Grassland

Grasslands

Grassland wildlife photography, much like photography in any other environment, has its own sets of challenges and rewards. While a novice photographer might think of grasslands as an easy place to get some good shots. I mean, it’s just open grass fields, right? Someone with more experience will tell you all about the frustration of shooting without any cover, the massive investment into top-notch telephoto lenses required, or swashbuckling your way through reeds twice as tall as you while carrying said expensive equipment. 

Much of my grassland photography is done right here in the UK. Peak District National Park, located between Manchester and Sheffield, is a stunning piece of UK landscape and home to a wide range of indigenous mammal and avian species. Over the years I’ve visited several times and got dozens of beautiful shots of hares nervously at play, various owl species either resting their eyes or looking for prey, as well as swans flying in formation. Other species you’re likely to spot in our grasslands include foxes and badgers, and if you’re lucky, a deer that’s wandered out of the safety of the woodland. 

The Indian grasslands in Assam and Rajasthan offer a wildly different take on this particular biome. While looking for tigers in the woodlands is usually the first prize when I visit India, there are some amazing species waiting to be discovered in the plentiful grasslands. Indian rhinoceros, pygmy hogs, and the shy sloth bear are to name but a few of the species you’re likely to come across if you know where to look. 

Grasslands really are incredibly varied in how they look and what life they support. The steppe grasslands of central Eurasia, the African savanna, the American prairies, the Pampas grasslands of South America, and the flooded grasslands of Botswana have so little in common, other than that the entire food chain depends on this one, incredibly special plant; grass. It’s my sincere wish that I get to visit all of these unique environments before I hang up my camera for good.