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James Foad LRPS, the organiser of this event, is now accepting bookings on a first come first servedbasis for the 2020 Autumn residential Weekend to be held at Foxlease Girlguiding Activities Centre,

Lyndhurst, Hampshire. Foxlease combines the classic charm of a Georgian Manor House and the beautyof the surrounding area of the New Forest. All rooms are en-suite.

I am told by Heather Angel that it is quite some time ago that the Nature Group stayed here.

There will be opportunities to photograph a wide range of fungi, plants,invertebrates and vertebrates.

The cost for the for Single room occupancy is £310.00

A deposit of £125.00 is required to secure your place

For further details please contact:

James Foad LRPS

Tel: 07834 – 810430

E-mail: [email protected]

RPS Nature Group Residential Weekend 2020Foxlease, New Forest

Foxlease Girlguiding Activities Centre, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7DE

Friday 16th - Monday 19th October 2020Leader: James Foad LRPS

The Iris Cover 136_Iris cover 09/01/2020 16:21

RPS Nature Group Summer Residential weekendSkomer Island and Margam Discovery Centre

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The Iris Cover 136_Iris cover 06/01/2020 16:39

1The Iris - Spring 2020

Editorial

From the Chair

Svalbard: Life in the Norwegian Arcticby Nigel Symington ARPS

Low Carbon Wildlife Photographby Martin Hancock LRPS

An African ARPSBy Roger Taylor ARPS

Natural Wonders of EthiopiaBy Julia Wainwright ARPS

Nature Group Meetingby Ann Miles FRPS, Programme Co-ordinator

Membership and other Statistics

Contents

Publication information‘The Iris’ is published by the RPS Nature Group threetimes a year. Copy and publication dates are as fol-lows:Spring Copy deadline 8th December

Published mid March.Summer Copy deadline 30th April

Published early July.Winter Copy deadline 31st August

Published early November.All contributions should be submitted to the Editor.Items covering any aspect of nature photographyand/or natural history are welcomed, including re-views on equipment and relevant books. The Editorcan be contacted at: [email protected] should be sent as .txt or .doc files by email orwetransfer.com. Please do not send hand written copy. Digitally captured photographic images are preferredbut scanned transparencies are also acceptable. Im-ages (whether vertical or horizontal) should be suppliedon CD or via WeTransfer.com as flattened 8bit sRGBTiff files, 6” x 4” at 300 pixels per inch (1800 x 1200pixels, file size approx 6.17MB). Please do not sendlarger images. Larger files may be needed for thecover.No payment will be made for material used and whilstevery care will be taken, neither the Editor, the NatureGroup or the Printers can accept liability for anydamage that may occur to photographic materialsubmitted.The views expressed within The Iris are solely those ofthe contributor and do not necessarily reflect theviews of the Nature Group Committee or the Editor.Distribution:‘The Iris’ is forwarded to members using address la-bels produced by the RPS Membership Dept in Bath.Any member not receiving their copy should contactthat department so that their name appears on alabel in the future. The Secretary will be pleased topost single copies to members who have failed to re-ceive them.Copyright:© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may

be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means withoutprior permission of the copyright holder.

© Photographs and articles - individual contributors. All other material the Nature Group of the RoyalPhotographic Society.

Printed by Partridges UKEagle Avenue, Magnetic Park, Desborough,Northants, NN14 2WD

Design & layoutby Gerald Griffin ARPS

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CCoovveerr iimmaaggeeWasp Spider by Ann Miles FRPS

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2 The Iris - Spring 2020

In early December I visited the Wildlife Photographerof The Year exhibition 2019 at The Science Museum inLondon. The pictures were absolutely stunning.

Why did I find the photographs so appealing?Firstly many of them had been very patiently andcarefully planned. The narrative on each exhibit tellshow entrants had often observed something unusualin the wild and wanted to photograph it. This isbrilliantly illustrated by David Doubilet, who foundthat a swaying colony of garden eels vanished intotheir burrows as soon as he arrived at this underwaterscene. So as not to disturb them again, he set up hiscamera and hid behind a shipwreck where he couldtrigger the system remotely. It was several hoursbefore the eels re-emerged and several days beforeDavid got his perfect shot. The result, ‘A garden ofeels’ deservedly won the Underwater category.

Secondly, technical perfection. The photographswere all beautifully composed and had the correctbits as sharp as they needed to be. Even those takenin low light, on long exposures or using high ISOsshowed no loss of image quality. Two picturesespecially caught my eye in this respect, ‘Bee Line’by Frank Deschandol and ‘The Soaring Eagle’ byAudun Rikardsen.

It was pointed out to me that some of theentrants were game park managers or members oflong term expeditions to remote areas that meansthey will easily come into regular daily contact withwildlife. But don’t we all; in our gardens, parks, localnature reserves and so on? This familiarity does notguarantee winning pictures as there is a third elementthat comes into play: some old fashioned good luck.Being in the right place at the right time to get thatperfect shot! Eduardo Del Álamo with his photographof ‘A penguin fleeing from a Leopard Seal’ andYongqing Bao with his overall winning picture, ‘A fightbetween a fox and a Marmot’ both took fulladvantage of the good luck that came their way. Dolook at these pictures (and the others too) on the weband see if you agree with me. The exhibition is openuntil 31st May 2020.

So let us all hope for plenty of good luck this yearwith our Natural History Photography.

Thank you to all of the contributors to this editionand to my wife Sally and our Chairman Thom for theirhelp in its production.

CommitteeOfficersChairman: Thomas Hanahoe FRPSEmail: [email protected] Chairman: David O’Neill LRPSEmail: [email protected]: Duncan Locke LRPSE-mail: [email protected]: David O’Neill LRPSEmail: [email protected] Past Chairman: Kevin Elsby FRPSEmail: [email protected]

Committee MembersEditor of The Iris: Gerald Griffin ARPSEmail: [email protected] Secretary: Ralph Snook ARPS E-mail: [email protected] Rep to Advisory Panel: David O’Neill LRPSEmail: [email protected] Co-ordinator: Ann Miles FRPSE-mail: [email protected]: Ralph Snook ARPS E-mail: [email protected] Editor: Dawn Osborn FRPSEmail: [email protected] Saunders ARPSEmail: [email protected] Andrew LRPSEmail: [email protected] Foad LRPSEmail: [email protected] Wainwright ARPSEmail: [email protected]

Ex officio Committee membersPresident of the Society; Vice-President of the Society; Director General of the Society; Hon. Treasurer of the Society; Chairman of the Nature A & F Distinctions Panel

Nature Group ExhibitionsCDs/DVDs of Nature Group Exhibitions are available for purchaseby camera clubs/photographic societies for use in their prgramme.Please contact the Exhibition Secretary, details above.

Editorial



It is December and short eared owls are about. Alongwith others I wait with my camera gear all set up andready for action as the birds start to quarter therough heathland. Although it is not a long walk fromthe car park to the field, carrying a heavy camera rigis a challenge. And as I get older, my gear seems togets heavier!

I know a number of photographers who haveswitched from heavy DSLR cameras to the smallermicro four-thirds mirrorless type and their associatedlighter lenses. However, while these rigs are reallygood, I have not as yet been fully convinced that theyhave the top notch quality of the more traditionalDSLR camera attached to large F4 telephoto glass.

I use Canon lenses with full frame cameras andmy default combination is the Canon EF 500mm f/4LIS II USM lens with a 1.4x converter attached andpaired with a Canon 1DX Mk II camera. This usuallysits on a Gitzo tripod with a Wimberley gimbal head.

From the chair

The outfit weighs about 8kg. This is a significant andunwieldy load to lug for long periods of time;sometimes made heavier by a camera backpack withadditional gear.

For a number of years my modus operandi wasto carry the outfit as a single unit with the extendedtripod over my shoulder so that the camera and lenshung behind me readily available for action. (Sincethe gear is very expensive I do this carefully!)However, shuffling was frequently required to shiftthe discomfort.

Recently I decided change was in order. I boughta long strap to attach to my lens/camera combination.This has enabled me to remove the camera/lenscombination from the tripod and to carry it strappeddiagonally from my left shoulder so that it restsagainst my right hip with the lens tripod mountsupported in my right hand. The strap has a thickshoulder pad which spreads the burden and some of

CARRYING BIG TELEPHOTO LENSES

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens with a 1.4 Converter attached and paired with a Canon 1DX Mk II camera.The combination also has a Black Rapid Sport Breathe strap attached to both the camera and the lens via a KirkQRC-1 Quick Release 1 inch Clamp.



the weight is carried in my hand. I carry the foldedtripod with gimbal head separately in my left hand.For me this works well.

The strap attaches to my camera via a fastenerwhich screws into the tripod socket on the bottom ofthe camera. Consequently, it is not possible to useboth the strap and a tripod plate at the same time.However, this difficulty is overcome by attaching aquick release clamp to the screw fastener. The tripodplate is then left on my camera permanently and thestrap is attached to the camera tripod plate via thequick release clamp. In addition, the strap may also beattached separately to my lens, as well as to mycamera. The picture above shows this belt and bracesarrangement.

The picture to the right shows shows the details.The carabiner attaches to the black circular screwfastener which then screws into the quick releaseplate. The quick release clamp attaches to the tripodplate on the camera base. The extra strap with themale clip attaches to a female counterpart which ispermanently fixed to the lens.

For me, this method is more efficient than myprevious arrangement of carrying the outfit on myshoulder and, even though it takes a little longer to setup, this is a price I am prepared to pay. An additionalbenefit is that when I am in a wildlife hide with the lensresting on a window ledge the strap is around my neckand secures the outfit without causing restriction.

Camera, lens & strap: the strap is securely attached toboth camera and lens with a quick release plate.

Kirk QRC-1 Quick Release 1 inch clamp with Black Rapid Sport Breathe strap and fastener.

Undoubtedly, the mirrorless camera market is nowdeveloping rapidly and will result in the design andmanufacture of new lighter, fast telephoto lenses. Nodoubt, in due course I shall consider this approach.However, for the present, I shall stay with my relativelyheavy DSLR rig supported by a shoulder strap.



Nothing can quite prepare you for your first sight of aPolar Bear in the wild. In a cold, desolate landscape ofgrey seas and drifting ice floes, there in the distancesomething moves – slow, confident, unhurried, lord ofall it surveys. Ignoring the cold, it slips in and out ofthe sea, then, just as you think it’s coming withinrange of a long lens, sits down on the ice, curls upand goes to sleep!

Longyearbyen, a small settlement of about 2,200people, is the capital of Svalbard, a Norwegianarchipelago a few hundred miles from the NorthPole. Once a coal mining town, it is now the centrefor the region – a seemingly random collection ofpainted wooden houses. Little grows here, apart froma few different species of Saxifragethat peep outfrom the rocks. Other than a mining town atBarentsburg and a research station at Ny-Ålesund,there is no other habitation. Outside the town limits itis compulsory to carry a weapon in case of a surprise

attack by a Polar Bear. They are cunning, intelligentand curious animals with a well-documented ability tostalk their prey and surprise it. Their preferred diet isseals – particularly the Bearded Seal, one of the largerseals, which can weigh up to 300kg. These arehandsome creatures. When they lie hauled out, theirbeards curl as they dry, giving them a raffishappearance. Harbour Seals are about half this weight.We spent an entertaining evening drifting in and outof the ice floes in a Zodiac (a small inflatable boat) inKongsfjorden with seals popping up all round us, ascurious to see us as we were to see them.

We travelled with Wildphoto, a company run bytwo award-winning photographers, and sailed on MSOrigo, with 13 passengers and 8 crew. Several othercompanies offer tours here, but on a small ship it ispossible to visit areas out of bounds to larger vessels.Being photographer-led, wildlife took precedenceover creature comforts: mealtimes were occasionally

SVALBARD: LIFE IN THE NORWEGIAN ARCTICNigel Symington ARPS

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adjusted as animals presented themselves. It was notunknown to have a knock on the cabin door in themiddle of the night if there was a possible picture.Not that we actually had nights; in the summer thesun never goes below the horizon.

One evening we were alerted to bears on therotting carcass of a Walrus in Freemansundet. Wefound a mother and two cubs feasting. Eventually,they turned and made their dignified way out of sightup a steep cliff. They were soon replaced by a coupleof Arctic Foxes. One of the pleasant surprises herewas that the wildlife seemed much less cautious ofhumans than is the case in England. On a day out nearLongyearbyen our guide called down some foxes bymaking a squeaking noise on his hand. As oneappeared, I froze, only to receive an urgent shout,“Come, quick, there’s a fox. Run!” Throwing cautionto the wind I ran, expecting to see the fox high-tail itout of sight. But the fox seemed undeterred. Not thatit stayed for long; once it determined that there wasno food there, it was soon gone. Arctic Foxes hereturn completely white in winter. We saw one white foxbut too far away for even an 800mm lens. Otherswere in their attractive summer pelage.

Foxes are too small for bears to regard as prey.The Svalbard Reindeer, a unique, relatively smallendemic subspecies, also coexist. They rarely come inherds, living singly or in small groups. Both sexes haveantlers. But their defence is to run away. Althoughbears can run fast for a short distance, their thick layerof fat and insulating fur means that they quicklyoverheat, and have to stop, so the reindeer escape.One evening we watched a bear swim across to anisland, and follow a reindeer for about 15 minutes. Itthen gave up and came down to the shoreline, wherewe moved our Zodiac so as to keep ahead of it. Ourguides said that its gestures and pose meant that itwas still in hunting mode– probably us! Occasionally itsat down and gave a large, silent yawn, showing amouth with a very black tongue and an impressive setof teeth. The meaning of this behaviour is not known –it may be a sign of stress or simply frustration.Eventually the bear gave up and made off over severalmore islands. We followed it for about 4 hours.

Walruses are rarely killed. They are too large,their tusks are too threatening and their skin is tootough for the bears to be able to penetrate. Welanded one evening on Torellneset, on Gustav AdolfLand, where a herd was hauled out on the beach. Wewere advised to approach them cautiously so as notto panic them, in which case they might havestampeded into the sea and risked crushing anycalves in the group – a technique sometimes

The photographsPrevious page: Polar Bear yawning.This page top: Arctic Fox near Longyearbyen.Middle: Walrus family on Torellneset.Bottom: Tufted Saxifrage near Longyearbyen.Opposite: Polar bear near Lågøya.



with only ice floes between us and the horizon,Fulmars were a welcome sign of life.

Many whales in the area gave us an interestingdiversion from land mammals. A Fin Whale gave a gooddisplay one evening, blowing and diving off Ny-Friesland.We also saw Blue, Bowhead and Beluga Whales, thelatter coming very close to us in our Zodiac.

What does the future hold in store? We have agreat responsibility to ensure that the naturalenvironments we visit are not disturbed by ourpresence. But global warming is particularly evidenthere in the Arctic. Records show that not only is theextent of sea ice decreasing year on years, but earlierice break-up and laterice freeze-up has increased thetotal ice-free period to between 6 and 7 monthsduring the year, leaving Polar Bears without food formost of the year. As a result, more of the Arctic Oceanis available for human activities such as shipping, oildrilling, fishing, research and tourism. All this presentschallenges. If you wish to visit this magical place, donot leave it too long.

employed by bears. But with a slow approach theytook no notice of us, grunting contentedly andscratching themselves with their flippers.

Bird life is plentiful here. We stopped onemorning by some high cliffs on the LomfjordHalvøya. Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Little Auks, Blackand Brünnich’s Guillemots filled the air with noise.The Guillemots lay their eggs on ledges on thecliff. Once their chick is fledged, it isunceremoniously shoved off the ledge to land inthe sea below. Miraculously, most seem to survivethis but we watched as one which had made anawkward landing was finished off with great gustoby a Glaucous Gull. The Brünnich’s Guillemot isdistinguished from the Common Guillemot by ashort thick bill with a white line along the sides ofthe upper mandible. The adult Black Guilllemot isa handsome bird, jet black with a bright red gapeand feet: the juvenile has mottled black and whiteplumage. Fulmars followed our boat for most ofthe expedition. When we were out of sight of land



The photographsThis page, Clockwise from top left: Main Street,Longyearbyen, Arctic Fox, Polar Bear feeding onblubber, Walrus on Torellneset, Brünnich’s Guillemotsand other Auks on the cliffs at Lomfjord halvøya andGlaucous Gull eating a Brünnich’s Guillemot chick.Opposite: Fulmar at 810° North and a Polar Bearhunting.



The photographs

This page, clockwise from top left:Fin Whale blowing and Guillemots flying off ValhalfonnaJuvenile Black GuillemotCommon or Harbour SealSvalbard ReindeerCommon or Harbour SealZodiac in Kongsfjorden.

Opposite:MS Origo in FreemansundetBearded Seal.



“What is this life if, full of care, we have no time tostand and stare”, and so begins that seminal poem bythe Welsh poet William Henry Davies (reproduced atthe end of this article). For me, this poem represents aparticular dilemma in wildlife photography - the desireto get an image, but invariably not enough time tolinger and fully appreciate the natural environment inwhich it is taken. As such, the possibility of capturingan image that represents some of the more intimatebehaviour of the fauna in question can be missed.

I have been very fortunate over the last 30 yearsto acquire some seven acres of previously intensivelycultivated land next to my home and ‘rewild’ it. Thishas involved creating habitat by planting trees,hedgerow and pasture, adding wildlife ponds andnesting boxes. It is only since I took up photography afew years ago that I found the inspiration to setmyself the challenge of documenting some itsresidents and visitors. With no travelling involved thismeant even more time to improve my field craft andtime to stare.

One of my passions is Mustelids and I havemanaged to capture images of Badgers, Stoats andWeasels. With a high resident rabbit population asprey, I have been waiting to see signs of a Polecat,which have been extinct in England for over 100 yearsand are now making a comeback. I captured one on

my trail camera recently which has given me a realphotographic challenge for the future.

Badgers frequently visit the garden. In the autumnthe fallen fruit on the ground provides an abundantfood source to fatten themselves up for the winter. Thisseemed an ideal opportunity to try some flashphotography. I appreciate there are debates about thistype of photography, but as the Badgers wereaccustomed to the house floodlights, I believed usingflash was not going to be a major problem. In fact, itwas only the noise of the shutter release that slightlystartled them. Another good reason to go mirrorless Isuppose. The Badgers certainly have a preferenceorder when it comes to fruit foraging, first Greengages,then Victoria plums and finally Cherry plums. Teeth onthe Badger, which have evolved to have an extremelypowerful bite with a lower jaw that locks into the skull,quite well developed for an omnivore whose main dietconsists of earthworms, I remember once getting aphone call from someone who had hit a Badger withtheir car and that it was unconscious and wanted toknow what to do. Upon asking where the Badger wasthey replied they were holding it! You can probablyguess what my response was.

Both Stoats and Weasels tend to stay close tohedgerow as they move about to avoid predators.Once seen, it is then a matter of patiently waiting for

LOW CARBON WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHYMartin Hancock LRPS

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sufficient ambient light at home. On one occasion an owlcame out of the nest box and flew into a clearing withplenty of backlight. The resultant image is quite different tothe ones normally seen and for me adds quite a surrealeffect. This year was another successful breeding seasonand I was amazed one afternoon when the parent birdssuddenly came out of the nest box and followed shortly bya young chick which appeared between them. Soundsrather anthropomorphic, but I was wondering if theyconsidered this was my consolation image? Thebackground is not very good but sometimes you just do nothave any alternatives and grab the shot while you can.

Last year the Barn Owls left the nest box for awhile but it wasn’t long before it was occupied again.This time a Little Owl took up residence and seemed

them to break cover. In terms of predatory powers,Stoats rival any of the big cats; gram for gram theyare much stronger than any lion. They do like crevicessuch as dry stone walls to both hide in and stash awaysurplus food. I keep a small flock of rare breed sheep(Soays) which originate from St Kilda and my wifesuggested we dig up the old rockery and create amock Cleit - a stone structure found all over St Kilda.It was not long before both Stoats and Weasels wereexploring the Cleit. On one occasion, after quite a bitof activity, a Stoat reclined in the sun on a plinthabove the entrance - quite an unusual image! I wassomewhat disappointed when I entered the image inone of my local club competitions only to have thejudge comment that it was obviously taken in a zoo orwildlife park and marked it down accordingly. Ifanyone has ever seen a captive Stoat behaving in thismanor please let me know.

The nest boxes have also attracted a wide varietyof birds. Last year a pair of Kestrels appeared in mybottom field and settled in an owl box. I spent manyhours watching them from a sheep shelter flying andhovering around the field. One morning I noticed adistinct change in their behaviour. The female came torest on a post and began lifting her tail. I suddenlyrealised what might be about to happen and my heartbegan racing. Suddenly the male came out of thetrees and mounted her. To say I was excited would bean massive understatement. I can’t think of any othertime when I have filled the camera’s buffer.

Barn owls have also nested and reared young. I havenever been successful, however, in taking images with

The photographsOpposite: Stoat breaking cover.This page: Green Woodpecker, Kestrels mating,Kestrel alighting and European Badgers foraging.



quite at ease just staring out of the opening.Other bird life has also flourished over the years.

A supply of Niger seed and sunflower hearts has ledto a healthy population of Goldfinches, one of ourmost colourful birds. Having taken many portraitimages, the challenge then became catching one inflight, much easier said than done. Watching andnoting their flight paths over an extended period

provided the baseline and after many attempts Ifinally got the image I was hoping for.

The arrival of the Fieldfares is a special time innatures calendar. They are somewhat unpredictable asto when they might appear, so I tend to just sit myselfin the sheep shelter and wait to see what happens.The image of the Fieldfare feeding on a worm wasanother special moment.

The photographsKestrel face to face, Barn Owl in flight andGoldfinch in flight.



Woodpeckers are also resident. Greater Spottedfrequent the bird feeders for peanuts but will alsotake to grubs from tree trunks. The speed with whichthey feed is quite remarkable. Green Woodpeckersare constantly giving their alarm calls but present agreater challenge to photograph because they tendto do most of their feeding on the ground. That said, Ihave managed to get a few images through thevegetation.

Other garden birds can also provide interestingopportunities to photograph. On one occasion I hadbeen watching a Blackbird collecting food for itsyoung. It would perch on a piece of garden furniture,look around to see if all was clear before diving intothe hedge. I had my camera at the ready and couldnot believe the amount and variety of food it hadcollected on one trip. I thought Puffins were themasters of this type of feeding strategy.

Whenever I look through the lens at wildlife I amconstantly in awe of the evolutionary aspects of what Isee. To capture an image in less than a second puts itall in perspective and reminds me how important it isthat we protect, enhance and expand our naturalenvironment.

LLeeiissuurree bbyy WW HH DDaavviieess ((11887711 -- 11994400))

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare,No time to stand beneath the boughs,And stare as long as sheep or cows,No time to see, when woods we pass,Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass,No time to see, in broad daylight,Streams full of stars, like skies at night,No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,And watch her feet, how they can dance,No time to wait till her mouth can,Enrich that smile her eyes began,A poor life this is if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare.

The photographsGoldfinch portrait, Stoat close encounter, Weaselleaping and European Badger gorging onGreengages.



The photographsThis page: Robin with nest material, Weasel portrait,Fieldfare feeding and Greater Spotted Woodpeckerfeeding.Opposite: Blackbird feeding, Little Owl portrait, BarnOwls family portrait and Stoat resting on cleit.



early as not only will you be given expert advice butyou will also gain a great deal from seeing the workof other candidates.

Sometimes you have photographs which arealmost distinction quality but need a little tweak andthis is where Photoshop comes to the fore enablingyou to make subtle changes to photos withoutchanging its context. The purist in me asks if this isokay but didn’t we do this in the darkroom withdodging, burning-in or by changing the type ofpaper? So, find someone who has expertise inLightroom or Photoshop but who specializes inphotography.

If you are not sure where to go to get help thencheck out the RPS website.

Putting the panel together was a struggle. Did Igo for birds or mammals or a mixture of both? In theend, with welcome advice, I choose mammals as I feltI had appropriate good photos from which to selectand as I had decided to project rather than print, the

As I write this article I am reminded of the saying, “Iused to be bigheaded but now I am perfect.”“Bigheaded” in that having achieved myLicentiateship I thought Associateship would be adoddle, as only five extra photos are required for thepanel! In fact, unless you are a ‘perfect’ photographerin the first place, there is indeed a steep learningcurve from LRPS to ARPS. I hate to think how steepthat curve is to FRPS.

Two of the aspects I like about the RPS and itsdistinctions is that it does not lower its standards foreach award but they, its members and staff, will do allthey can to assist in achieving the standard. I doubtvery much whether I would have achieved myAssociateship without that support.

So take advantage of all that help. Another pairof eyes and knowledge will make your journeyeasier. Others, not having your emotionalattachment, will pick out unsuitable photos or evenselect ones you had rejected. Attend advisory days

AN AFRICAN ARPSRoger Taylor ARPS

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me in Cyprus and was a Leica. Naturally I had to fieldtest it over the weekend! This set was the start of alifelong hobby.

Although I had always had an interest in wildlife my loveaffair with African animals started on a package safari toKenya. What an experience and it took me a while at theend to think how I could improve it.

What was missing was the freedom to stay at a viewingas long as I wanted as the guide had to take into account theneeds of everyone on the game vehicle. The only answer wasto book a guide and vehicle for my sole use and the followingyear I spent the most fabulous time with Jethro, a Kenyanguide, who despite years of guiding still had a passion forwildlife and a love of his country. Every morning at abouteleven o’clock he would switch off his vehicle and we wouldhave half an hour of ‘African Time’, where we would just soakup the smells and sounds of the bush.

Tacked on to the end of this trip was a stay inCape Town and another love had started; SouthAfrica. But that is another story!

tonal changes were easier to manage.Many of the advisory days I attended suggested

printing as they appear to be the more successfulroute but if your photographs are good then it shouldnot matter and you save the expense of printing. Iwould highly recommend going to the RPS in Bristolto see how your photographs project on their system.

My panel reflects my interest in and love ofAfrican wildlife. I even trained as a Safari Guide when Iwas 60 to enable me to approach animals more safelyand photograph them when they are more relaxed.

I often question whether I am a wildlifephotographer or just love being in the bush withwildlife around me. Fortunately the two complementeach other. I will say that the best photographs evokethe best memories.

My interest in photography started when I was anInstrument Technician in the Army repairing complexmechanical and optical equipment including, ofcourse, cameras. The first camera I repaired came to

Statement of Intent

I enjoy observing and photographing wildlife in their natural environment where they are free and wild.I have visited regions of Sub-Saharan Africa including South Africa, Kenya, Botswana and Namibia manytimes over the years to capture the subjects contained in the panel. Knowledge of the subject, the localarea and field craft are very important skills, which I hope, are demonstrated in these images. Sixteendifferent mammal species are included showing habitat, action, inter-action and behaviour.

Hanging Plan



The photographsTitle page: Hippopotamus.This page: Chacha Baboon and White Rhino.Opposite: Plains Zebra, Buffalo and Ground Squirrel.



The Op



The photographsOpposite: Eland and Giraffe and Elephant. This page: Impala and Black-Backed Jackal.



The photographs

Opposite: Springbok andLeopard.

This page: Cheetah, SpottedHyena, and Vervet Monkey.



t

W t

T

through the Eastern Rift Valley that divides thehighlands into two distinct parts, Western and Eastern.

The Western Highlands include the SimienMountains National Park, one of the first four naturalsites to be included on the World Heritage list and thefirst for Africa. Travelling over them at elevations ofbetween 2000 - 4500m we were rewarded withstunning vistas of rugged mountains, precipitousgorges and deep valleys. Massive erosion overmillennia has created one of the most spectacularlandscapes in the world.

The topography of the Simien MountainsNational Park offers a varied habitat for a wide rangeof animals and plants and our first target species herewas the Gelada Monkey. Long considered to be ababoon, they are the last surviving species of grass-grazing primates. Their most recognizable feature is acrimson hourglass-shaped patch of skin on theirchests which has led to their common name, the‘bleeding heart’ monkey. We found them to be

Formerly known as Abyssinia, Ethiopia is one of theworld’s oldest countries and the largest and mostpopulated country in the Horn of Africa. For many, thefirst thing that comes to mind when someonementions Ethiopia is the famine and hunger crisis ofthe 1980’s, caused by a wide range of simultaneouslyoccurring factors: recurring drought, failed harvests,food scarcity and conflict.

Today Ethiopia’s economy is booming and rankedas the fifth largest in Africa. The government arecommitted to promoting tourism and there issignificant investment in infrastructure in major citiessuch as Addis Ababa. Outside of the major cities theeconomy is still dominated by rain-fed agriculture, theprimary activity of 80% of the labour force. On ourtravels we saw extensive deforestation, overgrazedlands and vast plantations of introduced Eucalyptuscompeting for resources with native flora.

Our photographic journey in the spring of 2019took us across the highlands of the country and down

NATURAL WONDERS OF ETHIOPIAJulia Wainwright ARPS

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surprisingly approachable and as long as we avoidedany sudden movements, we were able to sit amongstthem observing their behaviour.

After leaving the Gelada Monkeys we spent thenext 3 hours travelling further up into the mountains,along winding, gravel roads, in search of the endemicWalia Ibex a species of wild goat found exclusively onthe steep slopes of the Simien Mountains. Onlyaround 500 individuals remain and they are classifiedas Endangered. Habitat loss poses a major threat asgrazing areas are lost to human settlement, livestockand cultivation. Illegal poaching for the meat, hidesand horns of the Ibex is also an ongoing problem.They are hard to find but luckily, thanks to directionsgiven by local people, our search was not in vain.

This area also has abundant birdlife. More than180 bird species are found in the Simien Mountainsof which 6 are endemic. Among the most spectacularwe saw were Bearded Vulture, Tawny eagle andThick-billed Raven.

In addition to varied fauna, the Simien Mountainsboast a unique flora and over 250 types of plant existin the park. Three different vegetation belts exist: Afro-alpine Steppe, Ericaceous and Forest. In the Forest Belt(below 3,000m) much plant diversity has been lost astrees have been extensively felled for firewood andland turned over to farming but in the higher afro-alpine steppe the endemic Giant Lobelia, growing upto 10m in height, makes for a spectacular sight.

In the Eastern Highlands we travelled to the BaleMountains and the Sanetti Plateau. Sitting at anaverage altitude of 4000m this is the highest plateauon the continent and as you travel through the lunarlike landscape it feels like you’ve been transported toanother planet. The Bale Mountains National Park isknown for abundant rainfall and thick clouds followedby periods of sunshine and we experienced all ofthese. Mammalian wildlife there includes EthiopianWolf, numerous Rodents and Colobus Monkeys.

The Ethiopian Wolf is endemic to Ethiopia, it is theworld’s rarest canid and Africa’s most endangeredcarnivore. The Plateau is home to around 150 of theremaining 500 wolves, none are held anywhere incaptivity. The main challenges facing the survival of thespecies are habitat loss, infectious diseases transmittedby domestic dogs and wolf-dog hybridisation. In theBale Mountains they feed almost exclusively on smallmammals - mainly Giant Mole Rats.

The photographsTitle page: Simien Mountains View.This page: Walia Ibex, Arabian Bustard, Yellow-breasted Barbet and Chestnut-naped Francolin.



As our eyes adjusted to the vastness of theSanetti Plateau we became aware of things moving.Almost one third of the 47 mammals found in theNational Park are rodents and these can be seenflitting from burrow to burrow. One of these, theendangered giant mole rat, is endemic to the area.Also known as ‘Big-headed’ mole-rats they spend verylimited time above ground so photographing them isa game of chance. Again, their main survival riskcomes from habitat loss through overgrazing bydomestic livestock. Unfortunately for the mole rat, it isalso a favoured diet of the many birds of prey seen onthe mountain plateau.

Nearly 300 species of birds are found in the BaleMountains making it one of the top birding spots inAfrica. Forests harbour woodland species such as theyellow-fronted parrot, black-winged lovebird andwhite-cheeked turaco whilst the Sanetti Plateau hasrare birds such as the Blue-winged Goose andRouget's Rail. Along the muddy roadsides we oftenspotted the colourful Chestnut-naped Francolin.

Thanks to its altitudinal range, the BaleMountains National Park supports many niche speciesof flora across its various vegetation belts. There areover 1,300 species of flowering plants, of which about14% are endemic to the National Park.

Bisecting the Highlands is the Ethiopian RiftValley, part of the East African Rift System. Its passage

through Ethiopia is marked by a string of seven lakesproviding habitats for a variety of flora and fauna. Ourtrip took us to several of these lakes including LakeAwassa where hundreds of Marabou Storks gatheredon the shoreline waiting for leftovers from the localfishmarket and Lake Langano, the valley’s onlybilharzia-free lake. Wildlife flourishes around the lakeswith many woodland and water birds, monkeys,Baboons, Warthogs and even Hippopotami that feedaround the lodges at nightfall.

Further north along the rift valley we visitedAwash National Park where the savannah landscape ismore typical of East Africa. Here the safari experienceis very different to that of Kenya and Tanzania as theabsence of big cats and other large mammals meantwe could walk through the bush and grasslands insearch of mammals such as Oryx, Kudu and Dik-dik;enjoy close encounters with Leopard tortoises and seea large diversity of birds including the Arabian bustardand dark-chanting goshawk.

Travelling around Ethiopia is not for thefainthearted. Towns are busy, noisy and polluted,pockets of unrest still exist around the country andenvironmental challenges abound but things areslowly improving. If you can look past the negativesand go with an open mind you will experienceamazing scenery and extensive wildlife on a trip toremember.



Opposite: Marabou Stork. This page: Thick-billed Raven and Male Gelada Monkey.The photographs



The photographs

This page, clockwise from top right::Leopard TortoiseGiant LobeliaBale Mountains ViewGiant Mole Rat.

Opposite page:Colobus MonkeyEthiopian Wolf.



March 21stWe are visiting Stour Wood and Estuary and MistleyWalls in the Manningtree area of Essex for SpringFlowers and Wading birds etc. There is the option tojoin a public Birdwatching Sail and Walk on the 22ndMarch – early booking with the Thames Bargecompany is essential.April 18thThis is our Flagship event, a Distinctions Advisory Dayat Smethwick Photographic Society venue when youwill see many ARPS and FRPS panels commented onby members of the Natural History Panel. All theavailable ARPS and FRPS Advice places have beentaken but please do consider attending the day as anObserver as there will be a lot of informationconcerning the standard of work required and tips ontopics and laying out panels etc. June 6thI am delighted that Trevor Davenport has arranged afield meeting to the Ainsdale dunes, near Southport,Lancashire. The meeting is timed for early summerorchids, other dune flowers and insects. We will be ledby Dr. Phil Smith, MBE, an expert on the Sefton Coast.

This year the response of Members to the organisedfield trips and indoor meetings has been excellentwith events filling up within days of being advertisedin some cases. It would be great to be able to offerevents in all parts of Britain so please do offer to hostan event. Email [email protected] with yourideas for field meetings and I will deal with thepaperwork and advertising.

Future Field MeetingsBy the time you read this item, we will have had ourouting to the Norfolk Coast to celebrate New Year’sDay at RSPB Titchwell.January 8thAnnette Beardsley has arranged a visit to Ham WallRSPB in Somerset, which is one of the prime areas inthe UK for Starling murmurations.February 15th We will visit the Ouse Washes at Welney WWT inNorfolk, which is Britain’s largest area of seasonallyflooded land and provides habitat for the wintergatherings of many thousands of wild ducks, geeseand swans.

NATURE GROUP MEETINGSAnn Miles FRPS, Programme Coordinator

September 28th, Macro Workshop at Paxton Pits25 members spent a very full-on day being shownvarious techniques for macrophotography. RichardRevels showed us wonderful images of insects inflight and close-up insects. He also brought along allthe gear he used for doing this so people could seewhat was involved. It is hoped next year that we canhave a field session for a few Members to try histechniques for themselves. Duncan Lockedemonstrated his electronic focus bracketingequipment very clearly and did a live stackingexample. Ian Wilson went through the theory ofnormal and high-speed flash (and many other things!)while Ann, Shelagh, Chris and Phil all gave advice ontheir particular camera systems and helped folkphotograph the caterpillars and other set ups or goout onto the reserve to find damselflies etc. Theweather was not that kind to us being very windywith occasional short showers so working with set ups

outside proved very difficult and not many insectsvisited the flowers or ponds.

On the Sunday, three of the group returned for aguided walk round the reserve, where we saw MigrantHawker and Common Darter.

November 24th, Fungi in Epping Forest A group of around 12 Members from the NatureGroup and East Anglia Region RPS explored Eppingforest for its trees and fungi. The wet conditions inrecent weeks have been very beneficial for fungi andthere were still a good number around. The promisedsunshine never quite made it but the light was perfectfor macro work. The wonderful root systems andshapes of the Beech trees and Hornbeam completedour subjects for the day. Species photographed andidentified included Mycena inclinata, Mycenahaematopus, Mycena radicata, Lycoperdon pyriforme,Helvella crispa and Xylaria hypoxylon.

Field Meeting Reports

The Iris 136 Miles_Layout 1 09/01/2020 14:34 Page 32


December 8th, Macro Workshop atScotsdales Garden Centre15 Members of the Nature Group andEARPS gathered at Scotsdales GardenCentre for a hands-on session on focusstacking. Unfortunately, the maindemonstrator for the software side of Focusstacking was unable to attend due tosickness. However, everyone joined inhelping each other to master both thetaking of the images on focus rails or within-camera focus bracketing. Jonathanhelped many people with the stacking inPhotoshop so it is hoped everyone got agood introduction to the subject. A BrassBand entertained us with Carols duringlunch and then it was an opportunity to trydouble exposures or continue with themacro work.

To keep up to date with Nature Group events and book a place, please follow this linkhttps://rps.org/groups/nature/ and go to Events

The PhotographsFocus stacked Long Leaved Sundew by Ann Miles and Common Bonnet by Mark Gillett.



The Opp Mat This This pyri



The PhotographsOpposite page, top to bottom: Xylaria hypoxylon by Ann Miles, Eyed Hawkmoth by Ann Miles andHelvella crispa by Matthew Clarke.This page: Focus stacked Round Leaved Sundew by Ann Miles, Rosemary Beetle by Jane Mooreand Lycoperdon pyriforme by Ann Miles.



Membership and other StatisticsShown below are Nature Group members per RPS region as at January 2020 (and January 2019)together with other statistics.

12346789

101112131415161718

CentralEast AngliaEast MidlandsEireLondonNorth WalesNorth WesternNorthernNorthern IrelandScotlandSouth EasternSouth WalesSouth WesternSouthernThames ValleyWesternYorkshire

6784478

759

54295

509022368163 6750

Regions Jan 2020 Jan 2019

Total UKOverseasTotal Membership

837 87

924

Honorary FRPSFRPSARPSLRPSNo Distinctions

Total

471

241208400

924

Distinctions Jan 2020 Jan 2019

These statistics are prepared from data bythe RPS Membership Department Map courtesy of the RPS website

469

247217368

905

6490498

801054294

4581183176737153

83669

905



In early December I visited the Wildlife Photographerof The Year exhibition 2019 at The Science Museum inLondon. The pictures were absolutely stunning.

Why did I find the photographs so appealing?Firstly many of them had been very patiently andcarefully planned. The narrative on each exhibit tellshow entrants had often observed something unusualin the wild and wanted to photograph it. This isbrilliantly illustrated by David Doubilet, who foundthat a swaying colony of garden eels vanished intotheir burrows as soon as he arrived at this underwaterscene. So as not to disturb them again, he set up hiscamera and hid behind a shipwreck where he couldtrigger the system remotely. It was several hoursbefore the eels re-emerged and several days beforeDavid got his perfect shot. The result, ‘A garden ofeels’ deservedly won the Underwater category.

Secondly, technical perfection. The photographswere all beautifully composed and had the correctbits as sharp as they needed to be. Even those takenin low light, on long exposures or using high ISOsshowed no loss of image quality. Two picturesespecially caught my eye in this respect, ‘Bee Line’by Frank Deschandol and ‘The Soaring Eagle’ byAudun Rikardsen.

It was pointed out to me that some of theentrants were game park managers or members oflong term expeditions to remote areas that meansthey will easily come into regular daily contact withwildlife. But don’t we all; in our gardens, parks, localnature reserves and so on? This familiarity does notguarantee winning pictures as there is a third elementthat comes into play: some old fashioned good luck.Being in the right place at the right time to get thatperfect shot! Eduardo Del Álamo with his photographof ‘A penguin fleeing from a Leopard Seal’ andYongqing Bao with his overall winning picture, ‘A fightbetween a fox and a Marmot’ both took fulladvantage of the good luck that came their way. Dolook at these pictures (and the others too) on the weband see if you agree with me. The exhibition is openuntil 31st May 2020.

So let us all hope for plenty of good luck this yearwith our Natural History Photography.

Thank you to all of the contributors to this editionand to my wife Sally and our Chairman Thom for theirhelp in its production.

CommitteeOfficersChairman: Thomas Hanahoe FRPSEmail: [email protected] Chairman: David O’Neill LRPSEmail: [email protected]: Duncan Locke LRPSE-mail: [email protected]: David O’Neill LRPSEmail: [email protected] Past Chairman: Kevin Elsby FRPSEmail: [email protected]

Committee MembersEditor of The Iris: Gerald Griffin ARPSEmail: [email protected] Secretary: Ralph Snook ARPS E-mail: [email protected] Rep to Advisory Panel: David O’Neill LRPSEmail: [email protected] Co-ordinator: Ann Miles FRPSE-mail: [email protected]: Ralph Snook ARPS E-mail: [email protected] Editor: Dawn Osborn FRPSEmail: [email protected] Saunders ARPSEmail: [email protected] Andrew LRPSEmail: [email protected] Foad LRPSEmail: [email protected] Wainwright ARPSEmail: [email protected]

Ex officio Committee membersPresident of the Society; Vice-President of the Society; Director General of the Society; Hon. Treasurer of the Society; Chairman of the Nature A & F Distinctions Panel

Nature Group ExhibitionsCDs/DVDs of Nature Group Exhibitions are available for purchaseby camera clubs/photographic societies for use in their prgramme.Please contact the Exhibition Secretary, details above.

Editorial


RPS Nature Group Summer Residential weekendSkomer Island and Margam Discovery Centre

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CCoosstt ffoorr tthhee wweeeekkeenndd iiss:: ££117755..7777 ffoorr MMaarrggaamm,, pplluuss ££1111..0000 ffoorr tthhee bbooaatt pplluuss yyoouurraaccccoommmmooddaattiioonn aanndd mmeeaallss ffoorr tthhee ffiirrsstt ttwwoo ddaayyss..

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James Foad LRPS, the organiser of this event, is now accepting bookings on a first come first servedbasis for the 2020 Autumn residential Weekend to be held at Foxlease Girlguiding Activities Centre,

Lyndhurst, Hampshire. Foxlease combines the classic charm of a Georgian Manor House and the beautyof the surrounding area of the New Forest. All rooms are en-suite.

I am told by Heather Angel that it is quite some time ago that the Nature Group stayed here.

There will be opportunities to photograph a wide range of fungi, plants,invertebrates and vertebrates.

The cost for the for Single room occupancy is £310.00

A deposit of £125.00 is required to secure your place

For further details please contact:

James Foad LRPS

Tel: 07834 – 810430

E-mail: [email protected]

RPS Nature Group Residential Weekend 2020Foxlease, New Forest

Foxlease Girlguiding Activities Centre, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7DE

Friday 16th - Monday 19th October 2020Leader: James Foad LRPS

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