I have enjoyed watching birds from a very young age and can vividly remember a close-up view of a jay against the backdrop of some pine trees and thinking how beautiful and colourful it was. Birds are with us all year round and are regulars to the garden feeding-table so maybe these are other reasons why wildlife enthusiasts often start with bird-watching.

Years of observing and recording inevitably improve one's knowledge and ability to notice what else is going on in our surroundings. It is thus a natural progression to move on to butterflies, dragonflies, moths, insects etc. The more one looks the more there is to take in and wonder at.

Some birds, like the alpine swift, can only be photographed in flight. Raptors are usually seen flying high up and a photo is sometimes the only way to get an identification. It is easier with garden birds although still a challenge to get a sharp image. But it is exciting to see all the different conformations that can be captured by the camera when birds are on the wing.

One way to get a picture is to ready the camera and anticipate when a bird is about to take off. It may be an obvious observation but 'take off' times vary quite a lot. In my experience robins, for example, are very quick off the mark and often go in an unexpected direction. Raptors, on the other hand, often raise their tails and defecate just before they're about to leave, giving the viewer a hint.