The Month of June

ByDawn

Time for a quick update, apologies for the blog silence of late. During June I took part in the Wildlife Trusts ’30 Days Wild’ project, connecting with nature every single day for a whole month. I documented my adventures right here on my website, click on this link to take a look at my: 30…

BIG 30

ByDawn

The end of May marks the end of my Big 30 project, a rather ambitious undertaking designed to help me get out and do as much photography as possible. 30 varied, unusual, or amazing wildlife photos in a year – 30 photos for my 30th year. The project had its ups and downs, but has…

Crimson and Blue

ByDawn

Just a quick update on my recent photography, trying to do as much as possible to reach my ‘Big 30‘ goal. This lovely flower with it’s pretty twirled petals is Crimson Clover, it is a native, but is commonly grown in a cover crop mix, or as green manure. This one caught my eye on…

Red Mason Bees

ByDawn

I’ve been trying to photograph the Red mason bees again, these wild bees have been using my solitary bee boxes over the last few weeks and they are fascinating to watch. I’ve had the odd bee using the bee boxes in the past, but this year they seem to be doing really well, and on…

In the evening

ByDawn

With the lovely long days at this time of year, I can spend a few hours out on the fen after work. The atmosphere in the evening is very different to sunrise, which is when I’m normally there. The reeds buzz and flicker with insects, damselflies and dragonflies, birds cruise through the warm sky and…

Here and there

ByDawn

Over on the Fen first thing this morning, the Sedge Warblers were quiet again, but the Reed Warblers were singing away. Their song is softer than the harsh, scratchy tune of the Sedge Warblers, more bouncing, more musical. They were busy collecting nesting material, hopping up the reeds to choose a few strands of fluffy…

Here be Dragons

ByDawn

Up at sunrise again this morning, I know it’s early at this time of year, but I urge you to do it at least once. Just be still and listen to the dawn chorus, a crescendo of song in the still, cool air. Each individual bird adding it’s voice, a melody from a Blackbird here,…

Spring on the Fen

ByDawn

Spring has sprung down on the fen, as the sun rises in the cold morning air, I’m greeted by the glorious summer song of the Sedge Warbler. A mix of musical trills and warbles, mechanical rasping, sweet whistles and low purrs, combined seemingly randomly like the best jazz singers. What wonderful medicine for the human…

Short eared owl

ByDawn

A wonderful first for me today. I’ve always wanted to see and photograph Short-eared owls, but I’ve never quite managed it, for some reason they have always eluded me. So today, on the advice of the wonderful and talented John Richardson (CLICK to have a look at his blog) I headed over to a beautiful…

Staying home

ByDawn

I’m very fortunate to live near some lovely countryside, with two small nature reserves just a few minutes walk away from home. This weekend I decided to explore these instead of heading to the Fen. The closest reserve is an area of heathy common, with short rabbit grazed turf, and prickly gorse bushes. There’s a…