Tim writes: most people will be familiar with Golden Pheasant as an aviary bird, or perhaps even as a naturalised escapee in Britain. But this is a wild, wary male in its natural habitat at Tangjiahe in China. This one had been caught out in the open and was dashing for the cover of a…
Category: THE PHOTOGRAPHS: by Tim Melling, Oscar Dewhurst, Paul Leyland, Guy Shorrock, Brian Leecey
Guy Shorrock – Chimpanzee
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Guy writes: a couple of weeks ago Mark posted an image of a Mountain Gorilla I had taken during a recent trip to Uganda. In the current lockdown, such things now seem particularly distant. On the same trip I was lucky enough to see chimpanzees on three occasions. Twice on organised trips with habituated troops,…
Paul Leyland – Missing-sector Orbweb Spider
Social Distancing Week 3. Missing-sector Orbweb Spider Paul writes: Sometimes a spider’s web is more interesting than the spider itself. You don’t have to look at this web for long before realising how the spider got its English name. The left hand side section of the web contains no spiral threads, hence the missing sector….
Tim Melling – Grey-hooded Fulvettas
Tim writes; Grey-hooded Fulvettas (Fulvetta cinereiceps) are endemic to China and occur in high altitude forests with a bamboo understorey. Its scientific name translates as little tawny bird with an ash-coloured head, which describes it quite nicely. I photographed this pair on a frosty twig at about 3000m asl at Labahe in Sichuan. In winter…
Paul Leyland – Dark-edged Bee-Fly
Social Distancing Week 2, Dark-edged Bee-fly This little creature cheered me up last weekend. The bee-fly is one of my favourite heralds of spring and 22 March is the earliest I have seen one. It was a bit like seeing my first swallow a week before it was expected. However, unlike the swallow, the bee-fly…
Tim Melling – Stripe-throated Yuhina
Tim writes: Stripe-throated Yuhina (Yuhina gularis) is a common bird of forested hills in the southern Himalayas across to China and Vietnam. They would be a plain, unmemorable bird apart from an enormous, erect crest and a distinctive stripey throat. Both its English and scientific names come from the Nepalese word for this bird (Yuhin),…
Guy Shorrock – Mountain Gorilla
The recent and escalating coronavirus crisis is making people within society acutely aware of their own mortality, along with that of family, friends and loved ones. Aside from some negative aspects reported in the media, the way most of society has responded to help and support each other in the face of this existential threat…
Paul Leyland – Buff-tailed Bumblebee
Social Distancing Week 1, Buff-tailed Bumblebee I had great plans this year to visit several parts of the UK looking for new insects, unfortunately the plans have come to a halt. I have decided instead to search locally, avoiding as much human contact as possible. Fortunately I live in a quiet area of North Yorkshire…
Tim Melling – Asian Barred Owlet
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Tim writes: unlike most owls, Asian Barred Owlet is a daytime-active species. It sits around on open perches like this, and drops down onto its prey, which is usually large insects, but also lizards, small mammals and birds. It also goes by the name of Cuckoo Owlet and its scientific name Taenioglaux cuculoides translates as…
Tim Melling – Sichuan Takin
Tim writes: this is a young Sichuan Takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) venturing out onto a road. I love its innocent expression and Mona Lisa smile plus its tiny imp-like horns that will soon develop into huge Musk Ox-like horns. This one is only a year old but males can reach 1.4m at the shoulder and…