The Kestrel and the mouse
There’s a Kestrel at the top of the tree here in Parco della Caffarella. It’s quite a distance away, so we get …
There’s a Kestrel at the top of the tree here in Parco della Caffarella. It’s quite a distance away, so we get …
From a distance it’s hard to tell all these white birds apart. There are dozens of busy Great White Egrets and Little …
White Wagtails are fascinating birds. In the UK we call our darker sub-species the Pied Wagtail. Even though it’s a common bird …
There’s a Cormorant coming in fast and low. The sun is setting and it’s time to roost at the Lago di Chiusi: …
I know that rats can climb. I went to a talk by a retired employee of Rentokill when I was a child …
Noisy, bright, squawking and quarrelsome, it’s me again. No, it’s the Monk Parakeets of Rome: Aren’t they handsome? I wonder what their …
We’re at the Parco della Caffarella in Rome. It’s a sprawling urban park with grass closely cropped by the escaped rabbits which …
Great White Egrets are impressive birds. They are huge: I love the way the wing tips of this one are just touching …
Black Redstarts are rare in the UK. Here in Parco della Caffarella in Rome they are everywhere. They’re the equivalent of Robins …
A Cormorant takes flight at sunset at the Lago di Alviano. A Great White Egret is still there after sunset. There’s also …
This female Kingfisher is wonderful. She’s bobbing her head, calling and peering into the water below. We’ve heard her calling from across …
Arriving at the Lago di Chiusi on a glorious day in Italy is a treat. There’s a lakeside fish restaurant, walks around …
This domestic cat is a natural born killer. How can I tell? All I have to do is look into its eyes. …
It’s always a thrill to see a bird creeping like a mouse up a tree trunk. It’s only when it flies down …
There are a couple of Spotted Redshanks close by. I take a hasty photograph and smile at the acrobatic leg stretching: There’s …
The Lago di Alviano in Italy is one of my favourite places. Whether it’s cold and foggy or bright and breezy, there’s …
European Robins are fascinating. This one is the forest in Italy looks like a youngster, as it has a pale band on …
There are Blue Tits galore in the trees in this Italian forest. Their Italian name is Cinciarella, pronounced Chin-char-ella. Their beaks are …
The Starlings are gathering at the Lago di Alviano and they’re swirling overhead. One moment they’re a tight, dark ball, the next …
I’ve just spent my birthday sitting in a small wooden shed. Last year we were here looking at Red Squirrels in the …
A trip to Hound Tor on Dartmoor reveals a special fruiting sensation of Egghead Mottlegills, Panaeolus semiovatus, or at least that’s what I think they are. I’d probably need to destroy …
Black Headed Gulls are so beautiful at this time of year. Looking closely at their eyes reveals long dark bristles. In summer …
There’s a Grey Squirrel high on the branch above. It’s really enjoying a scratch. It’s making me feel itchy just looking at …
There’s a common fungus growing on a birch tree in the woods. It’s called the Birch Bracket fungus. My friend Joe drinks …
Bracken is such a successful fern that it grows all over the Earth, except in deserts and in Antarctica. Here in South …
I hear that there’s a Great Northern Diver, a type of bird frequently called a Loon everywhere apart from here, on a …
We’ve had a trip to Somerset. We left sunny Devon on the only sunny day forecast this week and arrived to thick …
It appears I haven’t managed to take all the Christmas decorations down in time. There’s one bauble still left: A Robin’s life …
There’s a particularly impressive oak tree in Abbotskerswell in South Devon. As the old joke says, it’s out standing in its field. …