Adder Love

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Thursley Common – May 2019

GI’d heard a great deal about Thursley Common and how incredible the habitat there was for reptiles and birds, not to mention invertebrates. So, one long bank holiday weekend, I decided to head over. It was clear that, with a dip in temperatures that week, any reptiles would be few and far between. Nonetheless, I…

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Dormouse Survey Essex

Just before Easter 2019 I was able to join a dormouse survey in a local wood. To say I was excited… I had never seen a dormouse in the wild, let alone to prospect of getting close to one. Graham and the team were on hand to train up volunteers and get them comfortable enough…

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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…

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