Cormorants – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago on 17 August 1976, when I was a 12 year old boy, I saw Cormorants while on holiday in …
Mute Swans – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I was 13 years old when I saw a Mute Swan from the train. How do I remember that I was on …
Dunnock – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Dunnocks are beautiful birds but it’s hard to tell they’re so beautiful because they keep in the shadows, in hedges and under …
Earthballs – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
The Common Earthball is also known by the charming common name of the Pigskin Poison Puffball.
The trees have ears – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I bought my first SLR camera when I was 11 from my neighbour Ron for £6. It was a massively heavy Russian …
Long-Tailed Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I love the description of Long-Tailed Tits that I wrote in my nature notebooks forty years ago: They really are a very …
Snipe – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I drew a Snipe. I was 13 years old and probably copied it out of a book I borrowed …
Greenfinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since I started my nature notebooks. I was twelve years old and lived in a tiny terrace in Oldham. …
House Sparrow – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I grew up in a tiny two-bedroom terraced house in Oldham. There, any bird in the back yard was a delight. Sparrows …
Blue Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was twelve when I sketched these Blue Tits. It’s a parent feeding a juvenile bird: Today I’m in …
Hooded Crow – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Hooded crows are fascinating birds. Here’s one I photographed in the magnificent grounds of Villa Borghese in Rome. Forty years ago I …
Reed Bunting – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since I first saw a Reed Bunting. I was so excited about seeing such a rare (to me) bird …
Lawyer’s Wigs – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Shaggy Ink Caps are a common fungus. They are white with brown scales on the cap. Here’s the entry I made in …
Velvet Shank – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I spotted some beautiful fungi on a rotten stump. Here’s the entry I made in my nature notebooks: Today …
Jackdaws – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was on holiday with my family. I still remember the thrill of my mum calling me to say …
Herring Gull – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
The distribution of Herring Gulls must have changed significantly over the last forty years. I was 12 years old when I wrote …
Another Blackbird – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I was thirteen years old when I wrote and drew in my nature notebooks about Blackbirds. ‘Sexual dimorphism’ is what I wrote; …
Coot – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I obviously had very little to say when I saw a Coot, as this was my entry in my …
Magpie – forty years ago in my nature notebook
I’m on a personal journey to rediscover the natural world I described in my nature notebooks when I was a 12 year …
Carrion Crow – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was a young boy with a fascination for nature and was dedicated to filling in my nature notebooks. …
Mute Swan – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was busy filling in my nature notebooks. I wrote detailed notes in blue biro in my lined notepad …
Blackbirds – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I was twelve years old when I started my nature notebooks. Despite my awful handwriting I noted down all the features which …
Black Headed Gull – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago as a boy I was happy keeping my nature notebooks. On holiday in Wales I saw a Black Headed …
Song Thrush – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was a small child on a mission – to see wildlife and to feel the joy of observing …
Chaffinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Male chaffinches are such beautiful birds, and I’m not the only one who thinks so; female Chaffinches agree with me. In fact, …
Coal Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I’m a man on a mission. I’ve recently rediscovered my old nature notebooks from when I was a child and I’m on …
Robins – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
As a twelve year old boy, seeing any wild bird was a thrill. Seeing a Robin was a particularly special occasion, especially …
Woodpigeon – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was very excited to see a fat Woodpigeon and record it in my childhood nature notebooks. I was …
Blue Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was a 12 year old boy heading off into the woods with the intention of finding wildlife. I …