Our thanks to Peter Ottley for talking to Backwell Camera Club last night about his love of birds – both as a photographer, and as a keen watcher of them. He explained how these dual interests can often conflict, sometimes with neither the camera nor the viewing experience winning – a frustration (and he was generous enough to show us his photographic workings out). But when his primary purpose is to take photographs, the results are great (and often amusing) insights into bird behaviour. Wonderful, gentle photos.
Peter has travelled around the world to capture birds on his camera, and offered his experience to us in the form of a What, Why, Where, When and How enquiry – a useful reminder/refresher of why we all take photos. You can see more of his work at https://www.peterophotography.com/ (where a selection of his images are also for sale).
The image here is of a woodpecker cleaning out its nest and throwing out the ‘woodchips’ its created when forming its nest.
Image ©Copyright Peter Ottley