Ray`s Blog

Hares on the farm.

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:57:53 GMT

European Brown Hares are widespread across lowland agricultural and pastoral areas throughout mainland Britain, with particularly strong populations in East Anglia, Kent, and southern and central England. They are also found across much of lowland Scotland, parts of Wales and the Isle of Orkney, although they become scarce towards the far north of Scotland and are uncommon in Northern Ireland.

My particular quarry, however, was a Lincolnshire farm, where the open agricultural landscape provided an excellent setting for photographing these remarkable and increasingly iconic British mammals.

On the evening in question, I was alone on the farm — just me and the hares. My chosen viewpoint was an open area of scrub, with tall crops forming a backdrop. This was where the hares would emerge from and retreat into whenever they felt the need for cover.

I also placed a remote camera in an attempt to capture some additional video footage of the hares from a different perspective. Unfortunately, this proved to be a complete failure.

After what had been the driest summer on record, the heavens suddenly decided to open that evening, and the resulting downpour left the lens of the remote camera covered in water droplets, effectively putting an end to that particular experiment!

As can be seen in the image above, the hare was absolutely soaked by the rain. Despite being drenched, however, he and his fellow hares were still remarkably full of life, continuing to move around the fields and make the most of the evening.

All of the images featured in this blog were taken using a 600mm lens with a 1.4× extender, giving me the reach needed to photograph the hares while keeping a respectful distance and allowing them to behave naturally.

A good number of hares were present throughout the evening, and at one point I had five hares in front of me at the same time .

They were completely unfazed by the weather, happily feeding, running around and generally enjoying themselves, despite the persistent rain. It was a wonderful sight to watch, and being alone in the field with them made the experience even more special.

The pair in the image above seemed particularly “loved up” . They spent a considerable amount of time together, sitting close in the grass, appearing to nuzzle and “kiss”, before feeding alongside each other and occasionally chasing one another around. It was a lovely interaction to watch and certainly made for some memorable photographs.

Sometimes tracking the hares while they were running was certainly not easy.

They are incredibly fast and agile animals, capable of reaching speeds of up to 45 mph (72 km/h) in short bursts when escaping predators.

Trying to keep a fast-moving hare in the viewfinder while shooting at 600mm with a 1.4× extender certainly tested my tracking skills!

Whether it was a hare running at full speed, pausing to sit quietly in the grass, or simply feeding, there was no question that these remarkable animals made fantastic photographic subjects.

T heir speed, character and unpredictable behaviour provided endless opportunities, and every encounter offered something different to capture.

As can be seen in the image above, the rain is clearly visible. During my five-hour session, the heavens opened on three separate occasions.

Although the rain undoubtedly added atmosphere to the images, with the droplets hanging in the air and covering the hares’ coats, it unfortunately ruined the video footage from my remote camera .

The water droplets left on the lens meant that what could have been some interesting additional footage was instead little more than a collection of blurred, rain-covered scenes.

This little guy sat right in front of me for quite some time, completely unconcerned by my presence, while he preened and washed his face.

Of the five hares I saw that evening, he was by far the smallest, which made him particularly endearing to watch. He seemed perfectly content to sit there grooming himself, providing me with a wonderful opportunity to capture some more intimate images.

Although the video footage from my remote camera was unfortunately ruined by the rain, I did manage to capture some video on my main camera. So, despite the weather conspiring against me, the evening wasn’t a complete loss from a video point of view!

Until the next time.......

Beavers, Beavers and more Beavers

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:09:37 GMT

It has been a considerable while since I wrote a blog post, so here goes!!

Few wildlife encounters are as rewarding as watching a beaver at work. Emerging quietly from the water as daylight fades, these shy yet industrious mammals demonstrate remarkable engineering skills, felling trees with astonishing precision and constructing dams that reshape entire ecosystems. Their glossy brown fur, distinctive flat tail, and calm, purposeful behaviour make them a captivating subject for wildlife photographers. Patience is often rewarded with intimate moments of feeding, swimming, grooming, or carrying branches, offering a glimpse into the secretive life of one of Britain's most successful wildlife reintroductions.

I have been extremely fortunate to gain access to this very private and closely guarded location. Arriving late in the afternoon, the journey itself is part of the experience. The site can only be reached by 4x4 vehicle due to the challenging terrain.

Access is strictly controlled. Passing through the locked security gate is one of the final hurdles before entering the site, the other being the need to negotiate a high-voltage electric fence that surrounds the entire area. These measures ensure the location remains both secure and undisturbed, preserving its unique character and the wildlife that inhabits it.

After a short walk through the woodland, you arrive at the water's edge. Photography is undertaken from well-positioned pop-up hides located directly opposite the beaver lodge, providing an exceptional viewpoint without disturbing the animals in their natural environment.

The focal distance to the lodge is relatively short, making my 400mm f/2.8 lens the ideal choice for the evening. Its wide maximum aperture was invaluable in the low-light conditions beneath the woodland canopy, allowing me to continue photographing well into the evening as the light gradually faded. The combination of reach, sharpness and outstanding low-light performance made it the perfect lens for this unique wildlife encounter.

My first sighting came shortly after 7:00 pm, when what was believed to be a sub-adult male emerged from the lodge. Like the others that would appear later in the evening, he spent much of his time feeding on freshly cut willow branches floating in the water.

After feeding for several minutes, he collected a substantial willow stem and swam back to the lodge, presumably to provide food for the kits waiting inside. A short time later, he reappeared and resumed feeding, seemingly undisturbed by my presence in the hide.

Not long afterwards, the adult male joined him. The pair fed enthusiastically together, stripping bark and leaves from the willow with remarkable speed and efficiency. Watching these powerful yet surprisingly graceful animals at such close quarters was a fascinating insight into the social behaviour and family life of one of Britain's most remarkable mammals.

This image is probably my favourite photograph from the entire session. As far as I could establish, this was the adult male, and he gave me a wonderful opportunity to capture him in his natural surroundings.

He was quietly working his way through the willow, feeding and moving between the branches in the water. There is something particularly special about this image for me; the combination of his relaxed posture, the detail in his wet fur and the soft evening light really captures the character of this remarkable animal.

Rather than simply being a portrait of a beaver, I feel the image tells a little of the story of the encounter — an adult male going about his evening routine, completely at home in his watery environment. Capturing moments like this, where the animal is behaving naturally and seemingly unaware of the photographer's presence, is what makes wildlife photography so rewarding.

The feeding continued well into the evening, eventually carrying on until the light had faded to the point where it was simply too dark to capture any more images.

From my observations throughout the evening, I believe I was fortunate enough to have visits from five different beavers. Each appearance offered something slightly different, with the animals coming and going, feeding on the willow and returning to the lodge before emerging again.

For me, this made the whole experience particularly memorable. Sitting quietly beside the water and watching these animals go about their natural evening routine, with no interference or disturbance, was a privilege in itself. The photography was almost secondary to simply being there and witnessing their behaviour as the evening gradually slipped into darkness..

The video below was something of an experiment. It was filmed entirely using a GoPro HERO, rather than my main camera equipment, to see what could be achieved in the increasingly challenging evening light.

Although the image quality and control are obviously very different from a dedicated wildlife camera setup, the GoPro did allow me to continue recording for a little longer as the available light began to disappear. Its ability to capture something in these low-light conditions provided an interesting record of the beavers continuing their evening activity, even after it had become too dark for conventional photography.

For me, the video is less about producing a technically perfect piece of footage and more about documenting the experience — capturing a glimpse of what was happening on the water after the light had faded and the stillness of the evening had really set in.

One thing is certain — this will not be my last visit. There is something incredibly special about sitting quietly beside the water, watching these remarkable animals emerge and go about their evening routine. I hope to return again soon, camera ready, and perhaps discover even more of their fascinating behaviour.

And so, until the next time…

Working with the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust .

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 20:39:42 GMT

I am pleased and honored to have been asked by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust to become a volunteer Photographer for them...

Buy me a coffee

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 22:02:10 GMT

About Ray Kilham

A wildlife photographer based in Northamptonshire.

I just created a page here. I would be grateful if you could support me by buying me a coffee. Your support is greatly appreciated.

My name is Ray Kilham and I'm a wildlife photographer based in Northamptonshire.

I'm passionate about all things nature and in particular Wildlife Photography. I created my website so I could share it with you. If you enjoy my images why not consider buying me a coffee and help support mel!!�� Thanks so much for your support.

Night time Tawny Owls

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 09:10:49 GMT

An Owlet from this years clutch.

Collaboration with the Rutland Osprey project

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 22:12:09 GMT

250th Successfully Fledged Osprey Chick

Recently, I was contact by the Osprey project at Rutland water and asked if i could provided images for the to use to celebrate "250th Successfully Fledged Osprey Chick", well to my amazement and delight they have used images supplied on there latest webpage https://www.lrwt.org.uk/.../250th-successfully-fledged... furthermore, they are using some of my images in media releases to the press and television, proud or what....

Beyond group 16th annual exhibition

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 21:25:15 GMT

Beyond Group 16th annual exhibition

This exhibition normally very hard to get an acceptance in, I submitted the maximum of four, and to my surprise, three out of the four where accepted - happy days.

Local camera club awards night

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 19:54:16 GMT

These are the results of a year of hard work....

Best Overall colour print award

Best nature print

Various other awards

Happy and surprised....

Sat, 18 Feb 2023 14:14:46 GMT

Happy and surprised....

Happy and Surprised from a Saturday afternoon to check me email and find this....

Feeding Buzzard

rayk.666@btopenworld.com (R Kilham) — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 16:59:18 GMT

Buzzard on a kill

New video, just published on YouTube of Buzzard feeding on a kill...... https://youtube/gngHbWjM4gA

Vallerret Apparel

rayk.666@btopenworld.com (R Kilham) — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:33:04 GMT

New Vallerret Apparel

The time has come.

From the company who brought you the best winter photography gloves, now offer Merino wool winter clothing.

Vallerret brings you the best in quality, comfort, warmth, and style so you can continue to capture your images all winter long.

Vallerret Photography gloves

rayk.666@btopenworld.com (R Kilham) — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:25:19 GMT

RAKphotographic is very please to announce that we have been appointed as a Vallerret associate, if you a photographer who ventures out in the winter, these gloves will offer you the best protection you can get.

Having warm hands starts with keeping your body core warm.

Kingfisher behaviour

rayk.666@btopenworld.com (R Kilham) — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 22:07:01 GMT

New video, just uploaded to YouTube...

Just click on the above image to view latest YouTube video showing Kingfisher behaviour, showing calling and fishing.

Farmyard Little Owls.

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 20:48:44 GMT

on the hottest day of the year...

Again, another early start and long drive ahead, farmyard in Suffolk this time was the destination.

This time, I had been invited to a working farmyard with a home to a family of little owls, as it turned out, I had chosen what turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far to sit in a hide 30+° !!!!

Capturing the Wild, One Shot at a Time Join me on a journey through nature and photography.

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 21:52:49 GMT

The start of a brand new blog...

To coincide with launch of this brand new website platform, I have imported the content from my previous "Blogger" page... please take the time to enjoy, thank you for your visit.

Until the next time...

Little owlet with parent...

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 07:10:33 GMT

A Little owlet being feed by it`s male parent....

What a hoot.....

Sun, 23 May 2021 22:13:36 GMT

A day spent in the company of owls....

Been quite on the blog front of late, but here is one from yesterday.....

This day had been in the planning for a number of months, but due to Covid 19it has to be rescheduled a number of times.

So up at 5am, to leave the house by 6am set for a drive of around 2.5 hours....

Arriving on site just after 8.30am I was soon greeted by my host, just after 9am, down to business....

And what a cracker to start the day, a fantastic male Tawny Owl framed by the undergrowth, could things get better???

Next, what better than a Barn Owl, the silent hunter..

Framed in the hollow of a dead tree, with just a small amount of green undergrowth to aid the composition - perfect, after this, she moved to a old fence post wrapped in barbed wire....

Now my attention turned to a Long Eared Owl sitting framed in the "V" of an old tree, the surrounding vegetation created fantastic soft light, what more could I have asked for......

At this point , lunch was called for, it was now around 12.30pm, breakfast was a distant memory from 5am, now what to end the day with, the little fella, a male little owl, with his reflection....

What a day, t he camera went away around 4pm, now the nice prospect of the 2.5 hour drive, only the though of what was on the memory card made it better.

For information, all images shot on a Canon 1DX MKII with a 600mm F4L MKII lens, except the Little which was taken with a 70/200mm F2.8.

Until next time.....

More work with Kestrels...............

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 22:14:34 GMT

and a new hide...

I have been working a new location now for several weeks now which features Kestrel's and Red Kites and predominate species, I have a large normal hide, but I wanted something smaller, portable and lighter that could be deployed quickly.

After doing some research I settled on the "Nitehawk", this available on Amazon, but also the manufactures do sell direct to the public, this was the way to go, delivery was made in 24 hours, great service.

Now the hide itself is a pop-up hide with an integrated chair, which when you are spending a number of hours on it, comfort is very important, and for my first six hour session in it, it was fine. Inside the hide, it has four small windows, two on each side, these are done up with zips, and can be opened as needed to provide ventilation and observation spaces.

The main window at the front opens in two places, as seen in the image above, it opens fully, a way I would not use, but when this is zipped up, their is a smaller unzippable window within it, it is a a perfect height went seated, all I did was with the aid of some self adhesive velcro, I fitted a piece of scrim netting so I could not be seen by the wildlife, but it enabled me to see out, this small modification turned a good hide into a even better one, the hide comes in its own carry bag which if needed will go on your back with the two straps, also included were pegs for holding down in strong winds. - All in all , a good and recommended product, that came with good service, you can find it here Nitehawk

Ok, now to the wildlife, on the day the Red Kites did not really come in close enough to get any decent shots, but I had the company of two Kestrels on the day.

The nice thin g about this location is, a number of tree`s have been cut down, thus providing a wealth of different perches to use.

After visiting this location now a number of times, it seems the the Kestrels follow the same pattern, the come in, sit on some telephone wires then dive down on the prey from their.

The action st arted within 30 minutes of so after setting up, I am please to say that it carried on through the day, at one point I did not know which way to turn, I had a bird both on the left and the right at the same time.

A pattern was emerging, the bird would land on the wire, wait for a while to make sure it was safe, dive down on the prey, start to feed on it their, then is would take the prey away into the long grass to finish feeding.

I have alread y checked out next week ends weather forecast, planning my return..until the next time.

After many weeks of hard work.........

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 22:28:34 GMT

and a different hide...

This day so very nearly didn't take place, so firstly, I have to give a big shout out and thanks to Tragopan , I used their V6 hide, a day or so before I was due to go, I open the hide to check something, to shock and surprize, I found one of the arms on the frame snapped in half, how this took place I had no idea, so as this the only hide I have, what to do, so pictures and email to Tragopan , very quick response, no problem, a free of charge replacement frame would be sent, thanks.

Now a running repair was needed to get me over the problem until the new frame arrived, in my shed I found a bolt more of less the correct side, I remove the head with a hacksaw, coated both ends of the bolt in Araldite, and left it to set. This has worked sort of, the hide does go up, a little bit of a strange shape, but it will do to be going on with.

Right, back t o the story, I have been working this location for weeks, feeding and putting up perches, getting some shots, but not really a 100% of what I wanted, today I needed to get really concealed, hence the reason for the hide, so everything was set, the day started very slow, with just a few small birds around and a few lapwing, in the distance the odd Red Kite could been seen.

Now about where I have the main perch is a phone line, now a Kestrel has been around for a while, he came to settle on the line directly above the perch, watching him, I knew, just knew what he was going to do........

My hard work was starting to pay off. After he grabbed the chicken he flew off in the direction of some long grass for cover, knowing the area, i knew that if I didn't press the shutter then, I might lose sight of him in the long grass.

Luck was with me, I managed to get a series of shots with him in flight before he went down. I knew were he had landed, but to the cover, he could only be seen occasionally, therefore it was a waiting game, until....

I think it wa s the speed of the wind that unnerved him, but he was feeding well. All in all, a good day, worth the effort, will be returning to the venue shortly, just hoping the hide holds out till the new frame arrives.

Again, many thank s to Tragopan for their first class service.

Until the next time...

Short Eared Owls.

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 23:00:05 GMT

A " lock down " product....

This years action with the Short Eared Owls has been slow, what with "lock-down", there just seems to be a general shortage of birds around this winter. As, any of you who know me, where it come`s to owls, that is my first love.

When I was given information regarding the location of three birds, the temptation was too great to resist, gear packed - gone........The owls were located in a 255 acres of what is called "regenerated green space" a drive of around an hour and three quarters saw me on site, luckily, a good friend of mine had provided me details of the exact location at the site, as can be seen from the image below, it could have been a "needle in a haystack job" otherwise.

The birds nor mally made an appearance anytime after around 1pm, before lockdown, I had made a number of visits to this site, only to be let down once with a no show, but on this particular day, someone was smiling at me, good light, no real wind, and three birds up in the air.

The owl in the shot below, came in so close, I did have to actually "duck" as it came in so low over my head, I could nearly reach out and touch it - it seemed to want to pose for the camera.

For quite a w hile it seemed more than happy just to sit and have it`s picture taken, how a bird of that size could balance upon such a small branch is quite a feat.

The action continued unabated throughout the afternoon, with in excess of 300 images being taken, , quite a number of other photographers by now had arrived, sorry to say, a number of these were, "bird chasers", wherever the bird went, they chased it with their lens, chasing the birds around like this is not good for them.

The action cu lminated with the image above, the owl, being backlit against the setting sun, I have titled this shot "Angel" , for me, it was my favourite shot of the day, soon after this image was taken, the sunset behind a hill taking with it the last light of the day.

I know the owls are still on site at present, but due to current restrictions, at present I cannot return....

Until the next time...

Red Kites on the hill.

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 23:11:31 GMT

A country hideaway....

The title of this blog post may give things away, "Red Kites on the hill " I had been put on to a location in Oxfordshire were a hill has a valley either side of it, the way the land has been formed gives a natural "updraft" for the Kites to hover upon to hunt.

Arriving at t he location, no birds were present, but I had been told, wait until 9.30am - strange - well more or less around that time the birds started to appear out of nowhere. Choosing a place to set up giving me the sun coming in over my left shoulder was perfect.

A number of t imes, I lost count of the number of birds that were in the air, hovering, swooping, diving and hunting, action taking place all me constantly.

I was getting hungry now, breakfast had been hours since, but I was mindful, I had been told watch your sandwiches, they will swoop to try and take them, they did twice, when you see a adult Red Kite diving towards you with a wingspan of around 5 feet you duck, this I had to do twice.

You can see from the image above, they were very successful at hunting, over the course of the summer, I visited this location a number of times, each time coming away with some fantastic images, on one occasion, a good friend of mine accompanied me, he to was successful and likewise, enthralled with the action.

Condition's allowing, this is on the cards for visits this coming summer.

Until the next time...

Norfolk seals.

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 09:19:09 GMT

Time spent on the beach

The rugged North Norfolk coast, holds many attractions for the photographer, the one I came here today for was the seals, a 2.5 hour journey for me from home.

There is something special about getting out onto the beach early in the morning on your own - silence and solitude......only broken by the sound of the waves.

For the majority of the day, apart from the odd dog walker, I had the beach to myself, not one other photographer.

This time of the year, the seal pups were not yet born, so just the adults laying around on the beach, taking in the sun, or just playing around in the surf

If you think, a common average weight for a grey seal in Great Britain was found to be about 233 kg (514 lb) for males and 154.6 kg (341 lb) for females, you certainly would not want to get in the way. Grey seal mothers haul out onto the beaches between October and January to give birth.

They spend three weeks weaning their new born pups with fatty milk before abandoning them and mating again.

For me, watching the seals in the surf is possibly the most interesting part of the day, seeing the surf crashing around them whilst they continue to play together is a fascinating site.

A number of people think fight they are going to cause damage to each other, the "play" fighting is just part of their social interaction.

Sadly, the day was over all to soon, a long journey home was in front of me, but knowing from the 500+ shots II had in the bag, the effort had all been worth while.

Until the next time....