The Early Bird – A Haiku
This month our rooster is paying no heed to its own circadian rhythms. Crowing before sunrise in June is not on. On top of which,…
Find out how to read water
Tag: birds
How to Navigate Using Snow Strips
As is my habit at this time of year, I like to get out early after any overnight snow. The tracking opportunities are spoiling and…
Sounds during a temperature inversion
Normally, air gets cooler with altitude and this is what we expect to experience. We see snow at the tops of mountains, but none in…
BBC Radio 4 Tweet of the Day
I was honoured to record Tweet of the Day for BBC Radio 4 recently. I chose the wood pigeon, more for its physical behaviour than…
Dawn Chorus Going Global
There will be an international collaborative radio dawn chorus programme going out on BBC Radio 4 from about 1am UK time tonight. It runs until…
Joshua Slocum and the Birds
My thanks to Pertti Pesonen for reminding me of these passages in Joshua Slocum’s classic, ‘Sailing Alone Around the World’: On the 12th, some hundred…
Interconnectedness
When developing an understanding of nature, one of the most exciting moments comes when the pieces start to join up. Take the scene in the…
BBC World Service Forum
There was a natural navigation discussion on the BBC’s World Service programme, Forum, on the weekend. In the programme, Bridget Kendall hosts Tim Birkhead (behaviour…
The Winds Around Thurrock Thameside Nature Park
I gave a talk last night at the Thurrock Thameside Nature Park, as a guest of the Essex Book Festival. There was a great audience,…