Tree Pipit in flight
Well, it’s not the parachute display flight I was looking for, but it is a Tree Pipit in flight. So that’s something. …
The Cheerful Cincia
Check an English bird book and they’ll probably tell you that the call of a Great Tit sounds like “Teacher, Teacher”. That’s …
Wheatear
Wheatears are very wary birds. They bounce away to the next perch as soon as you approach. Walking along a footpath or …
Fluttering parachute display
I spent an hour last week searching for the Tree Pipit on Yarner Heath. I’ve seen it there before, and photographed it …
The Pole Jumper
A trip to Trendlebere Down gives us a chance to photograph Stonechats. This female had just eaten a bee and was doing …
The Enchanted Shirt
I’ve enjoyed John Hay’s poem, The Enchanted Shirt ever since I bought a slim volume of his poetry, Pike County Ballads, printed …
Hummingbird Hawkmoth
It’s always a thrill to see a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. They’re dizzyingly fast and brain-achingly difficult to photograph. This one was in quite …
The eggs have hatched
Last year I was disappointed when the two Long-Tailed Tits nests I found were also found by predators. That meant there was …
Wrens’ nest
Last year I found a Wren’s nest, high in a tree in a wasteland in Rome. It was in an old hole, …
Troglodyte
A troglodyte is a cave-dweller. The Wren’s scientific name is Troglodytes troglodytes. That made sense to the 12 year old me when …
The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #45
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …
Feeding your pregnant partner
It’s a lot of effort eating for two. This female Robin is being fed by her mate so she can pop an …
Goldfinch
There’s a beautiful high-pitched tinkling from the branch above me. It’s a glorious Goldfinch, one of my favourite birds. I could listen …
Equivalents for the Megaliths
Paul Nash’s painting, Equivalents for the Megaliths, from 1935, is in Tate Britain, and I was thrilled to get a close look at it.
Home-building
These Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are busy excavating. Here’s the female inspecting her handiwork after a long session of extracting wood from their …
Sunset Starlings
That orange sky was enough and yet the Starlings made it even more of an experience.
Catching flies
I love this time of year. I can feel the sap rising all around me. The insects which this Chiffchaff feeds on …
A fluffy Song Thrush in beautiful light
There’s a Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos, in the ditch opposite me. It’s in beautiful light and I can see every ripple of …
Goldcrest
There’s a Goldcrest in this Hawthorn. The tree is so close to bursting into flower that it’s erupting with winter-stored vitality. It’ll …
Who loves Slime Moulds?
I’ve just spotted something very exciting. This is Enteridium lycoperdon, the False Puffball, living in a damp wood near a stream and …
Louisiana Swamp Crayfish
There’s a creature from the black lagoon at Lago di Alviano in Italy. It’s a Crayfish, probably a Louisiana Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus …
Collared Dove
We were standing underneath a Long-Eared Owl roost in Italy, inspecting owl pellets, when a Collared Dove flew past. I couldn’t resist …
The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #44
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …
Cry “God for Harry, England and St George’s Mushrooms.”
Tomorrow is St George’s day, which is an important day in my calendar. That’s not because I’m particularly nationalistic, swept away with …
Catching flies
I’ve been for a long walk and need a sit down. I’m at the end of the path here and there’s a …
A Buzzard with its Crow shadow
Mobbing is something Carrion Crows manage to do on their own, without the need of a mob. There’s little rest for Buzzards …
Knocking on the door
Great Spotted Woodpeckers are knocking on the door at this time of year. You can hear them drumming in the last remnants …
Greylag
Greylag Geese pair for life most of the time. They’re a species where the male is generally larger. I wonder if these …
From tropical Africa to temperate South Devon
The Pied Flycatchers have landed. They’ve made it back from tropical Africa to a small wooded valley in South Devon. They are …
The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #43
Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon …