A trip to Skomer Island
July 20, 2021
A wonderful trip to see the Pembrokeshire Puffins. … More A trip to Skomer Island
Category: Birdwatching
The Nuthatches win the day
March 25, 2021
Two Davids drive off a Goliath. … More The Nuthatches win the day
A bit of excitement on the Riverside Walk
March 24, 2021
All is not always what it seems in the bird world. … More A bit of excitement on the Riverside Walk
Ravens, at last
June 9, 2020
Finally some decent shots of the newly resident Ravens! … More Ravens, at last
Out with the dogs at last
May 17, 2020
Finally strong enough to take the dogs on the lead! … More Out with the dogs at last
Back to the river
April 20, 2020
Finally, after almost three weeks, I made it to the river. … More Back to the river
The other side of the river
April 4, 2020
A riverside walk all to ourselves. … More The other side of the river
Grey Wagtail update
February 1, 2020
Wagtail rings identified by Twitter in hours! … More Grey Wagtail update
Pointless pre-assessment with an unexpected benefit
January 31, 2020
For some reason I had an appointment for an anaesthetic pre-assessment today, even though no operation has yet been scheduled, presumably because they hadn’t had the results of Monday’s MRI. But I went along anyway, hoping they did have the results, and the ‘simple’ bowel op had been scheduled, meaning the liver spot was no … More Pointless pre-assessment with an unexpected benefit
Light and shade
January 28, 2020
I love winter – what a difference a day can make. One day it’s brilliant sunshine, the next the world is engulfed in mist, as you can see from these photos of the Riverside Walk, taken only a few days apart. One day the trees are thrown into knife-edge contrast by the cold blue sunlit … More Light and shade
A new word at Ninesprings
December 17, 2019
A lovely autumn dog walk at Ninesprings Country Park in Yeovil that had a surprise in store. Ninesprings is my other go to dog walking venue in Yeovil, useful when it’s raining because of all the tree cover, and if you stay on the paths it’s not as muddy as the Riverside Walk. Of course, … More A new word at Ninesprings
Birds and boats and lakes
October 18, 2019
A long overdue return to the Lake District … More Birds and boats and lakes
A return to the river
October 4, 2019
Autumn returns, as does my writing. … More A return to the river
Hungry Starlings
May 12, 2019
It’s that baby Starlings time of year again. … More Hungry Starlings
Swifts at twilight
May 7, 2019
Migrating swifts greeted with an endless feast of gnats. … More Swifts at twilight
Early morning walk
April 24, 2019
An unexpectedly early morning expedition along my favourite riverside walk. … More Early morning walk
Peregrine shortlisted
April 17, 2019
I had a bit of exciting news the other day, that one of my Peregrine photos had been shortlisted for the British Wildlife Photography Awards. I put ten of them in in the end, although only at the very last minute, as the usual self-doubt and imposter syndrome were kicking in big time, but in … More Peregrine shortlisted
A Plethora of Warblers
April 13, 2019
The Yeovil Country Park Riverside Walk is full of Chiffchaffs at the moment, and more seem to be arriving every day if their all-pervading sound is anything to go by. Some of them have been there all winter (a sign of global warming I suppose, although I wouldn’t exactly call it tropical at the moment!), … More A Plethora of Warblers
A commotion in the woods
April 9, 2019
A Sparrowhawk hides his head in embarrassment at missing his prey. … More A commotion in the woods
Small birds far away
April 4, 2019
This is the reality of bird photography for most of us – small birds far away, too far away even for a decent walkabout telephoto. For every great shot you show off on Flickr or Twitter or wherever, there are always countless others of birds determined not to let you get anywhere near them. The … More Small birds far away
Peregrines – an hour of magic on a Dorset beach
February 25, 2019
My wife, daughter and I took the dogs to the beach the other day, and while that particular beach is always very special to us, I had no idea just how special this visit was going to be. The stones had all largely been washed down to the shore line, leaving a vast sandy arena … More Peregrines – an hour of magic on a Dorset beach
Desert Island Discs, of a sort
February 15, 2019
An interview with me on my life and my rather unconventional career. … More Desert Island Discs, of a sort
What’s in your head, zombie…?
January 24, 2019
This one may seem like it’s about photography, but it’s not, it’s about how my head works sometimes. Took the dogs to Ninesprings this morning, as I often do. For those who don’t know Yeovil in Somerset (England), it’s an old Victorian estate bought by the District Council a good while ago, and converted into … More What’s in your head, zombie…?
Nifty Fifty
January 23, 2019
This one is for birdwatchers and photographers only, really. I bought myself a Nikon 50mm 1.8D after Christmas. It has autofocus, but this only works on the later Nikons that have an autofocus motor in the body. If you have, say, a 3200, you need the 1.8G, which is way more expensive. I thought it … More Nifty Fifty
Water Rail, Ninesprings
January 23, 2019
Well, the Water Rail is still at Ninesprings, the jewel in South Somerset District Council’s Yeovil Country Park. He was certainly there last year, so the theory is that he’s overwintering here. He likes the shadows of the scrub at the bottom of the stream, just before it enters the lake. Park by the playground, … More Water Rail, Ninesprings
Accidental publicity
January 23, 2019
Networking, Somerset-style, with added bird-watching. … More Accidental publicity
Evening on the Heath — The Dorset Rambler
January 22, 2019
Just a few shots from a late afternoon walk around some local heathland a couple of days ago. It was a predominantly cloudy and chill day but with just a few brief breaks of brightness to liven up the scene. This heath is a little oasis in the middle of urbanity and were it not […] … More Evening on the Heath — The Dorset Rambler
In search of the Great Breach Wood
December 8, 2017
High up above Dundon Fort, one of Somerset’s many hill forts, are a collection of glorious woods that surround a small gorge, known as the ‘The Great Breach’. The little village of Compton Dundon sits on the road that winds through the edges of the Somerset Levels from Yeovil to Glastonbury and beyond; at the … More In search of the Great Breach Wood
In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 2
November 11, 2017
One of the shorter of the five Yeovil Country Park walks, but no less beautiful. … More In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 2
In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 1
August 29, 2017
The Riverside Walk. As I may have said before, Yeovil is not renowned as a place of beauty, but it does have some surprisingly beautiful places within it, if you know where to look. One of those is the Riverside Walk, part of Yeovil Country Park. If you want a larger version of this map, … More In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 1
Alastair Swinnerton 