Kirkwall at dawn
I’ve just woken up in a Viking city. A city which is only part of the UK, and not Norway, because King …
What is it about Orkney that I love?
When I first arrived in Orkney 11 years ago I hated it. I had high expectations of an interesting and historic place …
Kestrel in Hyde Park
I’m back in the UK after a trip to Italy looking for Little Owls. We didn’t see them apart from a brief …
The Earth is having its features rearranged
This tweet from the RSPB South West caught my eye: “Due to climate change & improvements to the way our land is …
The bird with the coolest name ever
The bird above us is a Snake Eagle. To be precise, it’s a Short-Toed Snake Eagle, Circaetus gallicus. If only it would come …
More more
There are blackberries everywhere in the hedges here in Italy. They taste wrong though. They’re drier, harder, less juicy and far less …
Searching for Little Owls
It’s been a dream of mine to see a Little Owl again. When I was a young teenager my friend Michael had …
A Harrier on the hill
I see a tiny speck of a bird circling over a ruined building in Tarquinia: We drive the car in its direction …
Painting with light
There’s a Painted Lady butterfly in the garden on the Abbey here in Tarquinia in Italy. It’s high up and nicely isolated …
A Spotted Flycatcher – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
We’re driving round Italy with telephoto lenses and the windows down. There’s a tiny brown bird on a branch beside us. It’s …
Red-Veined Darter Dragonfly
It’s a glorious day here in Italy. I’ve climbed to the top of a hill and can see across the valley: There’s …
A juvenile Green Woodpecker
Our friend Paolo is driving us round some of his favourite birding spots in Tarquinia in Italy. It’s hot, I’ve got the …
Lizard, Lizard on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?
There’s a Lizard on the wall in the grounds of the Abbey, Abbazia San Giusto, near Tarquinia in Italy. It’s not green; …
High Roller
I love the hills and fields in Tarquinia. We’re here on a Little Owl hunt. That’s hunting with cameras and good intentions, …
Slant-headed cone face
We’re driving around Monte Romano near Tarquinia in Italy looking for Little Owls. They’re the number one species I’m looking for. The …
Insects by the pond
It’s blisteringly hot at the Abbazia San Giusto in Tuscania in Italy today. There’s not much wind and precious little shelter. Tucked …
Searching for Little Owls
We are up at 6am, politely yawning. Today is our most recent attempt to see Little Owls. As a child I helped …
The worst photograph of the most beautiful birds in the world
I’ve arrived in Italy at exactly the wrong time. Birds have just finished breeding and are on the move. Many are preparing …
A wolf at the door
We arrive home late to our rented room in Tuscania in Italy. As we get the key out we notice a huge …
The NoBike app
The River Tevere in Rome looks great today. I’d love to explore it. It’s such a grand river that it’ll take me …
Tiger territory
We drive past an animal circus in Italy. I look up the size of a Tiger’s natural territory. “A tigress may have …
Stone hearts and Stone Curlews
We’re driving around Tarquinia in Italy. Our guide is our new friend Paolo, an incredibly enthusiastic and endlessly patient local birder. He’s …
Donkey
Donkeys are fascinating creatures. There’s a field full of them, here in Tuscania, north of Rome: It’s not just me that’s fascinated …
The Bees of San Giusto
We’re staying in an Abbey in Italy for a few days as we tour around Tuscania. It’s the Abbazia San Giusto. Here’s …
Little Grebe – big fish
I’m thrilled to see a Little Grebe appear in The Regent’s Park with a big fish in its bill: It’s powering along …
The reason ducks have such brilliant eyes
There’s a female Tufted Duck on the lake at The Regent’s Park in London. Looking at it I marvel at how brilliant …
Pochard on the pond
There’s a Pochard on the pond at The Regent’s Park. It’s a male, with a beautiful brown head and its bright red …
Look into my eyes
There’s an Egyptian Goose at The Regent’s Park in London: Its eyes make we want to keep looking into its eyes. I’d …
The Little Grebe and the little fish
There’s a Little Grebe in The Regent’s Park in London: It has a family. Here it is with one of its chicks: …
Juvenile Great Crested Grebe portraits
The juvenile Great Crested Grebes at The Regent’s Park are too big to be carried on their parents’ backs now. They’ve been …