Badger I’ve been talking about my wildlife adventures for around 12 years and, during that time, I’ve spoken to 60 different and diverse groups from Huddersfield and further afield in Yorkshire and Cumbria. During that time, I have met loads of interesting people and made quite a few friends. I…
The Panama Canal was first transited in 1914 when ships were a tad smaller than many are now. Eventually, the locks were unable to accommodate the bigger vessels and new locks were completed in 2016, so much bigger that, now, Cunard’s flagship ocean liner, Queen Mary 2 can nicely fit…
If you are ever fortunate enough to take a cruise ship from Southampton to Rio de Janeiro, you’ll find a few opportunities to photograph some interesting animals on the way. But crossing the Atlantic in January isn’t one of them. You would normally expect to leave the worst of winter…
My friend, Steve, just celebrated his 66.666th (recurring) birthday. He has decided he will live until he’s 100 so from now on he is keeping a daily diary entitled, ‘The Final Third’. I’m way past that birthday but, from next March, if I was so inclined, I could begin to…
A couple of weeks ago, a baby bullfinch flew into our window and I found it lying on the ground. We nursed it overnight and, although she was quite chirpy next day and able to fly, she couldn’t stand. Apparently, severely concussed birds can often suffer immobility in their legs…
If you’re retired like me, you’ll know that this later phase of life has its ups and its downs. Usually you’ll be a little bit older and therefore a bit slower and, maybe, you’ll have picked up an ailment or two along the way. And, ask anyone, retirement isn’t all…
‘No mow May’ has been and gone and if, like a friend of mine in the village, you couldn’t wait to tidy up when June came along, your garden will now be pristine and lovely to look upon. Which got me thinking that beauty is still in the eye of…
Short-eared owl As I write this, I’m watching a video of hundreds of mice running around a barn in Australia. There’s a plague of these little critters there which is causing havoc in communities and causing millions of dollars of damage to farming produce and even to domestic habitats. Some…
Wren What’s in a name? Quite a bit you might say if you’ve just had your first child and you’re wondering what you’re going to call them for the rest of their life. I have been photographing wildlife for around 12 years and watching wildlife for a bit longer. During…
For those who were interested in the story of the nesting tawny owls in my Huddersfield garden last year, you might be interested in the news that they’re back (in fact, he never left) and they’re raising chicks. My trail cam picked up the male owl visiting the nest box…