Avocets
Having spent time filming Avocets on Morecambe Bay it is easy to see why the RSPB adopted them as their emblem bird. They are spectacular subjects and were, up to ten years ago, very rare breeding birds in Britain. Since then their spread north has been sensational with a pair now having bred successfully in […]
April Corncrake
We have just returned from a week on Islay that produced the contrast of snow on the ground for the first two days then fifteen hours of sunshine per day for the last two days. I was able to film my first ever April Corncrake whilst there was still snow on the hills! There is […]
Singing Flycatchers
There is no doubt that one of the highlights of spring is when the male Pied Flycatchers arrive and fill the Pennine woodlands with song. It doesn’t last long for as soon as the females arrive and he pairs off he becomes less vocal as she builds their nest. The active song period may be […]
Sandpiper Surprise
An old filming colleague of mine always reckoned that when I went into a hide the bird that we were filming would stand on its head for me whereas he got very few photos. My standard answer to this, apart from smiling, was to point out that I spent more time in the hide than […]
Kingfisher
Just wanted to share this photo I took yesterday morning of the male Kingfisher presenting the female with a fish. For once everything came together. Well worth the early morning start. It was shown on BBC Look North at 6.30 last night.
Where Eagles Fly
With the fabulous weather recently lots of wildlife enthusiasts will have gone to Scotland with one thing in mind – to see an Eagle. In 1974 I sat in my hide on a windswept Hebridean ledge and filmed a female Golden Eagle feeding her one offspring. It was a moment that I shall treasure forever […]
Digging In
During the last two weeks most Kingfisher pairs have been busy digging out their nesting tunnels. This weeks gallery photos (Click here) were taken last week of one of my regular pairs engaged in the digging process. Unfortunately events have overtaken them when last Tuesday Rochdale was the wettest place in Britain with more than […]
Master Builders
There is little doubt that in the bird world Long Tailed Tits are the supreme nest builders. Firstly they start their nest off with moss and spiders webs then they decorate the outside of the dome with lichens before finally lining the inside with as many as 2000 feathers. This whole process can take up […]
Eclipse
I never intended photographing the eclipse but thin cloud moved in and made it possible without special gear. It may after all be the only one that I ever photograph! I enjoyed the spectacle but only wish I could have viewed it from Spitsbergen where it was a complete eclipse. This weeks gallery is of […]
Crestie Birthday
A late entry this week due to only just having returned from four days in the Cairngorms. What better way is there of spending your birthday than filming Crested Tits and other birds of the Caledonian pine forests. After -3° overnight Aviemore yesterday was the sunniest and warmest place in Britain and of course […]