Pipit in the meadow
Meadow Pipits are the most common songbird in upland areas. We’re on Dartmoor and it’s true. They are everywhere here, with their …
Pied
I love the texture of granite on the roughly-hewn stone walls of Dartmoor. This Pied Wagtail was being ruffled by the breeze …
Cuckoo!
We’ve off to see the Cuckoos, the wonderful Cuckoos of Dartmoor. We’re not following the yellow-brick road, but we are driving at …
It’s not an animal, plant or a fungus
This is not an animal, mineral or vegetable. It’s not a fungus, either. It’s a Slime Mould. Slime Moulds spend most of …
‘Tis the season for Shaggy Scalycaps
It’s 47 years today since I first saw Shaggy Scalycaps and wrote about them in blue biro with a pencil sketch in …
Yellow Brain Fungus
There are Gorse bushes here in Emsworthy Mire with Yellow Brain Fungus, Tremella mesenterica, growing on them. Fabulous, isn’t it? It’s a fungus …
Figures in a rainbow
Figures in a rainbow on Dartmoor.
Cuckoo and Meadow Pipit
There’s a never-ending battle going on in the meadows and on moorland of Dartmoor. It’s Cuckoo versus Meadow Pipit. The Meadow Pipits …
Wheatear
Wheatears are very wary birds. They bounce away to the next perch as soon as you approach. Walking along a footpath or …
Yellow fingers grow from the short sward
There are apricot-yellow fingers of fungus growing in the short sward at Emsworthy Mire. Fabulous, aren’t they? They are the eerie fruiting …
Return to Emsworthy Mire
Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor is one of my favourite places. It’s easy to get to, close to home, and not very busy. …
Cuckoo! – how to take photos of Cuckoos
There are still adult Cuckoos on Dartmoor. When they all leave for their migration to Africa there will still be Cuckoos here, …
Cuckoos and Meadow Pipits – an ancient battle
I decide to get up at dawn and go to Dartmoor. I’ve decided that before and stayed in bed. This time I …
Orange Redstarts and purple Bluebells
“When will I have time for Redstarts?” I asked a few weeks ago. Well, today is the answer. I’m at Emsworthy Mire …
Cuckoo!
I’ve taken some reasonable photographs of Cuckoos in the past, despite the dull weather on my days off.
Meadow Pipits at Emsworthy Mire
There’s been an eruption of Garden Chafers, Phyllopertha horticola, at Emsworthy Mire. The bracken is covered in them. The local Meadow Pipits …
Stonechats at Emsworthy Mire
I love Stonechats. I’ve spent a couple of very happy days with them: This time I’m just passing through and get a …
Dryad’s Saddle
The Dryad’s Saddle fungus is one I remember from my childhood. It can grow huge. It has a beautiful scaly skin and …
Willow Warblers at Emsworthy Mire
There it is again; that fluttering movement from something no bigger than a leaf on the breeze. I track the quiver of …
Cuckoos at Emsworthy Mire 2
I’ve arrived earlier today in the hope of seeing Cuckoos. Yesterday was a success, with a high-speed chase, so I have high …
Cuckoos at Emsworthy Mire
I’ve seen a Cuckoo before, but only the outline of a bird perched in the distance. I’d love to see one properly. …
2019 highlights of a wilder Devon life
2019 has seen me explore Devon a little more. I’ve been out onto Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor a few times to enjoy …
Emsworthy Mire Revisited
I try my luck again to get some decent photographs of the Ring Ouzels at Emsworthy Mire. I have a large flask …
Shaggy Parasols at Emsworthy Mire
There are Parasol mushrooms in the fields at Emsworthy Mire. They are huge, but not as huge as the dinner-plate sized Macrolepiota …
Lone Trees on Dartmoor
A walk from Emsworthy Mire. Dartmoor is an impressive landscape of human destruction. It’s been cut and burnt and grazed. And thousands …
Ring Ouzels at Emsworthy Mire
I’ve heard there are Ring Ouzels at Emsworthy Mire. Ring Ouzels are thrushes which nest on high moors and upland crags in …
Waxcaps
Waxcap fungi thrive on damp, ‘unimproved’ grassland, or rather grassland which hasn’t be ruined by artificial fertiliser or herbicides. A trip to …
The Great Grey Shrike of Emsworthy Mire
I hear that there’s a Great Grey Shrike on Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor. I’ve never been a ‘birder’ and I really dislike …
New life
April and May are wonderful months for new growth. The sheep at Emsworthy Mire have been busy. This little lamb is particularly …
The Tree: An afternoon on Dartmoor and a wild idea
Dartmoor is a wonderful upland area of Devon. It is based on granite rocks which frequently outcrop on high tors. I’m having …