Want to see what 526 Lapwings and 89 Starlings Look Like?

9th September 2019Wildlife Sightings

Do you know what 615 birds flying in the air looks like? Well I didn’t, or at least I wasn’t sure. That was until I saw, photographed and counted them. 

It happened a couple of weeks ago. A chance glance out of the studio window and there they were, swarming in the distance, five hundred and twenty six lapwings and eighty nine starlings. Read more

by walkingphotographer

A65 Flowers by Night

Otterly Perplexing

20th August 2019On My Mind

So far this year, on three seperate occasions, I've noticed dead otters on the A65 between the Generous Pioneer round about (Burley in Wharfedale) and Kashmiri Aroma restaurant. This represents a distance of just under a mile. On each occasionI've returned within a matter of hours only to discover no trace of the original road kill. Read more

by walkingphotographer

Two young boys bird watching through house window. Black and white Photo

Get More Garden Birds in Your Life!

31st July 2019On My Mind

Two young boys bird watching through house window. Black and white Photo
At a time when good news nature stories seem few and far between; a small segment in this month’s British Birds magazine offers some most welcome relief! Read more

by walkingphotographer

Rural countryside at Malham

The Longest Day - A Day of Two Halves

1st July 2019Walks

Young Peregrine fledgling in flight, Malham
It’s just after 5 am when I arrive and this is not how it was supposed to be. The Met Office app has failed me, again. Not right this minute, no, right this minute the app is quite accurate, but at 11 pm last night the app told me I’d be bathed in golden sunlight. Had I known Malham Cove would be enveloped by cloud and drizzle, I would have made a bigger flask of tea! Read more

by walkingphotographer

When the final cry of the curlew is heard but not recognised

19th May 2019On My Mind

Pivotal Moment for Sun Lane Green Belt  

 

I’ve lost any sense of how long I’ve been standing here in this hedge.  The twine of barbed wire and bramble pressing into my thigh is marginally more bearable than the stench seeping out of the weighty poo bags that hang out in this same hedge. Time evaporates as I watch the first midges of the year stretch their wings and dance, backlit by the shards of early evening sunlight. It’s hypnotic. A sudden, abstract flash of white in the distance catches my eye and snatches me away from my daze. I’m on full alert. It’s blurred and masked by several other hedgerows but there’s no doubt in my mind. She’s here.Read more

by walkingphotographer

Two swifts (Apus apus) soaring in a stormy spring sky, Burley in Wharfedale.

The Birds From Hell, A Most Welcome Return!

7th May 2019On My Mind,Wildlife Sightings

It's been a largely grey and wet day here in Burley. Miserable some might say, and many would agree. Yet, among the gloominess, my cheeks have that painful glow you get when you blow up too many balloons. Pain not from blowing out too much hot air though, but from smiling. Smiling at my first sight of this year's Swifts! Read more

by walkingphotographer

Swan family with cygnet on the river wharfe

A Swan Summer: No broken arms, just a broken heart

1st May 2019Wildlife Sightings

A first-hand account of a British summer spent in the company of a stunning and iconic swan family. Read more

by walkingphotographer

Male Kestrel lunching into flight

Wind Surfing Kestrel

24th March 2019Wildlife Sightings

Standgale, Windhover, Windsprite, Windcuffer, Windfucker. Or "Kestrel" as I would proudly exclaim as a child in the back of my parent's car. "Kestrel!" every time that iconic hovering silhouette appeared above the skyline, my enthusiasm never and still hasn't waned.Read more

by walkingphotographer

Waxwings at Wetherby Whaler

28th February 2019Wildlife Sightings

I have a love-hate relationship with Waxwings. I love the bird, their intricate, vibrant colours, their heavy eighties eye shadow & punk hair-do. I hate that whenever you try to see them you invariably end up looking like a tool, hanging around with a camera and/or binoculars in a supermarket car park or train station! Read more

by walkingphotographer

Barn Owl in flight in the late afternoon sun daytime

Burley's Barn Owl & Updates from the Yard...

15th February 2019Wildlife Sightings

Yesterday was Valentine's day and the hottest one for over 20 years. Today was equally warm as the sun shone on over 15,000 inspiring school children who went on strike in order to campaign for action on climate change. Amazing!

Read more

by walkingphotographer