The Last Berries
All winter, in a neighbours garden, there has been a Hawthorne with large red berries on. No thrushes have been tempted to eat them until we had the snow and frost the other week. Then, several Fieldfares appeared from nowhere and began to remove the berries and take them to the field nearby where […]
Sandpiper Surprise
During the frosty and snowy weather of last week I had a nice surprise. I was checking for Jack Snipe along a local stream and disturbed a wading bird with a brilliant white rump. I knew immediately that this was the ultimate winter visitor and only the second that I had seen locally in more […]
Jack Snipe Number 153
Generally this winter has been very poor for Winter visitors with one exception – Jack Snipe. I have several sites where I go to in the hope of finding a Jack Snipe and since the first one I found on the 9th October I have seen 152!! Sadly every one of those found has flown […]
Best Ever Filming Day
After 52years of filming wildlife I am often asked what is the best day I have ever had in the field. Its a difficult choice. You would have thought that having filmed sixty one pairs of Hen Harriers at the nest it would have been been one of those – but it is not. Or […]
43rd Species
During the last week we have had hard frost and snow which brought to our garden the 43rd bird species in the last fifty two years – a cock Pheasant. It walked into the garden and walked out most days and from where it emanated is not known. This week’s gallery includes plenty of birds […]
Screensaver
Most people on their lap-top have one of their favourite photos that are seldom seen by anyone else. I am guilty of this misdemeanour so this week’s blog photo of four young Barn Owls is what has graced my lap-top for the last five years.So why is it so special? Firstly it was the only […]
The Chase
During my nine visits to the High Arctic I have often been asked about the life and death encounter that I had with the Polar Bear. What has never been mentioned is that I had a close encounter with a Musk Ox bull in the North East Greenland National Park – the most stunning Arctic […]
Fieldfare At Last
It has taken until yesterday before I have seen my first Fieldfare of this winter. It would have been good to have had it feeding on apples in the garden but instead it was feeding on fallen fruit on our local motorway island!! Not much I could do with it there! However, if you would […]
New Year Delights
The New Year might have started foggy, frosty, snowy and dull but in the garden the birds rushed in to feed. We had an incredible 23 species feeding including this weeks blog photo off a juvenile male Sparrowhawk. He spent ten minutes waiting and watching but eventually he left empty handed. The other birds that […]
What A Year
This year started for me with a health problem and finished with a national health problem!!! Inbetween I was still able to take photos so now is the time to pick some of my favourites of the year. A hunting Barn Owl, in winter sunlight, was a good start to the year only to be […]