I got lucky! I got the guest invite ticket.....
A young lady with an idea to inspire a nation into loving nature through the power of social media, a family man with a passion for photography and teaching his kids all about nature and a TV show.
Springwatch 2014 had picked up on Lydia Johnson's idea of having 100 days of nature Lydia's day 1 of 100 then add my friend who loves his Macro photography and who would then take Lydia's inspiration and start on a 100 day venture of his own by capturing a different micro creature in his garden over the next 100 days.... meet Matt Doogue. He is an inspirational blogger who has created this wonderful 100 days of nature blog - catch his 100 days here.
A new season and a new TV series....... Autumnwatch 2014 invited both Matt and Lydia onto the show for some interviews and discussion about their challenge.
Where do I fit in? well like I said I got lucky and as Matts wife was unable to attend off I travelled with Matt to the stunning Leighton Moss Rspb reserve in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire.
The itinerary was for Matt to be on location for a few hours to rehearse for his interview then spend some time taking up a macro shot challenge from within the reserve before going live on TV later in the day..... Twice! Autumnwatch Extra and Autumnwatch unsprung.
We would then watch the last of the series live from behind the scenes..... it all went perfectly.
We arrived in good time to spend an hour on the reserve checking out a couple of star species that this site has to offer. We managed to see two European Otters. One gave long but distant views as it swam across the expanse on waster before venturing off into the reeds. The other star species that I really wanted Matt to see were the Bearded Tits. I have been lucky enough to see them on each visit but I know of plenty of people who have failed to see them on multiple visits, so these are no way guaranteed..... pleased to say that Matt got lucky as we watched 4 feed on the gravel path.
I wont lie, these were too distant to get anything else but record shots, but still a joy to see.....
A young lady with an idea to inspire a nation into loving nature through the power of social media, a family man with a passion for photography and teaching his kids all about nature and a TV show.
Springwatch 2014 had picked up on Lydia Johnson's idea of having 100 days of nature Lydia's day 1 of 100 then add my friend who loves his Macro photography and who would then take Lydia's inspiration and start on a 100 day venture of his own by capturing a different micro creature in his garden over the next 100 days.... meet Matt Doogue. He is an inspirational blogger who has created this wonderful 100 days of nature blog - catch his 100 days here.
Matt & Lydia backstage ready for the shoot.....
A new season and a new TV series....... Autumnwatch 2014 invited both Matt and Lydia onto the show for some interviews and discussion about their challenge.
Where do I fit in? well like I said I got lucky and as Matts wife was unable to attend off I travelled with Matt to the stunning Leighton Moss Rspb reserve in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire.
The itinerary was for Matt to be on location for a few hours to rehearse for his interview then spend some time taking up a macro shot challenge from within the reserve before going live on TV later in the day..... Twice! Autumnwatch Extra and Autumnwatch unsprung.
We would then watch the last of the series live from behind the scenes..... it all went perfectly.
We arrived in good time to spend an hour on the reserve checking out a couple of star species that this site has to offer. We managed to see two European Otters. One gave long but distant views as it swam across the expanse on waster before venturing off into the reeds. The other star species that I really wanted Matt to see were the Bearded Tits. I have been lucky enough to see them on each visit but I know of plenty of people who have failed to see them on multiple visits, so these are no way guaranteed..... pleased to say that Matt got lucky as we watched 4 feed on the gravel path.
I wont lie, these were too distant to get anything else but record shots, but still a joy to see.....
these next two images are from a few years ago but at least show you how beautiful these birds are
Matt now had to go off and do his stuff for the TV cameras while I was able to enjoy the reserve and the hospitality of the Autumnwatch crew.
Marsh Tits are scarce and very localised in the UK so I always enjoy seeing the species at Leighton Moss and never pass up an opportunity to photograph one if I can.
you cant miss the Waterfowl at Leighton Moss......
Wigeon
and of course the Red Deer
the chase...... a youngster chases a female Pheasant
and we got this little fella trying to pinch the birdfood
Field Vole (I think......).......... a quick peek
and the sneak
Autumn watch presenters
Chris Packham (and your host Bfb)
Michaela Strachan
Matt and how very apt is that poster.....
Lydia and Matt filming
check out this guy, Beat boxer turns to the natural world he is brilliant and was a pleasure to meet him..... Jason Singh was doing his second season on Springwatch and Autmnwatch and his tune at the end of unsprung 2014 to celebrate Halloween was exceptional.
Jason & Matt
Nick Baker and Chris Packham sign Matts photo
in the unsprung studio before going live
and the final shot that I think sums up the whole day...... everyone important is in this image
Matt, Lydia, Nick, Chris and Michaela
Big thanks to my friend Matt Doogue for inviting me on his wonderful day and special thanks to the whole crew of BBC Autumnwatch 2014 for making the day very special.
19 comments:
Well it looks like everything went off very well Dave and you got some great shares!
A super experience Dave and so well documented.
How wonderful to be invited and then to document all that was going on so well. A great thrill for you I am sure. Loved the shots of the Bearded Tits. Many thanks. Have a great weekend.
Thank you Mary, Frank and Margaret. It was a cool day and the BBC team looked after all of us really well.
Your wildlife shots always amaze me. Great (human) portraits here too! ;-)
A great post Dave. I was at Leighton Moss the weekend prior to Autumnwatch and saw the Otters among other things. Love the vole pictures.
Great post. This is the second I have seen about this TV event.
I am one of the many who go to LM and don't see Bearded Tit! Its become a standing joke!
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Brilliant to see Dave... my young blog follwers Liam Filtness, Georgia Locock, and my local 12 year old superstar Findlay all appeared on the program... well worth watching on IPlayer.
A fascinating post! Wonderful project! Loved the photos, especially the birds in the brown grasses, the young deer chasing the pheasant and those great shots of the vole!
Wow, what a great post. I love the birds and the critters. Awesome photos..
A great write-up Dave. You sure got lucky there and you will have a lot of memories (and stories) to share.
Very nice coverage. Beautiful and sweet birds.
loved to see the bearded oned. I have, so far, only seen one male.
wow! those bearded tits are so beautiful! congrats!
Wow! What an exciting day! Great photos of the birds and that Vole is so cute! Thanks for your comment on my blog.
Dave, what a cool opportunity! You certainly made the most of it with these photos. I love your marsh tit, and the vole is adorable!
I enjoyed this experience with me and your bird shots are always cool but that deer and especially that little vole stole the show for me today. :)
Wonderful captures!
Thanks for your visit Dave.
Thank you everyone for the lovely comments.
Those Bearded Tits are gorgeous!!
Post a Comment