Humbug
I had a bizarrely quiet walk around the reserve at Upton Warren today – there were hardly any birders about, and not many more birds – but I was charmed by this juvenile great crested grebe with its humbug stripes. … Continued
Bird on a wire
I’ll spare you the grimmer detail of my day, much of which was spent at my desk, hurling insults at the designers of WordPress. In my next life I shall build a proper web site, and the home page will … Continued
The lone tree in winter
I’ve been eyeing this tree for a couple of years now, every time I’ve driven the road between Pershore and Croome. But there’s no obvious place to stop, and a lot of cars use the road – often quite fast … Continued
That moment when…
That moment when the bird you’ve been cursing for the past hour because it keeps diving for minutes at a time, and whenever it surfaces seems to come up at the maximum possible distance from you, suddenly bobs up right … Continued
Pincer movement
This is not pin-sharp (it was taken at distance through a less-than-sparkling double-glazed window), but I’m posting it because I found it interesting. Green woodpeckers will excavate trees for nesting holes, and in the search for grubs and insects, but … Continued
Croome d’Abitot St Mary Magdalene
This is a monument that I think deserves to be better known. It depicts an introvert praying for deliverance on the fourth day of a family Christmas. Sorry – just joshing. We had a nice day, despite the fact that … Continued
Mottled Umber
Though still tottering about like Mrs Overall, I did manage a walk today, and snapped a few birds around the village. But in the end I’ve chosen this moth, one of two Mottled Umbers that was resting on the back … Continued
Black-throated diver
The arrival of this bird on a country park lake in Redditch is apparently the most exciting thing to happen in Worcestershire since the discovery of sauce. Around 200 pairs of these medium-sized divers breed on Scottish lochs, and about … Continued
Fruit course
R and I put up most of the Christmas decorations today – a job I don’t enjoy very much, especially now that the Offspring are grown and I can’t make a family performance out of it, but which I still … Continued