Photographing Dunlin and Grey Plover in winter sun on the River Exe.

"Patience is a virtue" as the saying goes. I am not certain that it's actually a virtue but it's an absolute necessity if you want to take the kind of photographs that I enjoy. Today for example, I knew that the tide was going to be high at 1315 and at daybreak this morning the sun was actually shining, in itself a rarity in the UK in December close to the shortest day. So it looked like I may have a good opportunity today, then the clouds blew in and the rain started. Oh well, not to worry because at around midday the rain had gone and it looked to be brightening up again. So, by 1240 I was sat in the right spot and under a camo cover and the the sun was shining! All I needed to do now was wait for birds to come to roost on the posts and that's where the virtue of patience came in. It was well over an hour before a couple of Grey Plovers came in to alight on the nearby posts. It was really bright and I was careful to make sure that the white belly on the bird was not burnt out by the bright light by under stopping and then carefully checking the results until it looked right. One of the 2 plovers left very quickly but the other remained with me for nearly another hour and I obviously took some good pictures. With the tide now turned, suddenly a flock of Dunlin flew in to land on the posts. This was a great opportunity to photograph these small birds in flight as the landed and jostled for a favourite perch. All the while the Grey Plover remained in spite of the much smaller birds fluttering all around. You can see the difference in size in the picture below.

Sitting under the cam netting in the bright December sun with not a care in the world, I can't tell you how good it felt. When you put some effort in to planning and preparation and have a good plan, it's a massive thrill when you have some success. I would rather – a thousand times over – try to get good photographs of a reasonably common, but photogenic bird than I would chase after rarities for a distant record shot. To that end, as pretentious as it sounds, I must confess to now thinking of myself as a photographer rather than just a birder.

The Dunlin gave me some great photo opportunities, the sun was bright enough to allow me to adjust my camera to capture the action. This didn't last for too long and unfortunately when even more birds including Redshank flew in the sun had disappeared behind a low cloud and the session was over!

Below is a collection of the best shots from the session.