Cowslips in the fields
Cowslips used to be universally known by British people. They were part of our culture, being made into garlands in May Day …
Cowslips used to be universally known by British people. They were part of our culture, being made into garlands in May Day …
There’s an interesting fungus on this piece of dead wood. I’ve always known it as Cramp Balls, or Daldinia concentrica, but my friend …
The River Exe has a railway line running the full length from Exmouth to Exeter on one side and from Dawlish Warren …
There’s an Orange Tip Butterfly without the orange tips to its wings in this field in Somerset. It must be a female, …
If your species is going to have to swim to eat and survive, you would have thought that you would have evolved …
I’m out for a walk along the River Exe with my camera. There are a few small wading birds around but nothing …
The ponds at RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset are alive with Yellow Irises. Iris pseudacorus
There’s a Damselfly with a blue stripe on its tail over the water in Somerset: It’s a Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans.
There’s a Great Crested Grebe on the lake at Ham Wall RSPB Reserve in Somerset one minute, and the next, it’s gone. …
I was wondering what this hairy dragonfly was called: Then I found out it was called the Hairy Dragonfly. Some people are …
There are a few Lapwings flying around RSPB Greylake in Somerset today. These two drew a wonderful image in the air.
There’s a lot of twittering and chattering in the trees in the back garden. It’s a pair of Goldfinches who are busy …
There’s an apple on an oak tree over there. It’s not a fruit though, it’s a gall caused by the Oak Apple …
There’s a Variable Damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum near the pond. They fly from May to August. The British Dragonfly Society (yes, there really …
Walking around RSPB Ham Wall Nature Reserve in Somerset I can hear singing. It must be a warbler of some sort but …
“Keep still for a minute!” “Thanks!”
The number of Linnets in Britain’s countryside has halved since I was a boy. I’m going to make the most of their company while they are still here.
Orley Common is a true common – absolutely no-one owns it or has ever owned it – it belongs to us all. …
Male Pheasants don’t do camouflage. This one’s face is like a beacon in the field.
It was 2012 when Great White Egrets first bred on the Somerset levels. Today there’s a thriving population. They look majestic against …
I’m tickled by this description of a Blackcap’s song: “The Blackcap’s song lacks the Blackbird or Thrush-like phrases of the Garden Warbler …
That huge lump on the base of this Mute Swan’s beak is called a basal knob. Knowing that, however, tells you nothing …
I’m chasing a Four-Spotted Chaser dragonfly. They’re very active this morning in the Somerset marshes. It takes an age for me to …
I’ve driven for six hours to Norwich for a single day’s work. It’s now five o’clock, I’ve finished work, and it’s time …
There are two top predators flying over the Somerset Levels today. A Marsh Harrier and an Apache helicopter. The Marsh Harrier is …
I was delighted to spot this delightful male Whitethroat. It’s another fascinating migratory warbler which has spent our winter in Africa, south …
The RSPB’s website says that if you want to find Sedge Warblers you should “Look for singing birds perched on the outside …
Photography still includes the principal fields of taking and developing images; it’s just that now they are digital and the development is …
Bright skies, clear water, a fresh breeze and beautiful Black Headed Gulls.
Chiff Chaffs are beautiful birds. They look almost identical to Willow Warblers to me. I’d need a high-powered telephoto lens to see …