It had been a foul night as Storm Deidre swept into the UK. For many it brought snow and very strong winds. For us in Norfolk it was a night of wind and rain. The morning however dawned calm and bright, with a beautiful blue sky. After the nights battering the forest was soggy. Droplets … More Winter Checks
The garden was resplendent, a vibrant palette of autumn colours. The oak tree was ablaze with reds, oranges and yellows. The leaves on the shrubs, bushes and trees varying from deep greens to bright reds. Many of the smaller trees had dropped their leaves, leaving twisted dark branches except for the silver birch whose striking … More Feathers wagging
Night on a working farm is not quite completely quiet or completely dark. The surrounding fields are cloaked in darkness and the sky above is filled with stars. Across this nightscape we hear the ‘seep’ of calling redwing, returning for the winter. Tall buildings loom out of the black, their angular lines and features illuminated … More The Owl of Athena
The afternoon sun was low in a blue sky with just a few wisps of white cloud. Sunbeams slanted through the trees and bushes, turning the tops of the reeds, heavy with seeds, golden yellow. It was the last weekend in September and with the final early start at our reed bed site the following … More Pretty in Pink
We had returned to the house from a bygone era where only a few weeks ago we had been delighted with a family of barn owls. On that day, once we had finished processing and ringing the owls, we had wandered over to check a number of other bird boxes erected in the surrounding trees. … More A kestrel surprise
Minsmere: 1,000 hectares of nature reserve managed by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds. A mosaic of habitats from woodland and open grassland which gently slopes to extensive areas of rustling reed beds and marsh, opening out into pools and shallow coastal lagoons with exposed areas of mud, to a shingle beach onto which … More Minsmere
The river moves slowly, its dark surface broken by the occasional ripples, swirls and eddies created by the unseen current. Trees, in full brilliantly green foliage, stand on its banks shading the water, their leaves trailing and branches creating a tangled trap for any debris floating by. On the near bank stinging nettles and grasses … More The Not So Ugly Ducklings
The house sits on a slight rise, surrounded on two sides by fields of long grass backed by tall Breckland pines. On its other side is a cool, dark woodland with trees that creak in the wind and which merge into the shrubs and flowering trees of a garden. Behind the house is an enclosed … More The Owl Family
Despite the blanket of grey white cloud overhead, soft green light filtered through the forest canopy. Among the dark crinkly leaves and branches of the forest floor the occasional green fronds of new bracken growth had begun to unfurl. It had only been a few weeks but we were back in Thetford Forest checking our … More Forest Rounds
It had been a glorious May Bank Holiday with bright blue, cloudless skies and soaring temperatures. An extended weekend of hours in the paddling pool, ice creams and for us yes a little bit of ringing, with the welcome return of many warblers to our reed bed site. Topping it all off was the return … More Adorable peewits
