It’s the beginning of spring, and the first of Japan’s wintering species are beginning the long journey back to their breeding grounds in the Russian Far East. I am talking about the vulnerable Hooded Crane (Grus monacha), which together with smaller numbers of White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), are now passing over my part of Japan […]
The first half of February this year was unusually cold in northern Europe. Temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Celsius forced many bird species to move southwards. This year I noticed a large influx of both Bramblings and Siskins into our tiny alpine village. The Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus) has an unusual migration pattern as […]
The House Crow (Corvus splendens), as it name suggests is a member of the crow family and is approximately 42–44 cm long (body and tail) and weighs 250–350 grams. Their plumage is glossy black, except for the nape, sides of the head, upper back and breast, which are grey and not glossy. Their bills, legs […]
Why is Homo sapiens becoming an increasingly urban species? For the same simple reasons as raccoons (Procyonis lotor), it seems—more housing options and better restaurants (easy access to French fries and Dunkin Donuts, in particular). The more difficult question to answer is this: As we convert forests and pastures into prefabs and flower shops, are […]
The Firecrests (Regulus ignicapillus) is one of the most amazing little birds we have. Packed full of energy and living their lives at such an amazingly fast pace. Firecrests breed in most of temperate Europe and in the western side of North Africa. Growing up in Scotland, we never saw them so far north and […]
Bird photography is my passion and has been for many years now. There is nothing like finding a bird you’ve wanted and then capturing an image of it, the way you had dreamed. Creating beautiful bird pictures can be very rewarding. However, sometimes we want even more by pushing the envelope a bit and creating […]
Geladas are the sole survivors of a once abundant branch of primates that historically foraged across the grasslands of Africa, the Mediterranean and India. These relics of times gone by now cling to a precarious existence on the sheer cliffs of Ethiopia‘s mountains, from which each morning they materialize, to forage on nearby moorlands, before […]
As a young lad, my favourite shows were Johnny Quest, Hercules, and Tarzan. My dream quickly became a trip to Africa to see first hand what these amazing animals looked like face to face. At 49 years old, I packed in my business of contracting in 2008 and went full time as a wildlife photographer, […]