It’s Goosanders all the way
I’m having a trip to Stover Country Park in cold weather when I’m delighted to see there are Goosanders on the lake. …
Nuthackers
This Nuthatch had a lot to say at Stover Country Park. The noise they make is just like an insistent car alarm. …
St Paul’s Church
St Paul’s Church is named after Paul, or Saul as he was frequently known, who wrote a quarter of what became the New Testament of the Holy Bible. He was a Jewish man whose job was to persecute Christians and who had a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus.
Goosey Goosey Goosander
I’m fascinated by Goosander. Just take a look at the ‘teeth’ on this beak. They first bred in the UK in 1871 …
Talkative acorn-eater
The crow family clearly has more than mourning clothes in its genetic wardrobe. This pink Jay with electric blue wing flashes is …
Marsh Harrier at Greylake
We’re on a trip to RSPB Greylake in Somerset. There’s a male Marsh Harrier harrying the marshes. I love its grey go-faster …
Goosander
There’s a Goosander on one of the ponds at Daisy Nook. What a fabulous experience. I have to lie down on the …
Queenfisher at Medlock Vale
A lovely, cold, New Year walk in Daisy Nook Country Park was brightened even more by a flash of emerald green. It’s …
Sneezing
We’re on board the Kelly’s Hero out of Brixham when a loud sneeze echoes across the water. This Grey Seal has a …
Common Guillemots on the turn
This is a Common Guillemot in its non-breeding plumage. Some of them, however, are getting frisky. This one is in breeding plumage …
Blubber
The pontoons in Brixham harbour are the dry dock for up to forty Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus, at the moment. They’re curious …
Velvet-stemmed Little Flame
December is the best time to find Velvet Shank fungus, Flammulina velutipes. It’s a species I found as a child: And here …
Merlin at Greylake
When I hear that there’s been a Merlin at RSPB Greylake in Somerset I decide I’ve just got to pay it a …
Fresh food
When a micro-moth laid an egg in this Beech leaf it infected the leaf with a bacterium. That bacterial infection disrupted the …
Cormorant in Brixham Harbour
The colours of Brixham boats reflected in the water of the harbour make a superb backdrop to the bird life here. Especially …
Diverse Divers
We’ve just been on another Brixham wildlife cruise skippered by Dave on Kelly’s Hero and run by Mike Langman. It’s been as …
The Sand Ploughman
The name Sanderling is from the Old English sand-yrðling, or ‘sand-ploughman’. This one has been ploughing the tideline for tasty morsels and is heading …
Feeding time
One of the most interesting aspects of bird behaviour is watching parents feeding their young. In this case, I can’t be sure …
Budleigh Salterton
I love how comfortable this woman has made herself despite the pebbles on the beach. They really do conform to your body …
Framed print
I’ve just sold a print of my photograph of a Puffin with a face full of fish: The print is 60cm x …
You can set your calendar by its appearance
Hypholoma fasciculare is a great name for a fungus.
Fossil on the beach at Lyme Regis
There’s what I suspect is a huge fossil Ammonite on the beach at Lyme Regis. It’s the size of a car wheel. …
Arctic Tern chick
Arctic Tern chicks are so wonderfully endearing. Isn’t this one sweet?
Arctic Tern on the handrail
We had only just arrived on Papa Westray when we saw an Arctic Tern on the handrail. They’re such handsome birds, with …
Yet another fish shot
A Black Guillemot in breeding plumage is a thrill. Even more so when it has a freshly caught fish to display.
Ketchup
We’re a dirty species, leaving forever rubbish in environmentally sensitive places. I fancy some chips now.
Osprey photobombed by a Peregrine
We were on a trip up and down the River Dart in South Devon with Mike Langman in search of migrating Ospreys. …
The Hot House Combo
I’m walking into Newton Abbot hoping to do some sketching at the Classic Car event when I stop to listen to The …
Pica pica
There’s a Magpie family at Dawlish Warren. It’s beautiful sunlight and a good opportunity to appreciate their iridescence. It’s also an opportunity …
The Harbour Seal and the giant Bass
There’s a Harbour Seal tucking into a giant bass in the River Dart. It’s clearly dropped it and recovered it as two …