Owen J Carter
Moorhens
After weeks of planning, I was ready to film Mandarin Duck chicks falling from the nest box. I arrived on the exact day, just 2 hours before the chicks were to jump, only for them to sneak out of a hole in the back of the nest box. Controlling my frustration, my attention was drawn to the other inhabitants of the lake, the moorhens. The couple were nesting on a tiny island just 3 metres from the bank of the lake which meant filming wasn't too tricky. The light was never very pleasant on the nest itself as the sun was always behind them throughout the day, but the content is something pretty special to me. I clocked many hours watching the male float around the lake hunting for food whilst the female incubated the eggs until finally they hatched. At first I thought just 3, but 7 chicks eventually emerged from the nest. I was slightly concerned at one stage as an otter was spotted not far from the nest and then a cormorant became a regular visitor for a few days, but luckily the chicks survived and I was able to watch them grow up and start hunting for themselves. This 90 second video is essentially a highlights reel specially cut for the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2018 competition.
The music was composed specifically for the film by Jon Chambers: https://soundcloud.com/user-623208065
Enjoy