West Country Wildlife Photography Centre
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Report by Jo Hawes, Trip Organiser
On Saturday 16th May, 12 members of OSIG (our Outdoor Special Interest Group) travelled to Lifton, near Launceston, for a day of wildlife photography at the West Country Wildlife Photography Centre. This unique facility not only offers photographers the chance to capture native British wildlife in natural settings, but also supports the reintroduction of several species back into the wild.
Originally scheduled earlier in the year but postponed due to February’s exceptionally wet weather, the rearranged visit was met with kinder conditions. Although cloudy and mild, we managed to dodge the worst of the showers and enjoyed plenty of opportunities to photograph a variety of animals.
Even deep in rural Devon, the traditional “cake stop” remained non-negotiable, as we tucked into tea and doughnuts before grabbing cameras, waterproofs and long lenses for the first encounter of the day - the rare Scottish wildcat. Elusive and critically endangered in the wild, the feline pair posed obligingly while being fed, instinctively wary and alert to the line of lenses only a few metres away. Nearby, a badger waited patiently for his turn in the spotlight and certainly didn’t disappoint, trotting and snuffling through the long grass, seemingly oblivious to the constant clicking of shutters.
Our animal handler, Izzy, mindful of managing expectations, warned us that the next subject - a female red fox - had been keeping a low profile recently. Thankfully, she clearly wasn’t feeling camera shy during our visit, happily darting around her enclosure, retrieving food hidden among the undergrowth.
A lunch break followed (feeding time for the photographers!), during which the heavens opened. That made the next session an easy decision: sheltering in a polytunnel with some harvest mice. Britain’s smallest rodent, these tiny creatures use their long, prehensile tails to grip and balance delicately on stems and grasses - something they demonstrated perfectly for our cameras among cow parsley and seed heads.
Our next subject, a polecat, provided entertainment of a different kind by refusing to cooperate, deciding the session wasn’t to his liking and making a determined bid for freedom. Declared “too unruly” after repeatedly attempting to exit the set, he earned himself a swift return to his enclosure!
No celebration of British wildlife would be complete without an owl or two, and next we were treated to both a long-eared owl and a barn owl. Hand-reared from eggs by the centre, both birds perched calmly while we captured a series of striking portraits.
The final stop of the day took us to a paddock where a family of sika deer allowed us to wander quietly among them at a respectful distance - a gentle end to a thoroughly enjoyable visit.
After a full day of immersive wildlife photography, we headed home delighted to have spent time so close to species that would normally be incredibly difficult to photograph in the wild. The hardest part now will be choosing our favourite images!
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