Tag: Tim Melling

Tim writes: Ring Ouzels have a reputation for being unapproachable and skittish but in places like the Peak District they seem to get used to visitors.  In early spring I repeatedly saw a male singing from a favourite song perch rock, trying to attract a female.  While he was having some down time I ensconced…

Tim writes: Orcas are amazing animals that live in family groups where every animal is a blood relative, so no spouses allowed.  Each family group has distinctive vocalisations that they recognise, so they can socialise with groups they get on with, and avoid those they don’t.  Liaisons between groups are when they mate, but animals…

Tim writes: the Black Hairstreak is undoubtedly Britain’s rarest hairstreak, being restricted to a narrow band of ancient woodlands between Oxford and Peterborough.  They are also frustratingly difficult to predict their appearance as it varies between early and late June.  They also seem to get worn and tatty rather quickly so photographing them soon after…

Tim writes: I know they are “just” fish, but this was one of the most difficult things I have ever photographed.  They are Smooth-tailed Mobula Rays that are known for their habit of leaping clean out of the water.  But the problem is they give no warning so I had to react in a split…

Tim writes: Kittlitz’s Murrelet is one of the least-known auk species on the planet being only found off Alaska and Eastern Siberia and is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.  This means there is an extremely high risk this species will become extinct in the wild.  Numbers are declining at a startling rate throughout…

Tim Melling: Agami Heron is one of the most beautiful and sought after species in the Neotropics.  It is a rainforest species that feeds deeply shaded pools and streams so isn’t usually encountered in the wetlands where all the other herons and egrets occur.  We spotted this one sitting quietly over a small woodland pool…

Tim writes: these Bottlenosed Dolphins were playing in the wake alongside our boat and stayed with us for several minutes.  Their leaps out of the water become predictable giving chance to focus on the right part of the sea and click the shutter at just the right moment.  This was taken on the Pacific coast…

Mark writes: Ralph Underhill is on holiday and I can’t draw, so here is a stunning image of a butterfly you might see at this time of year in southern England, in some years, on sunny Bank Holiday weekends. Tim writes: Clouded Yellow butterflies (Colias croceus) are a migrant from southern Europe and North Africa,…

Tim writes: my sister moved to Snowdonia last year and invited me across to stay.  I was surprised and delighted to find she had both Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts as garden birds.  The Pied Flycatchers were particularly showy and there was lots of light too as the leaves had not yet opened to block the…

  Tim writes: catching a Humpback Whale lunge-feeding is a lot harder than it looks as you can’t usually predict when and where they will appear.  But I was on a boat in the Johnstone Strait off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island where the water was clearly teeming with fish.  Seabirds were in abundance…