PART of the satisfaction of writing this column is the reaction from readers, which range from identification problems to comments about wildlife.
IT was the caption to a photograph that set me thinking about the various names of mammals.
ANOTHER potpourri of wildlife incidents in the garden this week started with those remarkable "sail" feathers of the drake mandarin ducks.
SAND martins have always attracted me, partly because they are one of the first summer migrants to appear and partly because, many years ago, I used to…
JUST after the early snows of March left there were two days when everything seemed to happen as far as wildlife is concerned.
WITH the snow-capped hills covering much of the Highlands landscape, one’s thoughts turn to the hardy few that inhabit such areas.
VISITORS to my study are often intrigued at the variety of wildlife objects – some might call them curios – I have collected over the years.
TWO regular visitors have dominated discussions on garden birds in the past few weeks – although one has still to invade garden feeders.
THE small, beautiful dappled chequered skipper seems to have always played an important part in my relationship with wildlife.
MAMMALS found in the Highlands have been in the news – one being the rarest in the UK and the other, perhaps, being the most common.
SOME of my wildlife photography is so close to home, a wide variety of subjects have been captured in the garden or acre paddock.
THE Giant has fallen. It may seem a strange way to start an article on wildlife but that is what it looked like after the night storm earlier this month.
OF all the reports that land on my desk there are one or two that stand out. The Highland Bird Report for 2012 keeps me up to date with what is happening…
AUTUMN is the time of change not only for birds moving south for the winter, but those birds coming from their breeding grounds in the far north to winter…
THE unexpected, along with the mysterious, always add excitement to photographing wildlife.
BEWARE all dog owners because toads are on the move! That seems an odd comment to make but read on and all will be explained.
IT seemed to be the day of the house martins as everywhere I went they seemed to be around.
I HAVE been feeding badgers in the garden by using peanuts and an increasing number of readers have shared their own experiences over such ventures.
The very long and incongruous looking legs are matched by the very long neck and the beak is quite remarkable as it is very long and dagger shaped.
QUERIES from readers are always more than welcome, especially when they pose a question that needs a great deal of thought.
