When I see a Mallimack walk
“I seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band I seen a needle that winked its eye But I be done seen …
Wren on the coast
The wild North Sea coast of Westray in Orkney is not for the feint hearted on a blustery day. There are Fulmars …
Rare Crossbills on the Links
I get the word that there’s a rare bird on the Island. In fact there are three of them; they are Two-Barred …
The crossing
It only takes an hour and a half to cross the Pentland Firth from Scrabster to Stromness on the Northlink ferry. Standing …
Duck, Duck, Goose
The Canada Goose is yet another of the species introduced to the UK by people. We have the cheek to refer to …
Delicate wings at Fen Drayton Lakes
There’s a Broad-Bodied Chaser dragonfly rattling around me at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes: There are plenty of damselflies on the reeds in …
Come here, Green Woodpecker, come here
There’s a Green Woodpecker here at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes. I can hear its laughing call in the distance. I’m trying to …
Reed Bunting
Skills grow like children; imperceptibly. It’s over forty years since I saw my first Reed Bunting and went home to draw it …
Common Terns at Fen Drayton Lakes
I’ve been working in Newmarket and Cambridge for a few days. The summer evenings are light and the weather is beautiful so …
Red Fox
There’s an amazing Red Fox which spends its time in the gardens here in Virginia. I’m surprised to see one here, but …
Skink in the garden
A lunchtime trip to the garden in Virginia and there’s a Skink on the path. It’s bathing in the hot sun and …
Northern Mockingbird
Whenever I’ve heard a bird singing, here in Virginia, and I haven’t been able to recognise its song, it’s always been a …
Catbird v Cowbird
There’s an ancient battle being played out in the woods and fields of Virginia. It’s Catbird v Cowbird and I have a …
Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows and Bank Swallows
I’m surprised to see what I think are Sand Martins here in Virginia. Surely they’re not the same species? Then the realisation …
Red Bellied Woodpecker
I’ve been ever so slightly keen on seeing woodpeckers while I’ve been in Virginia. They are common here because there are many …
There a Dogbane Tiger Moth fluttering around me
I’m out in the heat and the noise of a Virginia forest in the summer and I’m suffering. I’ve bought a litre …
A dash of Blue Dasher
There are plenty of dragonflies over the creek at the bottom of the garden here in Virginia. This one is a Blue …
Great Blue Skimmer – Libellula vibrans
There’s a Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula vibrans, at the bottom of this Virginia garden. It’s a handsome beast: I creep a …
Great Blue Heron in a great grey sky
We’re relaxing on the rocks at the side of the Potomac River when a Great Blue Heron flies straight past us. It’s …
A Swallowtail butterfly striped like a zebra
There’s a swallowtail butterfly species I’ve never seen before fluttering around me. It’s too close to focus on. I move away and …
The Green Frog waits beside the pool
In the garden here in Virginia there’s a small pool. One day, as we approached it, a black snake slipped away into …
A freshly fledged Bald Eagle overhead
We set out to see the Bald Eagles. I’ve seen such mouthwatering photographs of the adult Bald Eagles coming to their chicks …
Fowler’s Toad at Scott’s Run
We’re at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in Virginia. It’s not very big and it’s hemmed in on all sides. One of the …
The 100 year old ban
Red Cardinals were once prized as a pet, but their sale as captive birds in cages was banned in the United States …
The tiger with six spots
We’re walking along the River Potomac in Virginia, in Scott’s Run Nature Preserve. It’s hot and humid: Along the path are the …
Mourning Dove
I think I’m in love with the Mourning Dove:
A Red-Winged Blackbird displaying in the marsh
Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve in Virginia is a wonderful place. There are nesting Ospreys, nesting Bald Eagles, snakes, turtles and no end …
Common Whitetails and a Prince Baskettail
I love how decorative this Common Whitetail dragonfly is: It looks completely different against this background: And this is a Prince Baskettail …
Skinky
We are walking along the Potomac River in Scott’s Run, a small nature preserve trapped between State Route 193 to the south, …