Tag: birds

Swinton Bird of Prey – Photography Day

I went on a Photography Experience Day with my Father at Swinton Estate Bird of Prey in Ripon North Yorkshire on the 28th June 2026.

Quick Overview 📍 Location: Swinton Estate, Ripon
🌿 Habitat Type: Garden estate grounds, woodland, moorland, barns
🎯 Target Species: Birds of Prey
📅 Best Season: All year round
🕒 Best Time of Day: 10-4pm
💰 Cost: £120 each
📅 Booking Required: Yes, see website for dates

The experience includes a day (10am-4pm) photographing the Birds of Prey that live in the avairy at the Swinton Estate Hotel. The day is run by Jed Wee of Essence of Light Photography. Jed has been running the photography side of this experience for a while now and is very knowledable on the birds and the best way to compose your shots.

Albert - Barn Owl
Anthony - Little Owl
Apex - Eurasian Eagle owl (Juevenille)
Aziraphale - Great Horned Owl (Juevenile)
Button - Tawny Owl
Gay - Barn Owl
Maisie - Long Eared Owl
Nymeria - Snowy Owl
Sahara - Abyssinian Owl
Willow - Great Grey Owl

On this day we got the opportunity to photgraphy 10 owls.

  • Apex – Eurasian Eagle owl (Juvenile)
  • Button – Tawny Owl
  • Anthony – Little Owl
  • Gary – Barn Owl
  • Albert – Barn Owl
  • Nymeria – Snowy Owl
  • Maisie – Long Eared Owl
  • Aziraphale – Great Horned Owl (Juvenile)
  • Sahara – Abyssinian Owl
  • Willow – Great Grey Owl

The photography day included a light lunch at the Bivouac Cafe on the estate, this was excellent and plenty of tea & coffee to go around.

The day I went was very warm, I regreted not wearing a hat! Note to any follically challenged like myself – wear a hat in the summer if you go.

We started off in the morning around 10am with a group of 8 people. Apex the juvenile Eurasian Eagle Owl was first up, we did static shots of him as he is still learning the job.
We then had Button the Tawny Owl and took some shots in the wild flower garden which was in bloom and looked amazing. Lots of colours to create a nice background for the owl shots. We then drove with Jed and Mandy to the lunch site.

Following lunch, we headed to some abandoned barns on the estate and took Anthony the Little Owl and Gary the Barn Owl with us. These again were static shots within the barn to get some natural looking photos.

We then headed back to the estate and did some flight shots with Albert the Barn Owl, Nymeria the Snowy Owl and Maisie the Long Eared Owl. Before moving Maisie to the trees for some more static shots. We then had some time with Aziraphale the Great Horned Owl juvenile who has been raised with Apex as they’re a hatch day apart. He did a small amount of flying and then some static shots.

The day ended with some static shots of Sahara the Abyssinian Owl and Willow the Great Grey Owl.

All in all a great day out and I came away with over 4500 photographs to look through and I edited about 90 of these. I would defintley go back and do this at another time of the year to get some different type of shots with different weather.

Who Is This Best For?

✔ Beginners
✔ Advanced wildlife photographers
✔ Behaviour shooters
✖ Landscape photographers
✖ Portrait shooters

Camera Settings & Gear I Used

Body: Nikon Z8
Lens: Nikon Nikkor 180-600mm
Support (tripod/beanbag): Non
Typical Settings I use:

  • Shutter speed: Varies depending on static or flight shots
  • Aperture: F6.3
  • ISO setting: ISO640
  • Focal length: 180 to 600mm with the lens I used. Up to 400mm is ok.
0

Leeds Wildlife Photography Hide

I spent the day at Leeds Wildlife Photography Hide in Methley, West Yorkshire. This is the second trip so far this year, and I have another visit booked in for April with my father.

I’ve also been six times over the last two years. The hide is run by Ian, and he is very helpful and knowledgeable about the birds that visit the site. The prices are very reasonable as well.

Quick Overview

📍 Location: Leeds West Yorkshire
🌿 Habitat Type: Woodland
🎯 Target Species: Birds
📅 Best Season: All year round
🕒 Best Time of Day: All day
💰 Cost: £60 – £135
📅 Booking Required: Yes
👥 Max Photographers:  3

🔗 Website: https://www.leedswildlife.co.uk/

What Makes This Hide Unique?

The hide at Leeds is well set up, comfortable and has a wide selection of wildlife that visit all year around. The hide has one way glass so the birds can’t see the photographers.

The hide can seat 3 people with plenty of room for your gear and lunch bags. Gimbal heads and bases are provided for all three spaces. The seats are very comfortable and adjustable.

The hide is located in Methley Leeds which is not far from the M62 and M1. Access is really good and gravelled.

Setup & Shooting Conditions

Distance to Subjects

  • Minimum focal length: 200mm
  • Ideal focal length: 400mm (600mm for closeups)
  • Are birds predictable or erratic? The birds are predictable due to the food setup that Ian has perfected over the years.

Background Quality

  • Clean / natural / busy? As you can see from my shots, the background creates a good Bokeh affect throughout the year. Colour changes as the background foliage changes with the seasons.
  • Artificial perches? The perches are made from branches and look realistic in the shots.

Species You Can Expect

Regular Sightings

  • Sparrowhawk
  • Kestrel
  • Jay
  • Plenty of the usual British song birds all year round

Seasonal Highlights

  • Goldcrest, Cuckoo during spring

My Experience

  • What surprised you?
    The amount of species that the hide attracts through the year.
  • What frustrated you?
    There isn’t much that has frustrated me on my various visits.
  • Did the activity match expectations? Yes there is plenty of activity with the smaller birds all day long throughout the year. Even in poor weather there are plenty of visits. The raptors still make an appearance, but as with ay hide, wildlife is unpredictable. Even on this visit (07/03/2026) I still got 2 visits each from the Sparrowhawk and Kestrel and they stayed a good length of time.
  • Was it worth the price?
    Yes well worth the price. I paid £65 for the full day (0730-1530).

Camera Settings & Gear I Used

Body: Nikon Z8
Lens: Nikon Nikkor 180-600mm
Support (tripod/beanbag): Gimbal head & base provided

Typical Settings I use:

  • Shutter speed: Varies depending on static or flight shots
  • Aperture: F8
  • ISO range: 1250

Who Is This Hide Best For?

✔ Beginners
✔ Advanced wildlife photographers
✔ Behaviour shooters
✔People wanting flight photography
✖ Landscape photographers
✖ Portrait shooters

Tips If You’re Visiting

  • Arrive 10-15 minutes early to get yourself setup while Ian does the feed up.
  • Bring camera & lenses, spare batteries, warm clothes for winter, food and drinks.
  • Avoid being too loud, leaving when the raptors are in the hide.
  • Check start times on the email you receive the day before arrival.

Final Verdict – Would I Return?

  • Is it worth the money?
    Yes well worth the money Ian charges. See website for more information on prices.
  • Is it worth travelling for?
    Yes, I am local as this is only a short 40 minute car ride away from me. However there are plenty of hotels around.
  • Would you recommend it?
    Yes, and I have several times.
0

A WordPress.com Website.

Up ↑