I’ve flown 6,000 miles and all I can see are Sparrows, Starlings and Pigeons
I’ve travelled from the UK to Washington DC. It’s 6,000 miles. I’m hoping to see some exotic birds and photograph them. The …
Screaming Blue Jays
There’s a raucous screaming outside in the car park. It’s the Blue Jays again. They call to each other all the time. …
One that walks or haunts the stones, calling loudly
As I walk along the bank of the creek I keep hearing loud plops. Each time, I’m startled and can see nothing …
The thrill of Ospreys at Belle Haven Marina #4
It’s the evening and we’ve been watching the Ospreys at Belle Haven Marina in Virginia all day. The male has been hunting …
The Tearers, clothed in black, come to the barbecue
We have a trip out to Great Falls here in Virginia. It’s not a Humpty Dumpty theme park but a beautiful area …
The thrill of Ospreys at Belle Haven Marina #3
The Ospreys at Belle Haven Marina in Alexandria in Virginia are a constant source of awe and wonder to me. I could …
Spotting another parasitic plant
I was delighted to see a parasitic plant in the forest here in Virginia. It was an Indian Pipe, a completely white …
A Great Crested Flycatcher comes down from the treetops
Amongst the American Robins, introduced European House Sparrows and the bright scarlet Northern Cardinals in this garden in Virginia appears a bird …
Chimney Swift
There are Chimney Swifts, Chaetura pelagica, screaming above me here in Virginia: They are such tricky birds to photograph: they fly high; …
Four in ten Americans believe God created the Earth and anatomically modern humans, less than 10,000 years ago.
I’m visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC: It’s got everything you would expect of a major national …
American Robin
There’s an American Robin, Turdus migratorius, in this tree in the garden in Virginia: They are stunning birds. It’s strange to see …
The thrill of Ospreys at Belle Haven Marina #2
Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve is an amazing place. I love the way Americans call their nature reserves nature preserves. A nature preserve …
Common names
The common, English names of our animals, plants and fungi are fascinating. They are a microcosm of our social history with a …
The thrill of Ospreys at Belle Haven Marina #1
We’re having a day out in Alexandria in Virginia. We’re at Belle Haven Marina: The weather is great. There are kayaks and …
One minute it’s there…
There’s a fungus at the bottom of the garden: I’d love to identify it but it’s all on its own and I …
Indian Pipe
I’m walking through a forest in Virginia. The trees here are magnificent. They are so much taller than I’m used to. In …
Fawn
There are White Tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, here in the garden in Virginia. We can see them in the shade of the …
3 and 300
Daddy Longlegs only live for three days. I don’t think they even eat as adults. There are about 300 British species. Here’s …
An Orchard Orb-Weaver
Today is hot and oppressive in Virginia. There’s the constant sound of insects, a noisy hum of the motorway and clinging grey …
The name of the snake
I’m standing in the wild patch at the bottom of a garden in Virginia. Away from the well tended, introduced, garden plants …
The Eastern Black Swallowtail
I’ve recently been to Italy and there we saw a Swallowtail butterfly.
Demoiselled if you do, demoiselled if you don’t
Last year I took a photograph of the Large Red Damselfly: Large Red Damselfly I was really pleased with my photograph. This …
Trying to identify Damselflies in distress
There’s a Damselfly in front of me at RSPB Ham Wall. It’s brown and black. There aren’t any brown and black species …
Citizen science and the Marsh Tigers of Somerset
Citizens have always participated in and contributed to science. As a child I grew up surrounded by people so dedicated to their …
Woodland glade
It was very late last year when I saw a Speckled Wood butterfly: Speckled Wood This year it was May when I …
Harlequin
As a young child there was only one Ladybird to me; the seven spot ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata. I remember the excitement of …
The Very Hairy Dragonfly
I saw a Hairy Dragonfly, Brachytron pratense, last year, in May: Hairy Dragonfly Today I can see one in front of me: …
Green Dock Beetle
I’m walking along a stretch of the River Otter in Devon. The sign says there are Beavers here. There’s a green leaf …
Froghopper
I’m walking with my dad along the Hollinwood Branch Canal Local Nature Reserve: The Hollinwood Branch Canal was last used as a …
A Southern Comma
There’s a butterfly in front of me and I know what it is: it’s a Comma. I’ve seen it before, slurping on …