THE focus will be firmly on wildlife when a top nature photographer launches his first book later this month.

David Bailey will unveil Wildlife Wanderer at Chepstow’s Drill Hall on Thursday, April 27, which includes images of otters, beavers, dragonflies, hedgehogs, herons, puffins, peregrine falcons, salmon and seals.

A cameraman and consultant on the BBC One series Rhys Jones’s Wildlife Patrol, David has also appeared on Springwatch with Nick Baker.

But despite having a soft spot for squirrels, hares, owls, kingfishers, foxes and deer, he reveals that it’s not just wildlife he encounters in the countryside.

“I do witness some odd sights while quietly sitting in the hide,” he admits “such as courting couples, drugs drops, joy riders and poachers. I’ve even frightened the life out of some innocent people stood near my well camouflaged hide, as I pop my head out of an opening to say hello.”

BBC naturalist Iolo Williams says of his work: “Stunning photography by a man who really understands his subject.”

And Dr Rhys Jones writes in the book foreword: “I’ve spent many a day sat with Dave at remote locations, knowing what it is to be both frozen in winter and eaten alive by mosquitoes in the summer.

“A wildlife cameraman needs skill, saint-like patience and luck. However I’m a firm believer that people create their own luck in life and Dave’s ability to read the landscape, coupled with his constant research into the lives of animals, puts him in the right place at the right time to secure that coveted photograph.”

The book also contains advice for would-be wildlife photographers, some pointers for less experienced naturalists and plenty of personal anecdotes.

David, who lives in Wales, says: “Working in the most beautiful locations, dealing with many wildlife projects and trusts, seeing wildlife which so many people will never set eyes on and meeting those with a love of animals, means that there is no such thing as a normal day.

“And I’m grateful for this. I often think I’m the luckiest person on the planet, and this book is my chance to share that luck with you.”

The book launch, in collaboration with Chepstow Books, is on April 27 at 7pm, tickets £2 from Chepstow Books & Gifts on www.chepstowbooks.co.uk or 01291 625011.

You can obtain the book from Gomer Press on www.gomer.co.uk, priced £19.99.