I love reptiles in general but the adder holds a special place. Yes, they’re incredibly beautiful with their zig zag patterns and the male’s silver appearance post-shed. Their red eyes contrasting against the browns and greys of their skin. Maybe it’s the danger element too, the fact that you’re so close to Britain’s only venomous…
Category: featured
Shanghai, China – June 2019
Another business trip with the brick company took me to Shanghai recently. Luckily, I managed to get away for a few hours on my first and last day, and I decided to concentrate on Century Park. Craig from Shanghai Birding very kindly recommended the spot for visits on limited timescales as you can typically see…
North Yorkshire Cliffs – May 2019
I finally managed to get up to the seabird sites of North Yorkshire in May, over 25 years since my last visit. Perhaps a few metres less to see thanks to coastal erosion 😉 but was great to be back. We started at Bempton Cliffs where thralls of gannets, razorbills, kittiwakes and guillemots clung to…
Monterrey, M̩xico РMay 2019
Travelling with work is always exciting and a great privilege but when I can tag a few extra days to wildlife watch in other countries, it takes it to the next level. That’s especially true for Mexico, a country with so many species of bird, insect, reptile and amphibian, it’s almost overwhelming. The feeling of…
Weald Amphibian Survey
A few weeks back I joined the Essex Amphibian and Reptile Group on a survey of ponds in the Weald Country Park near Brentwood. Led again by the awesome Graham Hart we met at 19:00 to lay down transects of traps at one location before making our way to another to survey the sides of…
Short-eared Owls of Wallasea
This last winter was a special one. I finally ventured to Wallasea Island RSPB reserve to try and see the short-eared owls that everyone had been telling me about. After several failed attempts at Rainham Marshes, I thought I’d give it a go. My first visit was pretty late in the day but as I…
Perpignan and Pyrenees August 2017
Perpignan Region of South France Although a veteran of French trips, and being a quarter French, I had never made it down to this part of the South of France before 2017. I was very excited. It was first and foremost a family holiday with the extended family, but the sheer abundance of birds and…
Wildlife Wander 