Early to bed

Dashing home from work a few days ago, I just had time to grab my camera before heading straight back out towards the starling roost in Aberystwyth, the promise of a dazzling sunset impossible to resist! In hindsight I didn’t choose the best location this evening. From my usual spot on the wooden jetty, my…

The hunt

After several more enjoyable but underwhelming visits to the Aberystwyth starling roost, a few nights ago under crystal clear skies the starlings finally provided a glimpse little of the drama I have been waiting for all season. It was the unexpected arrival of a peregrine falcon that triggered this brief flurry of action. The starling…

Starling watch resumes

After a dismal day full of driving rain and wind it looked like any hopes of a decent starling watch this evening were dashed. Fortunately as dusk approached the weather turned and a few tempting patches of blue sky began to appear. Heading out at the last minute, I arrived at the pier just in…

Shaping up

Another evening, and yet another visit to the starling murmurations at Aberystwyth promenade. No two experiences are ever the same, and this is one of the reasons I am drawn back to watch the starlings time and time again. Conditions today were quite the contrast from just my previous visit with overcast skies and a…

Capturing the moment

Having been feeling rather under the weather for the past week or so, a tempting sunset and the promise of starlings felt like the perfect antidote to cheer me up. I opted to use my wide angle lens in anticipation of some impressive skies and Aberystwyth once again delivered one of it’s spectacular sunsets. The…

Fight or flight

It’s now mid May and for many birds the breeding season is now in full swing. Down in the harbour waters of ‘the Gap’ the mallard ducks have already begun to pair up, however as is common among many duck species, males outnumber females quite considerably. For those that are unsuccessful in winning a mate…

Under attack

Watching the Aberystwyth starlings during lockdown is quickly becoming a regular part of my daily routine and certainly the highlight of this rather bleak winter. I love both the predictability and unpredictably of their behaviour. Every evening without fail between October and March they congregate here in our little seaside town and gather in the…

A pier with a view!

A few evenings ago I wanted to capture the nightly starling spectacle here in Aberystwyth a little differently. Rather than observing from my usual seafront vantage point, on this occasion I hoped to capture a unique perspective right from the heart of the action. Thanks to the assistance of Hannah and the Royal Pier bar…

A parting gift

There is definitely a chilly autumnal feeling in the air lately. With shortening hours of daylight and dropping temperatures it will soon be time for the Aberystwyth house martins to leave us once again. This summer has passed in what feels like the blink of an eye and these birds’ familiar staccato calls will soon…

Monday motivation

There’s nothing like capturing an image you have wanted to achieve all year, to provide a bit of Monday Motivation! I’ve spent a lot of time watching the house sparrows this summer, and seen my fair share of courtship and mating behaviour, but capturing that crucial moment has always proved illusive. The birds are often…

Bathing birds

The recent weeks have been unusually kind to us in terms of weather, in fact ever since lockdown we have had pretty much consistent sunshine which has made the whole ordeal much more tolerable. I expect we would be feeling much more glum by now if we had been stuck indoors each day! On my…

Wildfowl Wednesday

Wednesday 8th April: Isolation Day 17 We are now mid way through our third week of social distancing and fortunately I am still finding ways to keep occupied and stay in touch with nature in between working from home. The government guidance means no more photo trips away from home so I am spending all…