Abbotsbury’s magnificent swans are featured in a new book by a Bridport photographer who also happens to look after them.

Charlie Wheeler has launched his first book of photography - Abbotsbury Swannery Through my Lens.

As manager of the Swannery, Charlie, 32, has unique insight into the lives of these regal birds and their behaviour throughout the year.

His love of the natural world led him to photograph wildlife and landscapes around Dorset as a hobby in his late teens. He joined Bridport Camera Club in 2008 after completing a degree in Animal Behaviour. There he was able not only to hone his technical skills but also learn how to make his pictures tell a story and engage the viewer.

As warden of the Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve, Charlie has been able to observe and photograph many birds and mammals in their natural habitat. He has also been involved in conservation projects in Botswana, but it is his life amongst the mute swans of Abbotsbury that has given him the intimate knowledge and understanding of their behaviours that made this book possible.

The Swannery is the only managed colony of nesting mute swans in the world and can number more than 800 swans. Charlie’s many year’s experience in their midst have allowed him to observe the swans’ full life cycle and character in every detail. He knows the creatures so well that he can anticipate their behaviour and it’s this knowledge that enables him to capture that decisive moment that transforms an image from a simple visual record into an artistic expression of the animal’s true beauty and nature.

The images in his book range from the tender to the dramatic – a pair engaged in courtship display, a female watches as the first cracks appear in the egg, two adult males engage in full blown territorial battle. The accompanying text reveals fascinating information about the Fleet, the Swannery and details of the swans’ behaviour. The resulting book is an evocative tribute to these magnificent and beautiful creatures.

Charlie says he feels privileged to be able to combine his love of photography with the passion he has for his job and is humbled to be tasked with caring for the swans and safeguarding their future.

The book is available from Charlie’s website, www.wheeler-photography.co.uk where you can see much more of his wildlife, landscape and travel photography.