Jay – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago, before I was a teenager, I started keeping detailed nature notebooks. They were full of scientific facts. I kept …
Chiff Chaff
Chiff Chaffs are difficult to see. They are small, they are camouflaged, and they move so quickly that just when you see …
Martin the fisherman
I’m in Italy on the trail of some interesting birds. The signs are good, literally, as there’s a big three-dimensional sign with …
Summer plumage in winter
The Black Headed Gull is a wonderful, delicate bird with fabulous plumage. In the breeding season its head turns a shade of …
Great Crested Grebe – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
They have been mouldering in my loft for the last forty years but I’ve just got out my old pencil sketches of …
Volpe
I’m in Italy in a nature reserve and we’re looking for a tame fox, or Volpe as the Italians have it. All …
Lines and circles
Rock lines and circles surround us in a sea cave on Westray.
Little Grebe
I’ve never seen a Little Grebe before but when I see the most ridiculous-looking pocket-sized fluffy duck-like bird I know what it …
Run, rabbit, run
If you’re interested in wildlife you may wonder why so much of it is so difficult to see. Why are animals so …
Coots – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I made a pencil sketch of a Coot on its nest. I was inspired by seeing an adult with …
Kestrel – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
There’s the familiar shape of a Kestrel in the treetops. I could recognise one in my sleep just from the posture. Looking …
Chaffinch – surrounded by single Swedish females
The scientific name of the Common Chaffinch has been Fringilla coelebs ever since the great Swedish namer and classifier Carl Linnæus called …
Coypu – another invasive alien species
Walking alongside the stream we see an enormous blunt-nosed, rat-like creature swimming with its nostrils held just above the water. It must …
The Italian Chapel has twins
Orkney’s Italian Chapel was once part of a large complex of Nissen huts with tracks and gardens. For many years it has …
Black Redstart
I love Black Redstarts; they behave so much like Robins. Both are members of the same family, being Old World Flycatchers. Here’s …
The Castle – a poem by Edwin Muir
I’ve always felt a close connection to the poetry of Edwin Muir. His themes include loss and betrayal, life and death, and …
Barbed wire sunset
It’s only a small climb to the top of the field at Einar, but the view is so rewarding at this time …
Wren – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Wrens are such beautiful birds. They are so quick, so elusive and so secretive it’s a delight to see one appear from …
The Limpet Twins
Limpets are a personal favourite of mine; especially with garlic. No, seriously I love the rock-licking kneecaps a great deal. Here they …
Don’t roll your eyes at me, deer
We’re in the forest in Tuscany when a Fallow Deer approaches us from a herd we can see in a woodland glade. …
Raven over rooftops
There’s a Raven over my roof. Here it is with the top of my capped-off chimney below it. Its wingtips are lit …
Moorhen on the pond
Moorhens are such skulking birds it’s not often I get the chance to admire them. Here they have such amazing vivid colours …
Terrapins – an invasive alien species
The EU has been in the news a little too much recently. So much so that you might have missed the EU …
Coot taking flight
This beautiful Coot saw me and decided to fly for it. It had just achieved take-off and was about to retract its …
Sun dog
I’ve seen a sun dog before but never this clearly. There are two of them either side of the sun. Here’s one …
Red-Breasted Merganser
I’d never seen a Red Breasted Merganser before and yet I knew instantly what this was. The name came bubbling back to …
Black Headed Gull
Black Headed Gulls know how to dress: those understated grey wings; not-white undercarriage; the eye shadow detail; and the accessories to die …
Gannet
Walking along the Bay of Tafts I’m sad to see the body of a Gannet. Its fragile ribs and delicate feathers are …
The Blusher – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
When I was a child a group of retired gentlemen naturalists took me under their wing. I went on weekly countryside walks …