The big picture
THE BIG PICTURE Mark Connelly
For Mark Connelly, lockdown brought a few benefits, and some precious moments. A Glasgow-based owner of a whisky festival – and an occasional extra in films and on TV shows – Mark has long enjoyed landscape photography in his spare time. “But at the beginning of the year, I branched into wildlife photography,” he explains. “I was incredibly glad as, when lockdown happened weeks later, it gave me a creative outlet that I could explore in local areas when travelling further afield wasn’t an option.”
This image of a wren was taken in the city’s Alexandra Park near the start of lockdown, when people were only allowed out once a day for exercise. “I would take my daughter to the park and we would look for birds and other wildlife,” says Mark. “This was when the birds were starting to build nests and breed, so we got to see quite a few species being industrious and, over time, learn their songs, calls and habits.” And it was not just Mark who benefited. “My daughter really loved those walks and our wildlife knowledge
improved dramatically,” he adds. “I’m not sure I have actually seen that many wrens before but have definitely made up for it this year when we heard and saw them daily. “Watching this particular one pull hair from a feeder that had been set up in the park was an amazing experience for us both and something we would likely never have seen if not for our lockdown nature walks together.”
Camera: Nikon D610; Lens: 200mm-500mm f5.6; Shutter speed: 1/1000; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 1250
NOVEMBER 2020 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 31
© Mark Connelly
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