Early morning walk
April 24, 2019
An unexpectedly early morning expedition along my favourite riverside walk. … More Early morning walk
Category: Nature
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
Somerset People
February 9, 2019
A most glorious short film that makes you ask the big questions – why are we doing this? Why are we beating ourselves up every waking hour, merely to survive? There has to be a better way, surely, if only we had the courage to escape from the safety of drudgery. Edit: as it turned … More Somerset People
No politics, just dogs in the snow
February 4, 2019
Might not be writing too many long polemics for a few days – day job to go back to after a busy weekend off, boiler to get working, house to clean after the weekend influx of friends, relatives and dogs (all of which was fun of course, if exhausting!), aged parents to sort out, again, … More No politics, just dogs in the snow
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
In search of… Max Tovey
May 11, 2016
A walk through Norton Covert at Ham Hill hill fort, Somerset, following the route taken in ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’. … More In search of… Max Tovey
In search of Sampson’s Wood
May 5, 2016
Another slice of beauty to be found within the municipality of Yeovil. … More In search of Sampson’s Wood
In search of Dodham Brook
May 4, 2016
An unexpectedly pleasant walk through Yeovil along a river I didn’t know existed. … More In search of Dodham Brook
Alastair Swinnerton 