Getting your ducks in a row
Three Common Pochard fly across the lake. They make a lovely pattern against the azure Italian sky. There are two males and …
Hooded Crow
Crows are some of the most observant and attentive of birds. They are quick to calculate the opportunities and find avoiding dangers …
A great Greater Flamingo
It’s the evening and a single young Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus is doing its thing in the lake. It’s beautiful, ungainly, magical, and …
Murmur
Urban Starlings. Winter. Rome. A park. All the perfect ingredients.
When Kingfishers attack
There’s a flash of electric blue and a Kingfisher arrows past on its intensely important mission. Coots beware!
Take-off
I had great fun with this pair of Common Kestrels in Rome last year. They were an endearing couple. The tree in …
2021 highlights of a wilder Devon life – part 2
Much of the nature I’ve enjoyed in Devon this year has been close to home. It’s been a short walk or cycle …
2021 highlights of a wilder Devon life – part 1
Looking back at my blogs from 2021 it’s clear that I had some great wildlife experiences and managed to document many of …
2021 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
I had a wonderful time on Westray in Orkney in 2021. The Puffins returned to breed and provided constant entertainment with their …
2021 highlights of a wilder Italian life
2021 was another year spent on-hold, waiting with awful music playing, and the same repeated message, with no guarantee that I would …
Storno
There are only a few Swallows left in Italy in November, so it was fascinating to see Starlings taking their place as …
Circus aeruginosus
The last time I saw a Marsh Harrier it was a perfect silhouette against the light and gave me no chance to …
Yellow feet
These yellow feet are very distinctive. They belong to a Little Egret, Egretta garzetta. They enjoy paddling in the water. I don’t …
Black Redstart
One of my favourite Black Redstart photographs from this year. Lovely, aren’t they?
Mobbed again
It’s not an easy life being a Common Kestrel. There are always Hooded Crows around making your life unpleasant. This one is …
The phases of Sparrowhawk flight
A Sparrowhawk has just flown over my shoulder. There are seven Hooded Crows in hot pursuit. It heads into the large pine …
Going wild for a wild Tortoise
Can you see it? We’re out at a LIPU nature reserve at Castel di Guido. We’re the only ones here. It’s a …
Rallenta!
Rallenta, the sign says. I decide to look it up. What’s the English translation of rallenta from the Italian? There are hundreds …
A malar stripe
Look closely at this Kestrel. At any of the Kestrels. Look at any of the Falcons. They all have something in common. …
Shovelard
The Medieval name for the Eurasian Spoonbill was the Shovelard. That makes me laugh, every time. I’ve seen them in Italy before, …
Falco di palude
There’s a Marsh Harrier overhead. We’ve been here for hours waiting and when one appears it’s against the light. It’s a silhouette. …
Little Egret on a wire
This Little Egret is standing on one yellow foot and giving me the eye. A yellow eye. When it does try the …
Clouded Yellow
This yellow butterfly is such an attractive species. It’s a Clouded Yellow, Colias croceus. It’s flying in Italy in winter amongst the …
The pursuit
This Common Kestrel has its eyes to the skies. There’s a Hooded Crow about to mob this Kestrel. Here it comes: It’s …
Little Egret landing
There’s a Little Egret across the water at Riserva Statale Pantani dell’Inferno. I’m thrilled when it takes off, flies over and lands …
Five and a half yards make a perch
The female Kestrel of the pair is perched in front of me. I’ve only got this close by sitting on a tiny …
Great White Egret v Grey Heron
I was thrilled to see Great White Egrets recently at Lago di Alviano. They’re wonderful birds and a thrill to see fly …
Great and spotted
We’ve been spotted. There’s a Great Spotted Woodpecker living its adventurous life nearby. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are large woodpeckers to us. They’re …
A Pygmy Cormorant stuffing itself stupid
There’s a Pygmy Cormorant, Microcarbo pygmaeus, swimming and diving on the lake. It’s too far away for a decent photograph as the hide we’re …
Cinderella Iron
The last we saw of a Grey Heron was one standing, impressively, on a branch over the lake at Lago di Alviano. …