Nature and Wildlife
One of the joys of travelling for me is to explore the weird and wonderful nature and wildlife to be found around our beautiful planet. I’m especially fond of our feathered friends and have been lucky enough to watch and photograph birds in locations as varied as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, Amazonian Ecuador and various sewage works around the world. Yes, birds tend to like sewage works…
Nature & Wildlife Posts
Nature and Wildlife – About Me
Here in the UK, I’ve embraced a bit of twitching over the past decade (barring the Covid years, naturally). Armed with the excellent Birdguides app, I’m often ready to dash off at short notice to catch a glimpse of rare birds when they appear on these shores, accompanied by my trusty Canon R5 and my ridiculously large 600mm lens. My nature and wildlife photography has featured in half a dozen different magazines.
My Last Birding Trip
I spent the early part of 2026 visiting a new country for me, Japan. After a couple of weeks solo travelling, I joined a group led by the excellent Charley Hesse of Tropical Birding. Check out his podcasts, Naturally Adventurous.
This trip started in Okinawa and Amami in the south of Japan. We searched for some of the endemic species found on these islands, including the elusive Okinawa Rail and the ancient Amami Black Rabbit. A quick flight to Hokkaido in the north saw us breaking out the cold weather gear for -12 degree temperatures. It was well worth it. , We watched massive Steller’s Sea Eagles and the equally impressive Blakeston’s Fish Owl, along with hundreds of iconic red-crowned cranes and of course the snow monkeys at Nagano.
Finally, an overnight ferry for a quick stop at the Izu islands for more endemics followed by a spectacular return pelagic. For several hours, we were treated to a steady stream of albatrosses, petrels and even a pair of humpback whales!
