An afternoon with the Tysties of Westray
I love our trips out to see the Tysties – the Black Guillemots – on Westray. They seem to enjoy sitting on …
Old Carrot-Face is noisy today
Oystercatchers are a noisy fact of life here on Westray. There’s not a spot of coastline which isn’t guarded by some zealous …
A scuttling Sandy Laverock
The Orkney name for Ringed Plover is Sandy Laverock. It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful bird. They appear to be always …
Bonxies
Bonxie is the name for the Great Skua, Stercorarius skua, here in Orkney. It’s the Norse name for them. If you’ve ever …
Chuckie
A walk up the west coast of Westray revealed several pairs of Wheatear, which are very active at the moment. They’re exceptionally …
From a mile away
I’m at least a mile away from the Arctic Tern colony here when one passes overhead. It’s clearly not found enough to …
Incoming!
We spent an amazing evening with the Scootie Allans of Westray. Arctic Skuas are beautiful, impressive birds, with sleek bodies and swept-back …
Skylarking
An evening walk in the warm, low sun and there is a pair of Skylarks in the field. They’re difficult to get …
Mallimack surprise
The Fulmars on Westray are littering the coast with their ungainly earthly forms, as well as flying effortlessly along the cliffs with …
A Heather Lintie at the Castle o’ Burrian
Twite are such beautiful birds. Their subtlety is exceptional, with the softness of their stripes and the paleness of their beaks. It’s …
A Scootie Allan attacking a Mallimack
A Scootie Allan attacking a Mallimack. An Arctic Skua attacking a Fulmar. A Stercorarius parasiticus attacking a Fulmarus glacialis. Dramatic, isn’t it, in …
From Herrings to landfill and back
I love Herring Gulls. Amazingly their UK conservation status is red. That’s because their breeding population keeps declining, and so does their …
Moult
I’m fascinated to see this Herring Gull going through a moult into adult plumage. You can see it better in this view: …
Guillemot
There’s a Common Guillemot on the waves. It’s having a little spruce up. Nesting in a colony is a great idea if …
Gannet flypast on Kelly’s Hero
Can you see this Gannet’s blinking its third eyelid, its nictitating membrane?
That reminds me, I must clean my glasses from all that sea spray.
Grey Heron on board a Brixham trawler
There’s a stowaway on board looking for an easy fish. Who can blame it?
The biggest gull in the world
The Great Black Backed Gull is the largest gull in the world. We’re aboard the Kelly’s Hero on a cruise out of …
Yawn!
This Grey Seal is clearly feeling a little snoozy as it rests its blubber on a pontoon in Brixham. If you’re trying …
Cuckoo and Meadow Pipit
There’s a never-ending battle going on in the meadows and on moorland of Dartmoor. It’s Cuckoo versus Meadow Pipit. The Meadow Pipits …
Starling in the Meadow
As I arrive in Broken Tower Meadow in Rome a group of Starlings scatter from their fossicking in the meadow. This one …
A hunting Hobby
I can see a bird of prey high in the sky. I don’t recognise it, so I train my lens on it …
Black Kite
It’s a hazy day in Matera and the sun is already high in the sky when we see a procession of Black …
Eastern Dappled White Butterfly
There are butterflies galore in Broken Tower Meadow, il Pratone di Torre Spaccata. Here’s one. I think it’s the Eastern Dappled White, …
Owlfly
I wish we had Owlflies in the UK. They fly like a combination of dragonflies and butterflies, and perch with their massive …
Transparent Burnet Moth
There’s what looks like a Transparent Burnet moth, Zygaena purpuralis in the park. The larvae feed on wild thyme, which is exactly …
Barn Swallows
Wandering the ancient pedestrian streets of Matera in the heart of the Medieval village is a fabulous experience. There are stone troughs, …
Blackcap in Matera
It’s been a wonderful few days in Matera, but it’s time for us to go back to Rome. What an incredible place …
A Serin singing like a Canary
I still can’t stop laughing at this photograph of a Serin, Serinus serinus, in Matera What a face! He’s a male, with …
Falco naumanni
We’re in Matera to see the Lesser Kestrels. We’ve booked the room in the hotel which has three small terraces and the …
Pallid Swifts
I love seeing the Swifts swirling overhead in Matera. There are screaming chases, flights which end in mating while clinging to buildings, …