Tag: forest

  • The Wildlife Hotel

    The Wildlife Hotel

    On The Wing has been quiet recently, not for lack of inspiration but for lack of time. Over the past few months I’ve been busy with a few different projects. I’m close to finishing an annual report for SEZARC, outlining the highlights of their work in 2018. I’ve also moved part-time into the library where…

  • New Leaves

    New Leaves

    This year I am dedicating a lot of my time to something I have wanted to do for many years: write a novel. I often write fictional scenes and enjoy creating characters and I wanted to set myself the enormous challenge of extending those elements into a book. I’ve read that while many authors swear…

  • Golden Hour

    Golden Hour

    The light was still faint as I drove through fields of green. Cars tore past in a work-fuelled rush, while I cruised leisurely in the opposite direction. My focus was on the forest today – my only objective to walk through trees and listen to wild sounds. A flash of copper caught my eye and…

  • A Lensball Study

    A Lensball Study

    As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I’ve recently been experimenting with the lensball, which is a simple and effective tool to give photos a new perspective. I tried it out in the garden first with mixed results, but once I ventured further from home and found more intriguing subjects to capture, I began…

  • To Catch A Fly

    To Catch A Fly

    Fly agaric, or Amanita muscaria, is perhaps one of the most recognised mushrooms in the UK. It is often used as perching posts for pixies and gnomes in storybooks, and can regularly be seen bringing a spot of colour to the forest landscape. With its blood red cap and white spots, it’s almost unmistakable. Fly agaric…

  • Farewell to Scilly

    Farewell to Scilly

    For my last full day on Scilly I was back on St Agnes again, joining a group led by Will Wagstaff on a full day of exploring. Although the weather was still far from bad, today was the murkiest I’d had so far. The sun was well and truly concealed behind thick cloud, and without…

  • Life in the Forest

    Life in the Forest

    For my latest university project, I explored the concept of forests and what people have to say about them. By creating a survey, I gathered a range of intimate stories that reveal just how important the forest habitat is to us all, for many different reasons.   Peaceful. Majestic. Timeless. Forests are a vast and highly…

  • Northumberland: Day Three

    Northumberland: Day Three

    There was no frost today, but the sun was shining brightly and I knew the larches on the hills would be lit up like fiery beacons. We only had the morning, as we were leaving the bothy just after lunch, so first I headed out with Cain to pick up the camera traps. I was…

  • Northumberland: Day Two

    Northumberland: Day Two

      When I woke up the blinds were bright. I had a peek outside and was thrilled to see there was a frost clinging to the grass. I hurried into clothes and headed out into the garden. It had been a full year since my last frost and I was eager to capture some macro…

  • The Beginnings of Winter

    The Beginnings of Winter

    Before I’d even got to the hide there was a chirruping in the bushes and I turned to see a group of juvenile yellowhammers mobbing their parents, hopping between branches for attention. Three birds flew past overhead and I caught the triangular shape of starling wings as they soared over me. The lake was quiet…