I don’t think anyone would argue that communication has got easier over the years. When I was a child, we didn’t have a phone of any sort. Supposing you knew someone who did, you could walk to a red telephone box, put in your money, dial their number and if…
There’s one thing for sure when you’re getting older. Someone will keep reminding you. When I started losing my hair, my kids had some interesting but hardly flattering descriptions for my head and when I ask my son for some help, he insists on doing everything himself as if I’m…
Apologies to anyone trying to access my site in the last four or five weeks. I have had a problem which brought a little storm cloud to my site. This resulted in my changing domain host, causing some delays and unfortunate warnings that I might be trying to steal your…
Thank you once again to those folks who have bought my images, cards or calendars, or attended my talks throughout the year. This Christmas, I have been able to send £2189 to Zarach, thanks to your generosity. Click on the link to the right to learn more about the charity…
It’s early November and I’m sitting in the floating ‘Balsa hotel’ on the river Piquiri in the largest seasonal floodplain in the world, the Pantanal. Not only is it the largest floodplain but it also boasts the highest concentration of flora and fauna in the world. The Pantanal spills into…
It was a very strange feeling. I was in Manchester airport without my 17kg camera bag. In fact, I was in Manchester airport without a camera. We were heading to Venice to meet an American friend and I made the decision to travel light, with only my trusty old Samsung…
Northern gannet A bit of a misnomer, this one. The term ‘greedy gannet’ is a British colloquialism for a greedy person which dates from the mid-19th century, after the sea bird with perceived voracious eating habits. But some University professors did some research which indicates that gannets are not as greedy as…
Is that young birds, in particular, don’t realise they can’t fly through it. This time, a young bullfinch landed in a heap on the patio after trying to wend his/her way through the conservatory. Fortunately, after some 20 minutes or so of tlc and a little poop on my hand…
Razorbill Six hours on the notoriously unreliable Calmac ferry from Oban on Scotland’s west coast brings us to Lochboisdale, just across the loch from South Lochboisdale and our small thatched croft owned by Mary Ellen and Katie. This is our second visit to the island of South Uist and our…
I was standing on a rock in South Lochboisdale, South Uist, this morning, watching a hen harrier that has consistently evaded my camera over the last five days. A little van drew up beside me and Danny, the driver, introduced himself. He interrogated me for a couple of minutes about…