Bullfinches and Verrucas
The sign says Bullfinch so my hopes are up. But there’s nothing. I’d love to get some decent shots but there are …
Shuteye
Cycling, photography, sunshine, white wine and pasta. And cats. Welcome to Italy.
Dunnock
The Dunnock is a beautiful bird, with the most subtle of plumage. They are classic skulking birds, rarely seen far from cover. …
Fly
The closer you look, the more there is to see. As a child I had a blue-handled magnifying glass with a pocket …
Pigeon in a fountain
Feral Pigeons often look such dirty and dishevelled birds. Not this one though. I suppose it helps that the Pigeon lives in …
Sticking your neck out…
When you decide to stick your neck out and finally say what you think: And then you think better of it and …
Four-Spotted Chaser
I always found dragonflies difficult to identify. However, a quick check on Wikipedia for the Four-Spotted Chaser Dragonfly tells me that “The …
Tree studies
By tree studies I don’t mean academic studies of arboriculture or forestry; I mean really looking at a tree; studying it. On …
Little Egret
Small white heron: check. Black beak: check. Yellow feet: check. It must be a Little Egret. What a charming bird.
Large Red Damselfly
There’s a Large Red Damselfly in the Park. It’s large, it’s red and it’s a Damselfly. Some people really do lack an imagination when it comes to names.
Tiny Tadpoles
Some of these tadpoles are tiny. They have a fabulous appetite though, so it won’t be long before they’re as big as… …
Purple Pyramids
There are beautiful purple pyramids of orchid flowers on the slopes at Berry Head in South Devon. They are Anacamptis pyramidalis the …
Four-Spotted Chasers
There’s something deeply alien about Dragonflies. These Four-Spotted Chasers have huge compound eyes just like a space helmet. And the translucent exoskeleton …
Curious behaviour
There’s a beautiful pair of Mandarin Ducks on the pond. It’s worrying me though that there seems to be something wrong with …
The Lark Ascending
It’s a beautiful evening. There’s half of the moon visible. The sky is deepest blue. Clouds are white. Then I hear a …
Bee Orchids with no bees to love them
My son says there are Bee Orchids at Berry Head and that his colleague has seen them and given him exact directions …
The tale of the Grebe and the Slider
There’s a Great Crested Grebe on a nest in the middle of the Lake. I’m looking at it closely when I realise …
A yellow-spotted green Tiger
The Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) has yellow spots on an amazing textured metallic emerald green back. Green Tiger Beetles prey upon …
An evening in the fields
As part of the Wildlife Trusts’ #30DaysWild I’m heading out to have some nature experiences every day this month. Today I’m heading …
Magpies are to blame
There’s a pair of Magpies in the tree by the lake in the park. They are noisy and busy, attracting attention from …
From Cygnet to Swan
When did you last spend an hour so completely absorbed in something in the natural world that you forgot what time it …
Warbling in the Sedge
I love it when information boards tell me what to look for: And then I find it:
Heron in the Bracken
There’s a Grey Heron in the bracken at RSPB Ham Wall Nature Reserve. It’s at this point that I’m glad I’m not …
Beauty and Pain, Pain and Beauty
Nettles. I remember getting stung badly by Nettles as a child. What stopped the stinging wasn’t rubbing my poor legs with Dock …
Chasing Broad-Bodied Chasers
There really is no point in chasing Broad-Bodied Chasers. That’s not because they are one of the commonest Dragonflies across Europe and …
Beautiful Demoiselle
There’s a female Beautiful Demoiselle perched next to the pond. I can tell it’s a female because it’s got white spots on …
The tale of Hazel Gloves and a fungus which grows on a fungus
There’s an unusual fungus on a thin tree branch in the woods surrounding Orley Common. I know that I’ve never seen it …
It’s Chile on the dunes
A visit to Dawlish Warren, not for a kiss-me-quick hat or a round of adventure golf, but for the wildlife of the …
Little King
Wren. It’s such a simple, short and easy name. Wren. The Wren’s scientific name is Troglodytes troglodytes. That’s not as short or …
Common Spotted Orchid
The Common Spotted Orchid is an orchid which is common and spotted. They are just coming into flower all over this heathland …