My peanuts bring all the Parakeets to the yard
It’s a delight to see Rose Ringed Parakeets in London, even if they are noisy and seriously out of place. This one …
The Great Northern Diver and the crab
Great Northern Divers are sleek and handsome characters. There are many around the coast of South Devon at the moment. This one …
Goldeneye
We’re told there’s a pair of Goldeneye when we arrive at RSPB Radipole. I’ve seen one before from a great distance and …
Money-making Marx
My son and I are having a trip to Highgate Cemetery, or I should say cemeteries, as there is an old one …
Urban Corvids
We’re got three species of corvids in this London park. Firstly, there’s the robust Carrion Crows, with their large beaks festooned with …
Curlew flypast
A chance encounter with a Curlew always improves my day. They’re my emotional connection to the wilderness we’ve lost.
Archaeopteryx
The Natural History Museum has some wonderful fossils, as well as casts of wonderful fossils faked to look real. Recognise this? Here’s …
London Squirrels
Grey Squirrels in London are almost fearless in some parks. I find them endlessly entertaining. This one appears to have an urgent …
The brown-headed Black-Headed Gull
We’ve had a bit of weather recently, so having a modicum of sunshine is an unexpected joy. As is this Black-Headed Gull: …
Seeing a Bearded Reedling for the first time
We’re on a mission to see a bird I’ve wanted to see since childhood, but never seen. The Puffin Whisperer wants to …
Egyptian Goose
The Egyptian Goose is an introduced species and has, naturally, escaped to form a naturalised population in the UK. There are now …
The Tower, the Walkie Talkie, the Shard and the Gherkin
We spent a while in London over the holidays and went for a stroll around the city on Christmas Day. Crossing Tower …
Mother and daughter
I’ve never been close to Red Foxes in daylight. I’ve seen them under amber street lights, alert to any danger, patrolling the …
Avocet
It’s late, but still quite light, when we arrive at the River Exe and I’m delighted to see an Avocet on the …
Snipe
I’ve never had a good view of a Snipe before. This time it’s different. We’re in a south-of-London park with a kind …
London Fox
We’ve been offered the chance to see some wild London Foxes while we’re in London. We can’t resist, so we’re up early …
2022 highlights of a wilder Italian life (part 2)
Being able to explore a natural world with different, unfamiliar species is a privilege. It was a thrill to visit Italy in …
2022 highlights of a wilder Italian life (part 1)
Hooded Crows and koinophilia In Rome in 2022 we could see 300 Hooded Crows in an evening in a single field, as …
2022 highlights of a wilder Orkney life (part 2)
August in Orkney can be quieter than May, June or July when it comes to bird life. In 2022, August was hectic …
2022 highlights of a wilder Orkney life (part 1)
2022 was a very happy time for me on my visits to Orkney. I spent hours on the low cliffs and rocks …
Kittiwake in the harbour
A Kittiwake over Brixham breakwater. Such beautiful, elegant birds with their dipped-in-ink wings and smokey winter heads. I’m looking forward to spending …
Playful
There’s some quite intense play-biting going on along the wooden pontoons in Brixham harbour. It’ll all end in a splash. I can …
A Shag in the harbour
Shags are a form of Cormorant found around our coasts. They are smaller than the Common Cormorant we get across the country. …
The words ‘Great’ and ‘Northern’ go together so well
What a special experience to spend time with something so wild.
No stones to turn
Turnstones are regular visitors to Brixham harbour in the winter. They potter around the pontoons and waddle down the breakwater to the …
The Buzzard and its shadow
Buzzards are regal. They must be, because they bring with them a retinue wherever they go. Here’s one with its attendant, a …
Spatula
There is a pair of Northern Shovelers, Spatula clypeata, in The Regent’s Park. I sit under a weeping Willow and hope they’ll …
Tame Herons
The Herons in The Regent’s Park in central London are tame. That’s the only word to describe them. I’ve been here in …
A Cetti’s Warbler in central London
I’m in London for a little while having fun with my son. I just have time for a quick visit to The …
The Third Ladybird Book of British Birds – #16 The Curlew
I’m currently reading the third volume of the Ladybird Book of British Birds and their nests from the 1950s. Times have changed …