Birds Archives — Jonathan Smithies Wildlife Photography

Pushing creativity

2 July 2023 In Birds Daily Photos

I am really proud of this picture! I worked really hard to compose this image with a completely natural frame. My creative style as a photographer is evolving towards these...

Warblers for Easter

14 April 2023 In Birds Trips

On Easter Sunday this year, I established a new 2 year running tradition by heading to Surrey to visit Thursley Nature Reserve with a view to finding and photographing the iconic...

Treecreeper at RSPB Nagshead

13 April 2023 In Birds Daily Photos

This bird has been on my hit list for a long time! I’ve only photographed it once before but I managed to accidentally switch my camera from RAW to JPEG meaning I couldn’t...

Kingfisher at Slimbridge WWT

15 February 2023 In Birds Daily Photos

Towards the end of a day spent at Slimbridge WWT with friends, I spotted the kingfisher at the edge of one of the ponds in the centre of the reserve. This image was an exercise...

Goldcrest glowing in sunlight

5 February 2023 In Birds Daily Photos

I really enjoy shooting through habitat, especially in backlit situations. You can afford to be really creative when working with good light and cooperative subjects. On this...

Goldcrest in pine

28 January 2023 In Birds Daily Photos

On a recent trip to my local nature reserve I came across 2 or 3 Goldcrests flitting and feeding between 3 pine trees. I see these birds regularly as they are a common species...

Starling murmuration

15 January 2023 In Birds Trips

On Friday afternoon I went down to RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset with the intention of photographing a starling murmuration. When I went last year, I had built it up in my head...

A charming burst of colour

11 January 2023 In Birds Daily Photos

It is a particularly special thing to be surrounded by a charm of goldfinches. I forget how many there were exactly, but I would guess 5 or 6. Flying between two patches of bushy...

Swallows in bloom

30 May 2022 In Birds Trips

Travelling internationally as a wildlife photographer comes with its own very unique set of challenges, not least of which is lugging around large, expensive and heavy camera...

Chasing warblers at Minsmere

16 June 2021 In Birds Trips

Over the June half term I drove 6 hours across the country to the Suffolk coast to visit a natural paradise for birds and wildlife, RSPB Minsmere. The reserve boasts a wide...

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