At the weekend I went on a twitch, looking for a rare bird – except it is just a rarer bird rather than a really rare one. I realised that I didn’t see a spotted flycatcher last year, partly because I was looking at mountain bluebirds instead, and I hadn’t seen one yet this year […]
Plus Photo Extract: Top Google Plus Images of the day
Those of you on Google Plus (Google+) will probably have seen that people often tag photos with #PlusPhotoExtract. This is because that places the image in contention for a very intruiging “Photo of the Day” contest. Jarek Klimek from PhotoExtract Online Magazine has written an algorithm that “selects” a selection of images for the day […]
Ulva Island, New Zealand
Ulva Open Sanctuary In some of my previous posts and certainly in future posts Ulva Islandwhere I work as a guidewill be mentioned. It occurs to me that people may be a bit unsure of just what, where and why Ulva is so important as asanctuary. So I have reposted below part of an article […]
The Lone Dancer – Hopes washed away or the return of an Eagle Empire?
It is early spring in 2012 and I am watching an iconic lone male Golden Eagle performing spectacular sky diving displays in the valley of Riggingdale in the stunning remote location of Haweswater. The huge raptor can be seen patrolling his resident territory along with Red Deer grazing the hillsides and the first Meadow Pipits, […]
Yellowstone’s Harlequin Ducks
Typically Harlequin Ducks are found in coastal waters but in the spring they do migrate inland. Yellowstone National Park is thought of as being the southern most inland area where you can find them. Harlequins prefer fast moving water, which makes LeHardy Rapids an ideal spot to find them. But, timing is everything. This section […]
Fiery Stars
Love lost in summer evenings, too bright to ignore, a lawn transforms into a field of delicate, fiery stars. • Firefly | Lampyridae | Photinus pyralis
Weka, Gallirallus australis scotti
Weka (Woodhen) – Weka, note the beak. I have seen one dispatch a large rat with a single strike Spend anytime in New Zealand forest and you will surely come across a weka. Flightless, agressivly omniverous and forever hungry they are the “wide boys” on our forest floors. Insects and forest invertibrates are their “bread […]
Bald Eagle Close Up – 4 Year Old
A few years ago I had some wonderful photo ops with this 4-year-old Bald Eagle at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area, it often perched on an old wooden pole by the boat launch (before they stuck a bat house on the pole it was a favorite for raptors, I hope the bat house rots and […]