Green-eyed Shag
The beautiful eyes of this Shag are like emeralds glinting in this bright sunshine. The natural world is more precious than anything …
6 Pipers piping
There are meant to be eleven pipers piping around this time of year, but there were only six at Brixham Breakwater. They’re …
A drip of water
There’s a drip of water on this Gannet’s beak. It’s just spotted a fish below, so it’ll shortly be completely submerged. This, …
Buoyed
I’m lying face down in fishy bird poo again and I’m swaying gently from side to side and up and down. No, …
The Crab and the Diver
A trip to Brixham breakwater was a welcome break from writing, and organising my life. I love the Great Northern Divers there. …
A tree with flowers like mushrooms
There’s a tree I’m thrilled to see at Kew Gardens. It’s Aristolochia arborea, a tree which appears to have no common name. …
Red-Breasted Flycatcher
I receive a message on a WhatsApp group; there’s a Red-Breasted Flycatcher in Brixham. I’m not a twitcher, but being bird-curious, I’d …
Pipit, pipit
Meadow Pipits have a rather serious, stoic look. There are hundreds of families of Meadow Pipits on Westray, and, as I stood …
Razorbill
I’m used to seeing resplendent Razorbills in full breeding plumage on Westray. I’ve even photographed them bringing back fish to their rock …
Grey seal
There’s a Grey Seal investigating me as I lie at sea-level on Brixham Breakwater. It’s as if they can’t quite believe that …
Diving Shag
There’s a Shag diving in Brixham harbour. They’re a pleasure to watch, you just never know when they’re going to dive, or …
Avocets and mud
It’s odd that most wading birds are brown and heavily camouflaged and yet Avocets are, well, noticeable. I wonder why? I’m sure …
Great Northern Divers in Brixham again
Two words which go together perfectly are ‘great’ and ‘northern’. I hear there are Great Northern Divers in Brixham harbour again, so …
Curlew in flight
The brief warmth of the sun in the afternoon on a cold day was a welcome interlude on a trip to Exminster …
Fieldfare – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I’d like to get a decent photograph of a Fieldfare. That’s quite a tricky thing to achieve without spending a lot of …
A date with Waxcaps
A trip to Somerset to see my friend Martin had the unintended bonus of a walk and a crop of wonderful waxcap …
Life and death on the waves
Strange things happen in the natural world. Here’s a photograph from a sequence that I’m still mentally processing. From left to right: …
Big fish
I’ve loved watching the Arctic Terns in Orkney this summer. They’re fascinating. I spent hours watching them come back to their colonies …
The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #49
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …
Arctic Terns and Lumpsuckers
Watching Arctic Terns pull Lumpsuckers out of the water is a thrill. I love the spray of water around this one and …
Buzzards and Tunnicliffe’s Brooke Bond Bird Portraits
There’s a Buzzard overhead. It reminds me of one of Charles Tunnicliffe’s portraits. Charles Tunnicliffe was a genius at representing wildlife. His …
Yellow Wagtail
Here’s a bad photograph of a bird I’ve never seen before. It’s a Yellow Wagtail. We were driving in Italy when I …
Stonechat chicks
I’m catching up this week with all the things I should have done months ago. One of them is to post this …
Cooked Eye
There’s a male Sardinian warbler, Curruca melanocephala, in the bushes. It seems quite agitated. I love the scratchy sound they make in the …
Melodious
I’m thinking back to a glorious summer in Italy, where I noticed a loud song coming from the bushes in Parco della …
About turn
I love the way that Hen Harriers can turn so quickly. The combination of strong wings and a long tail mean they …
Up to your ankles
There’s a Grey Heron up to its ankles in the River Tone. Snacks are on its mind. Fishy ones. Or maybe I’m …
Watching a Grey Wagtail
It’s not just me watching this Grey Wagtail:
Heron on the weir
There’s a Grey Heron at the base of the weir. It appears to be a good place for fish as it’s scooped …
Victoria amazonica
Giant Waterlilies are so fabulous that Kew Gardens built a Waterlily House just to house them. I like the way that Kew …