A Goldeneye
This weeks drake Goldeneye was photographed on a Pennine reservoir where it is happy to spend winter before probably returning to Scandinavia. A small population do breed in the Cairngorms but most of the Pennine birds come from further afield. During the last fifty years that I have been filming birds some years have been […]
Shades Of Purple
Whilst on the Fylde last week what should fly into the photo was this juvenile Purple Heron. Apparently it had been in the area since November and spent all its time catching Voles in the fields. It was the first that I had ever seen and was a weird looking subject. Sadly it never caught […]
Rotting Timber
Wherever you go in the Caledonian forests you will find enormous dead trees that are hundreds of years old but are still standing. The dead wood provides last weeks star bird the Crested Tit with nest-sites. Many other birds and mammals like the Red Squirrel are to be found in the pines and boggy areas […]
The Forest Gem
There is no doubt that the star bird of the Caledonian forests of speyside is the Crested Tit. Last week we made a January visit especially for them and also a touch of Burns night. We were not disappointed on either count with the Crested Tits active at all the places that we visited. January […]
Winter Barn Owls
At long last we had a couple of frosty mornings last week-end and I made a quick visit to one of my Barn Owl farms hoping to see some action. It was sunny and both Barn Owls came out to hunt over the rapidly melting frosts. I had almost forgotten how fantastic it is to […]
The Redwing Roost
At the end of a winters day Redwings come together to spend the night in a communal roost. Some of these birds will travel many miles to roost together for safety and perhaps to tell one another where there is food. Unlike Starlings they do not murmurate but fly directly into the roost – usually […]
Yellow Brain Fungus
Whilst out in the local woods last month I noticed something yellow on the ground amongst the leaves.There are not that many fungi out in the depth of winter but these stood out from some distance. Not being an expert on fungi I took some photos and have now identified it as Yellow Brain fungus […]
Jack Snipe At Last
This winter has generally been very poor for migrant birds with one exception – Jack Snipe. I found my first one on the 14th October and by the year-end I had flushed 51 including a near record ten on one morning alone in November. This week I came across Jack Snipe number 52 but this […]
Year End
At the beginning of the year my photographic targets for the year included hunting Long Eared Owl and young Kingfishers perched on a branch after fledging. Up to six hours a day were spent, under cover, in June and July to capture the Long Eared Owl and I was almost successful with the young Kingfishers. […]
it’s Reindeer Time
This week’s photo was taken through my video camera in Svalbard ten years ago. The Svalbard reindeer is smaller than the Lapland reindeer but its antlers are much more impressive. On my last ever visit to Svalbard, three years ago, I had the unique opportunity to photograph a female Polar Bear with three cubs. This […]