Two little Twite, sitting on a wall
I’ve spent this week honouring Twite, a wonderful, curious, much-overlooked bird. Twite live in weedy fields and moorland, or at least they …
The death of the Yellow-Billed Linen-Weaver
The scientific name of the Twite is Linaria flavirostris. Linaria means linen-weaver and flavirostris means yellow-billed. Twite are Yellow-Billed Linen-Weavers. They’re also …
Step on
Watching Twite is a delight. Every time one jumps, the others bob up and down, too. We’ve been photographing a few of …
Can you imagine the Pennines without the Pennine Finch?
Twite are on the verge of extirpation in England. Their last stand is in the ‘Twite Triangle’ between Manchester, Leeds and Halifax. …
A small brown bird which few people care about
Welcome to Twite Week at The Hall of Einar. Twite are small brown birds. To the uninitiated they might look as if …
Looking up for Buzzards
There are several pairs of Common Buzzards in my local area. You may have seen them perched on high posts or circling …
The Blackbird habit
Blackbirds are creatures of habit. At a year old the males select a territory to defend, with the aim of attracting a …
Puffball
This is a Puffball, a fungus with the common name of the Devil’s Snuff-Box or Warty Puffball. It is found singly in …
Diplomatic ambassadors of life from deep time
You can’t boil it, fry it, roast it or casserole it. There’s nothing you can do to make an Osage Orange edible. …
Pink Flamingos
I could watch Flamingos all afternoon. Aren’t they curious? Those candy-pink stick-of-seaside-rock legs are my favourite.
Little Egret take-off
Having bright yellow feet and shuffling them as you paddle through the water is an ideal strategy for disturbing fish you hope …
Feeding Flamingo
Young Flamingos are a little scrappy. They have yet to get candy-pink legs and black and scarlet wing patches. They are still …
Flying Flamingo
It’s tricky getting near to Flamingos. We’re at Orbetello in Italy and the wooden hide is set well back from their favourite …
It’s sticky bud time
At school, I remember the sticky buds. Our teacher at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Patrick’s school (they really were …
Robin with sparkles
This Robin is having a quiet wing-droop moment on a branch in front of a Holly bush. The out-of-focus highlights from the …
What’s occurring?
If you had to come up with three words to describe the Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus, they would probably be skulking, secretive …
Fuzzy pink lollipops
Long-Tailed Tits are one of our most loved garden birds. They are tiny, busy, social visitors to urban gardens and country hedges. …
Beauty is only feather deep
Chaffinches are common birds across Europe. The bright colours of the male Chaffinch include a beautiful deep salmon-pink face and breast, with …
The big story of the Little Egret
Little Egrets are beautiful snow-white herons. They love rivers and ponds. People are led to believe that Little Egrets are recent arrivals …
There’s no such thing as a seagull
Herring Gulls are one of our most familiar birds. They are the ‘seagull’ of a thousand stories and even more stolen seaside …
A Dipper on the Lemon
The River Lemon is beautiful at the moment, with clear water, leafy banks and the sounds of water bubbling and birds singing. …
Two for Joy
Magpies are currently building their nests around the parish. Their nests seem like great untidy bundles of sticks in trees; the truth …
Old Man’s Beard
Look closely at hedges and bushes in forgotten corners at this time of year and you may see the fluffy seed heads …
J1P4 is back again
I was enjoying some local exercise at Newton Abbot Town Quay, when I spotted a Black-Headed Gull with a ring on its …
Dunnock
Warm winter light on orange fallen leaves. Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s even better when a Dunnock is fossicking in them. The closer …
Hatching nuts
Nuthatches don’t actually hatch nuts, they hack them. However, just try saying Nuthacks and you’ll see why Nuthatch is so much easier …
Kittiwake in winter
There’s a beautiful gull with a yellow beak in Brixham harbour. I can see it diving and fishing in the distance. I …
Bringing home the sausage
This Blue Tit is a thrill in this light: It has a wonderful crest with a beautiful powder blue iridescence. Blue Tits …