Dead Man’s Fingers
I love this plant attached to the pebbles on the beach. I’m still pondering which species it is. Maybe it’s Dead Man’s …
Shag escape
Seeing a roost of Shags is a spectacular thing. A flock of Shags is called a hangout of shags. Watching them all fly when …
Golden Plover over
Watching a distant flock of Golden Plover through my binoculars I’m fascinated to see that the flock breaks into several smaller flocks. …
A seal’s nose
This sleeping Common Seal looked very comfortable in its blubber and seal-fur coat. It was cold and raining for me. I don’t …
Pacific Oysters
There are Pacific Oyster farms on the River Dart. They are an introduced species and resolutely refuse to stay where the farmers …
8J2
A juvenile Osprey was entertaining the crowds at the Lower Otter Restoration Project earlier this autumn. It’s a chick which was reared …
Fine adjustments
Birds have incredible senses when it comes to their aerial life. They are alive to any slight change in wind strength or …
The Shooting Party
I’m taking photographs of birds on the River Dart when I notice a shooting party on the bank of the River. We’re …
Buteo buteo
Watching a Buzzard being mobbed is always a fascinating experience. This one has two Carrion Crows in close attendance. They dive, and …
Grey Seal
I love to see Grey Seals basking. They don’t have the most attractive faces for someone who is human to gaze on. …
The remains of a meal
There’s a Common Buzzard on the banks of the River Dart. We’re enjoying great views of it from the small boat due …
Rook and Peregrine Falcon meet
There’s a Peregrine Flacon flying over the River Dart. The last time I saw one here it was ‘buzzing’ an Osprey with …
“Biology is bigger than your bigotry”
Today’s post is another one on human biology and its misuse to support an ideology. If you’d rather look at my photographs …
Curlew C5
I was on a cruise up the River Dart with Mike Langman recently when he spotted an Eurasian Curlew. I love to …
Sabine’s Gull
It’s only 8 million years since Sabine’s Gulls and Kittiwakes were the same species. Evolutionary time boggles the mind, doesn’t it?
A Sonnet in Remembrance (A Poppy Blooms)
I wanted to write a sonnet which could be sung on Remembrance Sunday. I’ve recently been enjoying using ‘artificial intelligence’ to create …
Manx Shearwater
I’m greedy. Whenever I see a beautiful bird I’d like to be as close as possible to it without affecting its behaviour …
Osprey with fish
The juvenile Osprey on the River Otter last month was doing a very good job of catching a fish every morning and …
Mediterranean Gull
Gull identification isn’t my favourite subject. There are too many plumages which seemingly overlap. My mind ties itself into knots as I …
In transition
This Lesser Black-Backed Gull is in transition. It still has a speckled head and some of its wing feathers are still the …
Kittiwakes
I’m used to seeing Kittiwakes in full, pristine, breeding plumage in Orkney. It’s a pleasure to see some in their more relaxed …
Comedy gold
This year I’ve decided to enter some photography competitions. I’ve been inspired by my dad, who won competition after competition (with my …
Osprey on the River Otter
I’ve had great fun recently at the Lower Otter Restoration Project as there’s been an Osprey in residence. Here it is, only …
Warship
Out at sea there’s always a larger boat than yours. Out in Lyme Bay there’s a warship patrolling.
A Tuna boil
It’s not just fishing boats out in Lyme Bay. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are back in South Devon. That’s extraordinary. They’ve suffered a …
Footprints
I love the mixture of sand on the beaches of Westray. Some are shell sand from the crushed shells of the molluscs …
Cloaca
Birds, like most vertebrates, apart from many mammals, have a cloaca. Cloaca is Latin for sewer and is the combined intestinal, urinary …
I hear someone shout “Kestrel!”
There’s a shout of “Kestrel!” and I train my lens on the sky. A Common Kestrel is being mobbed by a Carrion …
Flying Fulmars
I think of fulmars as being mid-engined birds with relatively short wings. They are deceptive, however, as their wings can appear quite …
Soggy Osprey
Of all the things I love about autumn, trips to see Ospreys migrating back to Africa are one of my top highlights. …