This Green woodpecker (Picus viridis) always taunts me when I walk along the old road near the house. Every time I try to take a photo it hides behind a tree trunk and then flies on to the next tree when I try to get closer. It basically acts like a squirrel. We don’t get […]

Probably, out of all my hobbies and interests, cataloguing the creatures which live around my house ranks the highest. As a kid I used to keep a daily diary of what birds and animals I’d seen and often draw one of them. Now I have cameras and trailcams but the principle is still the same. […]

After yesterday’s multiple hard-going walks, this morning’s was at a much slower pace. The sun was out but the temperature fluctuated between too warm and too cold, meaning having to don and remove outer garments often. The meadows are filled with bird song and presented the opportunity for a few photographs (there should also be […]

This is the first photo from my new camera – a Canon SX412HS. It’s a photograph of the UNESCO-protected wooden church in Svidnik skanzen, Northeast Slovakia. I took the photo from my office window, approximately 1 kilometre (perhaps a little more) away. The photo required a lot of filtering due to it being quite bleached. […]

This weekend seems to have revolved around hard-to-differentiate bird species. While out setting my game camera in a creek bed, I had this little Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris)/Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) keep me company. I personally think it was a Marsh Tit.

I was stunned to see this harrier flying around while out walking behind the house. I’ve never seen one here before. I’m unsure whether it’s a Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) or a Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) as it has identifying marks which associate (and refute) it with both. The black above-wing line makes me lean […]

I’m really starting to get disappointed with what I’m capturing on trailcam and it looks like I’m going to have to set it up in a different area. Like I said in an earlier post, I might as well have it running in a Lincolnshire garden. Where are all the big beasties? I see enough […]

It looks like Spring has finally arrived and the many colours of blossom on the trees are in stark contrast to this year’s miserable grey Winter. It’s funny how the mind changes and one develops a different perspective when the weather changes and nature comes to life again. The forest beckons and I want to […]

This is a shot of the White Stork flying with the snake in its giant beak, just to give some idea of how huge these birds are. When they fly overhead they block the sunlight and their wingbeat is very loud.

This weekend we stayed at the house because of the beautiful weather. It was amazing to finally see blue skies, greenery, different coloured blossoms and an abundance of wildlife (plus listen to all the birdsong). It gave me chance to spend sometime in the forest where I can let my thoughts go and just absorb […]