Moorhen
A trip to Bowling Green Marsh is thankfully not wasted, despite the grey and overcast weather, as there’s a Moorhen on the …
Great White Egret
The Italians call Great White Egrets L’airone bianco maggiore. This sign tells us what we should be looking for: a large heron …
Jay – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago, before I was a teenager, I started keeping detailed nature notebooks. They were full of scientific facts. I kept …
Chiff Chaff
Chiff Chaffs are difficult to see. They are small, they are camouflaged, and they move so quickly that just when you see …
Martin the fisherman
I’m in Italy on the trail of some interesting birds. The signs are good, literally, as there’s a big three-dimensional sign with …
Summer plumage in winter
The Black Headed Gull is a wonderful, delicate bird with fabulous plumage. In the breeding season its head turns a shade of …
Great Crested Grebe – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
They have been mouldering in my loft for the last forty years but I’ve just got out my old pencil sketches of …
Volpe
I’m in Italy in a nature reserve and we’re looking for a tame fox, or Volpe as the Italians have it. All …
Little Grebe
I’ve never seen a Little Grebe before but when I see the most ridiculous-looking pocket-sized fluffy duck-like bird I know what it …
Coots – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I made a pencil sketch of a Coot on its nest. I was inspired by seeing an adult with …
Kestrel – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
There’s the familiar shape of a Kestrel in the treetops. I could recognise one in my sleep just from the posture. Looking …
Chaffinch – surrounded by single Swedish females
The scientific name of the Common Chaffinch has been Fringilla coelebs ever since the great Swedish namer and classifier Carl Linnæus called …
Coypu – another invasive alien species
Walking alongside the stream we see an enormous blunt-nosed, rat-like creature swimming with its nostrils held just above the water. It must …
Black Redstart
I love Black Redstarts; they behave so much like Robins. Both are members of the same family, being Old World Flycatchers. Here’s …
Wren – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Wrens are such beautiful birds. They are so quick, so elusive and so secretive it’s a delight to see one appear from …
Don’t roll your eyes at me, deer
We’re in the forest in Tuscany when a Fallow Deer approaches us from a herd we can see in a woodland glade. …
Moorhen on the pond
Moorhens are such skulking birds it’s not often I get the chance to admire them. Here they have such amazing vivid colours …
Terrapins – an invasive alien species
The EU has been in the news a little too much recently. So much so that you might have missed the EU …
Coot taking flight
This beautiful Coot saw me and decided to fly for it. It had just achieved take-off and was about to retract its …
Sun dog
I’ve seen a sun dog before but never this clearly. There are two of them either side of the sun. Here’s one …
Red-Breasted Merganser
I’d never seen a Red Breasted Merganser before and yet I knew instantly what this was. The name came bubbling back to …
Black Headed Gull
Black Headed Gulls know how to dress: those understated grey wings; not-white undercarriage; the eye shadow detail; and the accessories to die …
The Blusher – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
When I was a child a group of retired gentlemen naturalists took me under their wing. I went on weekly countryside walks …
Greenfinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I drew a Greenfinch. It may have been from a photograph or it may have been from a stuffed …
Heron in the mist
Heron in the mist
Robin
There’s a routered Robin portrait at the park which I’m admiring for its child-like simplicity. An then there’s the real thing. Utterly …
Redshank in high-heels
This Redshank appears to walk with high-heels on as it potters busily on the tideline.
Confusing Gulls
Gulls are confusing. They all look superficially the same with their big bills, grey backs and beady eyes, but there are some …
Bullfinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since the very first time I saw a Bullfinch. I’ve seen them since and always appreciated them as a …