2012 Review .... and win my favourite!!!

As we near the end of another year I have been looking back over my albums of the last twelve months and reliving a lot of the brilliant trips out I have had with my camera. Big highlights was the trip to The Farne Islands, a place I love going back to and seeing one of my favourites the Puffin, Gigrin Farm to see the beautiful Red Kites feeding, and more locally enjoying my membership at Chester Zoo and photographing the big cats that I love so much and also enjoying and photographing the garden birds.
I have pulled out a few of my favourites that I hope you will enjoy, and also if you are kind enough to leave me a comment, as I am doing on my Facebook Wildlife page, Gary Jones Wildlife Photography I will put all the names of those that have commented in to a hat on the 31st Dec, and the name pulled out will win an A3 Mounted print of the Puffin image below.

The Farne Islands, and in particular the Puffins, are a great place to visit.





I had an amazing visit to Gigrin Farm to see the Red Kites being fed, such beautiful Birds of Prey



I just love photographing Swans, these two in the early morning mist on Ullswater looked enchanting!



Martin Mere is the place to go in the North West for Whooper Swans, every year I look forward to their arrival back from Iceland



Even a juvenile Mute Swan makes a great photo when its back lit by the sun



I caught this Mute Swan perfectly as it took off as the sun was rising up at RSPB Leighton Moss



Sharon and I took up Chester Zoo membership this year, and living so close it gives you unlimited access, and is great to pop in for a couple of hours, the big cats are my favourites, I have so many favourites but these two stand out a bit, the first is of one of the Tiger cubs earlier this year.



The second is a Cheetah stood in classic pose, you could just imagine it stood like that on the African plains, hopefully I will get there one day!!



Jaguars are such beautiful animals, this one is up at South Lakes Animal Park, a great place to visit



And of course the king of the jungle, here showing his caring and loving side to one of his ladies!!



We spend a lot of our time walking in Snowdonia, and across the Carneddau mountains, home to the wild Carneddau ponies, these really are beautiful and rugged animals and a real pleasure to see up on the hills.





For years I have been trying to get a close up shot of a perched Buzzard, finally managed it at the glamorous location of Deeside Industrial Estate!



Likewise for a long time I have yearned for a wild Hare shot, they are so difficult to get any where near to, so I was well pleased to get this shot



And also a bird I have never seen, so many times I have got to a hide to be told 'you should have been here x minutes ago' !!! its happened so many times with Bitterns, but at long last I fulfilled that quest at Meresands Wood, not the best photo I have took, but hey I wasnt bothered was just pleased to see it!!



as well as getting out and about just sitting observing and photographing the birds that visit the garden is extremely pleasurable, especially the Great Spotted Woodpecker



this Blue Tit is the scruffiest bird I have ever seen, that Sharon couldn't stop laughing at when she saw the photo! by the way it was tsken during the annual moult and I dont think it was sick !!



This year has seen the invasion of the beautiful Waxwings, I travelled up to Barrow near Clitheroe to see them, and then they turned up closer to home on Deeside.





Nuthatches are another bird I have targeted to photograph, and this opportune shot was a real pleaser



Barn Owls are such beautiful birds, this one was at Eaton Hall near Chester



Back to Chester Zoo, and the Orangs, i would love to know what the guy on the left is thinking as he looks over his shoulder!



And lastly one of my real favourites The Red Deer, and the mighty stags that are best seen during the annual rut, there is no better sound than a roaring stag to stand up the hairs on the back of your neck!!








There are so many more images that I could have featured, but I hope you enjoyed this small selection, and many thanks for dropping in over the last year.