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August 2018

Hornet - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Insects by the pond

It’s blisteringly hot at the Abbazia San Giusto in Tuscania in Italy today. There’s not much wind and precious little shelter. Tucked …

Tarquinia - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Searching for Little Owls

We are up at 6am, politely yawning. Today is our most recent attempt to see Little Owls. As a child I helped …

Spider - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A wolf at the door

We arrive home late to our rented room in Tuscania in Italy. As we get the key out we notice a huge …

oBike - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The NoBike app

The River Tevere in Rome looks great today. I’d love to explore it. It’s such a grand river that it’ll take me …

Tigers - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Tiger territory

We drive past an animal circus in Italy. I look up the size of a Tiger’s natural territory. “A tigress may have …

Stone Curlew - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Stone hearts and Stone Curlews

We’re driving around Tarquinia in Italy. Our guide is our new friend Paolo, an incredibly enthusiastic and endlessly patient local birder. He’s …

Donkey - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Donkey

Donkeys are fascinating creatures. There’s a field full of them, here in Tuscania, north of Rome: It’s not just me that’s fascinated …

Bees - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Bees of San Giusto

We’re staying in an Abbey in Italy for a few days as we tour around Tuscania. It’s the Abbazia San Giusto. Here’s …

Little Grebe - The Regent's Park - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Little Grebe – big fish

I’m thrilled to see a Little Grebe appear in The Regent’s Park with a big fish in its bill: It’s powering along …

Pochard - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Pochard on the pond

There’s a Pochard on the pond at The Regent’s Park. It’s a male, with a beautiful brown head and its bright red …

Egyptian Goose - The Regent's Park - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Look into my eyes

There’s an Egyptian Goose at The Regent’s Park in London: Its eyes make we want to keep looking into its eyes. I’d …

Little Grebe - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Little Footy Arse

I love Little Grebes. They are so tiny and so buoyant. Whenever they resurface after a dive, they always surface like a …

Grey Heron - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Dastardly

There’s a grey Heron on the far bank of the water at The Regent’s Park in London. It looks dastardly: It sits …

Juvenile Black-Headed Gull - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A tasty morsel

There’s a juvenile Black Headed Gull in The Regent’s Park in London: They are very elegant but slightly bizarrely proportioned birds: This …

Carrion Crow - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Carrion Crow portraits

The Regent’s Park is full of birds. It’s wiltingly hot and the Carrion Crows are sensibly in the shade. I’m hanging around, …

Coot - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

And then there was one

I make the last minute decision to go to London to meet friends and go to a concert. I pack a bag …

Caddisfly Larva - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Under a stone

Go out. Walk in the countryside. Take your wellies. Wade in a stream. Find a stone. Turn it over. Marvel at life.

Grey Heron - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Plastic Heron

We are walking around Crime Lake and its canals when I see a plastic Heron on the side of the model boat …

Brimstone - Stover - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Brimstone

I’ve seen a Brimstone butterfly before. They are the sulphur-yellow ones which come out of winter hibernation early: Brimstone without the Treacle …

Swift - Westray - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Swift by name

I’m used to seeing Swifts in Devon, high in blue skies, screaming. I spotted some recently in Reading, flying to and from …

Helophilus pendulus - Hoverfly - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Hoverflies on the cliffs

There are over 200 species of Hoverfly in the UK. I don’t know any of them and have to rely on support …

Dunlin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A Dunlin feast

There’s a huge tide of seaweed washed up in the bay at North Haven on Westray. We check for seals on the …