Not so much now, but previously was lucky enough to live in a property that had a great garden, with hedges instead of fences and even had a small pond. The amount of wildlife that passed through was much greater than any other fenced garden I have known. I managed to capture a fair few different things in our brief year there.

The birds that visited took much of my attention (as did the squirrels), and I couldn’t help but put food out for them. They had the pond and plenty in nature, but a helping hand here and there doesn’t hurt does it?

The robins seem to get the hint that they should hand around for some photos, and wonderfully a baby robin dropped by as well.

I even caught him having an early bath one day. The blackbirds and sparrows also frequented the pond, it seems they all got along quite well.

Having the time and such a great garden at my disposal was a real treat. It’s not the same going out and about to try and find wildlife. Being able to see the same things and set up in different weathers and conditions was great. It changed every day and each time there were different flowers opening, or different bugs and insects. There isn’t enough available out and about for a photographer like me, I don’t always get the time to stand around waiting for the perfect shot or to get the angle I might like. And I end up feeling self conscious in public when I should be concentrating on the photo. I have a small garden now and have been treated to butterflies, caterpillars and one dragonfly whizzed through, but nothing like a less restricted garden would bring. So I dream of having a nicer garden again so I can capture the awesomeness of nature.

(c) K Wicks