Sparrowhawk
I can recognise a Sparrowhawk flying now: flap-flap-glide, flap-flap-glide. It’s a distinctive pattern. I saw one as a child from a train …
Return to the Long-Tailed Bushtits
You may have read my blogs about the Long-Tailed Bushtit family which took up a week of my life. Once they fledge …
A Teignmouth evening
I’ve been coming to Teignmouth and Shaldon in South Devon since I was a child. We would have two weeks holiday in …
Orchids
I’ve spent my life trying to explain my behaviour to curious onlookers. Whether I’m being asked what I’m doing by security guards …
Meadow Pipits at Emsworthy Mire
There’s been an eruption of Garden Chafers, Phyllopertha horticola, at Emsworthy Mire. The bracken is covered in them. The local Meadow Pipits …
Stonechats at Emsworthy Mire
I love Stonechats. I’ve spent a couple of very happy days with them: This time I’m just passing through and get a …
Reed Warblers
There’s a tiny patch of reeds alongside a drainage channel. It follows an A-road dual carriageway. There’s a pedestrian bridge over the …
NA3? Over our dead bodies
When I’m in Devon I live right in the centre of town but close to some wonderful green spaces. Large areas of …
Dryad’s Saddle
The Dryad’s Saddle fungus is one I remember from my childhood. It can grow huge. It has a beautiful scaly skin and …
Counting your Ducklings
There are three sets of Mallard ducklings on my local river. It’s a struggle to keep track of them. For a start, …
The Cormorant at the Quay
As I walk down to the town Quay I see a Cormorant surface with a huge fish. I start running towards it …
Walking the Hunters’ Path
A trip to Castle Drogo seemed like a great idea. Parking at the Fingle Bridge Inn we take the top path along …
The Hall of Einar Sunday Review #12
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Review. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, see engrossing websites and hear wonderful …
Willow Warblers at Emsworthy Mire
There it is again; that fluttering movement from something no bigger than a leaf on the breeze. I track the quiver of …
Return to Challacombe Farm
I’ve been to Challacombe Farm before. It’s teeming with animals for food and fun
When you know it’s summer
The seasons turn, circle by circle. Bud becomes flower becomes fruit, ripening in the long days. Photography is expressing your view of …
Robin
I’ve only ever been on one photography course. It was a one day event for band photography, held in Bristol. It was …
Blackbirds with a brood
This handsome male blackbird has the right idea. Nutritious invertebrates are what a growing chick needs to make bone and sinew and …
KillJays
Jays are incredible birds. Members of the crow family, they have beautiful pink plumage, a crest, striking blue and black wings, a …
Thirsty House Martins
Eating flying insects to live must give you a thirst, surely? When you spend all day crunching flies and taking them to …
An intimate embrace
I’ve visited Orley Common a handful of times. I’m fascinated by it because nobody owns it; it’s a true common. At the …
English Stonecrop
There’s one of my favourite wild flowers at Start Point. It’s English Stonecrop, Sedum anglicum. Here it is growing on rock which …
Arriving in fog
We arrive in fog. Start Point is one of the isolated promontories of the South Hams area of South Devon. The South …
My life
As a metaphor for my life, this image just couldn’t get any better. It’s an early start to Start Point in the …
Cuckoos at Emsworthy Mire 2
I’ve arrived earlier today in the hope of seeing Cuckoos. Yesterday was a success, with a high-speed chase, so I have high …
Cuckoos at Emsworthy Mire
I’ve seen a Cuckoo before, but only the outline of a bird perched in the distance. I’d love to see one properly. …
Paris and Pangolins
It’s a few months now since we had a romantic weekend in Paris. Naturally we took cameras. Nothing says “I love you” …
Sand Martins on the Teign
We are watching Sand Martins on the BBC’s Springwatch on TV when I tell my son that there are Sand Martins on …
House Martins
One night, out for a walk from my house in South Devon, I spot a small group of House Martins. As I …
Swift by name
I love Swifts. Swifts and Swallows are the product of convergent evolution and aren’t closely related to one another. The closest relatives …