A Caution to Everybody – The tragedy of the Great Auk
The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis. This magnificent bird was made extinct by humans in the 1850s. Were all those feather pillows worth their death?
Chiff Chaff Chuffed
The weather forecast has been for sunshine today. I’ve been checking it all week. Sunny, it says. As the day gets closer …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #13 The Turtle Dove
It’s Day 13 of turning the pages in this Ladybird Book of British Birds. I’ve been enjoying the Allen Seaby illustrations but …
Blue Tits with big bellies
I love Blue Tits. I’m used to seeing them in Devon. Here they are in Italy: This one so is immaculately groomed …
Marmaduke Tunstall and the curious case of the Sacred Ibis
I occasionally have to go to London on business. In a small side street in Marylebone called Welbeck Street is the Holiday …
Pecking Wood
The Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major, is a wonderful bird. This is a female coming in search of food at the WWF …
Why do Wagtails wag their tails?
These Grey Wagtails, Motacilla cinerea, are so beautiful. In Italy they are not known as Grey Wagtails, they are known as Ballerina …
10 things you always wanted to know about Great Tits
This a blog post which just had to be written. I love Great Tits and I know I’m not alone. Here then …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #12 The Goldfinch
What’s changed for the Goldfinch since this 1950s Ladybird book was published?
Green-haired Limpet
I suspect this Limpet has been experimenting with a new hairstyle. That green hair must be quite high maintenance, because the waves …
Herons on the Lake
Incoming! Grey Herons such are lumbering giants with prehistoric overtones: This one’s landed in the water and is going for a paddle: …
The Death of Squirrel Nutkin
Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, or, as it’s more commonly known, #squirrelappreciationday. Here’s my appreciation of Britain’s Squirrels: In the 1800s, Red …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #11 The Song Thrush
I’m turning the pages of this 1950s Ladybird book to see what’s changed in wildlife, childhood, technology and me. The numbers of Song Thrushes have halved from 1970 to 2015.
Siskins
It’s a year since I took up bird photography properly and I can tell that I’m getting better. Partly it’s the practice …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #10 The Blackbird
What’s changed since this 1950s Ladybird Book of British Birds was published?
Hawfinch in the forest
There’s been an influx of Hawfinches into the UK this autumn and winter. After checking the Devon Birds website I’ve been out …
The Imp of the Forest
Red Squirrels, like me, are addicted to fresh walnuts. Unlike me they have the teeth to get into them. Red Squirrels come prepared with a sharp set of nutcrackers already provided.
Marsh Tits
Marsh Tits are quite difficult to photograph. They are fast and pay only fleeting visits to exposed perches. There are far fewer …
Kestrel then and now
We are driving along a dusty road in Italy with telegraph poles alongside it. Every few hundred metres is a Kestrel, or, …
Little Egrets
Little Egrets are one of the most beautiful birds I’ve photographed. I remember the shock of seeing my first one from the …
Colour co-ordinated Gulls
The brown waters of the River Tiber in Rome never seem to be able to reflect the intense blue of the sky …
Living on crumbs
Along the River Tiber in Rome there are many bridges. Under some of them, on the east side of the old city, …
Cormorants on the Tiber
Walking along the Tiber in Rome there are two waterfront boulevards. On one side it is beautiful, clean, well-lit, marked with a …
Heron on the Tiber
A Heron on a bridge over the River Tiber stands as still as an Ancient Roman statue.
The Rose Ringed Parakeets of Rome
The Rose Ringed Parakeets in Rome are a noisy delight. Here’s one in a tree on the banks of the River Tiber: …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #9 The Magpie
It’s Day 9 of turning the pages in this 1950s Ladybird book to see what’s changed in the past 60 years: “The …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #8 The Jay
On Day 8 of turning the pages of this Ladybird book I find out that there’s one rule for the rich and one for the poor when it comes to wildlife persecution..
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #7 The Linnet
Turning the next page of this Ladybird book and it’s the Linnet: It says: “The Linnet is another very common bird.” It’s …
The First Ladybird Book of British Birds – #6 The Bullfinch
I’m leafing through my copy of The First Ladybird Book of British Birds and their Nests this month. Turning the page today …
Razorbills
Looking back at my photographs from 2017 I come across some which I haven’t posted. They are Razorbills. They nest along the …