About the Author

Philip’s home is an equine stud farm near Masham, in the stunning Yorkshire Dales. He has a life-long passion for conservation, animal breeding and photography. His stud farm is home to thoroughbred race horses, rare breeds of Ryeland sheep and Dartmoor ponies. 

The woodland and lakes he has created on the farm have an abundance of wild animals, birds and plants. The lakes are planted with a host of traditional wild plants and rushes giving a profusion of different colours throughout the year. This attracts hundreds of different insects from peacock butterflies to electric blue dragonflies hovering over the still waters. In the Spring the lakes are full of tadpoles attracting white egrets, mallard and moorhens. A pair of mute swans are also frequent visitors, as are a pair of otters. 

The broadleaf woodland is home to roe deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels and numerous species of birds including spotted woodpeckers, tawny owls and buzzards. 

The farmland is managed with traditional hay meadows, rich in summer flowers, curlews, lapwings, hares and rabbits. Each small pasture has been planted with new hedgerows and copses, interlinked around the farm, to create sheltered tracks for the wildlife. Blackbirds, wrens, thrushes, blues tits and robins frequently nest along these quite green avenues. 

This haven and the beautiful surrounding Dales, gives Philip endless opportunities for his love of photography using his Canon cameras.