predator – Jill Orme Photography

26 Jul 2026

Messy eater

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Warwickshire | 0

R and I decided to take our Sunday walk at Compton Verney today. There was no sign of the Great Crested Grebes, sadly, suggesting that their nesting attempt may have failed, but there were plenty of other things for us … Continued

10 May 2026

Predatory

by JDO | posted in: Damselflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Worcestershire | 0

There are now so many Banded Demoiselles at the old wharf at Cleeve Prior Mill that they’ve had to spread themselves out around the entire site. Some of the males are now fully mature and looking to breed, so they’ve … Continued

30 Mar 2026

Smug

by JDO | posted in: Birds, Oxfordshire | 0

A Great Northern Diver turned up at Farmoor Reservoir last Thursday, because of course it did: they always wait till they know I’m busy. I assumed that all the dinghy sailing, kite foiling and angling that goes on at Farmoor … Continued

19 Dec 2025

Nemesis

by JDO | posted in: Birds, Warwickshire | 0

This juvenile Cormorant has been hanging around Stratford for a couple of weeks now, but up until today it’s always managed to evade my lens. I’d even taken to calling it Nemesis. Today though, R spotted it diving in the … Continued

7 Oct 2025

Arachtober

by JDO | posted in: Arachnids, Invertebrates, My garden, Wasps, Worcestershire | 0

I know that many of you hate wasps, so I thought you’d be pleased to see the fate that befalls increasing numbers of them at this time of year. You’re more than welcome. I was heading out this morning on … Continued

3 Aug 2025

Dinner time

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Gloucestershire, Invertebrates, Odonata | 0

The first full day of the family holiday came in overcast, with a threat of rain, but R and I went off out anyway, to explore the marked nature trails around the estate. Lower Mill encompasses about ten of the … Continued

12 Jun 2025

Hunter

by JDO | posted in: Birds, Wales | 0

When I first checked the weather forecasts at 5.30 this morning, conditions on Skomer looked set to be apocalyptic, and I was sure they would cancel the day’s sailings. But over the next couple of hours all my weather apps … Continued

6 May 2025

Brutal

by JDO | posted in: Damselflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Worcestershire | 0

Talk about Nature, red in tooth and claw. Your entire life has been leading up to this. You spend two years as a nymph, living in a burrow on the river bed, using your gills to create a water current to … Continued

19 Mar 2025

Ouch

by JDO | posted in: Arachnids, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

I thought it might comfort those of you repulsed by spiders to know that from time to time they eat each other. I can’t tell you what the unfortunate victim was – of the almost 700 species of spider in … Continued

2 Mar 2025

Fierce

by JDO | posted in: Arachnids, Family life, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

“And though she be but little she is fierce.” William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1605) According to my Wild Guide to Britain’s Spiders, March is the beginning of the Zebra Spider season, so I was a bit surprised to … Continued

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