Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side last week, and considering that Norfolk is the driest county in England, I can’t imagine how wet everywhere else was last week! However, despite the weather, I managed to spend a lot of time taking photographs. Plenty of wildlife and obviously plenty of dogs!

We arrived on Saturday evening, about 5.50pm, and started to unload the car. At 6.01pm (I know this because my camera says so!) I saw a white flash fly past the big french doors. It was the Barn Owl! I knew there was a resident Barn Owl, but we’ve never seen him before. (read more about Barn Owls on the RSPB website and also on the BBC website. I grabbed my camera and dashed out to the yard, and fired off 30 or so shots as he swooped around silently hunting the hedgerows and the fields just outside. How exciting and what an amazing start to our holiday. Couldn’t believe my luck! You can click on the images to enlarge them.

Barn Owls are big, but they fly silently – when I worked on films with animals, I had a Barn Owl fly over my head when we were training it for one of the Harry Potter films, I could feel the air moving, but no sound at all. Amazing how this works – I gather it’s something to do with the density of the feathers.

There are plenty around the UK, but you do have to know where to look – they mostly hunt at dawn and dusk – if you see one about during the day, then there’s usually a reason – bad weather the day before, or poor hunting recently. This particular owl has a very definite territory, and always seemed to fly in the same direction and route which of course makes him much easier to photograph. The owl in these photos is a male, his “wife” is hopefully sitting on a nest of eggs, so finger’s crossed for baby barn owls.

and off he went, up the lane, continually scanning the hedgerows for mice and voles.

So, of course, after this visit on the first evening, I was on the lookout every evening at dusk. I saw him almost every night, but not always within range to take photos. One evening I was out for a walk on my own around the fields, and he flew past me – he was flying underneath a flock of seagulls but stood out a mile as he is so much bigger and whiter.

I stood outside and waited for about an hour every evening of our holiday in case the owl appeared, and finally on the Thursday evening my patience was rewarded. We had friends for dinner that evening, and we were just about to sit down to eat – when down the loke appeared the white shape of the Barn Owl. My camera was at the ready, I grabbed it and quietly slipped outside, as he flew towards me. The light was stunning, and once again I managed to get some great shots. You can see the background is very different to the first set of shots, since I was on the other side of the cottage. Now I know the Barn Owl’s preferred route, when we return in September I shall be even more prepared!

He then carried on across the fields, where I just managed to capture him about to catch something. And that was the last we saw of him – until the next time!

If you’ve enjoyed reading my blog about the Barn Owl, please do share with your friends. And check back soon as I have lots more to show you from our holidays, including some beautiful shots of some hares – my favourite wild creatures.

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I had no idea what kind of birds they were – one of them flew off in another direction, but the other stayed above us, circling around – it was big, seemed to be flying slowly, and was rather majestic. Obviously some kind of bird of prey, I could see the curved beak and the beady eyes, and the wingspan was huuuuge!

Here's a link to the RSPB information about the Buzzard.

The photos are being shown in the order I took them.

As you can see it stayed above us for quite a while, probably a couple of minutes.

















It began to circle higher and higher, and then started to glide away from us.








Whether we’ll see him or her again I don’t know, I certainly hope we do, it was an amazing sight and one we will never forget. Thank goodness I had my camera with me or I’d have been cursing all day long!!!


Thanks to my friends Clare and Lee for helping me be sure with the identification – I’ve “met” a buzzard before at the British Wildlife Centre, but didn’t dream I would see one above my head on a Sunday morning just minutes from where I live, whilst walking the dogs! what a treat.


If you’ve enjoyed “The Sunday Buzzard” please do share with your friends on facebook, or Twitter – and you can also subscribe to my blog updates for new photos. Thanks for looking!

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Of course, lots of them were sleeping in the warmth – much like my own 6 dogs were all day long at home (my husband was working from home today and dogsitting!). Below is the Asian Wild dog (Dhole) and the African Wild dog. All the dog families were snoozing, mostly in the dappled shade.

The Gorillas were very chilled out today, mostly sleeping – a few of them foraging in the straw for hidden goodies. A couple of them were very close to the edge of the enclosures and I spent a while exchanging gazes with them. They really do have such “human” eyes.

The tigers and lions were all about today, they seem to love the warm weather.

A couple of the lions were having lunch. Conveniently the cow’s leg they were eating was just in front of the perspex viewing panel which made it much easier to get some really great shots. I guess it was the more dominant female who was eating first, because the other one was patiently waiting in the shadows until it was her turn with the bone.

The second lion waited until the first one had finished and gone for a drink before she made her way over to the bone and started eating it.

The second lion was very aware that I was watching her – or perhaps I should say, she was acutely watching me!!!

meanwhile her female companion was gazing longingly (and not in a good way!) at the Capybaras just across the way!

and having another drink. Thirsty business being a lion!

before settling down for a rest.

A quick whizz around the corner to check on the Rhinos and the Elephants – I came away with this photo of one of the Black Rhinos. By the way – Howletts have returned Black Rhinos to the wild, that’s quite an achievement isn’t it. Good work Howletts.

Now, to the caption competition! The prize is a 12″ x 8″ print of one of the images from my Howletts collection – your choice which one.


These Dusky Langur monkeys were fascinating to watch today. One of them has a beautiful baby. The babies are born “apricot” (I think that’s a polite term for orange!) and turn grey/black at about 2 months old. Again, well done to Howletts – animals in captivity do not breed if they are not happy.

A few images of these little guys before the one you need to think of a caption for!

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ok so, a caption for this image! Please post your caption below. I will choose the funniest caption and will get in touch with the winner to send their print to them. Caption competition closes Monday 2nd April at 9am (or when I turn my computer on Monday morning!). Please do share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks again to Howletts, and I look forward to visiting you again soon!

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I always have mixed feeling about zoos. Some are most definitely better than others and in my opinion Howletts (or The Aspinall Foundation in general) is better than others, they are very involved in conservation particularly with Gorillas click here for more info.





The Gorillas have extremely well enriched environments to live in at Howletts. They have ropes, and slides, and giant balls, they have to find their food which is scattered around and hidden. They also live in large groups which is so essential for such social primates. Many of Howletts animals bred in captivity are shared throughout breeding programmes across the world, an essential part of saving many species from extinction.


These two made me laugh, the huge Silverback on the right was chewing on a bone, and the other guy obviously wanted a piece of it but dared not even try and take some. He just sat there very submissively – glancing over every now and then. You can see in the photo he’s even leaning away which shows he is extremely respectful of his higher ranking companion. Click on the images to enlarge them.





I also really enjoyed looking at the various canines they have at Howletts. The Dhole (or Indian or Asian Wild Dog) was fascinating and resembled closely the more domestic Shiba Inu, or the more wild Dingo. If you want to see what “dogs” should look like you only need look at the Dhole, the Dingo and the African Hunting dogs and you can see very clearly – medium sized, mostly brown in colour, “up” ears. Below is the Dhole. They have quite a large pack at Howletts and they all seemed to be pretty relaxed together. Their behaviour is very dog-like, and very interesting for me to observe given my interest in canine behaviour, especially canine social pack interaction.





Again, I was very pleased to see the enrichment within the enclosures, the dogs have their food hidden in various things, and are also mainly fed on a species specific raw diet. They have ramps to climb up, holes to hide in, dens to sleep in. This African Wild Dog below was investigating the tyre for bits of hidden food.





Finding some hidden food here together.

On to the African Elephants. I mostly watched the youngsters because let’s face it, you don’t get much cuter than a baby elephant – well it would appear you do – TWO baby elephants playing together!








Attemping to practise some more “adult” behaviour!





Roaming loose was this magical bird, the peacock. It really was beautiful, and I am sure between us all we must have got photos from every angle!





I used to be very scared of peacocks since I was chased by one when I was very little! They used to roam free at my brothers’ school. Not so scared now though – they’re just like big blue chickens, and since we have our own chickens I can cope with them fine! Look at this stunning plumage.





Some more primates, the Lion tailed Macaques. They had us in fits of giggles as they were doing very unmentionable things to each other, as well as having squabbles, then running and jumping and screaming. There were some very cute babies too. Once again, enrichment in the enclosure – many poles, ropes, food knotted into pieces of sacking. This little guy found his own bit and wouldn’t give it up!








Leaping from one tree to another.





The tigers were stunning, but some of them are getting elderly and looked a bit worn out. I’m not sure tigers cope as well in captivity as some of the others manage to. Perhaps they seem to keep their feelings more well hidden, they’re harder to read than some of the other animals.








We had a great day at Howletts, and hope to visit again later in the year. And if you’ve got all the way to the end of my blog post, congratulations you have a lot of stamina!


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Spring has most definitely sprung, the birds were singing, lots of bunnies around, skylarks singing their hearts out very high up in the sky – and last but by no means least, the adders are out.

There are a lot of adders here, it’s perfect habitat for them, lots of dry grassy areas to bask in and not much to disturb them. The area that joins the golf course is also ideal, unless of course a stray ball lands on them!

I saw all of these adders within about a 30 metre area. Only one of them moved while I was photographing them, I also saw a lizard but wasn’t quick enough with my camera that time!

Basking adder

I believe I saw three males, and one female – the female being the lighter coloured of the four.

Female adder

I was very pleased to be using my zoom lens (Canon 70 – 300L) since I really didn’t want to have to get closer than necessary! One of my dogs was bitten by an adder about 5 years ago and it really is very serious – straight to the vets for antihistamine, steroid treatment, and in some cases – anti-venom, which is usually sourced from the local A&E. We were lucky that Tilly survived the snakebite, some dogs don’t make it.

All curled up

Close up adder head

The rest of my walk wasn’t quite as exciting, mostly bunnies and birds – oh, and Bow the Bearded collie!

Male Chaffinch

Easter bunny?

Skylark

and finally, Bow the Bearded Collie!

If you’ve enjoyed today’s blog please do leave a comment and share with your friends.

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If you do know any of the dogs or people in the photos please do tell them to get in contact, this was purely a personal project, and I am happy to share my photos with the owners.

I’ll feature a few of my favourites below and then I’ll put the others into a gallery underneath – click to enlarge then hit back to get back to the gallery. You can share this blog post on your Facebook by clicking the blue cross at the bottom. Please do share with your friends and leave a comment if you like my photos, much appreciated, thanks.

Some of the dogs you will see below you may not have seen before, the Ibizan hound for example is a large sighthound, funnily enough from Ibiza! Ibizan Hound Rescue do a fantastic job rehoming these dogs across Europe and in the UK.

Ibizan boy

Salukis are another type of sighthound (a dog that hunts primarily by sight, as opposed to scent) – one of the earliest known breed of domesticated dogs – there are many Salukis in rescue needing homes Saluki rescue does a sterling job at finding the perfect home for these elegant hounds. Not everyone is suitable for life with a Saluki, they can be sensitive but are often independent, and as you may imagine need careful training so that they can be let off the lead in safety.

Whippets are one of my personal favourites since my own Gracie is mostly whippet (with a bit of bedlington thrown in). Whippets are lovely dogs to live with, gentle creatures who love to be cuddled. Once you have a whippet you usually end up with more than one!

Scruples Whippet Rescue is a great place to start if you’re thinking about adding a whippet to your family. A few years ago it was unheard of for whippets to be in rescue, but nowadays there are sadly many many needing a new forever home.

Onto the terrier group, and my favourite again, the Bedlington Terrier. Don’t be fooled by the fluffy little lamb look – these terriers are born with a job to do, and would gladly do it given the chance!

Bedlingtons are trimmed into a very particular shape and this trimming is an art unto itself – see below! I have named this image “Bed-icure” !

A few years back I had the pleasure of spending the day with Stuart and Angela Yearley who know everything there is to know about Bedlington Terriers! I bumped into them at Crufts on Sunday and met the utterly gorgeous Genie (her show name is CH GNEJNABAY GENEGENIE GAL AT LOWBROOK JW ShCM) – top winning Bedlington and lovely little character. The sunlight was streaming through the roof and shows Genie’s fabulous grooming off to a tee. It was lovely to see Stuart and Angela again.

Genie

Again, previously, Bedlingtons were rarely found in rescue, but it is a sign of the times that all these lovely breeds are coming into rescue, a lot of them due to job losses, marriage breakups – or simply people that didn’t realise how much work and commitment it takes to have a dog. You can find more information about Bedlington Terriers here, where there is also a link to rescue.

Some more images below in the gallery include Sloughis, an Azawakh, more whippets, Irish Wolfhounds, terriers – oh and a poodle!

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my Crufts images from Hound and Terrier day.

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If you do know any of the dogs or people in the photos please do tell them to get in contact, this was purely a personal project, and I am happy to share my photos with the owners.

I had the pleasure of meeting Karen and Ruby who were in the running for the Friends for Life – they didn’t win but I am sure that won’t make any difference to either of them. Karen was lovely and Ruby utterly gorgeous as you can see from this photo!

Ruby - Friends for Life

As you can imagine, every hound and terrier type were there on Sunday, and I think I took photos of most of them! The sighthounds in particular are a love of mine, since I have two of my own – both lurchers, but equally as elegant. Well not perhaps as elegant as some of these!

Patient hound

Catwalk hound.

Yawwwwwning

Elegance in motion

I’m going to put all the images into a little gallery here below – click on the images to enlarge. There’s a second lot of Hound and Terrier day photos to come so check back again later on to see the rest.

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If you do know any of the dogs or people in the photos please do tell them to get in contact, this was purely a personal project, and I am happy to share my photos with the owners.

What a combination of dogs we saw, Papillons, Bichons, Chinese Crested, Yorkies, Chihuahuas to name a few! Click on the images to enlarge, then “back” to get back to the gallery. I hope you enjoy looking at the pics and please do leave a comment and share the link with your friends.


Check back later for Hound and Terrier pics!

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We met some lovely people and I photographed some lovely dogs – click to enlarge the images in the gallery below. It was Toy and Utility day which is an interesting mix of dogs – here’s my favourite selection for you. Check back soon because there are more to follow!

Please do leave a comment if you like my photos, and share with your friends!

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So tip number one for better photos of your dog:
If you’re outside, try and do the photos on a bright but cloudy day, you don’t want direct sunlight but you don’t want a very dull day either. Keep the sun behind you and shining towards the dog – don’t have the sun behind the dog. It’s best to do the shots early in the morning or later afternoon, not when the sun is at it’s highest in the sky.

Meet Tilly – black lab mix.

Tip number two.
Make sure you have someone to help you. You need someone taking care of the dog so that you can do your job and take the photos.

This is Spud working cocker mix, and on the right is Merv, tricolour border collie pup.

Tip number three.

Focus on the eyes – whether you have a point and shoot camera or a DSLR, keep the focus point on the dog’s eyes – this is very important especially with dark coloured dogs.

Spud

Tip number four.
Ensure your background isn’t distracting – you don’t want a tree or a lamp post coming out of the top of the dog’s head.
For a black dog, a lighter coloured background is generally easier – or grass and bushes. Nothing too dark or the dog won’t show up – you need to see some separation between your subject and the background.

Pip

Tip number five.
If you’re working indoors, get the dog near to a big window so that you have plenty of natural light coming through onto the dog. Using something like a white sheet or white board at the side of the dog (out of shot) helps to reflect light onto the subject and will give more flattering light.

Spud pretty in pink

Tip number six.
Get down to the dog’s level, eye level is best, so if your dog is little, think about putting it up on a surface. If your dog is big, just crouch or kneel down.

Pip and Tilly together.

Tip number seven.
Most importantly, get your helper to use lots of little training treats so that the dog is happy to stay and be photographed! Take lots of pics and be prepared to delete most of them – out of 30 you might get 3 worth keeping.

Good luck and have fun with your dogs!

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