Cardiff is bustling with wildlife, but where to photograph animals in the city?
For a budding wildlife photographer, getting started may seem a little daunting. With so many things to consider, such as framing, lighting, whether or not to use a tripod, just getting your equipment ready can be a fumble. So when it comes to photographing a living, breathing, not-sitting-still subject, it is easy to forget everything you know and just try to grab a shot. Any shot.
A crow sitting on chimney pot in Cardiff.Even at a professional level, wildlife photography can be unforgiving. Not only is your subject unpredictable, you might not know where to find it.
Cardiff, despite being a bustling capital city, is teeming with wildlife if you know where to look, making it a great place to get started in wildlife photography. Here are a few spots around Cardiff that lend themselves to getting started in wildlife photography.
1. Roath Park
If birds are your muse, you’re in the right place. Roath Park is a great spot for waterfowl photography. Here you can find swans, various kinds of geese and if you arrive in the evening you might catch the resident cormorants as they come in to roost, squabbling over the best branch in their favourite tree.
The Cardiff Bay area is great for spotting Juvenile Grebes.2. Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is another great place to find various birds, including coots and great crested grebes bobbing along in the harbour. You could also pay a visit to Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve where you might spot reed buntings, kestrels or even a kingfisher or two. The wetlands are also teeming with photogenic damsel and dragonflies.
If you want to spot robins, you may want to visit Roath Park or Bute Park.3. Bute Park
Walking through Bute park you might be lucky enough to see water voles along the banks of the river Taff. The occasional hedgehog or fox has been known to pass through too, but what you are most likely to find here are grey squirrels. Lots, and lots, of grey squirrels.
Bute Park is rife with beautiful grey squirrels.4. Pembrokeshire and Skomer Island
If you’re looking to branch away from Cardiff a little, Pembrokeshire is a hot spot for grey seal spotting, especially during the autumn months. There’s also Skomer Island, an excellent place for photographing puffins, Manx shearwaters and even the occasional dolphin.
If you want to find out more about wildlife in Wales, make sure to visit The Wildlife Trust website.