Tag: summer

  • Summer’s End

    Summer’s End

    For someone whose natural attire is thick jumpers and lace-up boots, the arrival of September is a breath of fresh air. I always grapple for inspiration during summer, but the one thing that keeps my camera from gathering dust is the emergence of butterflies. This season I saw my first Grayling during a trip to…

  • Look Down

    Look Down

    I spend most of my time outside peering up. My love of nature began with birds so I’m constantly checking tree canopies and rooftops for anyone perching or preening. However, each summer my attention is snagged by a different kind of winged wildlife: butterflies. I consider myself pretty competent when it comes to bird ID…

  • Summer Blends to Autumn

    Summer Blends to Autumn

    Today was the first day I’ve missed my woolly hat while out walking. I should have anticipated this from the sound of the moaning wind down the chimney, but I saw diluted sunshine and overestimated its efforts. We’ve hit that indecisive time between summer and autumn, when dressing for a walk becomes a series of…

  • Beavering Away

    Beavering Away

    This summer is zooming by! I’ve been spending the past few months travelling and writing my book, which is now due in three months. That’s quite a terrifying thought actually… My research trips have involved stomping through Caledonian pinewood, sampling local whiskies and searching for hidden stone circles. I’m absolutely loving this challenging yet rewarding…

  • Mindful Creative Retreat – Day 2

    Mindful Creative Retreat – Day 2

    Day one of the Mindful Creative Retreat was a huge success and I was looking forward to kicking off day two with my own writing workshop. We met outside Roseisle Forest in Burghead and spent the morning wandering along winding trails within the 1700 acre Scots pine woodland. It was a boiling hot day so…

  • A Cabin on Stilts

    A Cabin on Stilts

    I can’t believe we’re almost halfway through the year already! June has flown by… I spent the whole of last week on the west coast of Scotland for an MA assignment. I had to organise a self-led trip and two of my previous plans had already been cancelled, so it was a relief to finally…

  • Mammal Month

    Mammal Month

    What a month! It’s usually birds that take up most of my camera’s memory card, but over the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to get some fantastic mammal sightings, including the second rarest carnivore in Britain… Badger Recently I visited a friend’s private hide. I arrived at 2:30pm and enjoyed squirrels, siskins and…

  • Newsletter July to September

    Newsletter July to September

    As this strange year continues, I’ve been busy taking photos, writing articles and getting stuck into new projects. I’ve ticked off 36 new species this quarter including my first otter, basking shark and northern bottlenose whales. Now the temperature has started to drop and I’m really looking forward to autumn and all its exciting wildlife…

  • August WILDLIFE

    August WILDLIFE

    August is an intriguing time for wildlife. Although birds are relatively quiet at this time of year, insects are out in force. This month sees summer and autumn blending together and there is plenty to discover out in the countryside. So, here are some of my favourite British wildlife highlights during August. This month, yellowhammers…

  • Troup Head

    Troup Head

    I had seen gannets a few times before; on a trip to the Isles of Scilly they had flown over the boat, and more recently I’d enjoyed watching them dive for fish near where I live in Moray. However, nothing could have prepared me for Troup Head. This RSPB site in Banff, about an hour’s…