Since lockdown came back into force in early November, I was back to exploring my local area, and in particular the nearby nature reserves. I found myself taking my Canon camera with me, and swaying to more wildlife orientated photographs as opposed to the landscape photography I normally do in the hills & mountains. The only wildlife photography I have done previously was the Red Deer, & Red Squirrels, but on my local walks it was more bird life I would be engaging with, and their small size & fleeting behaviour meant this would be a bit of a challenge. The nearest nature reserve to where I live is also the largest nature reserve in the Bolton Borough - Moses Gate Country Park. Made up of old mill lodges, native woodlands, sections of the now disused Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal system, with the River Croal also running through the park, and converging with the River Irwell a mile or two downstream. Rock Hall at Moses Gate Country Park Crompton Lodges, named a...

  I had a week off work at the beginning of October. As is the case at that time of year, the weather was forecast to be quite changeable - but there was a break in the weather forecast for a couple of days, and a camping trip was in order. The Scottish Highlands, a seven-hour drive away, were a bit far out of reach, but the Galloway hills, just over the England-Scotland border, were much more manageable. Heading straight up the M6 through Lancashire and Cumbria, the 'Welcome to Scotland' sign appeared a few miles before Greta, and my junction, from where I took the A75 west, through rolling fields and countryside and past Dumfries. At the small town of Crocketford, I turned off, following the A712 - also known as The Queen's Way', right into the Galloway Forest Park. My first stop, a few miles past Clatteringshaw's Loch, and just off the main road was the Red Deer Range. A small 'outpost' for viewing the local deer herd. The hide on site was closed due to c...