As we plod soggily away from the drainage mill which stands derelict but defiantly sentinel, the shroud of dark grey looming overhead is swept away, whipped over the flat expanse of Buckenham Marshes by a brisk sou’wester. In its wake appear blue skies, streaked with wisps of white vapour and golden hued rays of autumnal…
Hakuna Matata – No Worries! A Swahili phrase which sums up the laid back nature of people, their lifestyle and attitude on Zanzibar, the last port of call on our African adventure. We arrived late into Zanzibar after a mid evening flight from Nairobi. Then another hour to drive south towards our rather plush accommodation…
Hello from Bermuda – August 2020. Half way through August, our extremely hot and humid days continue, and we are in desperate need of rain. Even through our island is just 23 miles long and a mile wide, it is incredible how much the amount of rainfall can differ from parish to parish. Eastern parishes…
Kenneth Tumusiime is a real conservation hero. His work with local communities in the Murchison Falls area of Uganda is producing fantastic results. His efforts have galvanised local people to value the wildlife that share their environment and has engendered in them a real pride and sense of ownership. He is a true ambassador for…
Welcome to my Identification Guide to the ‘Brown’ Butterflies. Most of these species are emerging in numbers now and will be seen flitting over meadows, along hedgerows and sunny woodland rides. We’ll look at seven lowland species: Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown, Ringlet, Grayling, Small Heath and Speckled Wood. All are reasonably common and widespread,…
Let’s talk skipper butterfly identification. It’s the time of year when butterfly activity is at its peak. Grassland butterflies will be on the wing throughout July and August and frequently accompany us on our countryside walks along woodland rides and in meadows. Quite often we will see them sipping nectar from bramble, thistle and other…
Welcome to Wildlife Watching 19th – 30th June 2020, the last of the 30 Days Wild blogs summarising the creatures seen and heard during the last 10 days of June. Some highlights: 19th June – a day spent walking around heathland to the north of Norwich. First a stroll across Marsham Heath which has undergone…
Welcome to Bermuda Shorts – June 2020. This month Jessica tells us about the beautiful white-tailed tropic birds that are now nesting on the island and takes us into the underwater world of Bermudian sea grass bays. Here we encounter an array of wonderful wildlife brilliantly captured by Jessica’s expert photography. Just enjoy the words…
Welcome to Wildlife Watching 4th – 18th June 2020. Good to be able to drop ‘Lockdown’ from the title don’t you think? We are tumbling into summer after a turbulent spring which, as always, passes so quickly. It seems but an instant ago that we were awaiting the arrival of migrant birds; the scratchy song…
Rick and Elis Simpson are special. They truly are people who are making a difference. They have a love of waders, those enigmatic birds that travel vast distances around the globe and delight us with their evocative cries, wheeling winter flocks and boundless energy as they feed along lonely shorelines. They hooked me 50 years…