Chris Bailey Photography

Chris Bailey Photography 🇬🇧
Wilts/Bristol
Wildlife Photography
Young Ambassador for
All images are mine

It’s that time of year again; spring is just around the corner and we are already witnessing the sights and sounds of it...
15/02/2026

It’s that time of year again; spring is just around the corner and we are already witnessing the sights and sounds of its arrival. Whether it’s snowdrops flowering or migrant birds returning for the breeding season, everyone has a certain sign they keep an eye out for. For me, it’s the return of amphibians to the water—specifically, the Smooth Newts.

I spied the first newt in the pond earlier this week; a female, and where there is one, others are usually lurking nearby. Sure enough, by the following night the tally had increased to five, with both males and females present. I’ve yet to see any frogs and of course frogspawn, but there is no doubt it'll appear somewhere soon.

This infographic highlights five commonly seen amphibians you can spot in your garden and local area with these species making great use of garden ponds and local watercourses. Even if you don't have a pond, log piles, compost heaps, and wild corners of the garden can provide invaluable feeding grounds and hibernation areas.

For me this is not a bird I usually seen in a back garden, but in this one they were as common as a House Sparrow. This ...
19/01/2026

For me this is not a bird I usually seen in a back garden, but in this one they were as common as a House Sparrow. This male cautiously wandered around picking off the leftover seed spilt from the smaller birds feeding above, always watching out for danger.

I can always count on a Robin to pose for a photo, this was one of two that I encountered toward the end of a walk in th...
18/01/2026

I can always count on a Robin to pose for a photo, this was one of two that I encountered toward the end of a walk in the Shropshire hills. All fluffed up on a winter's day, and that shade of orange/red to brighten up the darkest of days.

Reminiscing of a time spent watching one of the UK's best butterfly species - the Purple Emperor! It's been a couple of ...
22/10/2025

Reminiscing of a time spent watching one of the UK's best butterfly species - the Purple Emperor! It's been a couple of years since I last got a photo of one of these up close, instead its been fleeting glimpses of butterflies high up in the canopy and hearing about how "I should have been here last weekend as there were tons", but I remain hopeful that next year will hopefully provide a closer view.

The one in this photo was first seen down on the gravel path drinking from the dampened sediment, before flitting upwards and coming to rest on a Beech. It sat there for a quite a way before eventually deciding enough was enough and returned to the canopy.

It's been quite a while since I last posted, but with the final year of University already in full swing and the inverte...
20/10/2025

It's been quite a while since I last posted, but with the final year of University already in full swing and the invertebrate season winding down, it's been difficult at times to find the motivation to go out and take photos.

So in efforts to rekindle the desire to go out and explore, I decided to travel to the Ashton Court Estate with and spend a day photographing their famous Red and Fallow Deer populations that roam it's 850 acres of open grassland.

Rutting season has begun already and our day began watching a Red Deer stag strutting his stuff and bellowing out loud for all the disinterested hinds to hear. Despite his posturing however, he had no takers. I did film a short clip of the individual during this moment, but sadly the wind noise overcomes any noise made by the deer, although I will post this in due course as it is quite interesting watch.

As we walked off to try and find the Fallow Deer herd that resided on the other side of the estate, we saw what I presume to be a mix of hind and fawn watching us intently from further up the hill, of course there had to be one who didn't get the message but it certainly made for an interesting shot.

It certainly gave me a boost in terms of motivation to keep pushing on with photography, and I look to explore other places in the Bristol region to capture more of the Autumnal and eventual Winter wildlife it has to offer.

One of few White Admirals I managed to find during a trip to Savernake in early July. Whenever I aim to photograph these...
06/08/2025

One of few White Admirals I managed to find during a trip to Savernake in early July. Whenever I aim to photograph these butterflies, a big challenge is to see if I can find one that isn't so tattered. Due to their love brambles, many individuals end up with battle scars where their feeding habits have put them in a bit of a pickle with the thorns. This one looked to be relatively freshly hatched and didn't show any signs of war wounds or weathering and the biggest miracle of all. Its wings were open!

A first Silver Washed Fritillary of the year for me, this one was sat way up in the top of a tree, but posed quite nicel...
01/08/2025

A first Silver Washed Fritillary of the year for me, this one was sat way up in the top of a tree, but posed quite nicely for a few shots before it took off again.

Selection of tiger moths seen this year, just need the Cream Spot Tiger to cap it all off!
23/07/2025

Selection of tiger moths seen this year, just need the Cream Spot Tiger to cap it all off!

Close to home, we’re surrounded by hundreds of fields, each serving a different purpose—some for livestock, others for h...
22/07/2025

Close to home, we’re surrounded by hundreds of fields, each serving a different purpose—some for livestock, others for hay cutting, like the one nearest to me. These fields are teeming with wildlife: birds of prey, Roe Deer, amphibians, reptiles, and, of course, butterflies. From the showy Red Admiral to the simple yet brilliant Meadow Brown, the diversity is remarkable.

Over the years, both the fields and their wildlife have undergone many changes. Sadly, I’ve seen certain species disappear altogether. But just a few days ago, I was thrilled to spot a familiar face—the butterfly pictured above. The last time I saw a Common Blue was back in 2018, the very year I started this account. They were never truly “common” around here, and eventually, they seemed to vanish completely.

While surveying the area for my final-year university project, I noticed a flash of blue. At first, I assumed it was a Holly Blue, which I see fairly regularly. But as it landed to feed on Ragwort, I was delighted to realize it was a male Common Blue. After five years of absence, I was genuinely shocked to see one again.

In the days that followed, I spotted a few more and even found their key caterpillar foodplant—Bird’s-foot Trefoil. I haven’t yet seen a female, so time will tell whether this is a sign of a population resurgence or just a couple of individuals passing through.

Regardless, it was a joyful and hopeful moment. I plan to continue showcasing the incredible biodiversity found in these local spots, and I truly hope these beautiful butterflies are here to stay.

PORTO HIGHLIGHTS 4:By far the best spot of the entire trip to Northern Portugal. This is a Golden Striped Salamander, a ...
17/07/2025

PORTO HIGHLIGHTS 4:

By far the best spot of the entire trip to Northern Portugal. This is a Golden Striped Salamander, a species I was dying to see throughout my time in Porto. Along with Fire Salamanders and Marbled Newts also on the list, this was a species that would be difficult to find due to the time I had to go searching

This individual was found on the penultimate day of the trip, and the last outing we had to go looking for wildlife. To top it off, it was found at the end of a one way route, and under the last rock we had left to flip, big thank you to for flipping it, I completely looked over it.

A walk in Savernake Forest on the first weekend of July produced an incredible amount of butterflies, but none more so t...
16/07/2025

A walk in Savernake Forest on the first weekend of July produced an incredible amount of butterflies, but none more so than the Ringlets. Many of which were in various states of wear and tear, having already been through the wars a bit, and finding one in an almost fresh condition such as this one was difficult. This one posed perfectly within the undergrowth, backlit by the morning sun!

Another Elephant Hawk Moth caught during a recent moth trapping session, the warm weather meaning that it didn't take to...
14/07/2025

Another Elephant Hawk Moth caught during a recent moth trapping session, the warm weather meaning that it didn't take too long for the moths that were caught to start warming up and taking flight almost immediately. I was lucky to get some great shots of this individual before it to took off up and over the hedge and into the fields beyond.










Address

Swindon

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chris Bailey Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category