Pipit in the meadow
Meadow Pipits are the most common songbird in upland areas. We’re on Dartmoor and it’s true. They are everywhere here, with their …
Pied
I love the texture of granite on the roughly-hewn stone walls of Dartmoor. This Pied Wagtail was being ruffled by the breeze …
Oenanthe oenanthe
The Northern Wheatear’s scientific name is Oenanthe oenanthe. It means ‘Flower of the Vine’ in Ancient Greek. Its binomial name is a …
Cuckoo!
We’ve off to see the Cuckoos, the wonderful Cuckoos of Dartmoor. We’re not following the yellow-brick road, but we are driving at …
Fixed with a piercing stare
I’m watching a Long-Tailed Bushtit’s nest from 20 metres away when I notice a Buzzard heading straight towards me. Those eyes are …
Coal Tit at home
I’m in Somerset in Swell Wood. There’s a Coal Tit checking out the nesting possibilities of a natural tree hole. It’s a …
Hatching a plan
Here’s an unusual photograph for you. It’s a Nuthatch the right way up.
Nest building
My favourite Pied Flycatcher has been successful in defending his chosen nest box and attracting a female. Well done, my young chap. …
Dinner
I’m staring up at woodpeckers in a tree when I’m aware a large bird has landed nearby. It’s too close for my …
The Pied Flycatchers return
Connecting yourself to the cycles of the seasons is a wonderful way of feeling more a part of the natural world and …
Somerset Bluebells
An evening walk in Somerset leads us to a woodland we’ve never visited before. It’s pungent with Bear’s Garlic and rippling with …
Lesser Spotted in name and nature
There’s a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in my local woods. They’re tiny and now is the best time of year to spot them. …
The weed dance
Okay, so it’s sticks and not weed, but I didn’t give the weed dance its name. Here’s my favourite pair of Great …
Care to dance?
I’ve had a couple of trips to Chard Reservoir in Somerset recently and have been delighted to see Great Crested Grebes doing …
Cowslips, cowslips as far as the eye can see
I love seeing Cowslips. They were once so common and people were so rural that almost everyone in the country would know …
Pigafetta and the Giant Clam
Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer. He joined the expedition to find a western route to the Spice Islands in …
Octacles
Why are they called tentacles when there are eight of them? Surely they ought to be called octacles? A fascinating exhibit from …
The Two-Headed Calf
A trip to any natural history museum is always a thrill to me. I loved the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History …
Even Pheasants are ‘Queer’ now according to Pink News
The Doctrine of ‘Queer’ Signatures I’m not in the habit of reading Pink News, the website which is neither pink nor news. …
Rettile ittiosauro
There’s an Ichthyosaur fossil displayed at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia. They evolved around 250 million years ago and some survived …
Gusci di molluschi
I was immediately drawn to this arrangement of fossil shells in the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia. Glorious, isn’t it? I …
It’s a carefully laid trap
Each of these seats is a carefully laid trap. It’s a system which has evolved to take €18 off each tourist who …
Tentacles
As a child I never understood why people said an octopus had tentacles. Surely they’re octacles? An octopus’s tentacles are multi-function. Just …
Trilobite con pista
‘Trilobite con pista’, it says. No, it’s not an item on the Italian menu in the restaurant at lunch time, but the …
Gay Times introduces: Tranimals!
You may know Peter Tatchell best for his views on reducing the age of consent and on sexual relationships with children. He’s …
Scala Contarini del Bovolo
Six floors, eighty steps, 28 metres and €9. That’s the spiral staircase named after snails, ‘del Bovolo’, in Venice. The Palazzo was …
The gondoliers
Gondoliers in Venice appear to earn a top salary of €100,000. For that I’d expect some adherence to uniform standards. We saw …
Fossil ferns and horsetails
I’m astonished every time I see detail in fossils. Their age, the heat and the pressure they have been subjected to, and …
The trophy room
A visit to the natural history museum in Venice can be a bit of a shock for those unprepared for a full-on …
Bridge of Sightseers
A tale of two bridges. One is the Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1600. It’s the bridge between …