Whaup in Buttercups
Whaup is the Orcadian name for the Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata. Here’s one flying above the Buttercups in Westray: They’re severely threatened …
Scolder
Eurasian Oystercatchers have no fear. They’re happy to make the lives of any other bird, or even human, a misery with their …
Rock Pipit
There are three types of Pipit: paper, scissors and rock. This is a Rock Pipit: Although it’s beautiful and close and detailed …
That elusive flight shot
We discovered a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major, nest recently. It wasn’t the obvious hole in the side of the tree which …
Italian Wall Lizard
I can see an Italian Wall Lizard climbing a distant tree. The light is beautiful so I take a photograph. I love …
Flutterbyes
Here’s a flying Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio machaon: It’s a little tattered but beautiful all the same: Here’s a perfect example of how …
Egg-Laying
I’ve enjoyed being amongst the butterflies in Parco della Caffarella. There are many different species and it’s great to see them actively …
Odonata
There’s a Keeled Skimmer Dragonfly, Orthetrum coerulescens, above this tiny stream in Rome. It’s a female and has the distinctive black line …
European Pond Turtle
My life in the natural world is full of ‘Wow!’ moments. Today was one of them. It was a multiple ‘Wow!’ when …
Wild Humbugs
We’ve gone for a walk outside of Rome and I’m on the lookout for birds and butterflies. I wander through a loose …
Have you ever seen a photograph like this?
I’ve seen a lot of photographs of butterflies but never one like this. It’s not just that it’s a shot of a …
The cooked eyes of the Sardinian Warbler
The Italian name of the Sardinian Warbler, Curruca melanocephala, is Occhiocotto. That means cooked-eye. You can see why: They are energetic warblers, …
The habits of Monks
The meadow here in Rome is full to bursting with thistles with huge flower heads. The sight is as gorgeous as walking …
Helping a Skink to cross the road
There’s an Italian Three-Toed Skink, Chalcides chalcices, on the footpath at Parco della Caffarella in Rome. It looks like a snake, but …
Sharp Swallow
I’m having fun in the sun practising my bird in flight photography. Perhaps the most difficult bird to photograph is the Barn …
A Great Green Bush Cricket on a Long-Lipped Tongue Orchid
I’m wandering around a meadow in Rome looking for a fresh Long-Lipped Tongue Orchid, Serapias vomeracea. I’m surrounded by hundreds of them …
New life
The Coots on my local lake had six chicks earlier in the year. All of them were eaten. They built another nest …
A small furry nose
When no-one else is looking this Brown Rat, Rattus norvegicus, crawls from the undergrowth and helps itself to the surplus bird food …
Return to Cuckooville
Wild Cuckoos are truly wild birds. They don’t tolerate human presence. I’m hidden in camouflage and bracken waiting for them to come …
Foalish
Images of mothers and children are incredibly powerful to humans. It’s even the case that we respond to other mammals: Mare and …
A Little Tern and Mediterranean Gulls
We’re out on a trip to Portland when we stop at Ferrybridge in Dorset. We’re there to see the Little Tern colony, …
Cafe culture
I’m at Portland in Dorset with my friend Mark when he offers to buy us ice creams. I’m hardly likely to refuse, …
Feeding time
The Green Woodpecker chick is now large enough to stick its head out of the nesting hole. Previously all we could see …
A mirror for Skylarks
There’s a Skylark atop the burnt Gorse above Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor. It’s standing in classic, erect, Skylark pose, with chin up …
Return to Emsworthy Mire
Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor is one of my favourite places. It’s easy to get to, close to home, and not very busy. …
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 …