Canon 400mm f5.6   I think its the  best lens for BIF shots that can be hand held and is not too expensive. Most of the time I use the Canon 100-400mm lens for bird shots.

The photos of the wildlife living at the Chard Reservoir Nature Reserve are my contribution to the record.

All of images of the wild birds, mammals flora and fauna are taken in the reserve. Roe Deer regularly drink and forage at the waters edge. Red Fox are always present as are Rabbits, Gray Squirrels, Wood  and Field mice. In Nov 2011 I discovered a dormouse in one of the bird boxes, he was alarmed but I hastily put him back and left well alone.

All staff at the reserve are well pleased with the evidence of Dormice in the Chard Woodland.

Despite its location and lack of funding this place is alive with some of the most wonderful birds and wildlife visitors. 

The waters of the reservoir once fed the Chard Canal until its closure it is now a haven for the  migratory and indigenous birdlife.

I  also enjoy baking my own bread, brewing beer, country wines and woodwork.

 When I am not doing that I make bird/bat/bee boxes, signs for wildlife reserves, charity shops, and public areas.  In 2011 alone nearly 500 dormice, bird boxes made.