Autumn
Autumn, I think it can safely be said, is properly doing its thing. Nature to the left of me, nature …
An autumn walk
Autumn. Blustery walks, thick socks, hot chocolate, heating on. Today, as if in acknowledgement of the official turn of the …
Of phalaropes and blue tits
It was smaller than I’d expected, but perhaps that’s because it was standing next to a sheep. Big things, sheep, …
The Art of Fun
They’ve gone. I got home late on Friday, greeted by uncanny warmth, a grumpy cat, and that slightly odd smell …
Creatures of the Night
I feared three things as a child: The monster that lived in the lavatory. I never saw this formless beast, …
Little things, full of meaning
Monday morning. Yoga. I am an intermittent yogist. I kid myself that I go twice a week, but even the …
Swifts and books
It’s been a busy week, especially if you’re a swift. Every week is a busy week for those screamers, of …
Lifelong forgetting
You live and learn. That’s the idea, anyway. But this idea is undermined by a simple thing called human idiocy. …
Your First Six Bird Books
When my childhood love of birds was rekindled a couple of years ago, the first thing I did was spend …
The forgotten hirundine
There were six of us in the hide. The other five were looking for a jack snipe, but that’s a …