One leaf or two?
Look at any seed of a flowering plant and there’s a major feature you may never have realised is there. You can …
Thistle is the life
There are thistles everywhere here in Parco della Caffarella in Rome. They are very architectural against the flowing meadows of buttercups beneath: …
Little Egret
Walking around the park I see a Little Egret take flight: The Italian name for the Little Egret is Garzetta. That’s quite …
A field full of bees
I’m in a field in a park in Rome. It’s annoying that I can hear a busy road nearby. Then I realise …
Look up!
Looking straight ahead only ever gives you one view of life. It’s always a good idea to look sideways at your life …
The Hooded Crow and the Moon in Blue
As we walk down a sloping meadow we see a Hooded Crow. It’s one of my favourite birds. They are full of …
Swallows, Swifts and House Martins
There are two Barn Swallows resting in the tree up ahead. That’s good. I’d like to photograph them and they’ve been flying …
Mobbing a Harris Hawk
I’ve got a day off in Rome and have spent the morning in Parco della Caffarella. There’s not much wildlife around and …
Caterpillage: The Lackeys and Emperors of Matera
Caterpillar. I love the word. Caterpillar. Isn’t it a strange one to pronounce? Here in Matera there are huge moth caterpillars on …
Swirling Swifts mating in Matera
It’s the morning we leave Matera and we want to squeeze every last drop of joy out of the place. It may …
The Red-Eared Slider and the Grey Flamingo
Mississippi and Mexico; that’s where Red-Eared Sliders are from. People have found them curious and entertaining and the pet trade has made …
Precision
Just how precise is this feral Pigeon with its tiny twig? I’m not sure it’s going to be that much use as …
Ruined
Ruin Lizards. No, that’s not an instruction. Ruins are where these Italian Wall Lizards live. In Italy there are civilisations’ worth of …
Forester
There’s a bright blue iridescent moth flying in the middle of the day in the south of Italy. I have no idea …
Bertoloni’s Bee Orchid
Bee Orchids are the rubber sex doll of the plant world. I can’t really believe I’ve just written that sentence. Please forgive me.
Spotting chafers
We’re walking in the heat through pungent herbs, surrounded by butterflies and day-flying moths with Lesser Kestrels overhead. We’re in Matera in …
Longhorn on the Giant Fennel
Out in the countryside in Matera in Italy, the dry heat and the scent of herbs surrounds us. I particularly love the …
Undercarriage down, preparing to land
Seeing a Swallowtail butterfly in Italy is always a shock. They are just so big: The Parco della Murgia Materana is full …
Spiderbombing
I don’t know how long photobombing has been ‘a thing’. Spoiling someone’s photograph by appearing in it unexpectedly must have appeared very …
The Lesser Kestrels of Matera #10
When a Lesser Kestrel lands on a wire outside our bedroom window I know what I want to do. I want to …
The Lesser Kestrels of Matera #9
There are Lesser Kestrels before breakfast, Lesser Kestrels on the way to breakfast, a break from Lesser Kestrels for breakfast and then Lesser Kestrels after breakfast. In Matera, there are Lesser Kestrels everywhere.
The Lesser Kestrels of Matera #8
It’s five o’clock in the morning and she’s calling immediately outside our window. I think she wants her mate. The tone is …
The Lesser Kestrels of Matera #7
We’re having close encounters of the wildlife kind: There are Lesser Kestrels all over Matera. I’m sure the locals must become immune …
The Lesser Kestrels of Matera #6
Matera. Just look at it. Isn’t it magnificent? What a city! The ancient heart of the stone city of Matera is where …
The Lesser Kestrels of Matera #5
We’ve just been on a brief trip to one of my favourite places. It’s Matera, in the south of Italy. It’s the …
The Great Grey Shrike of Emsworthy Mire
I hear that there’s a Great Grey Shrike on Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor. I’ve never been a ‘birder’ and I really dislike …
Spotted Flycatcher
I know that bird! Without even seeing it properly, I know its behaviour. It’s a Spotted Flycatcher: It’s hidden behind a largish …
Strikingly handsome
Aren’t they just?
The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and the one-eyed Fox of Villa Pamphilj
We’ve just arrived at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome. I don’t see Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers very often but I’ve got used to …
Hooded Crows at Villa Pamphilj
We’re at the park in Rome and there are Hooded Crows galore here. It’s fabulous light, though a little late in the …