As a change, this blog is a special guest piece, written and illustrated by Danny Porter from www.dannysdigiscoping.com. He is one of our invaluable Volunteer Photography Tutors.
"After a meeting, many (long) emails and one cancelled trip [because of the cold weather in March], the very first 'Photography: Day of Discovery' on RSPB Havergate Island was ready to set sail.Driving down to Orford at 5.30am the temperature gague was showing -1°C, but as we parked and moved onto Orford Quay we were greeted by the most glorious sunrise, a dawn that never broke as it remained sunny for the whole trip.The water in the quay was as reflective as a mirror and was only broken when our transport to Havergate Island arrived.The October Storm, a 12 person vessel chugged out of Orford harbour and took us to the island that was to be our home for the next 12 hours.The event was sold out. 8 guests and 4 tutors, ranging from 16 to over 60 were present making us a very diverse group.Local folk were joined by two from Oxford who had simply come for the adventure!Upon arrival hot tea & coffee were served with some sweet snacks from Orfords famous 'Pump Street Bakery'. Needless to say, most didn’t need to be asked if they would like a second helping!!After refreshment, we broke into very informal groups. Some knew what kind of photography they wanted to try and naturally migrated toward that tutor. There were experts in macro, landscape, conventional telephotography & digiscoping, so there was plenty of choice for everyone.Apart from the tuition, there were plenty of opportunities to observe nature in a habitat ranging from saltmarsh, shingle beaches to open grassland areas.
I for one saw butterflies, bumblebees, birds, and of course the wonderfully confiding Havergate Island Hares.These playful mammals really are the character of the whole island. They can run out infront of you at anytime, sometimes running away and other times stopping to graze only a few feet away.
And if you’re lucky enough to catch them boxing…..; Photo by Danny Porter.
As the day progressed into the afternoon, some delicious savoury snacks from the bakery were available, along with traditional still lemonade to wash everything down. I didn’t know this had been arranged and so this was a real treat!!More tuition and observation ensued throughout the afternoon, and the day was bought to a close with two hares finally doing some boxing just before we were due to depart at 6pm.A good atmosphere and great weather meant that the day was enjoyed by everyone involved.As one of the tutors I found I learned plenty, and can’t wait to set sail again in May.Monika deserves great credit for this excellent idea, and for putting it all together. A real success."Danny Porter, Digiscoping Tutor
How confiding?!!? 16 year old Harry and a Havergate Hare are at around 5 metres; Photo by Danny Porter.