Who can fail to be enchanted by the sight of a Bullfinch? I vividly remember once seeing a party of four, one male, three females, in my garden some 30 years ago. On that occasion I stumbled downstairs, bleary eyed from slumber, to be greeted by this colourful quartet gorging themselves on the seeds of…
A half seen ghostly white form illuminated by your car headlights as you drive past at dead of night. A brief glimpse of a gliding pale bird buoyantly drifting across your line of vision whilst out for a walk at dusk. The eerie, hair raising screech from that silent spectral churchyard. These are the usual…
Welcome to a fuller account of our trip to Africa – October 2023. I thought you might be interested in hearing a little more about our recent trip to Uganda and Zambia. After all it wasn’t all about Bee-eaters, Rollers and Kingfishers, indeed there was much more than birds to fascinate and entertain. We arranged…
Let’s talk about Bee-eaters, Rollers and Kingfishers (again). Anyone who has followed my previous blog (Eastern Bushchat) and/or has purchased my book (see panel to the right), will know of my quest to see all the world’s species of the aforementioned bird families. Not an easy task, mainly because these birds are scattered throughout Africa…
Champions of the Flyways (COTF), is an annual bird racing event held in the southern part of Israel centered around Eilat. It is an event operating on a global scale, involving teams of birders from every part of the world regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religious and cultural background. All participants are united as part…
Welcome to my 220 for 2022 – End of Year Summary. The final episode of a frantic year. I must admit it’s been a real blast. As I write this in early January 2023, I’m actually missing the thought of seeing new things, but am not missing the self-imposed pressure to meet some meaningless target….
Welcome to my 220 for 2022 – November Update. The title of this venture is a little mute now since we’re looking at 220 in our rear view mirror. The challenge has morphed into one of how many species can we actually cram onto our lists before 31st December. From a personal perspective this goes…
Welcome to my 220 for 2022 – October Update. A month of southerlies, westerlies, and yet more southerlies, not what us east coast birders want during autumn. We needed a spell of sustained easterly airflow bringing drift migrants from the continent and even Asia, but it wasn’t to be. There were a couple of days…
In Norwich Castle Museum there is a room full of mounted bird skins. In this room there is a large glass case, and in this case are contained the skins of a drove of 7 Great Bustards. The last of the species to have ever walked on the sandy soils of the Norfolk Brecks. As schoolboys,…
There is often great concern expressed about the damage ivy can do to trees, but contrary to popular belief, the plant is not parasitic. Ivy has its own root system which obtains nutrients directly from the soil; the tiny, root-like structures on its stems merely enable it to cling to its support without causing damage…