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Untitled
This old building stands on the edge of the River Severn near Awre on the outskirts of the Forest of Dean. It was shot in infra-red over a 2 minute period, then converted to black and white. The building is stood in a field of long grass. There was a howling wind, which helped create all the cloud and grass movement, and was probably responsible for my eyes swelling up in the evening!
Suggestions for a title welcomed :)
Summer Exhibition
My second exhibition in the Forest of Dean is now underway at the Dean Heritage Centre (www.deanheritagecentre.com), and runs until July 29th, featuring landscapes and wildlife of the Forest of Dean. All pictures on display are available to purchase. To see a wider selection of work from around the UK, please visit www.benlockephotography.co.uk
This piece of old rope is attached to the putcher frames on the River Severn at Awre.
This piece of old rope is attached to the putcher frames on the River Severn at Awre.
Awre Sunset
From the banks of the River Severn at Awre, on the outskirts of the Forest of Dean, as the sun sets.
Tusker's Return
A close-up view of 'Tusker', the large male wild boar that I photographed a couple of weeks ago. I'll try to make sure the next picture I upload to the blog is something other than wild boar - there seems to have been a lot of that lately!
2 weeks later...
Two weeks since my last post, when I posted footage of the new-born wild boar, less than a day old, I managed to catch up with them again. They've since left the nest they were born in, and are having fun exploring the forest in the care of a group of 4 sows, including their mother.
The video shows the piglets playing, play-fighting and suckling milk.
Old Tusker and the new-borns
I've been busy lately with various wildlife projects, not least the wild boar here in the Forest of Dean. This picture shows a huge male boar. He's stood next to a 'normal' sized adult female, so you can see the size difference. Here's a shot of him sharpening his tusks on a tree...
Here's a short video of him. He does a yawn exposing his tusks, and a shake and a stretch. He's been busy the last few days as he's been desperate to mate with one of the females in the group. When I first saw him he was frothing at the mouth and quite aggressive - classic signs of a rutting boar, even though it's not normal rutting time at the moment.
While 'Old Tusker' was busy trying to sow the seeds of new life, one of the females in the group was preparing for new life herself, and yesterday she gave birth :) It was a real treat to see the piglets on their first day, however viewing was very limited as they're in a 'nest' of dead fern and bracken near some dark trees. Getting closer would have been risky to both myself and, more importantly, the piglets themselves. There are currently 4 sows caring for these little ones. This morning the sows were covered in frost where they led, as they kept the piglets warm. Here's a little bit of video of them as they scrambled over the sows trying to find something to suckle...
Old Tusker and the new-borns, originally uploaded by Ben Locke (Ben909).
Wild boar video
A video of a sounder of six wild boar in the forest, including a particularly large male.
Beyond Dreams
This was taken from the rock shelves of the River Severn at Awre on the outskirts of the Forest of Dean during sunset.
Roe Deer
This roe buck was photographed in the Forest of Dean after an already successful day looking for adders and wild boar. Although the roe is by no means rare, it's rare to see them here in the Forest of Dean so I was particularly pleased to see this one.
FOD Visitor Guide
A couple of wild boar piglets that I photographed last year, now being used for the cover of the 2012 Forest of Dean Visitor Guide.
Spring 2012 Wild Boar Piglets
It's been a while since I posted anything to the blog. I've found 3 different groups of wild boar with piglets so far this year. This shot was taken last week. I was going to go out again today, but after a week of warm(ish) sunny days, it's now snowing!
Still
This session didn't start off well, because as soon as I arrived I realised I'd left behind my remote shutter release. So I was stuck with having to manually hold down the shutter throughout each long exposure. I actually surprised myself with the sharpness of the results, considering my hands were getting colder throughout. I thank my tripod for its sturdiness, rather than any zen-like ability of mine to not move a muscle.
Anyway, this is from the banks of the River Severn from Garden Cliff, looking towards Arlingham on the other side.
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