Greenshanks and Redshanks
Good weather is in short supply in February. A bright day is a rarity, so after a view of clear blue sky …
Pink Zebras and Ginger Swans
In Devon everything in the countryside takes on the colour of the soil; and that colour is often red. The Devonian red …
The haunting last sound of the British wilderness
Curlews. The very last authentic sound of the British wilderness.
Oystercatcher – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s over forty years since I first saw Oystercatchers and noted it down in my nature notebooks: I was probably on a …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #16 The Black Headed Gull
It’s Day 16 of turning the pages of this 1950s Ladybird book of British Birds to see what’s changed since it was …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #15 The Moorhen
It’s Day 15 of turning the pages of this 1950s Ladybird book to see what’s changed since it was published. Today; The …
Stop the vigilante ivy cutters
There’s something very deep within our animal brains that comes from our inner ancient ape that compels us to interfere, to tidy, to arrange and to act upon nature.
Mute
Photographing Swans is as difficult as photographing snow. They often appear bleached and featureless. Or bedraggled and dirty. Getting the exposure just …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #14 The Pied Wagtail
It’s Day 14 of turning the pages in this 1950s Ladybird book of British Birds. “…it does like to be fairly near …
The secret sex life of the Dunnock
Dunnocks are often unfairly overlooked. They are stunningly beautiful in close-up. You just need to get close: Here in Italy the beautiful …
Brambling
Forty years ago I saw a Brambling for the first time and noted it down in my childhood nature notebooks: Fringilla montifringilla. …
A Caution to Everybody – The tragedy of the Great Auk
The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis. This magnificent bird was made extinct by humans in the 1850s. Were all those feather pillows worth their death?
Chiff Chaff Chuffed
The weather forecast has been for sunshine today. I’ve been checking it all week. Sunny, it says. As the day gets closer …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #13 The Turtle Dove
It’s Day 13 of turning the pages in this Ladybird Book of British Birds. I’ve been enjoying the Allen Seaby illustrations but …
Blue Tits with big bellies
I love Blue Tits. I’m used to seeing them in Devon. Here they are in Italy: This one so is immaculately groomed …
Marmaduke Tunstall and the curious case of the Sacred Ibis
I occasionally have to go to London on business. In a small side street in Marylebone called Welbeck Street is the Holiday …
Pecking Wood
The Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major, is a wonderful bird. This is a female coming in search of food at the WWF …
Why do Wagtails wag their tails?
These Grey Wagtails, Motacilla cinerea, are so beautiful. In Italy they are not known as Grey Wagtails, they are known as Ballerina …
10 things you always wanted to know about Great Tits
This a blog post which just had to be written. I love Great Tits and I know I’m not alone. Here then …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #12 The Goldfinch
What’s changed for the Goldfinch since this 1950s Ladybird book was published?
Green-haired Limpet
I suspect this Limpet has been experimenting with a new hairstyle. That green hair must be quite high maintenance, because the waves …
Herons on the Lake
Incoming! Grey Herons such are lumbering giants with prehistoric overtones: This one’s landed in the water and is going for a paddle: …
The Death of Squirrel Nutkin
Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, or, as it’s more commonly known, #squirrelappreciationday. Here’s my appreciation of Britain’s Squirrels: In the 1800s, Red …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #11 The Song Thrush
I’m turning the pages of this 1950s Ladybird book to see what’s changed in wildlife, childhood, technology and me. The numbers of Song Thrushes have halved from 1970 to 2015.
Siskins
It’s a year since I took up bird photography properly and I can tell that I’m getting better. Partly it’s the practice …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #10 The Blackbird
What’s changed since this 1950s Ladybird Book of British Birds was published?
Hawfinch in the forest
There’s been an influx of Hawfinches into the UK this autumn and winter. After checking the Devon Birds website I’ve been out …
The Imp of the Forest
Red Squirrels, like me, are addicted to fresh walnuts. Unlike me they have the teeth to get into them. Red Squirrels come prepared with a sharp set of nutcrackers already provided.
Marsh Tits
Marsh Tits are quite difficult to photograph. They are fast and pay only fleeting visits to exposed perches. There are far fewer …
Kestrel then and now
We are driving along a dusty road in Italy with telegraph poles alongside it. Every few hundred metres is a Kestrel, or, …