Southern Pantanal 2 – The Mad Mad Moonlight News came half way through our evening safari of a Jaguar kill. We drove directly to the site where biologists from the local conservation team were staking out the half devoured carcass of a cow; they were hoping to identify which particular cat was responsible. In the…
A couple of spare hours between meetings led me, (not for the first time) to Jarrold’s department store here in Norwich, more specifically their basement book store. I love books, and it was whilst perusing the biography titles that I happened upon a compendium of essays by various famous people originally featured in Big Issue…
15th/16th November 2016 – Southern Pantanal The head of the ocelot, such a cryptically patterned beast, could just be seen behind a screen of grass as it sat motionless beside a shallow pool. It’s white ear patches reflected the light shone by our guide who, ever alert, had spotted the cat from his vantage point…
Saturday 12th November 2016 (late afternoon) – Northern Pantanal It glared at us from baleful lemon yellow eyes, sat atop a tangle of fallen branches and roots. A Ferruginous Pygmy owl, one of a pair our guide had picked up calling from the track along which we had been strolling. The ability of this knowledgeable…
Thursday 10th November 2016 – Northern Pantanal We arrived to the ominous sound of rumbling thunder issued from the depths of evil looking clouds that periodically spat jagged forks of lightning. The accompanying humidity made for an uncomfortable welcome to our stay in the Northern Pantanal. But the rain didn’t materialise, at least no more…
Sometimes you are lucky enough to discover hidden treasure. Whilst looking at various wildlife blog sites, I was fortunate to do just that; I unearthed gold. Alicia Hayden is a very talented young woman, amongst her talents are those of artist, filmmaker, poet, photographer and writer. She is a young person with a passion for…
Looking out into the garden, I have a clear view of the remains of a cherry tree. Once a prize specimen with a tight mass of eye smarting, white candy floss blooms in spring, it is sadly now just a pared down skeletal stump with a few twisted antlers of decaying wood. Where once hundreds…
There’s a tree by the church. An Oak, twisted and gnarled, ivy clad and sentinel. It grows by the wall; flint and brick, ancient and lichen encrusted, bowed and bent, ravaged by time. Both wall and tree have seen some sights, seen the passing of ages, the passage of time and man. What tales could…
My friend Kenneth Tumusiime works tirelessly to conserve the wild creatures and wild spaces of his beloved Uganda. Recognising the pressure being put on the local Shoebill population through disturbance from local fishermen, he has set up the Save the Shoebill Conservation Project (SSCP). A community centric project that depends on engagement with the human…