It had taken 36 hours of travelling. A train from Thetford to Heathrow. A 15 hour flight to Santiago in Chile. Leaving the mizzle of a wet English winter (seems like an age ago but remember the beginning of the year and the relentless rain?) and arriving in the heat of South America. A long … More Southern Blue
Antarctica, that realm of untouched, unparalleled wilderness, beauty and unique wildlife. For so long the realm only of bold explorers who faced extreme conditions, being the first to touch and lay eyes on this stunning landscape. Names like Cook, Ross, Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton, Wild and Cherry-Garrad, to name only a very few and by no … More The Southern Ocean Explorers
For the first time since 2009 I crossed the Bay of Biscay more than once during 2025. With my children getting a little older, I made the decision to try and do some more surveys and guiding for the marine charity ORCA, the same one I worked for in 2009 as the Wildlife Officer on … More Bay of Biscay 2025
Across the river from the lodge the jungle sat on a narrow strip of land. Here there were more lodges hidden amongst the dense parts but also a village. Sandwiched between the river and the sandy beach, the village essentially had one narrow, main road. Not that there were any cars. Along both sides of … More The Place of the Turtles
The first light of the day filled the air, pushing back the shadows of night. The sky that was revealed was cloudy, a swirl of greys, pale blues and just a hint of pink over the horizon. A slight breeze stirred the leaves on the trees and rustled through the reeds, rippling the water on … More The Return
It was not just around the Lodge at Taricaya Ecological Reserve that we encountered wildlife. Each day whether we were walking to and from observation platforms, flower cutting, weeding, maintenance or even clearing trails, we were immersed in jungle wildlife. Of course we also went out on specific walks looking for wildlife. The first of … More Wild Barley Rewind: Jungle Trails
After arriving at Taricaya Ecological Reservein the Peruvian jungle back in 2006 we quickly settled into a routine. Each morning breakfast was at 7:30am. 8am and we would head off in teams to undertake one of the projects, planting and weeding flowers, maintenance, building or looking after the animals in the rehabilitation programme. Three days … More Wild Barley Rewind: Jungle Lodge
In October 2006 Lee and I headed to the Peruvian jungle as the first stop on a 9-month world trip. Here we spent two months working as volunteers at the Taricaya Ecological Reserve, a private nature reserve in the Peruvian Amazon, located along the Madre de Dios River. Arriving in Puerto Maldonado we climbed aboard … More Wild Barley Rewind: Welcome to the Jungle
Under a big bright blue Norfolk sky. A strong breeze blows across the marshes and lagoons. Grass and reed heads bend and flex, small waves ripple across the water. A flock of Brent Geese passes overhead, with a gargling call, moving from marsh to pool. Beautiful, elegant, smoky black geese with white crescents on their … More Birding with babes
It was the quiet between two storms that were battering the UK. Storm Ciara had passed and Storm Dennis was imminent. The wind was still strong, pushing and pulling trees, bending the tall grass almost horizontal and creating waves with small white crests on the pools at Cranwich. The sky overhead was a leaden grey, … More How did the toads cross the road?
Wild Barley 