I don't usually take much notice of coots, I notice they're around and then usually look elsewhere. They are an unobtrusive black waterfowl with the craziest bulbous feet, they're not flippers like a duck but their lobed toes allow them to swim. Recently I noticed a coot that had spotted a dragonfly landing on a post close by and began to slowly edge forward. I'm sure the dragonfly had seen the coot and was confident it was in no danger. I'm fairly sure the coot realised it

Sometimes you see something and some distant memory flickers and you know instantly what it is. This happened in Barbados when I saw my first Frigate bird, even though I'd only ever seen them in books or on TV. One minute the bird is a dot on the horizon and then seemingly within seconds they are overhead skimming the waves looking for a meal. I did a little research as I had no idea what type of frigate bird they were or even if there was more than one species. There are app

When the thaw sets in and your snowman begins to slowly disappear spare a moment to think about what happens to all his wardrobe. The arm sticks may eventually become part of a nest, the coal eyes will get kicked around and eventually join the gardens edge and his scarf will end up down the cellar until next year. But his carrot nose just disappears! Where does it go I hear you cry and I'm here to tell you that by a miracle of nature it's reborn and begins a new life around o

A friend recently bought a new camera and was keen to get out and about and asked me a good place to go. I suggested we could go to Studley Royal as the Red Deer rut is about to happen and if it hadn't started he'd definitely get some great pictures with his new camera. Unfortunately for us the deer were very placid with very little rut activity. A couple of the younger stags occasionally tried to get friendly with a female but they weren't having any of it, and frankly their

A beautiful Autumnal day in Yorkshire today so a chance to venture out at lunchtime. Lots of the wild flowers are now heading to seed and the thistles have exploded shaking their downy seeds out upon the breeze. These are very attractive to the smaller birds and goldfinches love them. The fields near work are covered with them and today a small charm descended for a midday feed. There were goldfinches of all ages flitting from seed head to seed head. Some older ones going thr