Wildlife and the Landscape at Nocton Fen in Lincolnshire
Nocton Fen and Wasps Nest in the Winter….
Nocton Fen in Lincolnshire is a truly wonderful place. At first glance there is little more than a winding country lane which cuts through vast working fields with veins of dykes and ditches to break it all up. I have written about this favourite place of mine in the past but because of the rich diversity of photographic opportunities to be had here I cannot help but return.
Much of the time you do have to search these opportunities out. Wildlife doesn’t always present itself as a willing model, indeed quite the opposite but they are there. The beautiful barn owl is my favourite subject and these fenlands are proof of the importance of conservation by the amount of barn owls that can now be seen here. As I write this we are in the middle of a long and hard winter and the wildlife is less easy to spot. At times of bitter cold they must preserve their energy and these wide open fenlands provide little in the way of shelter for the less hardy.
Herons are a formidable sight at this time of year, patrolling the waterways but keeping a safe distance from the resident swans which hiss and rear their long necks at the sight of unwelcome visitors.
As the light changes so does the wildlife, the sky over these fens is quite remarkable. The sunsets are truly stunning and this particular shot is exactly how I saw it, no over zealous photo editing. This is Nocton Fen…..
Nocton Fen Skyline
Patience is most certainly a virtue in wildlife photography, opportunities will present themselves eventually and it is this type of photograph which I now enjoy taking more than any other, wildlife as part of a photograph rather than being the photograph. There are a million bird pictures out there but I want to see them in the context of their own natural habitat, to see why that particular species is attracted to that particular landscape. I believe you can learn far more and develop a better understanding of the subject if you can better understand their territory. This photograph symbolises the fens for me, I wanted to capture the overall stillness of the area whilst showing how a sudden take off from a bird can, in an instant puncture the calm before it once again resumes its tranquility. The ducks in the background are unfazed by the commotion and I like that….
Birdlife at Nocton Fen
Dramatic cloud formations are plentiful here, standing at the edge of the field there are times when the sky seems to bear down upon you. I have watched huge thunder clouds approach me with awesome size and power, cancelling out the mid afternoon light with a consumate ease before passing over and allowing the sunlight in to dry out the rain sodden fields. This is a skyline which seldom disappoints….
Nocton Fen in the Winter
Over the coming months I shall return here and record the wildlife, plantlife and funghi which help create this unique and diverse piece of land, it’s worth a closer look.
I don’t really know what to say !
January 11, 2010 @ 9:24 am
Miles,
Outstanding - awsome. I can see why you keep returning.
Anne
January 11, 2010 @ 10:14 am
Annie,
I feel a change of screen saver coming on ~~~
Anne
January 11, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
Miles,
If ever there was a blackberry sky then that last shot proves it! I’ve said it before but there must be a market for this type of local photography for labeling home grown foods and bags etc. I’d love to see one of your pictures gracing a Waitrose bag for life or on a set of greetings cards, they’d be perfect.
Cid
January 11, 2010 @ 2:10 pm
Rod,
They wouldn’t be on here if it wasn’t for you so I’d say ‘You’re Welcome’ if I were you.
Miles
January 11, 2010 @ 7:37 pm
Anne,
It’s a remarkable place isn’t it?
Miles
January 11, 2010 @ 7:37 pm
Cid,
Thank you, I hope you enjoy seeing your home county in different ways, I want local people to realise what they have, that’s my ambition.
Miles
January 11, 2010 @ 7:38 pm
@ Anne,
You betcha. New desktop background is now the second Nocton Fen picture posted here.
@Miles–Well done, mate, well done.
Annie
January 12, 2010 @ 6:37 pm
Annie,
Thank you, glad you approve
Miles
January 12, 2010 @ 8:54 pm
I’ve stumbled on your blog by way of googling porridge and I just had to say I love it! I grew up in south Lincolnshire although I don’t know Nocton fen. I think you have really captured the feel of fens. I’d really like to know what you’ve done in terms of settings, post-processing & hardware, especially the last picture. Forgive me if you’ve written about this stuff elsewhere, I’ve only just started exploring.
January 21, 2010 @ 7:03 am
Matt,
Welcome to the site and thank you for your comment. I love this part of England and enjoy trying to capture it in the best light possible. I generally use a Canon 5D Mark Two, 17-40mm Ef and 100-400mm Ef lenses. I used a filter on the last shot but the rest really are what you see is what I saw. I do some very minor adjustments in Adobe but that’s it.
The fact is the light here is just awesome.
Glad you like the site and hope to hear from you again.
kind regards
MIles
January 21, 2010 @ 1:07 pm