What better way to wake up on a Sunday morning than to the sound of the first cuckoo? Pulling back the curtains, I looked out over the flattened streaks of bracken above the house, studded with naked willows and rowans. The ground seemed to be sweating, creating palls of mild, vaporous mist which wandered aimlessly Continue reading

Getting to know the Peak District is proving to be a very worthwhile exercise. A day spent walking in the hills above the Upper Derwent Valley yesterday with the National Trust tenant produced a jaw-dropping array of wild birds, and it was extremely exciting to get my first proper look at a ring ouzel. Having Continue reading

Just hours after my first partridge egg, I not only found two others in the other pens, but also saw my first wheatear of 2013. It was blowing a gale up on the hill, and I had gone up for the afternoon to plant the last of the downy birch trees into a stand of Continue reading

Planting trees with a friend yesterday in a caustic easterly wind full of snow and misery, I looked up to see a strange shape passing down the line of a cleugh two hundred yards away. Following a moment or two of squinting and tooth sucking, it was revealed that it was an osprey. A look Continue reading

Having a girlfriend who is an extremely keen ski enthusiast, I found myself on the road to Glenshee yesterday morning. I’ve been over the top of Glenshee several times before but never really had cause to stop and look around, so as my girlfriend and some of her friends went off to organise skiing equipment, Continue reading

Now that the snow is finally starting to drip, some ghoulish remains are beginning to surface. There has been no real snow for the past ten days, but only in the last forty eight hours has the sun really managed to get a bite in to the frozen hillsides. Walking across a corner of the Continue reading

Just worth mentioning that although I heard the first curlew of the year six days ago, they all seem to have gone away again. There’s no doubt that this is a good move, since a fairly constant easterly wind over the past week has brought endless sleet, snow and slush. Tomorrow is forecast for heavy Continue reading

Two weeks later than last year, I heard the first curlew of 2013 at first light yesterday morning while trudging through waist high rushes with a stack of 2′ snare stakes on my back. They are normally on the Chayne within a few days of March 1st, but if they have been holding back in Continue reading

Just worth re-emphasising the value of having your camera with you at all times. Heading up to the Chayne this evening, I spotted this roe buck standing on the burn-side above me, and managed to swing the camera lens onto him as he gazed insolently down at the car. I don’t know much about deer, Continue reading

For someone who was born and raised within sight of the Solway Firth, I am supremely ignorant on the subject of wading birds. Each year, hundreds of bird watchers come to the Solway to see the waders, and each year I manage to let the entire spectacle pass me by. I attempt to mask my Continue reading