“If you’re not living on the
edge, you’re taking up too much space”
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| searching at dawn doesn't get any better © Laurie Campbell |
This is a creed that I
admire, written by Tim Smit, inspirer for the restoration of the ‘Lost Gardens
of Heligan’ in Cornwall … and isn’t it wonderful that spring has finally
arrived, the leaves of our trees unfurling and our shrubs in glorious flower.
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| camellias worthy of Heligan |
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| view from our office window - nice! |
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| camellias, magnolias and amelanchier - spring is here at last |
I love our garden, despite
the fact that looking after it stops me going fishing … but I make no apologies
for writing this promotion for our charity film show on Friday because without
an audience we won’t be able to achieve all the restoration of our local River
Allen that the Dorset Wildlife Trust plan for the next few years.
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| such a beautiful big cat © Laurie Campbell |
I guess in a career spanning
over fifty years in which I’ve made more than sixty wildlife films there are going
to be one or two special favourites and ‘Puma – Lion of the Andes’ certainly
counts as one of them. It also fits the title ‘living on the edge’ for trying to film pumas in the wild was considered
an impossible task. However, I promised National Geographic that I would at
least return with a film about a beautiful place and here’s a collection of
happy snaps friend Laurie Campbell and I took during our time there. Laurie was
there for just six weeks, I was there on and off for over two years … but
enough words … we hope you enjoy the pics … and if you do, please come along to
watch the film on Friday 3rdMay, at 19.00 for 19.30 at the Allendale Centre in
Wimborne, Dorset.
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| condor country © Laurie Campbell |
We will also be showing a little
film about the river Allen … and much to the relief of Nat.Geo. we did
film pumas … in fact, I was paid the ultimate compliment at the UK’s
International Film Festival, ‘Wildscreen’ when out of about 650 films the puma
film not only won the award for ‘Best Adventure Film’ but better still, the 700
or so delegates from around the world chose it their ‘Best of Festival’. We
hope you can make it to the show.
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| condors look big even in these mountains © Laurie Campbell |
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| remains of puma kills provide a feast © Laurie Campbell |
Guanacos, South American camels and progenitor of the llama are the pumas favourite prey. Weighing 250lbs. they are formidable prey and take some killing.
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| young guanacos - puma snacks © Laurie Campbell |
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| scraps provide food for Chilean foxes © Laurie Campbell |
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| the camp pet and unlike our puma, habituated to food © Laurie Campbell |
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| cheese and dog biscuits were top of the menu |
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| a beautiful place to live © Laurie Campbell |
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| surprisingly comfortable, even for months on end |
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| filming at night made the hairs stand on end © Laurie Campbell |
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| she had big teeth © Laurie Campbell |
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| do these cave paintings show an ancient farmer being stalked by a puma? |
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| looking for trouble © Hugh Miles |
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| spitting mad - rivalry for the ladies gets violent © Laurie Campbell |
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| great friend since childhood and farmer of guanaco, Robin Pratt shared a memorable return visit for my 60th birthday |
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| the lakes provided wonderful brown trout fishing © Hugh Miles and all those below |
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| a splendid fish ... and it made a change from tined tuna |
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| fierce winds were a frequent hazard - I got blown over a couple of times |
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| wind off the glacier created amazing skies |
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| southern beech - smashed by storms |
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| a magical place to work |
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| the largest ice cap in South America was close by |
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| thermal underwear winters |
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| at least I could see where she was heading |
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| spring arrives with a glorious splash of colour |
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| carpets of flowers for guanaco to feast on © Laurie Campbell |
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| torrent ducks thrived in the fast water |
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| huemul - thought to be the rarest deer in the world |
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| large magellanic woodpeckers certainly shift some timber |
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| hip replacement country © Laurie Campbell |
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| © Laurie Campbell and below |
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| but it was worth it |
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| what a place for me to take pictures and make a film! © Hugh Miles |
The show will end with an auction for this wonderful photograph of my star cat, Penny the puma, kindly donated by friend Laurie Campbell. Please don't come with short arms and deep pockets! The river needs all the help it can get.
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| when she looked at me like this I wondered what she was thinking and hoped it wasn't 'dinner'! © Laurie Campbell |
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