Cuckoo! – how to take photos of Cuckoos
There are still adult Cuckoos on Dartmoor. When they all leave for their migration to Africa there will still be Cuckoos here, …
Losing your nut
One minute you have it and the next minute it’s gone. This is what it’s like when you lose your nut. The …
Coots and Moorhens
Coots and Moorhens are fairly familiar birds of lakes, ponds and canals. They are both members of the Rallidae, a family which include Rails, like the …
Beavers on the Otter
There are Beavers on the River Otter. I park in Otterton (yes, really) and we have a pint in The King’s Arms …
Mandarin splashabout
I love a Mandarin Duck shot. I decide to lie on the ground and get my camera as low to the water …
Yet more Green Woodpeckers
Being in a portable hide and spending time with these Green Woodpeckers has been a thrill. Here’s the male with his distinctive …
When your mates arrive pre-loaded
It’s an evening out in England and your friends are meeting at yours. The cost of alcohol in pubs and clubs means …
More Green Woodpeckers
Okay, I’m getting the hang of these Green Woodpeckers now. You wait for three hours and see nothing. You hear a call, …
Cosy Squirrels
I couldn’t resist taking this photograph, although it took me a long time, as I was too busy admiring how cute this …
Finding a Green Woodpeckers’ nest
There’s the loud laugh of a Green Woodpecker in the woods. My friend abandons his camera and bag and rushes wildly into …
This is the shot I wanted
And I didn’t disturb the bird to get it. We discovered a Green Woodpeckers’ nest just over a month ago. Since then …
A Mandarin Duck spectacular
The light’s just right. And so is the duck. Photographs of Mandarin Ducks just never get old. Unlike me. After lying down …
Tit in blossom
People picking a favourite month always seems strange to me, as if you could have one month without the others. Anyway, if …
A wild cruise
I love being on ferries and small boats. It’s not something I do very often, so when my son Gabriel suggested a …
The negative effects of humans on the mental health of animals
It seems that everywhere I look at the moment in my social media bubble there’s someone writing an article or a book …
Swift, Swifter, Swiftest
Swifts are one of the last migratory birds to arrive in the UK and one of the first to leave. They are …
Admit it
You’re just a little bit in love with Long-Tailed Bushtits, aren’t you?
Every once in a while
You need to stop and appreciate a Robin. And I did.
And then there was one.. again!
I’ve loved watching Coots have ugly-beautiful chicks and the dedication of the parents to raise them. One of the pairs on Stover …
Woodpigeon portraits
Woodpigeons have a very strange iris in their eye. It looks like it’s egg-shaped or a couple of overlapping circles, but it …
Gadwall
Duck identification isn’t my specialist subject for Mastermind. So when this handsome chap flies past I have to resort to Professor Google, …
Brambling
Brambling. Beautiful, aren’t they? In the UK, they are birds of our winter and their breeding numbers are 0-2 nests per year. …
Stock Dove portrait
I recently photographed a Stock Dove flypast and admired how the iridescent neck changed colour from baby-pink to bottle-green with the angle …
Walking the walk
Magpies are one of the most difficult birds to photograph. The human eye sees light and shade in a completely different way …
The Aylesbeare Kestrel
I do love a good Kestrel flight shot. Don’t you? Every time I see one when I’m driving I wish I could …
Who? Me?
It’s a look which says it all.
Grey Heron flypast
A Grey Heron flies past me from left to right at Stover Country Park. I don’t notice it until it’s too late …
The Chocolate-Headed Gull in breeding finery
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 …
A Peedie Whaup
Eurasian Whimbrels are large waders, although they are not as large as Eurasian Curlews. As soon as I spot a group of …
Brown-capped Blackcap
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 …