Develop a network of informers: night bus drivers, security guards, litter pickers. They work at odd hours, which are when the animals tend to come out, and they can be your eyes and ears. Chat to them – they’re great sources of information. They’re likely to have plenty of stories about the animals they’ve seen, and they usually like to talk. They might also be happy to let you up on top of car park roofs when they’re closed. I’m always surprised at how helpful people are.
Identify local experts. I got to know Peter Rock, who’s an expert on gulls, after I kept seeing the same gull with a green leg ring. I got in touch with him and since then I’ve been going around with him on rooftops on Bristol and Bath, photographing him on his ringing project. These people know everything there is to know about their species.
Don't discount creatures because they’re not glamorous. Toads, for example, aren’t the most beautiful of creatures, but I got some great shots of them when they were migrating through the park at night with the cityscape behind them.
Explore those parts of the city where people don’t go. I’ll see a billboard with a little gap behind it and there’s usually a little path; a tiny corner of the city that’s just undeveloped. You’ll find all kinds of cool creatures – rats, foxes, badgers – that live there undisturbed.
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