The Chignal Jester

The Chignal Jester stands proudly on its head.

Has someone turned this tree upside-down as some kind of April fool? The ash tree in this photo, taken in rural Essex, certainly looks topsy-turvy. The short stout trunk ends in a blunt and lumpy way (as a result of pollarding) and the winter-bare, spreading branches above it strongly resemble roots. A number of gnarled, veteran ash trees can be found throughout the farmland around Chelmsford, but this one near the Chignals was particularly photogenic. Its trunk catches the winter sunshine, and its branches seem to embrace the blue sky. It presides over both the country lane and fields beside it, but the other trees distant in the background place it in context: this tree is one of many dotted through the agricultural landscape, and these provide added interest and a huge benefit for wildlife (providing food for butterflies and moths, for example).

Rainbow Over Roding

Even the rainy days have their rainbows. This photo was taken in the Roding Valley, and shows a double rainbow over the wet meadows and fen of the Nature Reserve that runs along the River Roding near Loughton and Chigwell, Essex, England. The reserve follows the river for roughly a mile and a half, and in addition to providing a place for the Roding to flood (thus alleviating some of the flooding pressure downstream) the reserve also contains a number of important plant and animal species. The nature reserve contains the the largest remaining area of water meadows in Essex, according to Essex Wildlife Trust. I like the warmth of the late light here bathing the bare trees and shrubs, and picking out the sere grasses in the background.

To Beeches in Winter

Happy New Year to all of our readers and customers! 

It may be hard to believe we are into January 2014 now with the weather conditions remaining unusually warm (although very wet and windy) here in the UK. However, this wet and warm spell may end very soon as forecasters warn that the bitter Arctic snap which has been affecting the US will be making its way to British shores as we move into next week. So, we may finally see some snow this winter!

Snow and sunny skies last winter at High Beach in Epping Forest, Essex

Here is a wintry photo to get you all in the mood for the Arctic snap. "To Beeches In Winter" comes from my stock of images taken last winter, and although it didn't feature in the Epping Forest in Winter post or the Spring Clean Winter Photos collection it is still very high up on my list of favourite photos. The sky is a pure shade of blue, the snow shows the passage of many snow-crunching feet, and the grand, pollarded Beech tree in the foreground is balanced by a motley row of pollard trees in the background. The miniature family in the distance add a sense of scale, and a human perspective to the beautiful Epping Forest landscape.

Spring Clean - Winter photos

Spring is most definitely here in the UK, and we might be forgiven for hoping that the last of Winter's snow is behind us. I have been looking back over the photos I took over the Winter 2012-2013, and there are a few more that I'd like to share. Think of this as a kind of 'Spring Clean' now the warmer Spring weather is here! I also plan to expand the website Gallery in the near future, adding much more content and organising it into different themes, so keep your eyes open for updates.

A fractured Oak tree, catching the sunrise at Fairmead Bottom

 

Ancient Hornbeam Pollards by the wintry Ching Brook

 


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Agrarian Veteran

 
I took a turn about the fields in the Chignal Smealy area last Saturday, and managed to capture this photo of a stunning veteran tree. The only way is Essex countryside!

The weather was blustery and cold, and there were dark clouds looming overhead. I thought to capture some photos of the dramatic skies over the fields, but in Winter the arable fields can be quite bare. Then I happened across some charming old trees, or perhaps tree (the trunks may have been part of one coppice stool beneath the soil) beside a ditch. The knobbly, weathered trunk sported some dazzling lichens, a small ray of sunlight on a wintry day. The fresher branches arch out to the left with a delicate drapery of last year's seeds, more keys to the past seasons of growth. This tree had faced many cold Winters, and Summers fair, and I'm sure it had seen much from its position overlooking the agrarian activities of the neighbouring fields.

In Norse mythology, the world sits on an ash tree. The ash, Fraxinus excelsior, sounds rather grand when named in Latin, and indeed it can be a rather grand tree in form. Naturally these trees live to just 250 years or a little beyond, but some of the coppice stools will persist for much longer and some suggest that the older coppiced ash stools may be at least a thousand years old - amongst the oldest living things in Britain. Indeed these trees can be remarkably resilient, bouncing back from disasters like lightning or severe storms, and this can result in some contorted shapes and growth forms. Whilst the trunk itself may only be one or two centuries in age, it is possible that the stool or roots beneath the ground could be far more ancient in these cases. So while the tall maiden Ash trees may be most impressive in size, the more venerable trees may rather be those that have been brought low by men or circumstance.

For those who haven't heard, there is a threat to British ash trees, the Chalara fraxinea fungus or "ash dieback". This was first discovered over here last year, although it has been known in mainland Europe since the 1990s. If the disease has a similar impact in Britain as it has had in Denmark and Sweden, the British countryside could see a change as drastic as that caused by Dutch Elm disease forty to fifty years ago. To read more about ash trees and the Chalara fungus, you can read this Times article and visit this Woodland Trust page.

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Photography in Epping Forest in Winter

Yesterday was a very enjoyable day; I spent the day at the Epping Forest Field Centre up at High Beach, helping with a photography one-day course "Photography in Epping Forest in Winter". I volunteer at the Field Centre from time to time, and helping out with the course allowed me to also gain some more inspiration for my own photography.

The course was led by a very experienced photographer, John Price, who has worked in publishing, industry, corporate and, for the last ten years, in conservation as a photographer. I am a fan of the Fifty Favourite Trees book that John designed and photographed (a digital version can be found at www.favouritetrees.org), and when helping out on one of his previous photo courses I found him to be very knowledgeable, affable, and full of ideas for taking nature photos beyond the ordinary. Helping John on the course and offering some advice on Wildlife Photography was John Gooday, so all told there was a wealth of photographic knowledge for attendees to tap into.

The weather was fantastic for the morning walk, with snow and sun and a very blue sky indeed. We didn't wander too far from the Field Centre, but some of my favourite trees are in this part of the forest and there were many other things to photograph besides. Lunch was taken at the Kings Oak pub, beside a blazing fire. Things then clouded over somewhat in the afternoon, but by then we had finished taking photos and had returned to the centre to look at some of the images, and to discuss different ideas and techniques. Those attending the course ranged from complete beginners to people that use photography for their work, and yet I think that everyone found the day useful. It was interesting to see the variety of pictures that were captured, and the different perspectives and techniques that people used resulted in some very different images even though they were all walking the same route!

If anyone has the chance to attend one of John Price's photography courses in the future I would highly recommend them (keep an eye on Epping Forest Field Centre courses at www.field-studies-council.org). Particularly useful for beginner and intermediate level, but there are new ideas to be had for many a more experienced photographer.

Some more pictures from High Beach yesterday:

Warren Winter, and Merry Christmas

Two more Winter photos for you to enjoy!

In Epping Forest, on a slope of land leading down from Warren Hill to Whitehall Plain, on a wintry Wednesday when snow had fallen, I took these two photos. It was only 4pm and the sun was already westering, enough to create some beautiful soft lighting. Combined with the soft snow and soft clouds in "Warren Winter Snow", the second image is quite the opposite of the first in which a stark winter oak dominates. The lighting is also rather diametric, with the highlight of the first piece being the tracked-through snow beneath the tree in the lower part of the picture, and the light in the second piece arising from the sun and sun-drenched clouds at the top of the picture.

Much as I love the gentleness of the second photo, and the way the mogul-textured snowy landscape reflects the puffy cotton cloudscape up above, I love the first photo "Warren Wood Winter". Trees are fantastic in so many ways; this one here creates a strong focus, and the twiggy winter branches are a rough contrast to the smooth snow below. The spreading nature of the branches tell a story too, of light and life with room to reach and grow.

May winter be full of light and life for all of you, don't hibernate the whole season through!  
Merry Christmas to everyone, and all the best for the New Year.


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Lifebuoy at Loch Cuil Na Caillich

This photo was taken at Loch Cuil Na Caillich (loch of the nook of the old woman), also known as Aigas Loch, on the Aigas Estate in Inverness-shire. I travelled to Aigas for a job interview a fortnight past, and thought the place very pretty indeed (even in its wintry sub-zero state).

The first European Beavers, Castor fiber, in the Scottish Highlands in over four centuries were introduced to the loch here (see the Aigas website for more info). This occurred back in 2006, and although the beaver pair were enclosed they seem to have thrived within their two hundred acre space and have even had kits. Signs of beaver activity were ubiquitous during my circumambulation of the loch, from felled trees and signs of feeding through to tracks, dams and a veritable lodge. These were the first beavers in the Scottish Highlands in over four centuries

The loch is also utilised by other wildlife. Right here on the jetty, just to the left of the frame, we found and identified some Pine Marten scat. An otter was also spotted on the water that very morning. So even on a frigid, frosty morning, the deceptively placid loch can play host to a lively troupe of exciting animals.

On the surface, however, this is a peaceful photo of a calm loch. The surface of the water, where it is iced over, shows geometric striations. The jetty provides a man-made frame to the natural scene, with an additional anthropogenic detail in the form of the boathouse on the distant shore. The lifebuoy a splash of colour to focus on in the fore.

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