Words and pictures by Mat Bingham.
The river these photographs were taken on is the River Weaver in Cheshire. It’s nothing special, an ordinary lowland river. The wildlife I watch can be seen on lots of rivers in England especially now the water quality is improving. I have been visiting the same stretch for the last 10 years and I have photographed the wildlife in all different weathers and throughout the seasons. Sometimes I take photographs whilst walking along the river, often I use a hide and wait for the wildlife to come to me. I have found otter spraint on the river and hope to photograph the otters at some point although I think for that there will be an element of luck involved. I visit the river most weeks and always find something to photograph.
Railway Bridge
This photo was taken from the locks looking towards the Railway Bridge on an autumnal afternoon in late October. I really like the colours of the trees. The river was very calm on this day with very little wind. The canal boat belongs to the lock keeper.
Female Mallard, washing
This photo of a Mallard was one of my early photographs taken with a digital camera. The Mallard was having a splash about and was busy cleaning itself. I took it early one morning in October. I really like the low angled side lighting on this photo which shows off the wings to good effect. The water droplets convey a sense of motion. To take this photo I had to get in the river to a get a lower angle. Photos of wildlife always look better if they are taken at eye level with the animal. It was worth being cold and wet for as I didn’t have waders on.