The courses at Blackpool Zoo are proving very popular so if you are interested in a day at the zoo get more details here.

I will be making more postings over the holiday period, with some new and exciting pictures.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Xmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2011.

Iain

Firstly let me apologise for the long gap between blogs, I have had a very severe dose of  ”man flu”. It was almost terminal but I have now recovered and life is getting back to normal.

The Association of Animal Artists Exhibition at Samlesbury Hall is progressing well with many visitors. It opened with a very successful Art Rendezvous Day with many artists in attendance showing off their art techniques. Also present were two police dogs and two police horses. Those of you who joined me on the Owl Photographic Workshop all had a good day and I know many memory cards were filled.

If you would like to go to my website; Iain S Byrne, Photography I am conducting a survey on photography courses, I want to know what courses you want, when and for how long. So please take part, the more information I have the better the courses will be.

Thanks,

Iain

Skipwith Common is a very different place, it covers a very large area so the wildlife is well distributed making finding it quite difficult. I decided to stick to the large animals and managed to get (what I think) are good pictures of the Exmoor ponies and longhorn cattle – one little bonus was finding a coal tit on a sunflower and some fantastic sunrises over the common – see above.

This Sunday 3rd October is the owl workshop at Samlesbury Hall, near Preston which looks like its going to be a fantastic day. As well as my photographic workshop it is also the opening of the Association of Animal Artists Exhibition and Art Rendezvous. I have four pictures in the exhibition which is always of a very high standard and we  have a visiting police horse and maybe a retired police dog. Further information available from the Association of Animal Artists

Looking forward to seeing some of you on the day and if you are interested in learning how to get the best out of  your digital camera please contact me as there are still a few places left.

Iain

“Skipwith Common National Nature Reseve is one of the last remaining areas of northern lowland heath in England. An incredible variety of plants and animals depend on the Common for their survival. The 270 hectares of open heath, ponds, mire, fen, reed-bed,woodland and scrub are an ancient landscape, with its roots in pre-history” – Friends of Skipwith Common – http://friendsofskipwithcommon.org.uk/

I will post another blog entry from Skipwith next week with a report on what I have photographed and hopefully some pictures of the wildlife.

Iain

Now I usually have my camera out and ready for action but the weather was so dull and overcast I never bothered (mistake!!) As I went into one of the hides I looked out to see a marsh harrier landing and then immediately taking off  from one of the islands opposite – camera in bag, no time to get it out so no picture!!

I have to admit that as the light was so poor and the marsh harrier was moving so quickly that picture would never have been sharp. The motto of this story is always be ready to shoot because with wildlife, you never know what’s around the corner!!

The sun did make a very brief appearance however, and whilst out I did manage to catch this juvenile robin trying very hard to catch a flee or some similar intruder within its feathers.

Enjoy

Iain

I have managed to  arrange a weeks holiday in September; going to Yorkshire to spend some time in a railway carriage! On the doorstep however are an ancient breed of longhorn cattle, wild and hardy Hebridean sheep, Exmoor ponies and a herd of wild fallow and roe deer,  should be good for the photo library. Then its back to Blackpool to start another hectic teaching term with courses at Blackpool and the Fylde College and workshops around Blackpool and an owl day at Samlesbury Hall near Preston, See website for further details: Courses

By the time thats all done it will be Christmas and another holiday!!

It is great to hear that the Great Crane Project a partnership  between the RSPB, the Wildlfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the Pensthorpe Trust is going so well. I spent some time in New Mexico at Bosque del Apache photographing sandhill cranes and snow geese. Cranes really are beautiful birds, very elegant and graceful in flight despite being a bit precarious during take-off!

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy the picture,

Iain

Shops are just new and still require some work but both A4 prints and A5 blank greetings cards are available for sale.

You can find my Misi shop at: Misi and my Folksy shop at: Folksy

Please visit and maybe even buy that special greetings card.

Iain

I am getting there, not sure where but I think the blog is improving – hoping to add more images soon.

Keep visiting

Iain

Welcome to my new blog, I hope to get this all organised over the next few days and then post regularly.

Wish me luck!!!

Iain

Iain