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 Sparrowhawk hides his head in embarrassment at missing his prey. … More A commotion in the woods
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
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
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
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
Networking, Somerset-style, with added bird-watching. … More Accidental publicity
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
Alastair Swinnerton 