Birdwatching and Wildlife Blog

Birdwatching and Wildlife Blogging

There are millions of people who enjoy watching wildlife in some shape or form, however, many species of birds, insects, mammals, plants etc are poorly understood due to the fact that relatively few people actually record their observations. Since January 2007 I have been recording my wildlife observations on my blog Dartford Waffler in my own attempt to rectify this situation.

In this way I have surprised myself in the number of interesting observations I have made in a short time and I have built up quite a collection of nature photos.

The best thing about recording my sightings in this way is that I can put them down easily before I forget them and they are there for others to see. With a simple digital camera I am also able to illustrate the blog even though I am not a great photographer.

My Wildlife Watching Equipment

Read about the equipment I use when watching wildlife. My binoculars, telescope and associated bits and pieces are things I can genuinely recommend as I use them almost every day for my work.

Birdwatching Equipment That I Can Personally Recommend

As a lifelong birdwatcher I have used a large number of binoculars, telescopes, cameras, identification guides and other birdwatching equipment. However, not all of it is exactly what one would hope for. In this lens I will talk about the equipment...

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Bird Observations

First and foremost I am an ornithologist, so most of my blog concerns bird observations, although I have precious few photos of them. Even so, with a simple digital camera, which I now always carry with me, I have managed to obtain some good record shots of the birds I have seen.

In October 2007 I managed to get a record shot of a Pectoral Sandpiper, a rare migrant in UK, on my local birdwatching patch - thanks to the fact that I always now carry my digital camera on walks.

Insects

Although it can be difficult to creep up on insects, it is possible even with the simplest digital camera to get some nice photos of butterlies, dragonflies and other insects.

The biggest advantage I have found in recording insects on my blog is that I can track down experts, send them the link to where I have posted my photos and get them identified. This has proven an excellent strategy in getting dragonflies identified.

See some of my butterfly photos here: Butterflies

See some of my damselfly photos here: Damselflies

Insect Photos

You can check out a whole load of my photos of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies on these lenses; you can use these photos royalty free on your websites too.

Royalty Free Photos - Butterflies

Over the last few years I have had considerable help from a number of photographers in creating websites when I did not have suitable photos to use. equally I have used lots of photos here on my squidoo lenses that have been placed on the public doma...

Royalty Free Photos - Dragonflies and Damselflies

Here you can obtain royalty free photographs of dragonflies and damselflies for use on your websites, blogs, squidoo lenses, hubpages or any other online content. I have had a lot of help from other photographers supplying me with images royalty fre...

Reptiles/Amphibians

I haven't too many pictures of these but it has been fun to photograph slow moving frogs and toads from weird angles. Toads in particular tend to freeze near predators so they make perfect models for bad photographers like me.

I have even managed to get a picture of a Red-eared Terrapin that was obviously once someone's pet.

Very few people record observations of amphibians and reptiles, so that any records you do make could eaily be of interest to local/national recorders. It is worth takign a moment to browse the internet to see if their are any good websites on this subject that cover your region; you may be surprised to see that you have something to add.

Take a look at this photo of a toad's face Toad

Plants

Blogging on wildlife has increased my interest in flora and now I am able to identify a large number of flowering plants in the UK because of the increased enthusiasm my website has given me.

Obviously plants don't move too quickly so they give struggling photographers such as myself plenty of time to practice and the ability to delete mistakes and try again has become a much-used facility on my digital camera. Using the macro facility on my digital camera has allowed me to get a lot of nice shots.

Flower Photos

You can see lots of my photos of flowers on this lens. The pictures are available for use royalty free too.

Royalty Free Photos - Flowers

Here you will find a large selection of royalty free photos of flowers that can be used on websites, blogs, squidoo lenses, hubpages and any other online device. I was lucky enough to get lots of help from many photographers when making my first web...

An Example of the Photo Galleries I Use on My Blog

Join The RSPB

I have been a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for many years now. The RSPB own hundreds of reserves that members can visit for free and they are constantly adding new reserves to their protection.

The RSPB is one of the most proactive and respected conservation bodies in the world and they deserve the support of nature lovers both in the UK and abroad.

Nikon Coolpix 7600

The Nikon Coolpix is the camera I always use and it has served me well, despite the fact that i am generally a hopeless photographer. It is easy to use and pretty much idiot proof with loads of settings to help get good pictures. I seem to get my best results on the macro setting.

Nikon Coolpix 7600 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Amazon Price: $418.60 (as of 07/12/2009)

Cool Digital Cameras

Nikon Coolpix L20 10MP Digital Camera with 3.6 Optical Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Deep Red)

Reader Feedback

Lensmaster

sonia_simone wrote...

Good information here! I'd love to hear more about what camera you use, what you like about it, and maybe any features that you recommend in a good digital camera to capture wildlife.

Posted September 19, 2007

Some More Digital Cameras

Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

About The Lens Author

Lensmaster nickupton, aka nick upton, has been a member since June 23 2007, has rated 77 lenses, favorited 62, and has created 49 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Thailand Travel Advice: 10 Things To Avoid Doing In Thailand". See all my lenses

Squidoo

Birdwatching and Wildlife Blog - Dartford Waffler