Welcome to my home, the very watery world of Poole Harbour, on this beautiful part of the south coast of England.
This huge, natural harbour is a haven for wildlife, both resident and migrant, especially on it’s sparsely populated southern shores.
This is a tidal world, with the tides (along with the two rivers Frome & Piddle) breathing life into the harbour with each ebb and flood.
Heathland dominates the landscape to the south.
The thousand year old Corfe Castle (above) sits here.
Looking the other way is Middlebere, the featured image (top) of this post.
Birds are a particular love of mine and the mudflats revealed at low tide make ideal feeding grounds for numerous species – especially waders.
Alongside landscapes I have created some including the birds – the aim being to show them within their environment here.
Pictured above are a flock of Lapwing (great acrobats of the air) over Lytchett Fields, an area to the north of the Harbour that floods at high tide.
The majority of these photographs are taken at dawn. A wonderful, peaceful time to be out. The light is often fascinating and, on occasions, beautiful…but invariably short lived.
It’s a good challenge to branch out from photographing human movement and concentrate on wildlife, especially birds in flight. Smaller and I have zero control!
Top: A Marsh Harrier hunting with Wareham church in the distance.
Above: Brownsea Island (where the Scouts began).
Two photographs of the amazing Godwits above. The lower showing flocks over Poole Quay heading in the direction of Holes Bay.
The first photograph below is of a lone Curlew in Whitley Lake by Sandbanks pre-dawn. The second is of a Greenshank among gulls at dawn.
By photographing in this populated north-eastern part of the Harbour I wanted to show that it is the birds’ home too, not just ours.
There is a good reason why the Harbour is home to, and frequented by, so much bird life.
Not just the fact it is incredibly shallow (often not much more than a meter) making food easily accessible.
But that it is only these north-eastern shores that are heavily populated by humans.
To create these photographs I have kept my kit relatively simple to be able to travel light and be ready.
Using my second camera exclusively (Canon 5dii), I don’t mind it braving the elements, and mostly a 24-105 f4 lens.
A tripod and shutter release was used for the landscapes. Below: Sanderling on the incoming tide.
Finally a Peregrine Falcon (below) on the Barclays Building top balcony in Poole town centre.
A good note to end on as they went on to successfully breed three chicks there this spring.
To see and buy my favourite prints of the harbour, please visit my online wilds gallery.
Commissioning photography
If you would like to enquire about commissioning Simon, please contact me directly and I will be happy to discuss your proposal:
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