In October 2021, I gave my tawny owls a new home. The old box was rotten and only fit for the bonfire so I commissioned my friend, Steve, to help me build a brand spanking new one, same design but a tad larger than the first. I erected it on…
March is probably not the best time to visit Dumfries and Galloway but, for various reasons, this time of year was convenient. I rented a lovely cottage near the beach at Brighouse Bay, imaginatively known as Brighouse Bay cottages. It snowed and it rained and, for a few hours each…
Madagascar fody The island of Mauritius is a tourist hotspot for those who worship the sun. Its beaches are generally quite beautiful, save for the plastic that is never far away, and the water is warm. It’s a place to unwind and enjoy the ocean. Travel inland, however, and the…
Thanks to those who have made donations, bought images, calendars and cards or listened to my wildlife talks, this year I have been able to send £3150 to Zarach. Your money is helping to give ‘every head a bed and make every house a home’.
In 2015, our European robin was voted Britain’s national bird and, it was said at the time, is a bird which is ‘woven into the nation’s psyche’. It’s definitely the most recognisable. With its bright orange breast it is known to just about everyone, young and old and, with around…
Any day in Africa is a good one. African skies are big and beautiful. Sunrises are amazing and only surpassed by sunsets. Living in the bush is as far as you can get from noise, pollution and the everyday concerns of life in the fast lane. The sounds, smells and…
About five years ago on a lovely Sunday morning, I was sitting in my neighbour’s Kirkheaton garden when a beautiful bird glided along the field just below us and then disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. It took me completely by surprise because this was the first and…
It’s moulting season for birds and everything has gone quiet, so for the past couple of weeks I’ve had a little project with some birds that are still raising their young – barn owls. These are the ones that look white when you see them at night. They’re the ‘farmer’s…
Well, it finally got me. After 27 months keeping my head down, I succumbed to covid! Fortunately, my symptoms are not bad but I’m still confined to barracks and my camera hasn’t been out for well over a week. But, just before my confinement, I was feeding my tawny…
Arctic tern Every wildlife watcher should pay a summer visit to Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire to view the UK’s biggest seabird, the northern gannet, followed quickly by a trip up the coast to the Northumbrian Farne Islands where the star attractions are nesting Arctic terns and Atlantic puffins. You can…