A short video of a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs, a North American wader, that turned up at the RSPB Saltholme Wetland Reserve in 2022. Most years a few of these juveniles get lost on their Autumn migration and are carried on strong Westerly winds across the Atlantic Ocean to the UK. Due to compression issues, this video is best watched on a mobile phone.

A short video of the Red Squirrels to be found on the Red Squirrel Trail. The video clips have been recorded in x4 slow motion.

A short video recorded at RSPB Leighton Moss at the Causeway Grit trays. It starts with the Reedlings gathering grit recorded at normal speed and then moves to recording the birds with x5 slow motion using my OM Systems OM1 mkII and 150-400mm lens and tripod set up.

On one of my trips up to the Lake Dustrict we stopped over at the Stork pub which sits alongside tidal mudflats at Conder Green on the River Conder a tributary feeding into the River Lune at Gleason Docks. The evening sun and state of the tides gave perfect conditions to light up a stunning male Teal resting on a raised mud mound. One of my favourite photographs.

A Little Egret picked out against a very dark background on a local nature reserve, Hosehill gravel pit; one of a complex of local gravel pits dug out to provide materual for the nearby M4 motorway construction. The second image is a backlit Nuthatch taken on a little feeding station I made on a French campsite a few years ago.

Not too far from my local patch is the Lavell’s Lake nature reserve with several hides. Fringed by reed beds it usually attracts over Wintering Bittern. One of the highlights last year was a very photogenic Kingfisher making the most of a newly installed fishing branch

Now becoming my favoured site for Red Squirrel photography. Take a bag of Hazelnuts and the squirrels will be all over you!. Do not feed Red Squirrels with Peanuts/Monkey nuts as these have a very high Potassium content which replaces the Calcium in their bones causing them Osteoporosis or Rickets

OK I’ve made it easy by putting the subject centre frame, but the main characteristics nicely displayed; prominent white eye supercilium, more spangled wing and back feathers, longer thinner bill with droop to the very tip, cleaner whiter undersides. The longer legs not so obvious here.

One of those rare occasions when a Snipe leaves the safety of the muddy margins and ventures into open water. Photographed from the Eric Morecombe hide, RSOB Leighton Moss saltwater lagoons water lagoons

Another species captured from the Eric Morecombe hide overlooking the salt marsh lagoons at RSPB Leighton Moss, another strikingly handsome bird.

I have a soft spot for Greenshank, visiting the UK on migration and not usually staying for long before continuing their journey to their Wintering grounds in Africa or breeding grounds in Scandinavia and northern Russia. The RSPB Leighton Moss saltwater lagoons are a reliable site to see them usually loading along the fringes of Redshank or Lapwing gatherings. Photographed from the Eric Morecombe hide.

Often heard but rarely seen sums up the Cettis Warbler perfectly. Their explosive song is now a familiar sound around gravel pit and wetland scrub but try and see what is singing and you will give up long before they emerge. Whilst waiting at the Causeway grit tray at RSPB Leighton Moss For the Bearded Tits to arrive, one such lucky encounter happened. A very brief view as it emerged from deciduous tree brashings giving me enough time to fire off 5 shots in the 5 seconds it

A photograph I have been trying to get for several years now by making Autumn visits to Leighton Moss is the iconic “two reed straddle”. Conditions today were perfect , bright, no wind and freshly filled grit trays. I arrived at 7.15am to get a good vantage point by the Causeway grit trays. 2 1/2 hours later the first Reedlings appeared with great views ensuing for at least an hour. Not great numbers but several pairs at a time. The shot finally “nailed”

Currently staying in a little cottage in Grasmere, Lake District and put out my usual travel feeder set up. In no time at all Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Chaffinch arrived. Particularly pleased to have House Sparrows visit as well as they are conspicuous by their absence in my garden at home. It’s always the same; you overlook common species when out and about. I’ve started to re catalogue my wildlife photographs and surprised at the gaps I have for relatively common birds. So

On the way to Austria for a skiing holiday I spent a couple hours driving up and down the track to the visitors centre. You are not allowed to get out of your car on the track, so the birds tend to be relatively comfortable when you stop your car and photograph them out of the window. Lapwing, Curlew and Black Tailed Godwit are likely to be encountered together with Redshank, Skylark and Marsh Harrier.

Post breeding the Bearded Reedling change their diet from insects to the seeds of Phragmites reeds. To cope with the need to grind the seeds they ingest small particles of grit as there stomachs are not designed through evolution to digest seeds. At Leighton Miss two areas of reeds are cut back and grit trays installed to attract the Reedling to a viewable position. Autumn is the time to spot these fairly elusive birds at these grit trays.

The r-wilding of a former open cast coal mine with extensive lagoons and reed beds has resulted in attracting some of the UKs rarest birds to breed. Black Necked Grebe, Bearded Reedling and Bittern are all now established breeding birds. There are no hides but extensive pathways give access to most areas of the reserve

The enclosed parkland of the royal hunting lodge, Chambord, has extensive woodland and grass fields ideal for wild Boar to shelter and then grub about. The verges of all the roads leading to Chambord are pot marked with the grubbing scars of over turned grass where the Boars have been feeding.

Close to Europe and a short hop across the English Channel, Elmley can host good numbers of Wintering Short Eared Owl depending on the severity of conditions in Europe. On a good day, and with some luck you can see all 4 species of UK owls there.

The Marmot warning whistle is a feature of walking in the Austrian Alps. Shrill, piercing and surprisingly loud, you know they are about but surprisingly difficult to pick out amongst the scattered rocks. Only when they are comfortable that there is no danger will they emerge and sun bathe. Preferring to live on the sunny South facing slopes.