Magpies are one of the most difficult birds to photograph. The human eye sees light and shade in a completely different way to the way a camera captures it. The sheer range of tones which we are able to distinguish overwhelms any electronic device made so far. Camera blacks are …
I do love a good Kestrel flight shot. Don’t you? Every time I see one when I’m driving I wish I could …
It’s a look which says it all.
A Grey Heron flies past me from left to right at Stover Country Park. I don’t notice it until it’s too late …
There’s a Black-Headed Gull, with its chocolate-coloured-head, above me, in all of its breeding finery. I wish it well, but silently. I …
Eurasian Whimbrels are large waders, although they are not as large as Eurasian Curlews. As soon as I spot a group of …
There’s a female Blackcap in this lichen-encrusted tree. Here’s what the male looks like, together with my thoughts on how ridiculous descriptions …
Grey Squirrels take their food as seriously as Italian people. This one has its eyes on a prize: Those eyes are huge …
This Orange-Tip, Anthocharis cardamines, is a beautiful spring sight, especially when feeding on an intense yellow dandelion. Have you seen its tongue? …
I’m taking photographs in Daisy Nook Country Park, near my old haunts as a child, when a woman walking a dog asks …
In Italy we visit Lago di Alviano and enjoy their small birds’ hide. The hide is large and L-shaped, there’s furniture in …
There’s a Heron in the pond at Pennington Flash. It’s having what seems to be a lazy morning, except it’s rigid and …
What’s the difference between bleating and baaing? Lambs are a joy. They’re fresh to the world and still surprised by it. They’re …
Carrion Crows don’t just eat carrion. This one has found an egg. I don’t know where the egg came from. The Crow …
Ever since I discovered Stonechats and Charles Tunnicliffe’s portrait of them, I’ve wanted to reproduce his painting in a photograph. Here’s the …
The local Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been excavating a new nest. They are a rare species and people are sensitive about revealing …
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …
Birds have evolved a wide range of faces. Here’s a Coot with that large white faceplate: And a Mute Swan with a …
We’re walking down the River Otter looking for Otters (no, we didn’t see any) when I notice what looks like a plastic …
It’s duckling time and a splishy and splashy grand parade of cuteness is heading my way. I think there are seven or …
Birds have several superpowers. One is that they can blink and still see, even when in the middle of blinking. Just look …
The scientific name of the Eurasian Bullfinch is Pyrrhula pyrrhula. It means Fire! Fire! That’s certainly what I think when one appears …
We had a trip to Aylesbeare Common to see the Dartford Warblers. It was successful. Just take a look at this beauty: …
There’s a Sand Martin colony on the River Otter. It’s a consolation prize for me, as there are no Otters here at …
Last week this Coot was sitting on six eggs. I waited until the incubating parent had a brief rearrange of their eggs …
There’s a male Common Kestrel on Aylesbeare Common. It’s remarkable how far away from a potential meal it begins its wing-folded descent. …
I remember the shock of finding out that Stock Doves exist. I know what a Feral Pigeon is: I know what a …
How do you get this close to a Jay? They’re famously reclusive birds, often only seen after they’ve seen you, and showing …
Here’s a fungus from last October which escaped my editing until now. It’s the Drumstick Truffleclub; a fungus which grows on a …
I was in the British Museum when I noticed this mosaic pavement showing a Wild Boar being confronted by a hunting dog. …