How do you study and photograph wildlife when you have a large inquisitive dog?
When we first moved here, I would be out before the sun was up, to try and capture the local wildlife. If you have read my earlier blogs, then you will know it was not easy, but I had some successes. Back then a wonderful Greek sheepdog called Foxy, who belonged to a neighbour further up the village, sort of adopted us and would wait by our gate waiting to go for a walk. Sometimes I was up earlier than her and sometimes not. If she was waiting, then I just enjoyed the walk as she tagged along. She was not trained, had no collar and did what she wanted, which meant tramping through the undergrowth, making lots of noise and chasing anything that moved. She was great company though and walking through the Greek countryside early in the morning, you cannot be unhappy.
Her love for chickens and eggs proved her undoing, and her owners decided to chain her up. She became depressed and sad and died shortly after. She was a great dog and I miss her still.
At the end of last year, I started volunteering for a dog foster home, who take in unwanted dogs and puppies and try to get them fostered or better still adopted. They are called Stepping Stones and do a wonderful job. Simone warned me at the start that we would not be adopting any dogs, then I met Brandy.
He is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and he was found run over by Stepping Stones boss, Madeline, at the side of a road. He was about 5 months old and had sustained a broken leg. Madeline took him in and got him fit and healthy again. When I arrived at Stepping Stones, he was 9 years old, and apart from a few walks, had not left the shelter.
He came home with me in October 2021.
He usually has 3 walks a day, but in the summer months I stop the afternoon walk as it is too hot. Although a lot cooler in the morning before sunrise, it is still 30 odd degrees in our valley and so I walk in flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt. I learnt early on that trying to photograph anything when I had Brandy on his lead was not going to work. Ridgebacks are large, powerful dogs, who were originally bred for hunting lions in South Africa. He has learned to stop and stand still on command, but he gets bored quickly and wants to move on. You can teach an old dog a few tricks, but not many. There were lots of times when I had a bird or insect in my sights and just as I was focusing on them, the lead would be tugged and an expectant dog would look at me quizzically, wondering why we had stopped.
A few weeks ago, whilst walking down the road, I thought I heard some faint whistles. The next day as we were walking, I definitely heard something, but when we stopped, the sound stopped. One of the creatures I have been keen to spot is the nocturnal pine marten. I know that there are a few around as, unfortunately, you can see their carcasses on the roads. They are common roadkill here, but I have never been lucky enough to see a live one. As our walk continued, I occasionally heard the whistles again, but when we stopped, they went quiet. The next day I had downloaded some marten calls onto my phone to try and encourage them closer. I soon heard them and played the calls. Brandy was very intrigued and tried to find the source of the sound, but no martens showed. We carried on walking, and they began to call again, and then the penny dropped.
Brandy had recently taken a liking to my flip flops and had started to chew them. He had managed to make some small holes in them and as I was walking, they were squeaking and whistling. Even now, on our walks, I have to remind myself that the sound is not a living thing.
One of the haunts that used to be great for wildlife has let me down so far this year. The weir is quiet in the summer heat, although a great walk first thing in the morning. I have seen plenty of marsh frogs, but no terrapins, snakes or large water birds so far. I hope I have just been unlucky and that they survived the large fire that decimated the trees and plants around the weir. Luckily, there are trees along the stream leading to the weir, which have survived. Being quiet is a must when trying to track and photograph wildlife, running through last year’s fallen leaves is not helpful Brandy. He also loves to follow a scent (ridgebacks are part bloodhound) and likes to wee all over it. After weeing he feels he has to rake the ground with all of his large paws to spread his scent and make as much noise as possible. These photos are from last year.
I believe, I have to face the facts that dog walking and photography are not compatible. He will still get his walks; I just have to get out more often and leave my boy behind occasionally.
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