From Herrings to landfill and back
I love Herring Gulls. Amazingly their UK conservation status is red. That’s because their breeding population keeps declining, and so does their …
Moult
I’m fascinated to see this Herring Gull going through a moult into adult plumage. You can see it better in this view: …
Flypast
I’m sat on the cliffs of Westray in pleasant light. It’s the middle of summer and it’s finally made it to 16 …
Cafe culture
I’m at Portland in Dorset with my friend Mark when he offers to buy us ice creams. I’m hardly likely to refuse, …
There’s no such thing as a seagull
Herring Gulls are one of our most familiar birds. They are the ‘seagull’ of a thousand stories and even more stolen seaside …
The Third Ladybird Book of British Birds – #12 The Herring Gull
I’m currently reading the third volume of the Ladybird Book of British Birds and their nests from the 1950s. Times have changed: …
Sticks on a stack
There’s a Herring Gull on the wall of the River Lemon. They always look as if they’re wearing strange flesh-coloured tights to …
Herring Gulls wheeling in the last rays of sun
Herring Gulls are one of my favourite sights. They’re the epitome of resourcefulness. It’s nearly sunset and there are a few circling …
Herring Gulls
Herring Gulls are fabulous to watch. I’ve enjoyed taking photographs of them in urban areas. There’s something quite alien about their presence. …
When you know it’s summer
The seasons turn, circle by circle. Bud becomes flower becomes fruit, ripening in the long days. Photography is expressing your view of …
Gulls
This Herring Gull is magnificent. Look at the beak. It must be really missing chips and intimidation. This Black-Headed Gull is altogether …
Bempton birds – when you know you’re being watched
Many birds are perfect parcels of protein. There are plenty of predatory species which would treat them as a tasty snack. This …
Bempton birds – Cousin Puffin and the Ancestral Auk
Non-scientists often think the mysteries of the living world have been solved. Nothing could be further from the truth. There’s plenty of …
Bempton birds – coming in to land
Landing makes flying seem easy: I love the way this Guillemot is dangling its feet, like two paddles, to provide enough drag: …
Bempton birds – eggs and chicks galore
There are hundreds of thousands of seabirds here at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. I particularly love the Kittiwakes. They’re such delicate, elegant gulls, …
Gulls in Weymouth
RSPB Lodmoor is in Weymouth on the south coast of England. I’m travelling through and have brought my camera for a few …
Wild and Urban
Bristol is a city with a truly urban environment. There are stone pavements, tarmac roads and tall steel-framed buildings. Through its heart …
Bristol and the Colston bun
I’ve spent a few days in Bristol city centre recently, going to music and theatre events and wandering around with my camera. …
The Wild Westray
On the West Westray coast there’s nothing between you and America except the Atlantic Ocean. The coast is a fractured and windswept …
The Atlantic
Westray has two sides: a North Sea side and an Atlantic Ocean side. They meet with dramatic consequences at the northernmost and …
Seagulls attack from behind
Seagulls are masters of surprise. I’m in Teignmouth this morning and there are warning signs everywhere about the gulls. Herring Gulls are …
Demanding money with menaces
If any species in the animal world is going to be found asking for cash to ‘look after’ your car then it …
The end of echelon parking
It’s the end of echelon parking. It says so on the sign. I’m glad they told me that. Goodbye echelon parking: it …
Confusing Gulls
Gulls are confusing. They all look superficially the same with their big bills, grey backs and beady eyes, but there are some …
Herring Gull
I’m photographing the beautiful, delicate and precise Black Headed Gulls this morning when I see this monster approaching. I’m so used to …
Herring Gull
I’m currently searching for Herring Gulls so I can take some close-up photographs of them. As you do. I took some close-up …
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 …