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 …
It’s blisteringly hot at the Abbazia San Giusto in Tuscania in Italy today. There’s not much wind and precious little shelter. Tucked …
We are up at 6am, politely yawning. Today is our most recent attempt to see Little Owls. As a child I helped …
I’ve arrived in Italy at exactly the wrong time. Birds have just finished breeding and are on the move. Many are preparing …
We arrive home late to our rented room in Tuscania in Italy. As we get the key out we notice a huge …
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 …
We drive past an animal circus in Italy. I look up the size of a Tiger’s natural territory. “A tigress may have …
We’re driving around Tarquinia in Italy. Our guide is our new friend Paolo, an incredibly enthusiastic and endlessly patient local birder. He’s …
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 …
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 …
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 …
There’s a female Tufted Duck on the lake at The Regent’s Park in London. Looking at it I marvel at how brilliant …
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 …
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 …
There’s a Little Grebe in The Regent’s Park in London: It has a family. Here it is with one of its chicks: …
The juvenile Great Crested Grebes at The Regent’s Park are too big to be carried on their parents’ backs now. They’ve been …
I love Little Grebes. They are so tiny and so buoyant. Whenever they resurface after a dive, they always surface like a …
There’s a grey Heron on the far bank of the water at The Regent’s Park in London. It looks dastardly: It sits …
There’s a juvenile Black Headed Gull in The Regent’s Park in London: They are very elegant but slightly bizarrely proportioned birds: This …
I’m strolling around Hyde Park with my son. I’m pondering having an ice cream. We’ve had a lovely morning. Naturally I have …
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, …
I make the last minute decision to go to London to meet friends and go to a concert. I pack a bag …
Go out. Walk in the countryside. Take your wellies. Wade in a stream. Find a stone. Turn it over. Marvel at life.
We are walking around Crime Lake and its canals when I see a plastic Heron on the side of the model boat …
There’s time for a walk around Dove Stone reservoir in Saddleworth. I love their mosaic signs: very stylish: This must be a …
I’ve seen a Brimstone butterfly before. They are the sulphur-yellow ones which come out of winter hibernation early: Brimstone without the Treacle …
Many of my favourite birds to observe are common. Black Headed Gulls are: It doesn’t need to be rare to be interesting …
There’s a type of Goose Barnacle, a Buoy Barnacle, on the shore in Westray. Its full name is Dosima fascicularis. It’s one …
I’m used to seeing Swifts in Devon, high in blue skies, screaming. I spotted some recently in Reading, flying to and from …
There are over 200 species of Hoverfly in the UK. I don’t know any of them and have to rely on support …
There’s a huge tide of seaweed washed up in the bay at North Haven on Westray. We check for seals on the …