Mother and son watch a mason bee approach solitary bee nest box

Is this the Summer of a Lifetime?

It won’t just be the virtual watchers of a Sun appearing over a pixelated Stonehenge who will have changed their plans this Summer.  All of us to varying degrees will have had to abandon preparations and adapt in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Read more

by walkingphotographer

Long Tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus with nest material

Lichen, Moss and 1,500 feathers! The Wonder of a Long Tailed Tit's Nest

Nature is full of gob-smackingly awesome engineering, and right up there with the best of them is the long-tailed tit nest. Long-tailed tits are one of my favourite garden birds. It’s impossible not to smile when these miniature Nerf balls grace you with their presence. Read more

by walkingphotographer

Baildon Swifts: Pre-Season Training

"Shortbread or Gingers Nuts?!" These choice biscuits and one or two cups of tea will be the only immediate reward for braving the lofty heights of Baildon's hilly settlements today. Read more

by walkingphotographer

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

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

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

The Birds From Hell, A Most Welcome Return!

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

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

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

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...

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!

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by walkingphotographer

Shades of Grey (Partridge)

Most birds and animals with the title Grey preceding them have a genuine cause for protest. As fashionable as the colour seems to be on the high street; in the wild a "grey... <<insert name here>>" sighting rarely conjures the excitement and enthusiasm it deserves. Read more

by walkingphotographer