|   These
sketches were drawn at the talk East Midlands Wildlife given
by wildlife photographer Danny Green at this month's
meeting of Wakefield Naturalists' Society. I think that you can tell even
from these jottings in the dark how much character, humour, action and
behaviour Danny gets into his photographs. No wonder he got a 'highly
commended' in last year's Wild Photographer of the Year Competition
for his picture (right), taken in Bradgate Park, of a rather
overdressed red deer stag in the rutting season.
The Honey Trap
He tells us of the preparations that go into getting these spontaneous-looking
shots. In order to photograph fox cubs at the den he
put down peanuts and honey. One cub, which had a sweet tooth was always
the first to turn up in front of the hide for this treat.
The local badgers soon got to know of the handout and
for two weeks Danny found himself photographing fox cubs all day and badgers
all night.
 Where
the Wild Things Are
 He's
developed a deep, practical knowledge of animal behaviour and habitat
and of the seasons and times of day that are best for photographing particular
subjects. One shot of a dragonfly in flight took two
sessions and roll after roll of slide film to capture. Danny has now gone
over to digital but, at the time, to get two perfect shots it cost him
over £300 in film and processing.
Another dragonfly, its wings glistening in morning dew, involved a very
early start: you need to be up at 4 a.m. on a summer's day to catch them
like this, says Danny; leave it until midday, he explains, and the dragonflies
have warmed up and are so active that you haven't got a chance of catching
them at rest.
You can take a look at some of his stunning photographs at his website
(see link, below) and, if you get the chance, try and get to
one of his entertaining talks. 
Link
Danny Green
Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk
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