Norwich & District Photographic are delighted to welcome back the outstanding photographer Sarah Kelman who has always had a passion for adventure and wildlife.

Last time Sarah shared with us the photos of her journey in a sailboat across the Atlantic with her husband and children then aged six and seven, which they did as part of an inaugural Panerai Transat Classique ocean race from Cascais, Portugal to the West Indies.

Tonight’s presentation promises to be no less exciting. The northern taiga is the largest land biome on the planet but also one of the harshest for the animals that live there. When the winter snows arrive, many species migrate south. This is the story of those animals that remain to overwinter in these harsh conditions.

Sarah has been visiting these frozen landscapes each winter for fifteen years and still delights in observing and photographing the uniquely adapted animals and birds that call the boreal forest their home.

This is an opportunity for those members who are working during the week to join one of the regular shoots that are being organised as lockdown restrictions begin to be relaxed.

Meet in the car park at the entrance to the Reserve. Both the car park and reserve are free.

Located on the banks of the River Yare, around eight miles southeast of Norwich, the Ted Ellis Nature Reserve is one of the most important parts of the Norfolk Broads. Encompassing the last remaining tidal marshes and carrs on the River Yare, the wild and remote area features reed beds, open fen, alder, and willow woodlands. There are also two small broads and a specially designed nature trail in the reserve.

Thought by some experts to be as environmentally important as Mount Everest and the giant redwood forests of America, the Ted Ellis Nature Reserve is a fantastic place for an afternoon stroll.

This event is subject to the Government’s new measures regarding self-isolastion and social distancing to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including a ban on public gatherings of more than two people being lifted.

The second field trip this coming summer will be held at the RSPB Nature Reserve at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire. Due to the distance involved to get to Bempton this will mean an early start from Norwich with the expected arrive home being around 10 or 11:00PM. However as explained below Bempton offers some wonderful opportunities to capture outstanding images of birds that cannot be found in East Anglia. In addition, for those who are prepared to make the paths down to the shoreline there is an opprtunity to photography the beauty of the seascapes and chalk stacks that are nearby.

Since the very successful workshop last season with Kevin Sawford at the RSPB Nature Reserve out on the North Norfolk coast at Titchwell there have been a number of discussions about the possibility of the Society forming a Wildlife & Nature Special Interest Group.  Recently we became aware of a Blog article titled ‘A few Days in Norfolk’ written by the acclaimed wildlife photographer Thomas Hanahoe that re-energised these discussions.

Rather, than continue to talk we have decided that we shall organise a few ‘one’ of wildlife shoots and see how things develop.  Hopefully, someone who has a particular interest in this type of photography will emerge and form a new SIG within the Society.

The first shoot (see NDPS Blog) will take place at The RSPB Nature Reserve at Snettisham which was the subject of Thomas’s Post on Wednesday 12th February 2020 to see the wader roost arriving before dawn ready to photograph the birds at first light.  That means being in the car park by 6:00AM as it’s a fair walk out to the foreshore near the old pier (about a twenty-five minute brisk walk)