SPOTTED FLYCATCHER – Muscicapa striata The spotted flycatcher is a medium-sized songbird of open woodland, parks and gardens. It has a relatively long tail, which it flicks while it sits patiently on a perch waiting for a chance to fly out and catch its insect-prey mid-air. During the breeding season, spotted flycatchers can be seen across the UK, but they leave here in August for their wintering grounds in tropical sub Sahara Africa. One of the latest summer migrants to return to the UK, spotted flycatchers don’t reappear on their breeding territories until may or even June, and may on ..read more

PIED WAGTAIL – Motacilla alba Screenshot The Pied Wagtail is a delightful small, long-tailed and rather sprightly black and white bird. Commonly associated with car parks and lay-bys where its more often viewed , frantically wagging its tail up and down and dashing about in search of food. It often calls during its bouncing flight and can be seen gathering at dusk to form large roosts in city centres. Most of the Pied Wagtails are resident birds , meaning they stay in the uk all year round however some birds will migrate south to the Mediterranean and Africa during the winter months. Thi ..read more

BLACKBIRD Turdus merula Words and pictures by Peter Hanscomb The Blackbird , Turdus merula is a member of the thrush family and can be found throughout Britain and mainland Europe. Easily recognisably , the male with it’s glossy black plumage , bright yellow eye and yellow-orange bill is a firm garden favourite and can also be found in it’s natural habitat , woodlands. The bird can be resident all year round or migratory , depending on food supply. The female and young have a dark brown plumage and builds their nests in woodlands and suburban gardens. The Blackbird has a wingspan of around 3 ..read more

The Dunnock Dunnocks , Prunella modularis are native to the UK and large areas of Europe with their range spreading as far as Lebanon, northern Iran, and the Caucasus. The ground feeding dunnock’s favoured habitats include woodlands, shrubs, gardens, and hedgerows. The dunnock looks from a distance similar to a house sparrow but the easiest way to tell them apart is the bill.  A dunnock’s bill is thin and pointy, while a sparrow’s is much broader and powerful looking. Sparrows also live in flocks, while dunnocks are rarely seen in more than pairs. Male and female dunnocks are almost ide ..read more

KENRO KENTR501C TRIPOD Kenro’s web site states the tripods are “manufactured to exacting standards of quality and design” which they back up with a six year guarantee. The tripod is manufactured from eight layers of high quality carbon fibre with aluminium alloy castings giving an impressive load capacity of 14 kg. The four section legs have twist action locks for quick set up and adjustment. One of the legs is removable and can be converted into a full size monopod with a maximum hight of 1740mm. The kit is supplied with a BC3 ball head and carry case. Main Features: Twist lock legs ..read more

Here’s something a little different , a black and white video of our resident Hedgehogs , now all awake. I don’t think I have posted any clips from the garden for quite a while …… Here’s the full Hedgehog story……. The Hedgehog The European hedgehog , Erinaceus europaeus is not only one of Britain’s favourite small mammals , it’s also one of the oldest , first evolving over fifteen million years ago. Once a common sight in our towns and villages the hedgehog in now under serious decline and threat from development and habitat loss and the use of modern pest control methods. This small spine ..read more

Monday 22nd April 2024 I can hear what you’re thinking, yes I spoke too soon and as Annie Lennox famously sang , here comes the rain again ! It has rained constantly all day and I’m soaked through. ( and it’s also been cold ! ) Today is also Earth Day 2024 click here for more details. European Robin So you might have noticed a few hopefully subtle changes to the blog’s appearance. A few new headers and logos. I just felt the appearance needed a small update. We also have the beginning of a gear section. Here you will find ( eventually) all the old reviews of camera equipment together wi ..read more

The Buzzard – Buteo buteo By Graham Stewart  The Buzzard is now the most common and widespread of all the birds of prey in the UK despite the high mortality rate of its young Diet: Being a slow flier the Buzzard does most of its hunting from a perch in a tree where it sits motionless, sometimes for hours waiting for something to pass below. Its main diet consists of small mammals, birds, carrion, earthworms and large insects. Nest: Generally in a tree, rocky crag or cliff side. Both birds play their part in building the nest which is made from twigs and branches. Nest size varys from ap ..read more

RS-80N3 REMOTE SWITCH Here’s another personal favourite and kit bag staple , the Canon RS-80N3 cabled remote switch. It comes with an 80cm fixed cable. The N3 connector is compatible with a number Canon bodies including my personal choice the mirrorless Canon R5 , The link at the bottom of this review has a list of all the cameras this remote fits. The remote switch allows shake free still and video shooting and replicates the shutter button on your camera allowing halfway or complete pressing of the shutter and also has a shutter release lock. It’s a simple shutter release device wit ..read more

EOS R5 CAMERA Confession time, I’m a massive fan of this camera , it’s the mainstay of my kit bag and I regularly have two of these bodies in my camera bag. Lightweight and really solidly constructed it offers the perfect balance of performance and reliability. Boasting an impressive 45.0 megapixels, 20 frames per second , 8 stops of image stabilisation and capable of capturing full frame 8k raw video what’s not to like ? Grey Squirrel The EOS R5 uses Canons advanced full frame 45MP CMOS sensor which enables the capture of stunning and detailed still photographs. Coupled with the all ..read more