Moving further on south along the A38 corridor away from Branston Water Park you can find many more smaller Wetland areas created in a similar way each with differing amounts of wildlife. One of these is Croxall Lakes near Alrewas, run and managed by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust it boasts two large lakes and a large meadow/wetland area giving a slightly different habitat to what was available at Branston. You can find more info on the site by following the link Croxall-lakes, hear you can see how they have recently add new grave island to the reserve to give birds a new more secure roosting spot and areas more suitable for wadding birds. Below are photos captured from this visit.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 500secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 453mm
The first thing I noticed as soon as I step out of the car in the car park was the noise coming from hundreds of Canadian Geese that have taken up residence on the main lake, this was just the thing I was hoping to find because large migrating groups can produce good action photos (this visit I wouldn't be lucky enough to capture any unfortunately). As it was relatively late in the day the majority were siting out on the main island sunning themselves and preening in the last of the autumn light, the above shot captures this but I like the combination of colours and the warm light.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/11
Expo- 1000secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 500mm
Not a great photo of a Sparrowhawk but what it does show is that there is a diversity of smaller mammals and bird life to be found in the different environments found here.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 500secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 500mm
What I liked here was the way the Swans and Cows seemed to be mirroring each other creating a balanced natural image. This also hints at the use of cows to keep the grassland in tiptop condition but there has to be a balance struck because too many cows on wet ground would result more damage then good being done.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/5.6
Expo- 400secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 500mm
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/5.6
Expo- 320secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 500mm
The two images above I took as the day light began to fail and the Geese moved back out onto the water before flying away, I hope to catch them as they took flight but with the light going and the fact they moved far off back down the lake before leaving I didn't have chance. What I did get was a good shot to try and illustrate the sheer size of numbers here while the second is more trying to capture the beauty of the bird.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 500secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 250mm
Here I wanted to illustrate how the reserve sites in the surrounding landscape with nature and man having to find away to coexist in the limited space available.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/16
Expo- 640secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 18mm
Not many trees on the reserve but these I liked because they stand on there own on the grassland seeming quiet strange in there positioning. Almost seem a little alien in the surrounding because of the vastness of the open spaces surrounding them. Liked the way they appeared when back lite in this way.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 200secs
ISO- 640
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm
The most unusual sight to be found on the reserve is this, is it art or something more useful? Apparently if you are here at a specific time and date the suns light shines through the slit in the middle of the log, I'll have to take there word for it. Interesting use of the available space I suppose but why just have the one, you could have a whole area full of art work making it more of an attraction and making it a bit less of a strange thing to find at a nature reserve.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/11
Expo- 320secs
ISO- 640
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 18mm
One of the most important things about these areas is to make them accessible to the general public and by building a couple of hides on the site it makes this possible. These offer people the chance in any weather to be able to site and observe nature close up in some cases without disturbing the wildlife that your watching. Its about balancing the needs of the wildlife while keeping it accessible to people.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/5.6
Expo- 400secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 500mm
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/9
Expo- 800secs
ISO- 1250
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 300mm
The final to shots just reinforce the idea of numbers and how important places like this are to migrating birds during the Autumn and Winter months.
Overall it was a interesting place to visit although it isn't as well look after as Branston was and the pathways are best described as rural. The wildlife is far more timid because it isn't use to humans as much as a area locate closer to a populated area but on the upside there did appear to be far more migratory birds present, whether this is because they prefer this site or it could just be because we're another week into autumn. Still lacking the action shot I feel I need at this point to really bring the wildlife side of this assignment to life but I'm starting to build a picture of the wetland habitat and the life that needs it to survive.
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