Puffball
This is a Puffball, a fungus with the common name of the Devil’s Snuff-Box or Warty Puffball. It is found singly in …
Diplomatic ambassadors of life from deep time
You can’t boil it, fry it, roast it or casserole it. There’s nothing you can do to make an Osage Orange edible. …
Pink Flamingos
I could watch Flamingos all afternoon. Aren’t they curious? Those candy-pink stick-of-seaside-rock legs are my favourite.
Little Egret take-off
Having bright yellow feet and shuffling them as you paddle through the water is an ideal strategy for disturbing fish you hope …
Feeding Flamingo
Young Flamingos are a little scrappy. They have yet to get candy-pink legs and black and scarlet wing patches. They are still …
Flying Flamingo
It’s tricky getting near to Flamingos. We’re at Orbetello in Italy and the wooden hide is set well back from their favourite …
It’s sticky bud time
At school, I remember the sticky buds. Our teacher at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Patrick’s school (they really were …
Robin with sparkles
This Robin is having a quiet wing-droop moment on a branch in front of a Holly bush. The out-of-focus highlights from the …
What’s occurring?
If you had to come up with three words to describe the Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus, they would probably be skulking, secretive …
Fuzzy pink lollipops
Long-Tailed Tits are one of our most loved garden birds. They are tiny, busy, social visitors to urban gardens and country hedges. …
Beauty is only feather deep
Chaffinches are common birds across Europe. The bright colours of the male Chaffinch include a beautiful deep salmon-pink face and breast, with …
The big story of the Little Egret
Little Egrets are beautiful snow-white herons. They love rivers and ponds. People are led to believe that Little Egrets are recent arrivals …
There’s no such thing as a seagull
Herring Gulls are one of our most familiar birds. They are the ‘seagull’ of a thousand stories and even more stolen seaside …
A Dipper on the Lemon
The River Lemon is beautiful at the moment, with clear water, leafy banks and the sounds of water bubbling and birds singing. …
Two for Joy
Magpies are currently building their nests around the parish. Their nests seem like great untidy bundles of sticks in trees; the truth …
Old Man’s Beard
Look closely at hedges and bushes in forgotten corners at this time of year and you may see the fluffy seed heads …
J1P4 is back again
I was enjoying some local exercise at Newton Abbot Town Quay, when I spotted a Black-Headed Gull with a ring on its …
Dunnock
Warm winter light on orange fallen leaves. Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s even better when a Dunnock is fossicking in them. The closer …
Hatching nuts
Nuthatches don’t actually hatch nuts, they hack them. However, just try saying Nuthacks and you’ll see why Nuthatch is so much easier …
Kittiwake in winter
There’s a beautiful gull with a yellow beak in Brixham harbour. I can see it diving and fishing in the distance. I …
Bringing home the sausage
This Blue Tit is a thrill in this light: It has a wonderful crest with a beautiful powder blue iridescence. Blue Tits …
Male Chaffinch
Chaffinches are one of my favourite birds. I’ve taken many photographs of them and blogged about them before. Here’s my most recent …
Great Spotted Woodpecker in flight
I’m working at the moment, so time is precious, and every moment of light is a marvel in these dark, short days. …
Hello my friend, I didn’t recognise you dressed like that
There’s a Common Guillemot in Brixham, just off the breakwater. It takes a while to get a shot of one. I have …
Dive! Dive! Dive!
A joyous trip to Brixham breakwater was rewarded with a procession of diving Northern Gannets. Marvellous, aren’t they?
Like a fish needs a bicycle
I remember hearing the phrase “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” many years ago. The standard response …
Glossy Ibis
I’ve seen Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus, before, in Italy. I’ve heard that there’s one in Paignton at the playing fields and so …
Galletti
Chanterelles are delicious. Firm-fleshed, beautifully orange and occasionally smelling fruity, similar to apricots, they are a delight to find. I love them …