Scruffy, aren’t they?
Cinereous Vultures are scruffy. Ragged wings, unkempt body feathers and tattered tails. Maybe it’s just moulting. Or maybe it’s just scruffy.
A Golden Jackal taking a chunk out of a Griffon Vulture
The Golden Jackals are the next to arrive after the Griffon Vultures have descended upon the carcass outside our hide, high in …
It only takes one Crow to make a mob
The Cinereous Vultures in Bulgaria are constantly mobbed by Hooded Crows. They don’t get a moment’s peace. The Crows are compelled to …
Getting your Pelicans in a row
The Dalmatian Pelican’s gular pouch changes colour to an intense red as the breeding season approaches.
Pelican and Pelican’t
Being surrounded by giant birds is an awe-inspiring experience.
Tails high
Can you stand yet another cracking Northern Nutcracker photograph from me? Yes, I think you can. When indulging in ritualised fighting on …
The forest-spreaders
In Britain it’s Jays which are often credited with spreading the oak forests which thrived before humans cut them down. Jays cache …
Quarrelsome
If I only had one word to describe Northern Nutcrackers it would be quarrelsome. Their ritualised battles are entertaining. They use their …
Crampons and Nutcrackers
The backlit wings of Northern Nutcrackers and the glorious rim-light they display are a delight. The powdery snow is so pure and …
Broad wings, short tail, forked tongue
The wings of the Northern Nutcracker are broad, very much like a Jay. Their tails are short and their beaks sharply pointed …
Nutcracker nutcracker
You can probably tell how much I’ve been enjoying seeing these Northern Nutcrackers. Aren’t they lovely? The scientific name for the Northern …
Spotted
The Northern Nutcracker, Nucifraga caryocatactes, was previously known as the Spotted Nutcracker. It’s easy to see why. It flies past us through the pines with …
Let battle commence
The Northern Nutcrackers on this Bulgarian ski slope are an absolute dream for me. I could never have imagined that I would …
Northern Nutcrackers
We’re on a Bulgarian ski-slope armed with peanuts. We’re on the trail of the Northern Nutcracker, with the aim of giving them …
Landing precision
The Common Buzzard is quite a large bird, with broad, rounded wings and a short neck and tail. We’re waiting in a …
Talkative Acorn-Eater
The scientific name of the Jay is Garrulus glandarius. It means ‘Talkative Acorn-Eater’. This one is certainly garrulous (excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters): Jays …
Photobombed Goldfinch
I’m taking photographs of a Goldfinch in the snow when a Blue Tit flies past. I think it’s an elegant composition with …
Full of attitude
You have to admire how plucky Blue Tits are. For such a small bird they have a great attitude. Humans think it’s …
Bramlyng
Bramblings are entertaining birds to watch. They appear to act very similarly to Chaffinches and they are the same size and shape. …
Goldfinch in snow
There’s a slightly bedraggled Goldfinch in the snow. It’s been snowing lightly with gentle flakes so its plumage is wet. It’s also …
Greenfinch
It’s poor light but the snow on the ground is reflecting the light beautifully. The softness of the sound and the softness …
A lover’s tiff
Hawfinches are quarrelsome bullies. They’re bigger than the other birds which frequent bird feeders and they don’t mind throwing their weight around. …
Hawfinch in the snow
There’s something so ugly-beautiful about Hawfinches. They’re the Pre-Raphaelite equivalent of Jane Morris, the famous embroiderer and also artists’ model. This is …
Vulture gang violence
There appears to be a strict social hierarchy and sense of corpse-etiquette amongst the Cinereous Vultures. These three have ganged up on …
Love is in the air for Bulgaria’s Cinereous Vultures
It’s been minus 9 degrees overnight and we’ve been in the hide since before dawn. It’s vital we don’t disturb the wildlife …
A White-Tailed Eagle lands next to us
It’s near to the end of a long day marooned in a mountain-top hide, sitting in silence. I spot an eagle circling …
A Raven and a Griffon Vulture
Ravens are large birds. They look like toys next to Griffon Vultures.
Snarl
Golden Jackals use their levator labii superioris muscle to snarl. The name means ‘raiser of the upper lip’. This Jackal’s top lip …
Golden Jackals assemble
The Golden Jackal family which has arrived on our mountain outcrop seems to consist of an adult pair and a youngster. I …
Battle is joined
Our workshop leader isn’t sharing the information that someone has been sitting in these very hides in the Bulgarian mountains for several …