I’ve long been fascinated by the secret life of mammals that move after dark. On quiet village edges and in small woodlands you can encounter hedgehogs, bats (from a distance), badgers, foxes, mice and the occasional stoat — but spotting them with your naked eye is hit-and-miss. Over the years...
Sep 04, 2026
• by Aurélien Duval
Latest News from Outdoorangus Co
I’ll be honest: getting a usable kingfisher shot from a public footpath is one of my favourite little challenges. These birds are small, lightning-fast and intensely wary, yet with the right preparation you can capture expressive, handheld images without a hide, without trespass and without disturbing the bird. Below I’ll share the hide alternatives I use when a formal hide isn’t possible,...
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I run short, repeatable surveys of hedgerow bees around my village using nothing more than a smartphone, a pocket notebook and a simple plan. Over several seasons I’ve learnt which photos actually help with identifications, how to design a route that gives reliable, repeatable samples, and where to send records so they count for conservation. Below I share exactly what I do when surveying...
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I’ve spent a lot of nights walking quiet tracks and watching hedgerows from the edge of a torch beam, and one of the most rewarding ways I’ve found to document shy, nocturnal mammals is with a simple, budget action-cam set up as a trail recorder. You don’t need an expensive dedicated camera trap to capture good footage — with a little thought about ethics, placement and settings you can...
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I love shooting cliff-top seascapes and coastal wildlife, but hauling a heavy, purpose-built hide isn’t always practical on a long walking day. Over the years I’ve developed a simple, lightweight way to rig a tarpaulin camera blind using eight cheap hardware items you can tuck into a daypack. It keeps me low-profile, protects kit from spray and wind, and gives me flexibility to compose...
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If you’re like me, a good pair of walking boots is the difference between a day spent enjoying boggy moors and one ruined by sore feet or wet socks. Buying secondhand boots is a great way to save money and reduce waste, but it takes a bit of know-how to avoid a dud. I’ve tested and worn plenty of boots across UK mud, peat and shingle, so here’s the field-tested checklist I use before buying...
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I remember the first time I saw a badger emerge at dusk near a wood I’d been watching for weeks. The light was failing, the air smelled of damp leaves, and I felt equal parts thrilled and nervous — badgers are notoriously wary, and I had no hide. Since then I’ve learned a few practical ways to photograph a badger sett at dusk while keeping disturbance to an absolute minimum. Below I share...
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Why I convert a cheap action camera for hidden trail recordingI've spent thousands of hours walking the UK’s trails and watching how mammals and birds behave when they think no one is around. Trail cameras are great, but they can be expensive, and I often want something lighter, cheaper and more flexible for short projects — a weekend stakeout of a badger sett, a hedgerow to see fox activity,...
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I spend a lot of time wandering footpaths, through hedgerows and over damp woodland floors, and fungi are one of the most rewarding things to notice when you slow down. They’re seasonal, often ephemeral, and beautifully varied in form and colour—but they also need good records to help conservationists track biodiversity and detect changes. Over the years I’ve developed an exact 8-step...
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Why a lightweight tarp shelter matters for dawn sea-cliff silhouette shotsThere’s a particular magic to shooting silhouettes at dawn from sea-cliffs: the soft gradation of colour, the crisp horizon line, and the drama that a 70–200mm brings when you compress distance and isolate shapes. I’ve learned that staying comfortable and protected in those early hours—without hauling a full bivvy...
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I’ve spent enough damp days on Pennine bogs to know that overtrousers are not a one-size-fits-all purchase. They need to keep driving rain and rising peat water out, while also letting your sweat escape during long slogging sections or steep climbs. In this piece I share how I choose and test waterproof overtrousers for wet, cold, and technical upland conditions — what I look for in fit, the...
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