There’s an Oak Apple Gall above me on this oak tree. It’s probably five centimetres wide and inside it are anything up to thirty gall wasp larvae having a feast. Each Oak Apple contains only male or only female wasp larvae of the species Biorhiza pallida. It’s a small wasp, …
I’m not sure anyone’s ever sketched this alleyway in Newton Abbot before. It’s a commonly used cut-through filled with industrial waste bins from all the surrounding shops. Local people refer to it as Mortuary Lane, but I’ve yet to find out why.
I love chugging out of Brixham on board the Kelly’s Hero. Brixham is still an active port, and it’s a pleasure to …
The distinctive, smooth, grey rocks on Westray’s exposed sea cliffs and shelving shore host fossils of fish which died 390 million years …
I love being in the woods and surrounded by Bear’s Garlic, Allium ursinum. I really must make better use of it, given …
There are Harbour Porpoise off Brixham. It’s a thrill to see a small pod of them moving fast. The name Porpoise comes …
Shags build a messy nest of sticks and seaplants (formerly known as seaweed). Here’s one rushing back to its cliff-ledge nesting site …
Do you know that feeling of going somewhere every day and being so familiar with it that you don’t see something special …
I love seeing a Great Cormorant drying its wings in the sunshine. Especially when you can see the beautiful bronze sheen on …
I’ve seen many Great Northern Divers catching and dismembering crabs but I’ve not seen one eating a fish before. Here’s a photograph …
We’re on a cruise out of Brixham when we’re told there’s a male Peregrine Falcon perched overlooking Torbay. There are only 1,500 …
The Woodpecker pair I’ve been enjoying watching have a routine. I need to watch them for many more hours before I can …
Do you know that feeling of going somewhere every day and being so familiar with it that you don’t see something special …
Wee were delighted by a visit from “The great black duck from Hudson’s Bay” in Torbay last week. A Surf Scoter was …
I’m not that keen on getting up early unless I have a purpose. I need to be driven by a need other …
Here’s a Cramp Ball. There are hundreds of them here. They love dead or dying Ash trees. I’ve been taking morning walks …
Last week I said we should be getting St George’s Mushrooms soon. This week, they arrived. By the side of the wide …
I’ve been sketching in Newton Abbot again, this time the local Wetherspoons pub, The Richard Hopkins. Here’s what the framed history inside …
I’m a big fan of farmers. They’re an endless source of resourcefulness. Whether it’s emergency repairs, using recycled materials, or simple engineering …
Goosanders love a bit of snorkelling and free diving. This one is taking the plunge at Daisy Nook Country Park. The teeth …
I’ve wanted to visit Ludlow ever since reading AE Housman’s poetry in A Shropshire Lad when I was 18. It’s taken a …
Here’s another of my photographs from the immersive music festival Boomtown Fair, held in Hampshire. It’s love the energy of the place, …
There are several groups of birds which seem impossible to separate without years of knowledge in the field.
I’ve been sketching in Newton Abbot again. There are still many historic places despite the widespread destruction of our heritage. The Pharmacy …
A memory of last summer with the Arctic Terns of Westray. There were so few chicks in this colony that the remaining …
There’s a tiny orange fungus on this wet rotting wood. I recognise it from my childhood. It can only be Dacrymyces deliquescens. …
The Redshank, Tringa totanus, is a Eurasian wader. It’s classified as part of a large family called Scolopacidae. It’s related to the sandpipers, …
You’ve probably noticed that I love a good flypast. Here are two Great Crested Grebes going at speed down the River Exe. …
Have I mentioned that I love Black-Tailed Godwits before? Well, yes I have. And with good reason. What I must do now …
I’ve been sketching in Newton Abbot again. This time it’s my local record shop, Phoenix Sounds. I love the vinyl they have …