Fixed with a piercing stare
I’m watching a Long-Tailed Bushtit’s nest from 20 metres away when I notice a Buzzard heading straight towards me. Those eyes are something else. I love a close encounter, don’t you?
I’m watching a Long-Tailed Bushtit’s nest from 20 metres away when I notice a Buzzard heading straight towards me. Those eyes are something else. I love a close encounter, don’t you?
I’m in Somerset in Swell Wood. There’s a Coal Tit checking out the nesting possibilities of a natural tree hole. It’s a …
Here’s an unusual photograph for you. It’s a Nuthatch the right way up.
My favourite Pied Flycatcher has been successful in defending his chosen nest box and attracting a female. Well done, my young chap. …
I’m staring up at woodpeckers in a tree when I’m aware a large bird has landed nearby. It’s too close for my …
Connecting yourself to the cycles of the seasons is a wonderful way of feeling more a part of the natural world and …
An evening walk in Somerset leads us to a woodland we’ve never visited before. It’s pungent with Bear’s Garlic and rippling with …
There’s a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in my local woods. They’re tiny and now is the best time of year to spot them. …
Okay, so it’s sticks and not weed, but I didn’t give the weed dance its name. Here’s my favourite pair of Great …
I’ve had a couple of trips to Chard Reservoir in Somerset recently and have been delighted to see Great Crested Grebes doing …
I love seeing Cowslips. They were once so common and people were so rural that almost everyone in the country would know …
Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer. He joined the expedition to find a western route to the Spice Islands in …
Why are they called tentacles when there are eight of them? Surely they ought to be called octacles? A fascinating exhibit from …
A trip to any natural history museum is always a thrill to me. I loved the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History …
The Doctrine of ‘Queer’ Signatures I’m not in the habit of reading Pink News, the website which is neither pink nor news. …
There’s an Ichthyosaur fossil displayed at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia. They evolved around 250 million years ago and some survived …
I was immediately drawn to this arrangement of fossil shells in the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia. Glorious, isn’t it? I …
Each of these seats is a carefully laid trap. It’s a system which has evolved to take €18 off each tourist who …
As a child I never understood why people said an octopus had tentacles. Surely they’re octacles? An octopus’s tentacles are multi-function. Just …
‘Trilobite con pista’, it says. No, it’s not an item on the Italian menu in the restaurant at lunch time, but the …
You may know Peter Tatchell best for his views on reducing the age of consent and on sexual relationships with children. He’s …
Six floors, eighty steps, 28 metres and €9. That’s the spiral staircase named after snails, ‘del Bovolo’, in Venice. The Palazzo was …
Gondoliers in Venice appear to earn a top salary of €100,000. For that I’d expect some adherence to uniform standards. We saw …
I’m astonished every time I see detail in fossils. Their age, the heat and the pressure they have been subjected to, and …
A visit to the natural history museum in Venice can be a bit of a shock for those unprepared for a full-on …
A tale of two bridges. One is the Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1600. It’s the bridge between …
It’s a foggy early morning in Venezia and the low cloud gives an eerie feel to the place as we wander around …
A trip to Venice isn’t complete without at least two hours visiting the Museo de la historia naturale. As well as dinosaur …
On a recent trip to Venezia (Venice) I was fascinated to see that gondolas lean. They all have one side much larger …
From the age of five I was taught how to torture, mutilate and kill. I was instructed how to inflict the maximum …