Tim writes: I know it’s not the prettiest of birds but this might be the start of a colonisation of Britain by Blyth’s Reed Warbler. It was once considered to be an extreme rarity in Britain, only really identifiable in the hand by measurement of its short wing. It was first recorded on Fair Isle…
Category: THE PHOTOGRAPHS: by Tim Melling, Oscar Dewhurst, Paul Leyland, Guy Shorrock, Brian Leecey
Tim Melling – That Lammergeier
Tim writes: I gave up chasing rare birds some years ago but when a juvenile Lammergeier (aka Bearded Vulture) appeared in the Peak District, I decided it was too good to ignore. It was just a 20 minute drive from my house, plus an hour’s walk to reach its favourite roosting crag. Apparently this is…
Paul Leyland – Ichneumon sarcitorius.
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Social Distancing Week 17. Ichneumon sarcitorius Paul writes: I am always finding ichneumon wasps in and around my garden. Often they are running through the undergrowth, all the time twitching their long antennae. Then they’ll stop on a leaf or a flower to have a search round. They take a nice photograph but unfortunately most…
Tim Melling – Nightjar
Tim writes: I came across a Nightjar, hiding in plain sight on a tree stump, and what an amazing camouflage he has. First of all his body is wedge-shaped with a dead flat back, but also his belly is flush to the ground, looking for all the world like a chunk of wood. He had…
Paul Leyland – Syritta pipiens
Social Distancing Week 16. Syritta pipiens. Paul writes: Syritta pipiens is one of the commonest garden hoverflies. It isn’t as obvious as lots of its bigger or more brightly coloured cousins but once you know what to look for spotting it is quite simple. They’re about 7mm long, very narrow bodied with a rounded head…
Tim Melling – Goshawk
Tim writes: I was out on the Peak District Moors in early March and had a great stroke of luck when this female Goshawk cruised over me. I identified her as a female by her large size, but also by the rather indistinct face pattern and yellow eye. Males are smaller with a noticeably dark…
Paul Leyland – Large Skipper
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Paul writes: I found my first Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) close to home on 23 June. They always appear along the field path which runs next to my house, this year a little later than normal. Even though I see them as close as two metres from the house boundary I have never seen one…
Tim Melling – Crossbill
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Tim writes: Crossbills are one of the first birds to start breeding, sometimes as early as January, but March is more usual. They typically lay four eggs and the female does all the incubation while the male brings her food. Incubation lasts 12-16 days and the young fly about 25 days after hatching. When the…
Paul Leyland – Ruby-tailed Wasp
Social Distancing Week 14. Ruby-tailed Wasp. Paul writes: sometimes being confined to the garden to watch insects isn’t a hardship. I’ve been joyfully following these beautiful wasps for the past week and they should be around until the end of July. Ruby-tailed Wasps are one of the most colourful insects you are likely to see….
Tim Melling – Woodlark
Tim writes: Woodlark is a rarer cousin of Skylark that inhabits heathlands and young forestry plantations mainly in the south. They like light, sandy, free-draining soils too, and lots of bare ground where they feed. So despite the name, they are not a woodland bird. Though unlike Skylark, Woodlark does perch in trees. A bit…