I’m tramping through scrub on a path used by dog walkers and alienated teenagers. It’s only rubbish which catches my eyes and ears, with horribly loud crunching plastic bottles under the leaves and bright metallic cans discarded in the bushes. That is, until I spot this. It’s a Jelly Ear …
The Puffin Whisperer comes back from a walk and turns the back of her camera towards me to show me a bird …
Beak deformities are quite common amongst birds. This Woodpigeon has crossed mandibles. I’d expect it to interfere with eating but it doesn’t …
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …
It seems that only one day in every seven is sunny at the moment. And the days are short. So I’ve got …
On my walk I grabbed a few shots in passing of glorious catkins in warm evening light. It’s reassuring to see trees …
One of the most common fungi in UK woodlands is The Blusher. I’ve just found this photograph I took of one back …
Herring Gulls are fabulous to watch. I’ve enjoyed taking photographs of them in urban areas. There’s something quite alien about their presence. …
If you ask this swan what species it is, it won’t tell you. It’s Mute.
Staying local for your exercise is difficult if brownfield sites are built upon, public spaces are full and green spaces are privately …
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …
It was my birthday this week and unusually I’ve been able to see my birthday present being made in front of me. …
This summer in Orkney we met up with two friends and fellow enthusiasts for a moth-trapping evening. I loved setting up their …
In the first lockdown it was revealing just how much nature was all around me. I didn’t need to spend ages preparing …
When people complain about overconsumption there’s an inalienable truth at play. It’s the same truth that governs people’s attitudes to income. The …
If you can possibly manage it, get a magnifying glass. It turns the world into a magical one full of joy. Just …
Listen to artists. It doesn’t matter that you don’t understand them yet. Listen to them; then do what they suggest. They have …
Woodlice. There are 3,500 species in the world and between 35 and 40 in the UK. They’re animals which many children know. …
It was a very Puffin Christmas here. I received a Puffin Icon from the Puffin Whisperer. She used a solid wooden block …
We’re watching a kayaker paddle across Pierowall Bay with his fishing rod safely stowed when a motorboat comes past. Which one would …
Last April I took a cycle ride with my son. We went up some of the toughest hills in the area, and …
A Fulmar from summer, sitting pretty on the top of a wall in the skeleton house. Its beached carcass and exposed ribs …
It’s hard to see that cliffs are dangerous from the top of them. Seeing the Island from the sea gives a completely …
I spent most of 2020 on my own. The two trips I had booked to Italy were cancelled and I clearly wasn’t …
In July I went walking with my son on Dartmoor and he took a rare portrait of me Walking the Hunters’ Path: …
2020 is a year which will be difficult to forget for those of us lucky enough to still be alive. For me, …
Orkney is full of the evidence of master builders. Once stone is placed upon stone, then something is created which can last …
In August we went looking for the Scottish Primrose, Primula scotica. It’s one of the few plants which grows in Scotland and …
In 2020 I managed two trips to Orkney. I did it by self-isolating for two weeks before travelling and then taking all …
There was a solitary flower of what looked like Sea Mayweed on the rocks on the exposed coast of Westray this summer. …