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REVIEW - Places to photograph - Fineshade woods (RSPB)

Place: Top Lodge, Fineshade woods
(Between Peterborough/Corby/Oakham), Northamptonshire. (RSPB/Forestry commission owned)

Date of visit: 21/02/09

Price for entry: Free (£2 daily car parking charge)

Notable features: Wildlife - Red kites, deer, woodland birds; Trails - 3 varied length walking trails, 5mile cycle route, 4mile horse trail.

A spur of the moment decision meant a trip to this woodland. We werent that hopeful of a sighting of red kites whilst there so it was a pleasant surprise to see one glide overhead when we first arrived. Although we didnt have cameras at the ready it was a lovely thing just to see. The light was finally on our side after such a long period of overcast weather so it looked hopeful for photography.

The trails are well kempt and even with the recent rainfall it was fairly easy going. We chose the middle length trail, this was a 3 mile round trip. It also meant a stop off at the wildlife hide which was a plus point.

• The woodland was a great place to wander around, great pictures presented themselves all the time and the general scenery offered great chances for bird pictures if you had a long enough lens. There was also a lot of scope for taking abstract shots of twisted trees etc with their lack of leaves at this time of the year.
  

• The wildlife hide was the best place for pictures though. It is a well built hide, unlike some others I've visited. It makes such a difference when you have a well built hide to sit in and it offers great views across a field area. This has lots of feeding stations and trees dotted around. According to the sightings book at the centre, deer have often been seen in this field and if we had seen them, the hide would give great views of this. Many woodland bird species can be spotted here, along with rabbits and squirrels. The hide really did offer a lot of views, with many windows available to look from.
  
• Also at the visitor centre there are useful facilities such as toilets and a cafe. There are also craft shops, a play area and loads of events happening regularly.

Evaluation:

I am pleased to say Fineshade woods is a lovely place to visit. Value for money is excellent, with nothing to pay except a minimal parking charge. For £2 you can stay all day and even have the chance of taking some great pictures, especially close up shots of the birds on their feeding stations. It would be great as a family day out or just a quiet walk alone. The people in the centre are friendly and the whole area seems well looked after.

FINAL SCORE

8/10

If you live anywhere near this woodland I cannot recommend enough taking a trip to see it for yourself. Its great value for money and offers a quiet an peaceful place to take photographs.

REVIEW - Places to photograph - Whipsnade zoo

Place: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable - Bedfordshire

Date of visit: 27/12/08

Price for entry:

Ticket Type	Price	Inc. £1.60 donation
Adult (16 – 59 years)	£13.90	£15.50
Child (3 – 15 years)	£10.90	£12.50
Under 3's	free	free
Concession (Student over 16, Senior over 60, Disabled)	£12.40	£14.00
Saver Ticket (2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult 3 children)	£44.60	£51.00

Notable features: Animals - Especially the new cheetah enclosure, lions, wolves, penguins and a lemur walk.


A major factor with my visit was to do with the weather. Obviously when visiting a zoo in the depths of winter you kind of expect there to be poor weather. The light was all wrong on the day, gloomy skies loomed and it didnt bode well for animal activity either. However there were still possibilities for photos.


The interesting aspect of Whipsnade is its policy for cars. It sits somewhere between a zoo and safari park. You are able to take your car with you and drive to designated stops/parking areas around the zoo but then you leave the car to look at the seperate enclosures. This was a welcome idea in the -1c day we were there.

• The first stop on our tour was the brown bears, it became apparent from this first view of an animal enclosure that some of the fences etc had been there for a while. Its not that it didnt look safe for the animals or that they didnt look well cared for, but the enclosure just didnt feel that welcoming for some reason. The bear was asleep and it turned out to be an anti-climax to the start of the day.

• This was followed by a visit to the penguins which proved to be much more exciting. Whipsnade has 3 species of penguin all living together in a pool overlooking a lovely view which really changes your first opinions. Rockhopper, Gentoo and the African penguin all coexist here. They offer great oportunities for photos, all posing for the camera and all sitting only an armslength away. (The rockhoppers can be seen here)
  

• The wolves were our next stop. Being one of my favourite animals I hoped to get at least a fleeting glimpse of one, but I was to be pleasantly surprised. A whole pack were spread across a large area, offering good views for pictures, providing you had a fairly large zoom or a telephoto lens. The advantage to this area was that although there was a wire fence surround, the path was raised in a central area, allowing you a full view of nearly the whole are they ran in. On a better day this could allow for great results and with a bit of patience a shot with a natural backdrop too. This was definately a thumbs up for a well thought out area. (Female wolf on the prowl)
  

• Whilst wandering round the zoo there is also a big chance of stumbling into some 'bonus' animals. These are free-roaming animals allowed to move around the park at will. Things such as peacocks and muntjac deer can be seen, but also more exotic species such as the patagonian hare. These shy creatures are littered all over the park and convey some great expressions. (Patagonian hare)
  

• Continuing on there are a herd of reindeer who live in a large paddock with fairly natural looking surroundings. It would be easy to get a good shot of them as they sit fairly still for the camera and are all fairly close to your lens. (Friendly reindeer)
  

• The noted lemur walk was open when we were there, although I think the lemurs were more interested in their heat lamp than us. If it had been a better day I think it would have provided for good pictures with its attractive surroundings. This part seemed to be newly refurbished.

• This refurbishment could also be seen in the new cheetah house. This had large windows, but even with these it did prove difficult to even view the cheetahs, let alone take pictures of them. There wasnt much chance of a shot unless you had a long telephoto and could find a clean part of the window to peer through.

• Although the lion exhibit was fairly similar to the cheetahs', they could be seen very well and gave some great expressions. They proved to be a highlight in the day. (Sleepy lion)
  

• The meerkats were also on top form for the day, coming out from their burrow to climb a large outpost. This gave a great chance for pictures as he stayed there for some time. The background line of trees allowed for a pleasing backdrop. (Meerkat lookout)
  

Evaluation:

Whipsnade offers a vaired visit with many opportunities for great photographs. It is a large park, holding over 2,500 animals. It is let down partially by its high entry price. Obviously there is a lot on show, but it will still put some people off. It does lend itself to a good family day out and in the summer I think it would be an even better option. All pictures featured on here were taken on the day I visited and you can see that even on a dull day there were usable pictures to be taken.

FINAL SCORE

7/10

Whipsnade offers a lot to photographers,
nearly all of its enclosures allow good open views
without bars and in natural surroundings.

Contacts:

WEB: http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/
PHONE: 01582 872171.

Picture of the day

One i took not long ago in a wood near my house.

Pictures for sale

Finally have an online gallery of things im looking to sell.

They can be found here:

www.clustershot.com/tomwalters

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