A few months ago, a 15-year-old lad called Toby messaged me asking if I would follow him back on Instagram. I jokingly replied saying I would but only if he came out into the field one day and learned from me in real life instead of through a screen. I didn’t expect him to actually […]

Some time ago at Bempton Cliffs, I had one of those moments that takes your breath away. Four different short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) were hunting across the fields as the sun went down. The light was perfect, the birds were active, and I couldn’t quite believe my luck. I got so excited that I invited […]

I’ve been following the same pair of great crested grebes (Podiceps cristatus) for six years now. It’s become something of a ritual, checking in on them each season, watching them court with their elaborate head-shaking displays, build their floating nests, and raise their young. This year, they’re raising their newest chicks, and after last season […]

For the last three mornings, I’ve been at RSPB Leighton Moss from 8am, moving slowly and quietly along the reedbeds, hoping for a glimpse of one of the UK’s most beautiful and elusive birds, the bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus). It’s the kind of bird that draws you in with promise and then tests your patience at […]

Nyctereutes procyonoides During my recent trip to Estonia, I had the chance to photograph one of the most curious and unusual species I’ve ever encountered, the raccoon dog. Despite their name, raccoon dogs aren’t related to raccoons at all. They’re members of the canid family, sharing ancestry with foxes and wolves. Originally from East Asia, […]

  Barn owls (Tyto alba) have a certain magic about them. With their pale, heart-shaped faces and ghostly flight, they drift silently over the fields in search of prey. This particular encounter was with a completely wild male, in a spot I visit many times a year. It’s a four-hour drive from home, but every […]

There’s something about the stillness of an open field in early spring that always pulls me in. On this recent trip to Yorkshire, I was hoping to photograph some of the usual suspects; lapwings, skylarks, maybe even a barn owl if I was lucky. But what I hadn’t expected was to witness a dramatic moment […]

Arguably Britain’s rarest breeding bird, the firecrest is a true gem—small, elusive, and flashing its fiery crown as it flits through dense foliage. For any wildlife photographer, capturing this bird is both a challenge and a thrill. Unlike some species that kindly sit still for a moment or two, the firecrest is constantly on the […]