Ramblings of a (very!) amateur artist

Brief tales from Antigua & Barbuda

I was asked whether it felt like a consolation prize. In truth, a part of me wasn’t looking forward to the holiday, but I pondered the question. It didn’t really feel like a consolation prize at all – I was just so bloody anxious about the flight! You see, about a week before I’m due to fly, I get into my head that it’s my last week. I feel like I have to say my goodbyes, tell a couple of people where the wills are, etc… As an anxious person, I’m not sure how you couldn’t be worried about flying. I mean, I’d be interested to know if this isn’t an anxiety for any anxious people!

Anyway, the question was posed to me. And it wasn’t asked clumsily by someone who innocently didn’t know any better. My therapist asked me and I was surprised that it didn’t feel like a consolation prize after the year we’d had. In fact, the holiday itself felt right. Perfect. And I knew we were very lucky and privileged to be able to go – a boxing day flight to Antigua and Barbuda for 12 nights. I just had to get the plane stuff out of the way…

As per most anxieties, once the thing you’re afraid of is done and dusted, you often wonder why you were scared in the first place. And I laughed at this fear during some of our adventures on these islands. You see, we had a brilliant time but there were some real challenges and, about halfway through, we made a pact to each other that the rest of the holiday would focus on relaxing… I didn’t anticipate we’d need to do that! But there were also some real highs and I reflected on my growth, happiness and resilience throughout the time we were away, embracing the opportunity to have a bonus ‘big holiday’ to finish 2023 and start 2024.

There are far too many things to say in a single post so I’ve summarised some of the key themes from our trip. My plan is to write a few more posts over the coming months once I get my watercolours, ink and pencils out too. I really do hope you enjoy these brief tales – there were a lot of laughs amongst the stories!

Wildlife, wildlife everywhere

Imagine you’re waking up and you can hear the ebb and flow of the waves coming and going. You get up, open the curtains and see a white beach with a turquoise sea. On the white beach is a great white egret and on the turquoise sea are two brown pelicans. Some binoculars reveal a semi-palmated sandpiper scuttling around and some terns (we still don’t know what kind!) are perched on a couple of exposed poles near the small ferry dock. You look up and a huge bird is circling on the airwaves – a magnificent frigatebird. This is what we woke up to on Antigua’s sister island of Barbuda towards the end of our trip. We were absolutely spoilt.

Antigua itself also heralded a lot of wildlife. The islands aren’t necessarily known for their fauna, but there was a lot around – particularly birds. I loved the complex squawks and calls of carib grackles, the bright yellow and grey of the male bananaquit, the awesome size of the frigatebirds and the distant silhouette of soaring ospreys. The deafening sounds of the Lesser Antillean whistling frogs as dusk approached were also incredibly impressive.

Carib grackle at Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua

There’s more to say about the wildlife – far too much for this post! – but another wonderful memory from both islands was around dusk too. We watched the sun setting a few times by the sea over the 12 days we were there. On a couple of occasions, a sting ray would suddenly jump out of the water and flap its ‘flaps’. It only seemed to happen in the evening as the sun was setting.

Y-hikes!

Wildlife also featured on our biggest adventure on the island – an intense hike up to a place called Signal Hill in the south. My partner termed it ‘traumatic’ afterwards and he was right. It was.

The wildlife was pretty cool. We saw a pair of Lesser Antillean bullfinches about halfway up and some small bats occasionally emerged from the undergrowth. Part of me felt a little uneasy about the bats and all the spiders webs we were walking through, but that quickly subsided.

All I can say is when the trail stopped, we should’ve stopped. We don’t know how often that trail is walked and we have no idea why it was recommended on All Trails or why no one at the bottom warned us… The first and final sections had thick, sharp grass taller than me – you couldn’t see whether you were placing your foot on a path or on a cliff edge. And those grasses really wanted to spread. We were literally covered head to toe in black, itchy seeds.

And then the forest in the middle. Oh my. So many pointy thorns. And trees with thorns sticking like pins out of their trunks. My trousers (and my partner’s legs – some of us wore shorts…) were pulled to pieces and my arms, hands and neck were covered in scratches. For a moment, I realised that this was probably the most dangerous hike we’d ever done. I wasn’t sure what was going to take one (or both) of us out first – a really, really deep scratch, a sting, a tumble in the forest, or a tumble through the grass and over the edge.

The view was pretty cool but it wasn’t worth the trauma!

When we did eventually get to the top, there was a moment of relief and then the realisation that we’d have to get back down again kicked in. We got so lost and had to turn around so many times at the top. Walking uphill through thick, sharp grass is tiring and it suddenly dawned on me that there was no guarantee we were getting down. No one was coming to help us. We’d have to find a way somehow…

Having a breather and wiping off the grass seeds!

‘You look shattered’

My partner played a blinder in the end. He somehow got us back down and he also managed to stop me tumbling through the entire forest (I thought sliding on my bum would be the easiest way to get down a 6-foot steep slope, but I didn’t think about the stopping part).

Covered in seeds and looking a bit dead behind the eyes!

When we got to the bottom, shell-shocked, scratched and covered in enough seeds to plant a whole new grassland, we headed back to the car – vowing to each other that the rest of the holiday would be about relaxing. We’d passed a small fruit stall outside a house earlier in the day along the road and decided to get a bit of pineapple on our way back. A lovely lady gave us the fruit and asked if we wanted some juice too. I had pineapple and starfruit juice and my partner had pineapple and ginger juice. She beckoned us towards a sofa and told us to sit down because we looked ‘shattered’ – she gave us exactly what we needed!

Feeling more human again (and less traumatised), we went up to the stall to pay and the lady told us her name was Elaine. And Elaine really epitomises the wonderful hospitality and kindness of local people on both Antigua and Barbuda. I’m not sure the crowds from the cruise ships or the super-rich with their super-yachts always appreciate the local vibe and culture, but we certainly did.

Lobster thermidor cooked by Isoline on Barbuda

And Elaine wasn’t alone – we were treated equally well by Vie who kindly drove us around Barbuda and we ate a couple of lovely meals prepared by Isoline on the island too.

Not your average tourists…

To summarise, I suppose this wasn’t your average holiday. Some of the sights on Antigua and Barbuda are absolutely spectacular, but it has a complex history and some very interesting interpretations of road rules and safety. It also has an intriguing interpretation of a ‘trail’… #stilltraumatised.

But I suppose you could also say that we weren’t your average tourists either. We did hit a few beaches and drank a few strong rum cocktails (shout out to Cloggy’s Bar in Falmouth), but we also walked for miles alongside the dodgy roads, accidentally trespassed on a farm while looking for birds and defied the 1-day tour boats and stayed on Barbuda for 3 days – the tour guide looked absolutely baffled when we said we were going to be staying until the Saturday so weren’t getting the afternoon ferry back to Antigua.

So I came back to the UK feeling ready to return – we’d enjoyed the sun, sea and sand and had some excellent stories. I wouldn’t be able to tell people that it was all relaxing, but I think that made it more real. And that’s exactly what I needed.

Our Little Nuthatch

Before I start, I feel I should give readers a trigger warning as this post comments on pregnancy loss, miscarriage and baby loss, which may be upsetting.

…

I haven’t posted for quite a while. There’s been quite a lot going on and there’s no easy way to talk about these sorts of topics so I’m just going to delve straight in.

I never thought it would happen to me. To us. In fact, the night before it was all over, I had thought about the stats. 1 in 4 end in miscarriage. “I’m always so lucky when it comes to health stuff”, I thought, “it won’t happen to me”.

How very wrong I was. Within 24 hours, my dreams had shattered, my partner and I were devastated and my whole world came crashing down. I began to question whether I’d ever truly been in pain or had grieved before because this was on a totally different scale. The pregnancy was over. It had stopped 4 weeks before the scan. My body had cruelly continued in denial past the 10 week milestone. But there would be no October baby. Or a baby in 2023 for that matter. And I would have to miscarry at home.

I’m not going to comment on the details of the physical and emotional distress here. My journal is for that and let’s just say that April and May 2023 were heavy on the entries. We found out on April Fools Day and boy did I feel like a fool. If you’ve experienced this too then you probably know what I mean. I look back at that past life at a naive woman. I don’t blame her for being naive. I mean, did any of us ever get taught about miscarriage and pregnancy loss at school? But still.

These photos were taken on 1st April, 2nd April and 3rd April. Although it’s a bit of a blur now, I sought a lot of comfort in nature in those early days.

One of the most difficult things for me to process in the weeks that followed was that I had felt this baby with me throughout February and March, but all the while it was gone. Its tiny heart had stopped or had never even started. And even though it was early days, it was loved from the beginning and had brought me such strength and comfort through both difficult and happy times.

It wasn’t a relaxing month, I’ll grant you. I caught Covid for the first time early in March after 3 years of avoiding it. And my great uncle sadly passed away too. At the funeral, I remember feeling such solace through the tears that it wouldn’t be long before I’d have some good news to share with the family. Sadly that wasn’t meant to be in the end, but the comfort I felt was real.

One of my happiest memories, though, was with my mum, dad and sister when I visited them towards the end of the month. It really had been a tiring time and pregnancy made me very hungry and sleepy. So trekking all the way up to Barlick after traveling to the North East the week before for the funeral wasn’t really something I was looking forward to. But this memory – and the others I made on the visit – really made it worth it and, although my little jellybean had sadly stopped growing by this point, the happiness it brought me was and is real. So that’s what I’m going to talk about. This memory that fell within the happiest time of my life.

The weather wasn’t the best, but my sister had convinced me that it was still worth us going to Wycoller for a walk and some lunch. We used to work in the old cafe at Wycoller when we were teenagers and their pie and peas and chocolate cake are just to die for!

So, despite the risk of rain, we got in the car and even managed to drag my dad out. It was the first time the 4 of us had been out for a proper walk since my sister and I had lived at home. The weather held for the most part and we walked down from the car park, through the hamlet and then up the track to the moor. We thought we saw a raven up there and we also spotted a treecreeper near the beck on the way back down. But the standout bird of Wycoller, in my opinion, is the nuthatch.

I think my partner and I realised this a couple of years ago when we visited Wycoller together. We saw nuthatches everywhere. And, with my mum, dad and sister in tow, I think we counted about 5 nuthatches singing or climbing up and down trees this time. We sat at a picnic table with them all around us as we ate our pies. I remember deciding then and there that this was how I was going to break the pregnancy news to my family after the 12 week scan – that I’d had such a lovely time at Wycoller but that there weren’t 4 of us there. There were 5. And I sat there with a little smile on my face, imagining their reactions when I shared my secret.

As I said, knowing the pregnancy had already ended by this moment is still painful to accept. Some days are still hard and coming out of the other end has been a journey I never expected to be on. There is no ‘bright side’ and I’ve been spared comments to the contrary from very kind and considerate family members, friends and colleagues who have supported me without trying to look for positives. But, in a way, this experience made me grow up. It made me learn things about myself and it made me a parent. And I will therefore always love my first for what it brought me. So I knew I wanted to paint a nuthatch to commemorate this time. The time when my partner and I became a family. Our little nuthatch.

If you’ve experienced a missed miscarriage or any form of pregnancy or baby loss, please know that I see you and you aren’t alone. There is help and support out there. These are some of the websites/resources/groups that I found helpful:

Tommys
Worst Girl Gang Ever (book, podcast, Insta and Facebook support group)

Ol’ Dead Eye

Who, do you ask, is ‘Ol’ dead eye’? Well let me tell you.

You see, ‘Ol’ dead eye’ is not a new piece of mine. On the contrary. It’s actually quite an old item. I’m not entirely sure how old, but I reckon 10-12 years old. That means I was probably still an adult when I drew it so in some ways there’s no excuse. For this is ‘Ol’ dead eye’:

Just look at that cold, black, dead eye. The piece takes pride of place on my great aunt’s wall and every single time I visit her, my eyes are drawn to it and I despair. Don’t tell her this, but I know I rushed this robin and you can really tell, regardless of the dead eye. I used pencil and I had no idea then about layers. Pencils take hours to build layers up and it ain’t about pressing down harder. No, you have to put the time into it.

That’s part of the explanation for the dead eye, but the other side of the story is that, since I drew this, I’ve learned to actually look. And when you actually look at a photo of a robin, or a robin in real life, you notice that light reflects off its eye. It isn’t a singular, perfectly round white spot. It’s more complicated than that.

So with my Auntie Joan’s 91st birthday fast approaching in April, I decided to create a replacement robin. And, having learnt my lesson with pencils, I chose watercolours – a much quicker medium.

I of course paid particular attention to the eye, but I didn’t actually start there. Instead, I focused on the base layer for the bright red breast and the beige head and wings first. I added some branches into the picture and paid attention to these too. Florals aren’t my strong point.

After leaving the eye white for quite a long time, I finally took the plunge and started adding some greys before finishing with an almost-black mixture of intense blue and burnt umber. This is always a bit stressful, but I was happy with the subtle reflection of light that brought the robin to life.

Not long after her birthday, I spoke to Auntie Joan to ask what she thought of the picture. She said she really liked it so I explained to her that it’s to replace the awful, dead robin that is on her wall. Her response? “Oh I’m not going to replace that one with this one but I’ll put this one on the wall too”. My partner did suspect that she had a soft spot for ‘Ol’ dead eye’. Turns out he was right!

Wildlife Log 2023

Monday 18th November, 7:51am

Meadow: The first thing I noticed in the meadow today was the sky. It was so purple. When my brain caught up with me, I then heard the reassuring sounds of blue tits, sparrows and blackbirds. Some crows flew over, followed by fieldfares chattering away. A starling near the river pretended to be a green woodpecker and there were so many goldfinches at the top near the houses that greeted me after I’d finished my loop. A song thrush made itself known too.

Wednesday 8th November, 12:52pm

Meadow: A muddy lunchtime walk and I saw another small flock of fieldfares (about 20 individuals). Also saw a couple of great tits, a blackbird, magpies and a kestrel.

Monday 30th October, 6:49am
Meadow: The fieldfares are back! There were a few small flocks in the meadow this morning, which brought a huge smile to my face. I also saw/heard: blackbirds, wrens, starlings, long-tailed tits, a green woodpecker, magpies, robins and blue tits. A small flock of pied wagtails were chilling near a muddy pool on the field and I saw what I think were two yellowhammers in winter plumage.

Monday 25th September, 5:30pm
Meadow: Quite a few robins in the meadow today and house martins flew over as well. Near the entrance, I heard the non-chiffchaff calls of about 3 chiffchaffs (I didn’t realise they made other noises!) and there were 2 blackcaps too (male and female). Further in, wood pigeons flew over and a wren made itself known on the riverbank. A couple of crows flew over too.

Saturday 23rd September, 12:50pm
River Stour Area: Lots of collared doves, wood pigeons, crows and blue tits around. I also saw a couple of buzzards in the distance as I approached the fields near the river and a red kite flew straight over me before being bombed by some crows. The highlight was a new bird for the local list – a spotted flycatcher which was flitting about in the trees across the field border. I watched it for a good 10 minutes!

Tidmington: As I approached the Tidmington area, 2 grey squirrels chased each other down a tree and between sheep in the field. I also heard a chiffchaff, blue tits and 2 buzzards. Closer to the road, there were red admirals, a comma butterfly and a speckled wood butterfly and in Tidmington itself there were lots of sparrows chilling near the houses. There were also plenty of rooks in the fields leading back towards town.

Cemetery: There was another red admiral and comma butterfly near the allotments by the cemetery. I also heard another chiffchaff, saw more house sparrows and blue tits. A blackbird made an appearance and another red kite flew in the distance.

Monday 18th September, 7:18am
Meadow: As soon as I entered the meadow, a small group of swallows flew over, chortling away. There was also a family of blue tits and a small flock of goldfinches at the top near the houses. As I walked further in, I saw a great spotted woodpecker hammering away at a tree – I got an absolutely amazing view of it! There were also the usual wood pigeons, starlings and wrens (singing). A chiffchaff was chiffing and chaffing too. The absolute highlight, though, was all of the swallows and house martins that had congregated around a tree by the river. I love when they group together, communicating with each other through their clicks and chirps.

Wednesday 13th September, 5:19pm
Fell Mill Lane and Barchester Fields: A bullfinch flew across the road right in front of me near the scrub by the river on Fell Mill lane! What a treat! A buzzard was perched in a tree across the field. There were also chaffinches, wood pigeons and jackdaws around the road. I also heard a great spotted woodpecker in the trees and heard a goldcrest (my first in ages!) near Barcheston.

Monday 11th September, 6:55am
Meadow: The birds have woken up again after their moult! I heard wrens, robins and blue tits. Wood pigeons flew over and I heard at least 2 chiffchaffs and a green woodpecker as well.

Fell Mill Lane area: Loads more birds on the road too. More blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits near Fell Mill farm. A rabbit, chiffchaff and a robin near the sewage works. I saw a wren really well near town and there was a flock of linnets over one of the fields. A small/large white flew over the road and I heard – then saw – two jays and a magpie near town.

Saturday 19th August, 5:32pm
Today, I walked the route that I took for the Breeding Birds Survey earlier in the Spring and Summer.

Meadow: The first and last part of this walk goes through the meadow. I heard 2 green woodpeckers here and saw 1 fly off. They seem to be very active at the moment! I also saw house sparrows, wood pigeons, magpies, starlings, a pheasant, a comma butterfly, a red admiral butterfly and I saw a buzzard at the top of a tree near the sewage works. It was calling to another buzzard.

Fell Mill Lane Area: There were lots of house martins flying around on this part of the walk. I also heard another green woodpecker and saw lots of wood pigeons, magpies and rooks. As I walked through one of the fields, that had been covered in a wheat crop when I was last there, I spotted something at the bottom edge. It started moving and I realised it was a brown hare. Closer to the road and the barns, I saw lots of goldfinches, blue tits and a chaffinch in the trees.

Friday 11th August, 7:00am
Honington and around: I think the birds must be waking up again after their summer moult. I heard many more this morning compared to the last few weeks, including: blue tits, jackdaws, a green woodpecker and a yellowhammer. I also saw lots of house martins, starlings and a lone swift flying around in Honington. I saw (rather than heard) blue tits in the meadow as well, along with wood pigeons. As I approached the meadow from Honington and Fell Mill Lane, I could hear a buzzard which I then saw perched in a tree. I wonder if it was a young one. As I left the meadow near town, a grey heron flew over too.

Friday 4th August, 7:08am
Meadow: Ooooh I’ve been neglecting this log! But I noted down a few sights from this morning’s walk, which included:

A long-tailed tit family near the river
A green woodpecker near the top – trying to get away from a magpie and crows
Wrens
Wood pigeons
Blue tits
Sparrows in the wheat
Collared doves
Goldfinches

Wednesday 12th July, 7:04am
Meadow & Fell Mill Lane: Red admirals were the highlight of the morning. There were so many of them out in the sunshine! I also got a good view of a linnet and a skylark at the top of the meadow. They were both singing their lovely songs. Other sightings included: a blue tit, goldfinches, yellowhammers, wood pigeons, a blackbird, chiffchaffs, a chaffinch and a wren. The wren was really belting out a song near the sewage works!

Wednesday 5th July, 8:26am
Meadow: There were lots of house martins in and around the meadow this morning. I could hear them before I saw them! I also spotted the usual wood pigeons and magpies as I walked. There was a blackbird singing near the top and a whitethroat singing in all the scrub near the entrance. Skylarks and a chiffchaff also sang in the distance and a willow warbler flitted around in the trees.

Friday 30th June, 7:05am
Meadow: It was nice to hear quite a few birds singing still this morning. They tend to get quiet in the peak of summer. A dunnock, chiffchaff, wrens, a song thrush, a sedge warbler and a pheasant were all on the list today. I also saw lots of swifts, a goldfinch, wood pigeons and magpies. A grey wagtail flew over and a grey heron glided in the distance.

Thursday 29th June, 6:34pm
Town: There are lots of swifts and house martins in town at the moment, alongside the sparrows and starlings. It was so nice to see them on this sunny evening. A sparrowhawk took me totally by surprise though – I startled it as I walked past a small cherry tree and it flew out and landed on a roof.

River Stour area: I headed out of town towards Burmington. It was a much-needed evening walk. On the way, I saw goldfinches, wood pigeons, rooks, more house martins and swifts, a magpie and lots of meadow brown butterflies. I also heard chaffinches, a song thrush and lots of wrens. A moorhen scuttled across the rocks near the bridge in Willington.

Tidmington and around: As I headed back towards town through the tiny hamlet of Tidmington, I heard the laughing cackle of a green woodpecker. A grey wagtail also showed itself on the Stour before I crossed the busy 50mph road. There were more wrens, starlings and house martins in Tidmington, but they were joined by lots of swallows, a grey squirrel and rabbits. As I followed the lane back towards the cemetery, I saw more wood pigeons, rooks, a great tit and magpies and heard lots of blackbirds singing, quite a few yellowhammers, a skylark and a greenfinch. Near the cemetery, I saw a kestrel perched on one of the poles – a favourite perch for kestrels – and a brown hare and leveret frolicked around beneath.

Friday 16th June, 6:49am
Honington and meadow: I haven’t done this walk for such a long time. It was the best time of the day to do it too – the air still felt cool and fresh. There were lots of wrens on this walk, trilling in the hedges. I also saw plenty of jackdaws, goldfinches, wood pigeons, collared doves, swifts, blue tits and blackbirds. In Honington itself, scores of house martins flew around frantically and there were yellowhammers and whitethroats along Fell Mill Lane – some of them were on the wires. I heard a green woodpecker (my first in a while!) near the meadow. I stopped for a moment on the bridge in the meadow and saw plenty of demoiselles, a long-tailed tit family and a grey wagtail. My Merlin ID app said there was a blackcap at the top of the meadow as well.

Tuesday 13th June 2023, 7:00am
Meadow: Heard a chiffchaff belting out its tune as soon as I entered the meadow this morning. The other usual suspects were around too: magpies, goldfinches, wrens, starlings, blackbirds, skylarks and dunnocks. Swifts screeched through the air and a sedge warbler was still singing near the river. I also heard a couple of whitethroats and yellowhammers.

Friday 9th June 2023, 3:56pm
Hanson Track and around: Practiced some grounding/mindfulness on this walk.

Saw – Wood pigeons, Blackbirds, Red admirals, Speckled woods, Orange tip, Red kite, Sparrows, Brown hare, Swallow, Goldfinches, Magpies, Carrion crows, House martins, Chiffchaffs

Heard – Wrens, Skylarks, Blue tits, Lesser whitethroat (according to Merlin ID), Great spotted woodpecker, Willow warblers

Thursday 1st June 2023, 5:44pm
Cemetery: An impromptu walk up to the cemetery in the sunshine this evening. 2 wood pigeons were in my spot so I took up residence elsewhere for 15 minutes. Amongst the calm, I saw magpies, blackbirds, house martins, swifts, crows and starlings. I also heard greenfinches and a goldcrest. Before I left, a kestrel made an appearance on a tree and then headed over to the old spire.

Tuesday 30th May 2023, 7:06am
Meadow: I’ve just returned from a 2-week break in Scotland (including a week on Shetland) so a visit to the meadow was long overdue. And it was much-needed before the return to work! I saw great tits, starlings, magpies and blackbirds and heard wrens, yellowhammers and skylarks. The huge highlight was hearing a sedge warbler in the reeds near the River Stour.

Wednesday 10th May 2023, 7:00am
Cemetery: Another walk up to the cemetery this morning. I loved seeing the bluebells in the wild areas of the space. No stand-out birds today, but it’s so nice knowing that greenfinches are always reliable here. They were joined by a goldcrest, dunnocks, chaffinches, a great tit, house sparrows, woodpigeons, blackbirds, wrens, a robin, a blue tit and a jackdaw. The rabbits were busy running around in the wild spaces too.

Thursday 4th May 2023, 6:57am
Cemetery: A little wander up to the cemetery for some peace before my first time in the office for a while. I made some notes on my phone as I sat on a bench and wrote down what I saw and heard. There was a greenfinch screeching right behind me as I wrote 😊 Oh and then I saw my first swifts of 2023 as i walked back through town!

Wednesday 3rd May 2023, 7:22am
Fell Mill Lane area: I recently signed up to contribute towards the breeding birds survey so I spent some time this morning walking through fields, noting down the birds I saw and heard in the area. What really struck me was the number of whitethroats around! I think I counted 5 of them! This was the full list:

Mallard
Pheasant
Wood pigeon
Green Woodpecker
Kestrel Magpie
Carrion Crow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Skylark
Long-tailed Tit
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Whitethroat
Wren
Starling
Blackbird
Robin
Dunnock
Grey Wagtail
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Yellowhammer

Tuesday 2nd May 2023, 6:55am and 6:25pm
I ended up doing the same walk twice yesterday. There were just a couple of additions in the evening that I wanted to make sure made it onto the list.

Shipston Town: The house martins are slowly making their way back to the Railway Crescent area. Quite a few were flying around in the morning sunshine. On my way to the meadow, I also heard house sparrows and a dunnock, and saw wood pigeons, collared doves, a crow and blackbird. On my way back from the meadow, a grey heron flew over the estate.

Meadow: The skylarks were the big highlight in the morning. One flew up and started singing right next to the footpath. Wrens were trilling near the river and there were blue tits, a blackbird, wood pigeons, chiffchaffs and house sparrows in the scrub at the top. A drake mallard was also chilling on the river. Other spots included a pheasant, goldfinches, a magpie, swallows, starlings, a song thrush, dunnocks and a robin. The highlights in the evening were a great spotted woodpecker that flew above us near the entrance to the meadow and a green woodpecker which perched on one of the wooden poles at the top. It stayed there for ages!

Wednesday 26th April 2023, 6:59am
River Stour Area: One of my earliest walks in a while! And there was a lot about in the fields near the river including: chiffchaffs, magpies, wood pigeons, wrens, crows, great tits, chaffinches, blue tits (there was a family of blue tits near the Barcheston Reach estate), goldfinches, blackbirds, robins, dunnocks, jackdaws, a pheasant, a song thrush and rabbits. The first bird I heard when I entered the first field was a greenfinch, followed by two more and then a great spotted woodpecker. A couple of swallows flew over near Willington and there were two buzzards in the sky too. In the scrub between Barcheston and Willington, a willow warbler called out and then I heard and saw a more elusive bird. A first for me. It’s song got me first – I had absolutely no idea what it was! Attention caught, I paused and looked through the scrub and I saw a small bird with what I thought was a black head. It was too small for a black cap so I started wondering about a marsh tit or a coal tit, but its face looked to me quite ‘swallow-like’. I knew it wasn’t a swallow so I was stumped. Then I realised it didn’t have a black head – it had a white throat which made its head look darker. A whitethroat perhaps? But it’s song wasn’t right and it just didn’t look like that so I played a lesser whitethroat song on my phone and realised that’s what I’d heard. As soon as I realised what it was, it had gone. How amazing!

Cemetery: I headed to the cemetery to have a moment of peace. But when I arrived it was anything but peaceful! A song thrush was going absolutely crazy, chasing a magpie. It was calling and calling and calling so I assumed the magpie had taken an egg. A horrible thing, but such is life. As I got closer, though, I realised what the magpie had was moving! So I ran towards it and it released what I’m assuming was a young song thrush… I hope it made it! After that excitement, I saw and heard most of the usual suspects – robins, blackbirds, chaffinches, blue tits, wood pigeons, goldfinches and a goldcrest.

Tuesday 25th April 2023, 10:51am
I’m just going to focus on one bit of this walk. I’m taking part in the Breeding Bird Survey and had to scope out the habitat on ‘my patch’. Afterwards, I walked back towards town via a route that passes the sewage works and I just had to record what I saw!

Sewage works: Swallows flew low and house martins flew high. A willow warbler and lots of chiffchaffs called from the scrub near the works. Goldfinches also sang from these trees. Down a path between the works and some scrub, there were wrens, dunnocks, blackbirds, wood pigeons and blue tits. Then, out of nowhere, a male reed bunting flew up and landed at the top of a small tree. It stayed a while, showing off its beautiful black head, and then flew off into the reeds.

Monday 17th April 2023, 11:25am
A slightly different (muddy!) walk today out of Shipston up the Hanson Track and then to Ditchford Farm. I’m going to refer to the location of these sightings as ‘Ditchford Walk’.

Ditchford Walk: I heard and saw loads of chiffchaffs once again, along with wrens, starlings, dunnocks, blue tits, robins, blackbirds, chaffinches and goldfinches. I also heard skylarks pretty much the whole way on the walk – they absolutely love the fields around here. A great tit was making a really loud noise up the Hanson Track which I hadn’t heard before and its partner emerged out of a small hole in a tree. And there was a distant yellowhammer just off the track.

There were also quite a few corvids around too: jackdaws, magpies and crows. A couple of jays flew into the hedgerows near the farm too and I reckon there might’ve been a raven flying around too. It was huge! Two roe deer ran out of the field edge when I was at Ditchford Farm and two others emerged as I walked along the track. A pair of buzzards were also perched in the trees together.

Otherwise, I heard a pheasant squawk and saw wood pigeons on the whole route. Closer to town, there were house sparrows and long-tailed tits on the road up to the cemetery and a greenfinch and collared dove at the cemetery itself. Finally, a goldcrest was calling on the London Road.

Tuesday 11th April 2023, 8:54am
A nice therapeutic walk today and the chiffchaffs were definitely the stars – I counted 14 of them in total!

Shipston Town: There’s a chiffchaff near where we live on Railway Crescent. I thought it was just a mimicking starling but it isn’t – it’s a chiffchaff. So that was the first bird added to the list. There were also plenty of wood pigeons, house sparrows, starlings and jackdaws around. As I headed towards the track into the fields, there were small groups of goldfinches clustering in the trees and I heard the sweet tune of dunnocks, the trill of a wren and the sudden cacophony of a disgruntled blackbird. I also heard a screeching greenfinch on the London Road.

Hanson Track: This track leads out towards Tidmington and the cemetery. It’s notorious for its mud, but I was mentally prepared to get a bit damp today! Near the houses, at the start of the track, I saw collared doves, more wood pigeons and starlings, a magpie and blue tits. Further up, as I was sliding back down the slope in the mud, I saw a pair of chiffchaffs frolicking about. I also heard a distant song thrush and more wrens and dunnocks in the undergrowth. Chaffinches, goldfinches long-tailed tits and great tits love the trees on this track and they didn’t disappoint! Further in, towards the road that leads back to town, I saw 2 buzzards and a red kite circling over the fields and there were lots of skylarks overhead. A grey squirrel was perched in one of the blackthorns and a small tortoiseshell perched on the tree’s blossom for a while. Other spots on the route included a coal tit, jackdaws, blackbirds, and a greenfinch in the cemetery.

Tuesday 4th April 2023, 2:05pm
Cemetery: I went up to the outskirts of town, down London Road, to the cemetery. Though it may sound morbid, it’s a beautiful place to rest and be at peace and, on such a sunny day, there were quite a few things about too. The first thing I spotted was a greenfinch at the top of one of the old lime trees – I heard it’s screech and then saw it near some magpies amongst the branches.

I sat on a bench and heard all sorts in the hedgerows behind me: blackbirds, house sparrows, a robin, a wren and dunnocks. There were more greenfinches and some wood pigeons in the trees in the centre of the cemetery and I heard a chiffchaff in the distance. Jackdaws cawed overheard and 2 red kites circled over the road. They were then joined by another bird of prey circling high up – I think it was a kestrel. Brimstone butterflies were out and about and there was another butterfly too. Think it was a small tortoiseshell.

Wednesday 29th March 2023, 7:33am
It’s been a bit of a long week since I did this walk – I need to get better at writing these ‘live’! So it’s more of a list than anything else!

Meadow: Lots of birds as usual – starlings, robins, wood pigeons, song thrushes, wrens, great tits, chiffchaffs, dunnocks, blackbirds, carrion crows, skylarks (heard), pheasant (heard), mallard ducks, yellowhammer (heard). 2 wagtails also flew over but I’m not sure which kind and I heard a woodpecker drumming too. The biggest surprise was a small flock of fieldfares – I already thought they were long gone!

Monday 27th March 2023, 7:01am
I am absolutely loving the morning walks at the moment. I can’t believe how many different birds are singing at the moment. I know spring comes around every year, but still! I’m in awe!

Shipston Town: A slightly different walk today and, on my way towards the river, I saw house sparrows, wood pigeons, a rook, collared doves, starlings, jackdaws and a robin. I also heard a song thrush.

River Stour area: The first thing I heard as I crossed the river towards Barcheston was a goldcrest. The second was a chiffchaff. Both such fabulous birds! Some similar sightings here with more rooks, wood pigeons, jackdaws and a song thrush. I also heard a wren, green woodpecker, pheasant and some chaffinches. There was some drumming in the foliage too, but I don’t know if that was a green woodpecker or a great spotted. Blackbirds, robins, great tits (lots of them!) and magpies also had a whale of a time in the hedges and trees.

Barcheston Fields: Finally, heading back towards town, I spotted some more house sparrows, wood pigeons and robins near the houses of Barcheston. There was also a flock of goldfinches in the trees near the church. Great tits and blackbirds enjoyed these hedgerows as well and a jackdaw flew over as I walked on the road. There were some familiar calls too: another pheasant, wren, chiffchaff and a yellowhammer.

Wednesday 22nd March, 7:04am
Meadow: Lots and lots out and about this morning and so much sound! I saw robins, house sparrows, starlings, blue tits, wood pigeons, crows, skylarks, mallard ducks, great tits and a green woodpecker. And I heard a chiffchaff, dunnocks, a song thrush, a wren, blackbirds and a woodpecker drumming near the river. It was beautiful!

Friday 17th March, 4:10pm
It’s the end of another busy week, which involved quite a lot of travel so that I could attend my great uncle’s funeral. So I made the most of the sunshine and headed out for a walk.

Meadow: The huge highlight from the meadow was the pair of grey wagtails bobbing around on the edge of the River Stour. There were also lots of the usual suspects about, including: goldfinches, blackbirds, a song thrush, crows, robins, blue tits, wood pigeons and starlings. I also heard a pheasant and a wren.

Fell Mill Lane area: Heading towards Fell Mill Lane, I spotted a pair of great spotted woodpeckers moving between the trees. I followed the road back towards town and heard another song thrush and a green woodpecker near the exit from the meadow. I also saw some more wood pigeons, crows, robins, goldfinches, blue tits and wrens. Skylarks were calling from one of the nearby fields and I saw and heard quite a few dunnocks. I also heard my first chiffchaffs of the year – one on the road towards the sewage works and one in the trees near the junction with the main road into town. A buzzard was also being chased away from a nearby tree.

Friday 10th March, 4:45pm
I was finally released from the house after a bout of Covid and was living my best life wandering around the meadow in the sunshine! I was amazed at how much there was again.

Shipston Town: On my way to/from the meadow, I saw starlings, wood pigeons, house sparrows, crows, a robin, a collared dove and goldfinches.

Meadow: Starlings, blackbirds, a collared dove and blue tits were at the top of the meadow along the track near the houses. As I continued walking, a song thrush was loudly belting out its tune and there were lots of goldfinches, wood pigeons and redwings in the trees. A small flock of yellowhammers flew across the scrub too. Further into the field, there were great tits, chaffinches and long-tailed tits and what I think was a heron near the water. It was a little further away that I could see clearly and looked very white and tall. On balance of probability, I’d say a heron rather than a great white egret. The river was really high because of the recent rain so there were mallard ducks on the water and some grey wagtails seemed to be enjoying themselves too. Other than a couple of buzzards watching me from across the river, there were magpies, wrens, rooks and robins.

Friday 3rd March, 2:32pm
Meadow: It’s getting a lot busier in the meadow at the moment. A long list: blue tits, starlings, house sparrows, crows, goldfinches, a song thrush, wood pigeons, blackbirds, a wren, robins, redwings, great tits, a buzzard, a heron, dunnocks, fieldfares, yellow hammers, collared dove, magpie, and a pied wagtail. A red kite also flew across the field and I heard at least one green woodpecker.

Monday 27th February, 7:01am
Shipston Town: The usual suspects in town this morning. Sparrows, wood pigeons, plenty of starlings near the Catholic church, a wren up Tilemans Lane, collared doves, crows, magpies, goldfinches near The Driftway, blackbirds, robins, rooks, feral pigeons, blue tits and dunnocks. The house sparrows worry me. They’re clustered in/around some key bushes/trees in the town. I reckon it’s less than 10 sites in total. Sites that rely totally on the goodwill of the owners of the bushes/trees – if they wanted to, they could just uproot any of them. Makes you think.

Saturday 25th February, 9:15am
Shipston Town: A morning walk with Stefan and there were sparrows, starlings, wood pigeons, crows, goldfinches, magpies and blackbirds in town. I also caught sight of a mistle thrush near the river, alongside the blue tits in the hedges, and robins sang their hearts out. As did a greenfinch, although in a different way – greenfinches have a proper screech on them! – and a goldcrest called too.

River Stour area: More magpies, goldfinches, crows, robins, wood pigeons and starlings here too. Great tits love the trees and hedges around the river so I heard many ‘tea-chers tea-chers’ as we walked. Redwings and fieldfares flocked in the fields as well and a cormorant, of all things, flew over us. Wonder where s/he was going…

Thursday 23rd February, 5:06pm
Meadow: A quieter walk around the meadow this evening, but there were robins singing, starlings squawking and dunnocks whistling. Bluetits, wood pigeons, crows, magpies and blackbirds were also still active, particularly at the top of the field. The usual song thrush was also belting out a tune from near the entrance. Further into the meadow, there were fieldfares in the trees near the river and a wagtail (probably a grey wagtail) flew overhead. Some redwings also settled down in the trees along the top edge before the sun set and a pheasant was skulking around in the undergrowth, making its usual clucking noise.

Sunset over the patch of scrub in the meadow

Monday 20th February, 7:21am
Honington: It was a busy morning with a flock of goldfinches, a blackbird, wood pigeons, great tits, blue tits, a magpie, song thrush, robin, green woodpecker (heard) and rooks all on the Stratford Road towards Honington. Around the river and in the village itself, there were more robins, rooks, wood pigeons, magpies, blue tits, great tits, song thrushes and goldfinches and I heard another (or the same?) green woodpecker. There were also jackdaws, dunnocks and a buzzard and plenty of redwings on Fell Mill Lane heading out of the village.

Fell Mill Lane area: Some similar species here too including more: blackbirds, wood pigeons, dunnocks, green woodpeckers, blue tits, song thrushes and redwings. The dunnocks and song thrushes are particularly vocal at the moment! Fieldfares also lined the trees on the road and a group of house sparrows chattered in a hedge. A couple of crows flew over and there were also two moorhens near the river.

Meadow: I turned off Fell Mill Lane and walked through the meadow towards home. I could hear skylarks across the river alongside wrens and dunnocks in the scrub nearby. Woodpigeons, crows, blue tits, starlings, a song thrush and a robin also featured.

Sunday 19th February, 3:40pm
Meadow: It was Stefan’s turn to have a solo walk and record some wildlife so here’s what he saw. House sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and wood pigeons at the top of the meadow near the Bristol gate. Past the pumping station there were: great tits, long-tailed tits, fieldfares and jackdaws. There was also a red kite soaring above the open field and fieldfares were near the river. Lots of chaffinches across the river towards the road.

Fell Mill Road area: There were chaffinches and yellowhammers near the barn as you exit the meadow. Robin near the sewage works and plenty of blackbirds, wood pigeons and jackdaws around too. There was also a buzzard.

Friday 17th February, 7:03am
Shipston Town: Quite a lively morning in the town today! Crows, blackbirds, song thrushes, feral pigeons, starlings and sparrows were the main critters in the centre. Heading south towards the cemetery, there were also some goldfinches, magpies, robins, jackdaws and dunnocks and a goldcrest was calling from one of the tall trees.

River Stour area: Some familiar faces here too including blackbirds, robins, crows, wood pigeons, jackdaws and magpies. There were plenty of song thrushes here too – they’re singing everywhere at the moment! And dunnocks, wrens, blue tits, goldfinches and great tits sang their usual songs from the hedgerows too, particularly between Willington and Barcheston. I also heard at least 2 green woodpeckers, but didn’t manage to see them, and a mistle thrush flew over (while uttering its rattling call) while a pheasant scurried away. A grey squirrel chilled on a fence near Barcheston too. Goldcrests were the clear winner today though – I heard another in a field near the main road and it came out to say hello!

Thursday 16th February, 7:35am
Meadow – So many birds in the meadow this morning! Highlight was a couple of song thrushes singing at either end of the field (1 near the houses and 1 near the river). Other birds seen/heard included: dunnocks, great tits, collared dove, wood pigeons, sparrows, blackbirds, crows, starlings, robins, blue tits, buzzard, wrens (singing in the scrub near the river), goldfinches and magpies. 2 mallard ducks also flew over and there was a heron perched right in the middle of the crop field.

Monday 13th February, 3:30PM
Shipston Town: There were starlings, collared doves, wood pigeons and sparrows in the Railway Crescent/Station Road area this afternoon. A red kite circled over the Darlingscote Road area – a crow tried to bomb it at one point. Goldfinches sang in the trees and some more woodpigeons, starlings, collared doves and sparrows were here too, alongside a robin. A whole load of jackdaws cawed in the town centre and feral pigeons, collared doves and starlings flew around too.

Daffodils have started to bloom in the town

Wednesday 8th February, 7:33AM
River Stour area: I was greeted by the sounds of goldfinches and a song thrush as I approached the River Stour to the east of town. A woodpigeon also flew out near the small copse on the east side of the river. In the fields towards Barcheston, I saw a robin, some feral pigeons, another song thrush, carrion crows, jackdaws, a pheasant and a blackbird. I also heard some blue tits and great tits in the hedgerows and some goldfinches near the house in the hamlet.

Barcheston Fields: Heading back towards town, I saw house sparrows, woodpigeons, magpies, blackbirds and robins. A redwing chilled in an oak tree right next to me and some chaffinches and long-tailed tits flitted about in a small stretch of woodland near the 40mph road. My binoculars also revealed a goldcrest amongst the foliage and there was a buzzard sitting proudly in a tree across the main road. As I walked down towards the bridge, I spotted a roe deer on the edge of a field near Fell Mill Lane and a kestrel flew overhead.

Friday 3rd February, 3:40PM
The Meadow: There was a small family of blue tits on the track into the field (near the houses). Other spots included a couple of woodpigeons and a carrion crow and there was some sort of murmuration in the distance towards Borough Hill, possibly of jackdaws or rooks.

View towards Fell Mill Lane from east fields

Fell Mill area: I saw starlings in the trees and two magpies in the field west of Fell Mill Lane, across the River Stour from the meadow. Two moorhens also jumped out as I crossed the river. A thrush was singing on Fell Mill Lane and a juvenile goldfinch sat in a tree next to the Fell Mill Farm barns. I disturbed a flock of fieldfares, redwings and blackbirds in one of the fields east of the road. Other spots included: green woodpecker (heard), a couple of magpies and long-tailed tits, sparrows and blackbirds in the hedgerows. In the scrub near the road to Tysoe, there was a carrion crow, woodpigeon, blue tits, great tits and a moorhen on the beck.

Thursday 2nd February, 4:42PM
Shipston Town: We seem to have some mini starling murmurations going on at the moment in the evenings around the Railway Crescent/Station Road area of town. I wasn’t able to get a great video, but I wanted to make sure I noted it down!

Barcheston fields: There was a small flock of crows/rooks in the field and blackbirds were foraging on the ground underneath the hedgerows. I was just able to see them before it got too dark. Robins sang in the oak trees lining the road into Barcheston and there were a couple of wrens too. A muntjac safely crossed the single track road before the 40mph road junction into the field. Finally, as I walked along the main road back into town, a couple of buzzards soared just above the field next to the river – they circled near to the cow shelter.

Monday 30th January, 7:39AM
I read something that inspired me this morning. I often worry about the wild places around me in Shipston – we have virtually no protected areas around this part of South Warwickshire and I have a constant fear of wild places being developed with no scrutiny. The inspiration I read? Keep a wildlife log. I was away in Kent last week and was hooked on the wildlife updates from Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory. It won’t be quite the same, but why not do something similar! And it won’t be every day, but I’m going to update this blog throughout 2023 with my local wildlife sightings.

Today, I started with the ‘Meadow’ on my local patch (see a description in the ‘Places’ section below). There were sparrows and robins in the silver birches and hawthorns on the entrance into the field. Two goldfinches and a robin sang in the scrub lining the top edge and there was a small mixed flock of starlings and fieldfares in the crop field. Two buzzards rested in trees across the river near the tennis court. Other sightings included a couple of carrion crows in the trees near the sewage works, some blue tits in the scrub near the pumping station, a woodpigeon in a tree and I heard a couple of redwings nearby too.

Places

The ‘Meadow’

This is what I call a small crop field on the outskirts of Shipston towards Stratford. It’s very popular with dog walkers and a short loop around it only takes me about 25-30 minutes. It starts with a concrete path between houses, lined with silver birches, blackthorn and fences. This opens out onto a muddy track, with a small pumping station and patch of scrub to the right (the scrub is always busy with birds in spring/summer!)

On the left, there are a range of trees including field maples (I’ll update which other species there are when their leaves appear in Spring!) The track leads onto the crop field which slopes down to the River Stour. The path circles around the field (which often floods) and it goes past a small abandoned building across from the sewage works, which is on the bank opposite the field. I’ve seen all sorts in this field and I can’t wait to share what I spot this year!

Barcheston Fields

These fields are located to the east of Shipston. They’re sandwiched between the Banbury road, the road to Burmington and Barcheston. You can’t walk into many of the fields. Instead, you can follow the roads or join the footpaths in the fields close to the river. One of the single-track roads is lined with oak trees. These fields are usually good for barn owls and kestrels and fieldfares, yellowhammers, redwings and chaffinches absolutely love the oak trees.

Shipston Town

I live in north Shipston. Around the Railway Crescent/Station Road area. Not long ago, the fringe of the green belt covered this part of town and Shipston’s old railway station stood around the corner from my house. Now redbrick houses and streets predominate. Though it’s sad to know that the open fields and greenery are long gone, I’m reassured by the starlings, sparrows, collared doves and wood pigeons that I see every day, along with the house martins that flock to their nests here.

Fell Mill area

I’m calling the fields with public footpaths around Fell Mill Lane to the east of town the ‘Fell Mill area’. This place stretches north towards Honington and south back towards the urban area. It’s a mixture of crop fields, enclosed by hedgerows, and single track roads. There are also clusters of trees dotted here and there and a sewage works near the River Stour (which usually has a surprising number of birds in the scrub!)

Honington

Honington

A small village situated just to the North of Shipston. The river runs to the west of this small settlement and Fell Mill Road runs south from the West, connecting it to the main town.

River Stour area

This is the name I have given to the immediate area around the River Stour to the south east of Shipston. The public footpaths near the river head towards the village of Burmington and go through a range of agricultural fields, separated by hedgerows. The route follows the west edge of Barcheston and I regularly walk to the Small hamlet of Tidmington this way.

Dec the Halls

I’m very late writing this. Very, very late. Inexcusably late. So late that I wondered whether I should even go ahead. But then the year wouldn’t be complete and I wouldn’t be able to deal with that – it isn’t neat!

So here’s the final round-up from 2022. A round-up of the final month. A month that feels like a lifetime ago already!

Foxy

Although most of the memories of December are no longer fresh. Withered in the sands of time. There is a particular encounter that I remember vividly. A fox encounter!

A cold walk from Long Compton (photo credit: Stefan Lang)

It was my partner’s birthday (Christmas Eve – a bad date for my December bank account!) and we went for a frosty walk around a village called Long Compton. It isn’t far from Shipston and, like most of the villages around here, you can walk straight out into the fields pretty much from the main road.

As we headed up one of the surrounding hills, my partner spotted something in a field. The field was slightly up the slope and was covered in shadow from the low sunlight. There was something moving around between the withered crops and the binoculars revealed a beautiful red fox in its fluffy winter coat. It stuck around until it caught sight (or scent!) of us and then swiftly bounded away, its tail bouncing along behind it. It was a wonderful encounter!

*Britain’s Mammals: A field guide to the mammals of Britain and Ireland* (2017) – the fox was too far away for a photo but it looked exactly like the fox in its winter coat on the left!

Wildlife Spots

One new, final spot for the year – a goldeneye duck at Draycote Water near Rugby. Otherwise, December has become a traditional month to do an ‘audit’ of the wildlife encounters for the year. Looking at our list, my partner and I saw 133 bird species between us. About 20 more than last year.

Goldeneye in *Collins Life-Size Birds* (2016)

Some of these spots were extremely lucky (like the glossy ibises I saw at Brandon Marsh with a friend) and others were more routine. Like all of the starlings, blackbirds and wood pigeons that I’m lucky to see pretty much every day.

Community action

I’ve been known to take some old salad tongs out on walks in case I come across any litter (I really am a mad old lady before my time!) but I joined a more communal litter picking activity at the start of December.

This fieldfare drawing will feature in the town’s local newsletter in February 2023

I recently found out that there is a community litter pick once a month and I’m trying to make a real effort – where I can – to take part in this. It’s opened up some lovely additional opportunities, such as supporting the development of a local nature reserve and writing about some of my favourite species in the local town newsletter.

Wycoller

I think I’ve written about Wycoller before, but I have to talk about it again. Wycoller is a tiny hamlet on the Lancashire-Yorkshire border. It’s a secluded spot with some old ruins, amazing cottages and a lovely beck running through the centre. It used to sport a cafe (now takeaway) where I worked as a waitress when I was a teen.

It’s fair to say that I never really appreciate the setting – and all of the wildlife! – when I worked there fifteen years ago. But on a pre-Christmas visit to my parents’, I didn’t make that mistake again.

On a walk from a local park to Wycoller, my partner and I saw absolutely all sorts: a dipper, mandarin duck, a goosander, nuthatches, grey herons and a sparrow hawk. And, nearby, on our way out of the hamlet towards the moors, we even saw a tawny owl!

Wonderland

And I’ll end with a book that I think will be my companion throughout 2023. It was from the work secret santa and it’s just perfect. The book is called Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife Day by Day by Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss. The authors have noted down something wild for every day of the year – and I can’t wait to read every single one of them!

I hope you had a good December – here’s my full wild list. Happy New Year!

Week 48 cont.

Thurs 1st Dec: I was stunned today by the bright red hawthorn berries on the gate by the meadow. Such beautiful colours.
Fri 2nd Dec: Had an afternoon walk to Barcheston through the fields while it was still light.
Sat 3rd Dec: Took part in a local litter pick in Shipston. I recently found out about the monthly litter pick and hope to do it more often.
Sun 4th Dec: Had a walk around Woodstock and saw a PARROT of all things!

Week 49

Mon 5th Dec: Saw so many buzzards on the way to the office – perching on street lights, fence posts and trees.
Tues 6th Dec: Some beautiful flowers were blooming in the car park at work today: Alpine roses and wood cranesbill.
Weds 7th Dec: Beautiful crisp morning walk to Honington – the ice cracked and the light was pink. Lots of fieldfares on the ground and 2 great spotted woodpeckers in the trees.
Thurs 8th Dec: Saw some bats as the sun went down on a walk along the coast to Valletta in Malta. Enjoying some December sunshine!
Fri 9th Dec: Admired the ivy and other greenery at St Paul’s Catacombs on the outskirts of Mdina.
Sat 10th Dec: Walked through an olive orchard in southern Malta. There were lots of birds but they were all hidden.
Sun 11th Dec: Saw a black redstart (black bird with a red tail when it flies) in Sliema, Malta.

Week 50

Mon 12th Dec: Saw a really big grasshopper on Gozo and drove past a nature reserve on the bus. There aren’t a lot of nature-friendly spaces on Malta, but it was good to see the reserve.
Tues 13th Dec: Read the rest of BBC Wildlife Magazine on the flight home – the flying squirrels on Hokkaido in the main feature were absolutely adorable and there was an interesting story about orcas attacking great white sharks.
Weds 14th Dec: Crisp walk through snow and ice into town. It snowed and froze over while we were on holiday! The trees looked beautiful.
Thurs 15th Dec: Amazing photos in my magazine of Indian paradise flycatcher chicks in their nest.
Fri 16th Dec: Spied on the blackbirds at my mum and dad’s house. The leucistic blackbird called ‘Snowflake’ made an appearance!
Sat 17th Dec: Walked to Wycoller from Ball Grove park – saw so many different birds! And also saw a tawny owl nearby.
Sun 18th Dec: My friend sent me some more comedy wildlife photos. I loved the owls and the penguins!

Week 51

Mon 19th Dec: Grey, wild walk through the local meadow and around. It was good to get some steps in before work.
Tues 20th Dec: Continued a painting for Stefan for his birthday – it’s of a really magical bird. The hen harrier.
Weds 21st Dec: I was over the moon to receive an amazing book from my ‘secret santa’ at work. It’s called Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife Day by Day (Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss). It was a perfect present!
Thurs 22nd Dec: Recently subscribed to a charity called Plantlife and I started having a read through their e-bulletin and magazine.
Fri 23rd Dec: Very excited to say that I booked a holiday to Shetland today. We’ll be going in May and I think this is the most excited I’ve ever been about a trip!
Sat 24th Dec: Had a beautiful encounter with a fox on a walk for Stefan’s birthday. We were at a nearby village called Long Compton and had headed into the fields.
Sun 25th Dec: Lovely Christmas morning walk up the Hanson Track. It was grey and gloomy, but it was a wonderful way to start the day.

Week 52

Mon 26th Dec: 10 mile boxing day walk to Stretton and back. Saw quite a few buzzards on the way and a kestrel. It was lovely and sunny.
Tues 27th Dec: Visited Draycote Water near Rugby on the way to Leicestershire. There were lots of birds on the water but the big spot was a goldeneye!
Weds 28th Dec: Very wet and muddy walk near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. It was SO slippy and the waterproofs were ESSENTIAL. I loved it!
Thurs 29th Dec: Beautiful, sunny walk through Melton Mowbray Country Park.
Fri 30th Dec: Walk to Burmington and around. Started thinking about where I could have a good night walk in the future (I got a book about night walking for Christmas!)
Sat 31st Dec: Stefan and I did our bird round up and ‘audit’. Reckon we saw 133 species this year!

November.

No random titles this month. Just a simple ‘November’.

Because, this month, I tried to make things simple again. I took a short break to try and reset. I have felt some tricky feelings brewing throughout 2022 and I knew I was starting to find things overwhelming and difficult. I’m sure I’m not the only one and I often feel guilty for feelings like this, given how lucky I am to have the life I have.

But thoughts and feelings don’t work like that so I had to accept my situation and take steps to get better. There’s still a way to go, but I’m getting there and some of the steps I took in November, as usual, involved wild spaces, wild encounters and wildlife. Hope you enjoy the read.

Making things simple

To follow the above, briefly, it was on Monday 7th November that I stopped. I accepted that I needed some help and took the necessary steps. I know it’s always hard before it gets better, but I’ve been here enough times.

And the first step to feeling better was a walk on the 7th. I have found it difficult to sacrifice my walks over the past few months. Work and other commitments have taken priority. So on this particular afternoon, I listened to my gut and followed my instinct, which resulted in a walk.

It looked like it was going to chuck it down, but I wanted to walk. So I walked. And it wasn’t a usual, rushed walk. I just listened to what I fancied at that moment in time and let my feet lead me – the field walk to Ditchford Farm beckoned. As I walked, the newly-returned fieldfares greeted me (along with the rain!), as did a great-spotted woodpecker. It was perched beautifully at the top of a bare tree.

As I reached the road towards Tidmington, I had another choice – go the short way on the road or the long way through the fields. My heart said fields. So it was a long walk. Definitely a form of escape – I would’ve walked and walked and walked if I could’ve – but a necessary one. And the sun came out towards the end too.

Wildlife Spots

No new wildlife spots this month, but the highlight has been the redwings. There’s been a lot of fieldfares too, but I didn’t realise last winter that we get so many redwings locally.

Fieldfares are a bit easier to spot from a distance – they have a grey patch on their backs and they make a yapping sound. Redwings, on the other hand, have a strip across their eyes and, as you’d expect, have red patches under their wings. In the low light of winter, these patches can be difficult to see so the main giveaway is the eye stripe. But that’s only if you can get close enough or get a good enough view through binoculars. This year, I’ve been on a few local walks where I’ve been lucky enough to see this properly.

It turns out redwings are much more common than fieldfares though – 8.3 million redwings winter in the UK each year. Fieldfares, on the other hand, are in the 100,000s. I’m not sure whether any of my neighbours realise how lucky we are to get these visitors. They absolutely love our hedgerows and trees!

Autumn vibes

November was bizarrely mild until the very end of the month. There were some concerning reports that trees have started to bud again, thinking it’s Spring. That said, I’ve enjoyed seeing the Autumn colours coming through. The cherry tree in the garden, for example, seemed to sparkle with warmth on a really bleak, grey day. I opened the blinds and the bright gold hue of the leaves reflected straight back. It was beautiful.

Arts and crafts

Quite a while ago, a work friend bought me a hedgehog felting kit. It was one of those things that I hadn’t ‘gotten around to’, but I decided that November would change that. It clearly says on the packaging that you should be careful when using the felting needle – “watch your fingers”, I believe it says. So what did I do? Bang, bang, bang, OUCH! Yes, I drew blood. No, the hedgehog didn’t suffer for it (somehow!)

In addition to a new craft, I was busy working on a few different art pieces. I still can’t share some of these yet as they’re gifts for various people. But I really enjoyed putting these Christmas postcards together. The first was inspired by four birds that I tend to see nearby over winter: robins, long-tailed tits, fieldfares and redwings. The second is what it says on the tin: trees and snowmen (with a little catspiration!)

Gasp

Let me finish on quite a story! I had the most unexpected wild encounter towards the very end of the month. My partner and I were meeting up with my family in Stratford-on-Avon. I parked at ‘The Greenway’ car park on the outskirts of town – parking here means that we can have a nice stroll along the river into the centre.

Let me set the scene. The route from the car park towards the river is an enclosed footpath, set back from a 40mph road. A whole variety of people were using the path on this particular Saturday morning – families, joggers, couples, cyclists. Trees line both sides of the route and there’s farmland just over the rough scrub, away from the road. I’d gone slightly wrong when we set off from the carpark and an older couple asked if we were lost. We weren’t and, in hindsight, the slight detour was a blessing.

As we walked, there were a range of birds singing and it was busy on the path so there were quite a few distractions. But as we walked, we noticed a grassy strip next to the rough scrub and, out of nowhere, something came bounding along it. We weren’t far away and assumed it was a dog. But everyone – including the creature – suddenly stopped in their tracks. I gave a little gasp.

It can only have stopped for a second or so (maybe even less than that). As it took off and headed straight into the farmland, we saw its large, sleek body disappear. There wasn’t even time for a photo. A bemused cyclist from behind asked us ‘do you know what that was?’ Yes. It was an otter. What a stroke of luck!

I hope you had a good November – here’s my full wild list

Week 44 cont.

Tues 1st Nov: Reached out to a local wildlife action group today – Stourvale Action for the Environment. Hopefully I’ll be able to get involved in some local work.
Weds 2nd Nov: Morning walk through the meadow. It’s getting harder to get these walks in because of the light, but they’re so worth it when I do get chance.
Thurs 3rd Nov: Saw some geese fly over the A46 when I drove into work. They gave me courage as I travelled in.
Fri 4th Nov: Did the RSPB bird quiz this afternoon, which focused on thrushes. I got them all right: fieldfare, mistle thrush, ring ouzel, song thrush, redwing and blackbird.
Sat 5th Nov: Long road walk to Burmington – saw a yellowhammer really well and also saw a couple of kestrels, long-tailed tits and chaffinches.
Sun 6th Nov: Read about nightingales in my book (Irreplaceable) – a cellist played with them during WW2 and it was broadcast over the radio.

Week 45

Mon 7th Nov: Long, long walk today. I just walked and walked and walked.
Tues 8th Nov: Attended first Stourvale Action for the Environment meeting online this evening.
Weds 9th Nov: Walked to Idlicote. There was a buzzard on a perch right in front of me as I approached a barn. I’ve never been so close to a buzzard before. I also saw a redwing in a tree.
Thurs 10th Nov: Worked on my great crested grebe watercolour painting.
Fri 11th Nov: A pot marigold opened up in the garden recently. I had spotted an orange flower starting to bloom and it finally opened. I wonder if it would normally bloom in November… It’s been so mild so that might be the cause!
Sat 12th Nov: Visited Brandon Marsh today. The star bird today was the great spotted woodpecker – there were loads everywhere!
Sun 13th Nov: Visited Wappenbury Woods with a friend today. Absolutely amazing woodland.

Week 46

Mon 14th Nov: Met with a local lady who works hard to protect our local swift population. I’m hoping to help her with her efforts.
Tues 15th Nov: Read an RSPB fact sheet about owls. The tawny owl is apparently the most abundant and the long-eared owl has an amazing hoot!
Weds 16th Nov: Read (in my book) about how the Gwent Levels in Wales were nearly destroyed by a plan to upgrade the M4. Luckily, this plan was abandoned in 2019.
Thurs 17th Nov: The golden leaves on our cherry tree just shone through the window this morning. It brightened things up amidst the gloom.
Fri 18th Nov: Read about the black naped pheasant pigeon on the BBC this afternoon. It has been sighted by scientists in Papua New Guinea for the first time in 140 years. What an incredible bird!
Sat 19th Nov: Saw a pintail duck at Regents Park in London. I think this was one of the captive ducks at the park.
Sun 20th Nov: Did the circular walk around Evesham in Worcestershire. Saw fieldfares and redwings.

Week 47

Mon 21st Nov: Read about the prairie chicken in my book. Their plumage and call are both amazing – check it out here.
Tues 22nd Nov: Helped out with a litter pick at work. It was strangely therapeutic.
Weds 23rd Nov: Read an article about hen harriers. There is a new plan to breed 12 hen harriers in captivity and release them on Salisbury Plain – an area in southern England with suitable habitat for them to thrive. I really hope it works.
Thurs 24th Nov: Took a moment to watch a red kite soar around on the wind above a flooded meadow.
Fri 25th Nov: Morning walk to the cemetery. It was a lovely sunrise and was so peaceful. Even though he didn’t live around here and he never had the opportunity to visit, this walk helps me to think of grandad.
Sat 26th Nov: Had the MOST amazing encounter with an otter, just off the Greenway in Stratford. I thought it was a dog at first!
Sun 27th Nov: Lovely walk to Burmington and around. There wasn’t really anything of note around, but it was still nice to feel the fresh air.

Week 48

Mon 28th Nov: I went for a walk in the dark this morning and admired the anemones growing around the corner. There are always such lovely plants here.
Tues 29th Nov: Finished a little felt hedgehog this evening. A friend from work bought me the craft kit ages ago and I finally had an attempt at it. Reckon I’d do it again!
Weds 30th Nov: Read through the rare birds round-up in British Birds magazine. Some of these rarities really are special – the Pacific Swift, for example, which turned up in Northumberland in 2021. It’s usually found in South East Asia.

Odd-tober

There’s no two ways about it. October was odd.

Now, what am I referring to exactly. I could be talking about the weather – it was such a warm month – or I could be talking about UK politics. September certainly feels like a long time ago in respect of the latter. Just for the benefit of my future self, our last Prime Minister resigned on 20th October and our current PM took up the role on 25th October.

In truth, I can’t put my finger on exactly why October felt so odd. Maybe it was just me? But here’s a little round-up of some of the wild highlights between the odd times. Hope you enjoy 😊

Catch the wigeon

Yes, the ‘catch the pigeon’ theme tune has become ‘catch the wigeon’ in our household. And, incidentally, apparently it was never even called ‘catch the pigeon’, it was ‘stop the pigeon’. I actually can’t claim this one – blame my partner! – so let’s move on.

So this little snippet is actually about a wigeon. Or wigeons. I wasn’t really tuned into ducks until quite recently. The wigeon is a very pretty species of duck – the most distinctive feature of the male is a gold stripe on its forehead (this is how I remember them).

In the middle of the month, though, I learnt more about what wigeons sound like. It was during a trip to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve. I was in one of the bird hides and saw scores of birds circling over one of the pools a little way to my left. They were making this weird whistling sound. I hadn’t heard this call before and it was only when I got closer that I realised they were wigeons – now I’ll always remember what they sound like!

Wildlife Spots

I totally forgot to mention another bird that I saw last month – a cattle egret. I saw it at RSPB Otmoor. Cattle egrets are pretty rare, but they’re known to visit this Oxfordshire nature reserve.

Otherwise, this month, a wigeon (full story above), tawny owl and kingfisher (full story below) made it onto my list. The tawny owl was particularly special. I haven’t seen this beautiful owl in the wild for such a long time. It flew out of a tree while I drove home from work one evening. It was just getting dark and I was on the outskirts of Shipston.

A kingfisher, finally!

As I crossed the river on a late afternoon walk in the middle of the month, I finally caught a glimpse of a bird that has eluded me so far this year – the kingfisher!

I’m being honest when I say that I only caught a glimpse. A flitter of blue. Especially the bright, turquoisy blue stripe straight down its back. I stopped and smiled.

I saw so many kingfishers on my Kennet & Avon Canal adventure last summer. Almost one every day that my partner and I walked along the canal (so around 8 in total). I was starting to worry I might not see one this year. But the River Stour didn’t disappoint!

Grey wagtail

I was so inspired by some of the birds I saw when I visited Brandon Marsh. There were long-tailed tits, coal tits and great tits, lapwings and snipe, tree creepers and sparrowhawks, etc, etc. But the grey wagtails really stood out to me. I saw three of them at different pools on the reserve.

When I spotted my second one, I stopped and watched it properly. If you’ve seen one before, have you ever noticed how it bobs about like it’s twerking? It just can’t stop itself from wagging its tail up and down!

So I got out my watercolour paints later that week and recreated this little bird. Despite its name, it’s the grey wagtail’s yellow chest and rump that always draws my eye.

Naseby Naseby

My partner and I finished the month with a short trip to Naseby in Northamptonshire. We’re trying to tick off the UK’s counties and there are quite a few just a short drive away.

While we were in Northamptonshire, we visited a couple of nature reserves: Nene Wetlands and Ravensthorpe Reservoir. The big highlight at Nene was hearing a couple of Cetti’s warblers. I still haven’t seen one of these elusive birds, but it’s always a treat to hear them.

Ravensthorpe wasn’t technically a nature reserve, but you wouldn’t know it – there were plenty of ducks, geese and swans enjoying the water. Particularly great-crested grebes. There were at least twenty on the water and they inspired another art piece!

I hope you had a good October – here’s my full wild list

Week 39 cont.

Sat 1st Oct: Walked to Honington and round. Spotted 3 types of butterfly – brimstone, red admiral and large/small white.
Sun 2nd Oct: Walked through the meadow. Saw/heard a green woodpecker, two buzzards and some mushrooms. The mushrooms had formed in a semi-circular marking in the grass.

Week 40

Mon 3rd Oct: Took a moment to appreciate the sunrise from the bedroom window. The clouds looked like ripples.
Tues 4th Oct: Went to fill-up my car at the petrol station near work and there was a big moth huddled up along the edge of the pump station. I got my phone out quickly to take a photo – apparently it was a large yellow underwing moth.
Weds 5th Oct: Looked through some ‘Birdtober’ pictures on Instagram. I need to take part in this one day!
Thurs 6th Oct: Caught another sunrise during a walk around the meadow.
Fri 7th Oct: Paid Twitter a visit and saw that a ‘Least Bittern’ had been spotted – and rescued – on Shetland. It looked so tiny in the photos!
Sat 8th Oct: Spotted a kestrel and buzzard on two different poles during a walk up the Hanson Track and around. Some of the poles near the cemetery seem to be favourites of birds of prey!
Sun 9th Oct: Started a blue tit watercolour painting today.

Week 41

Mon 10th Oct: A friend from work messaged me this evening to ask if I’d seen the moon. I hadn’t. So I looked out of the window and it was so big and beautiful.
Tues 11th Oct: Sunset walk around the meadow. I saw a yellowhammer really well in a tree.
Weds 12th Oct: Walked past the flower patch around the corner from home and went and sniffed a rose.
Thurs 13th Oct: Discovered a new toy – eurobird portal. According to the map from last year, the fieldfares should be back again really soon.
Fri 14th Oct: Brandon Marsh – saw a whole list of things!
Sat 15th Oct: Worked on a house martin watercolour this afternoon.
Sun 16th Oct: Draycote Water and canal walk at Long Itchington. Saw tufted ducks, coots, moorhens, canada geese, little grebes, great crested grebes (so many of them!), pied wagtails, grey wagtails and some sort of pipit.

Week 42

Mon 17th Oct: Started a new book called Irreplaceable (2020) by Julian Hoffman. Read all about the Hoo peninsula in Kent and how it was rescued from potential airport plans.
Tues 18th Oct: Took in the mist and the beautiful pink light on the way into the office this morning.
Weds 19th Oct: Saw a small group of starlings flocking together on the drive home today.
Thurs 20th Oct: Apparently the fieldfares have landed on Bardsey Island – 5,000 spotted today.
Fri 21st Oct: Travelled up to mum and dad’s today. To my absolute delight, I heard some fieldfares flying over their house – I haven’t forgotten those chattering calls!
Sat 22nd Oct: Spotted a goosander on the canal near the locks in Barlick. I also had a little walk through a wooded area near my grandma’s house.
Sun 23rd Oct: Walk to Honington and around with my partner. This is the first local walk we’ve done together for such a long time!

Week 43

Mon 24th Oct: Sunset walk around the meadow.
Tues 25th Oct: Saw a tawny owl fly above the road near Shipston on the way home from work.
Weds 26th Oct: Read a line in Irreplaceable today that really stuck with me – about how important it is to still preserve what we have left, even if it’s less than previous generations had. This has been getting me a down a bit recently, but Hoffman is right.
Thurs 27th Oct: Went for a long walk just before it went dark – to Burmington and back. It was needed.
Fri 28th Oct: Read about cirl buntings in my RSPB magazine. The RSPB uses ‘off-setting’ to help protect them down in Devon.
Sat 29th Oct: Heard a cetti’s warbler at Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve. My first one in a while.
Sun 30th Oct: Enjoyed seeing all of the great crested grebes on Ravensthorpe Reservoir today. I’ve seen so many of them recently.

Week 44

Mon 31st Oct: Went for a walk in the morning. A heron flew overhead and there was another yellowhammer in the tree.

“No luck catchin’ them swans then?”

“It’s just the one swan actually.”

Hot Fuzz (2007)

This blog has been a long time coming. I’ve been meaning to write those exact lines at the top of this post for absolutely ages. And I’ve been chuckling about it for months, wondering what my family will think when they eventually read it.

Like many of my art posts, the title usually pops into my head at the most unexpected time. It anchors all of my thoughts; once I’ve decided what it is, there’s no turning back. And the reason for this title is because my post is about a watercolour of a swan. It could’ve been a watercolour of many swans, but, after some hours of deliberation, I settled for “just the one swan actually”.

Let me take you back to April. Easter in fact. Here in the UK, we’ve had two new prime ministers since then – and about a gazillion chancellors – we’ve lost the queen, experienced a bad heatwave, soaring inflation and quite honestly the most embarrassing political period in living memory so let me remind you of what was happening all those months ago:

💩 Boris Johnson was Prime Minister; Rishi Sunak was Chancellor
🆒 The energy price cap was £1,971 for a typical UK household
🥴 Party Gate was heating up
🇫🇷 Macron won the French election
🦦 I saw an otter on the River Stour in my hometown (not nationally or internationally known, but still!)

Potentially not the most interesting month, but, on the plus side, my little book of anxieties doesn’t have many entries and I can’t find anything too ridiculous about April Fools Day so it must’ve been tame. The most important thing about the month, however, was my Great Auntie Joan’s 90th birthday.

This huge milestone crept up on me quickly. I was convinced that she was turning 89 this year instead, but my mum assured me that Auntie Joan was indeed born in 1932. With that settled, the bigger question was: what on earth do I get a ninety-year-old for her birthday?!

However, inspiration struck one afternoon when I spoke to my great aunt on the phone. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Ooooh Auntie Joan, your birthday is coming up soon.
Auntie Joan: Yeh.
Me: If you could have a painting of anything, what would you want it to be?
Auntie Joan: A swan. Or swans.
Me: Oh that’s good to know.

***2 weeks later***

Mum: Auntie Joan keeps pointing out the spot where she’s going to put her swan picture.
Me: Eeeekkk!

So that was settled. I had no choice – it had to be a swan. Or swans.

No matter how old you are, our most common swans (mute swans) are pretty special. Watching an adult swan’s mighty body glide effortlessly down a river or a canal would stop anyone in their tracks. Grace in its purest form.

They can also be seen in another light of course. Being extremely territorial, swans are fierce protectors of their young, with sometimes frightening outbursts and chases. My grandad was victim to such an ambush back in the day. I remember telling a friend about this at uni and he understood the fear, though he was always under the impression that swans attacked by wrapping their necks around people’s limbs or throats…

Whether you see the swan as graceful or fierce, the fact of the matter is that the adult form is white and white is challenging when it comes to painting. I therefore settled quite quickly on having a single swan in the picture – two, or a group, would just be too much. And the golden rule? White is never white.

Let me explain what I mean. If you have a white subject – the swan – on white paper, it isn’t possible for it to be white. Because then you’d just have a blank sheet. Instead, the shadows are your friends. And with white, you can get creative. Within reason. Yellows, beiges, purples, greys and blues can all play a role. But they have to be watered down – proper watered down.

So I took my time to draw out the shape of the swan and looked carefully at the shadows in the reference photo. I paid particularly close attention to the neck, the face and the left wing. I also varied the colours a little to stop the shadows from swirling into each other. Yellows and greys for the neck, purples for the wings and blue for the water.

I thought carefully before each stroke of the paintbrush, resulting in hours of painstaking work. Breaks are essential when working on a piece this important and this patience paid off – Auntie Joan loved it! 😊

Materials:
Arches 18x26cm Rough Watercolour Paper
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolours (12 pan)

‘Say whaaaaat?!’ September

Well, there were some big changes in September. And who would’ve thought we could cope with them after everything else we’ve been through. New government, new monarch and then an absolute political explosion to finish it off. By the way, if you haven’t been following some of the potential environmental impacts of the UK government’s plans (because, let’s be real, there’s enough of everything else to focus on right now instead), I’d strongly encourage you to check-out the RSPB’s Twitter feed.

So it’s fair to say, like many months in recent times, I wandered around with an internal ‘Say whaaaat?!’ on repeat this September. It may explain why I’ve been staring into space on so many walks. And sometimes even humour can’t make things feel 100% better. But this month also reminded me that the smallest things can fascinate. And there’s a lot of joy in that. Thank you for reading!

Green orb

And I’ll start with one such example. After an overnight work trip to London, I was ready to get home. It had been interesting and enjoyable, but there had been an awful lot of socialising for my liking!

So when I alighted at Moreton-in-Marsh station and headed to my car, I pretty much collapsed straight inside and focused on getting home as fast as possible. A small green spider had other ideas, though. It was teeny tiny, had brown legs and a brown head and, relatively speaking, a pretty sizable round body. Which was bright green!

I’d never seen anything like it before. Spiders aren’t the most popular critters and I’ve been training myself to override my initial disgust to the large meaty house spiders. Luckily I’ve never really had a problem with small ones. So, before trudging back home, I watched it crawling along the inside of my car door and took some photos before transferring it to a safer place. Some research later in the evening suggested it was a cucumber green orb spider. Fascinating!

Wildlife spots

I reckon I might’ve seen a hobby this month. It was right at the very beginning of September when I went for a long walk to RSPB Otmoor. I’m semi-confident about this so I’m not sure whether to note it down. No new butterflies but some of them have been out in abundance – red admirals, commas, small whites, large whites and even a brimstone!

Otherwise, I’d say I’ve spent most of the month saying goodbye to some of our summer birds. Swifts already left a little while ago. They quietly disappear as summer draws to a close. Swallows, on the other hand, were still around for some of the month. I saw them in the fields on the Otmoor walk, for example. I also looked after some young swallows at the wildlife hospital. One thing I’ve learnt about swallows – unlike other, similar, birds – is that they are freakin’ easy to hand feed. They are always ready to take a waxworm from you.

House martins are a different story. One of my favourite birds and the entire reason why I ended up volunteering at the wildlife hospital in the first place. They are extremely difficult to hand feed and I had some stressful moments with these little birds. They’re with us the longest over summer and, even by the very end of the month, there were a small handful of house martins flying around the estate. The majority were long gone though. I hope they have a safe journey and I’m sure I’ll crave their return in no time.

Tysoe it’s your birthday

I couldn’t post this blog without mentioning an incredible walk near a small village called Tysoe. I drove up to the village on a day off in the middle of the month. It was a blustery, grey day, but I fancied a change of scenery.

I started in the village, but it wasn’t long before I was climbing into a small wood. The trees was still so green and the area was bursting with blue tits, great tits and robins. I found myself stopping to peek into the trees and shrubs to try and spot them, but, to be honest, it was enough of a treat to hear them. They’d been so quiet over the summer and I could feel the muscle memory waking up – I know these songs. It was a beautiful walk.

(Oh and this subheading should be said to the tune of ‘Lisa it’s your birthday’ from The Simpsons. If you have to ask, you’ll never know!)

A lil’ tidy

I’ve been battling with a moral dilemma. A dilemma that I think my friends, family and colleagues have found somewhat entertaining. I know I would in their position!

Basically, after leaving the garden to go wild in ‘No mow May’, I was like: but when do I mow the lawn again… So I concluded that I couldn’t mow it over the rest of spring/early summer. That would be obscene. Just think of all those bees, butterflies and moths! I decided instead that the time to do it would be towards the end of summer.

But then I had another problem – all of those bees, butterflies and moths might’ve laid eggs in that grass. So I waited until the very end of September and did a minimal tidy up. A very quick trim that I hope will have left those eggs intact. Oh and I put out a few autumn flowers!

New art; new friends

Finally, September brought the end of my Sunday evening volunteering at the wildlife hospital. It was hot and messy, but a couple of the other volunteers really helped me out and took me under their wing (or wings?) They answered my questions and made me feel welcome so, to say thank you, I took some time towards the end of the month to make something for each of them.

I painted/drew a jay for the first volunteer because she loved the resident jay at the hospital. It’s true that she loved all of the animal there and she was the person who first invited me to help feed the badgers and foxes, but the jay was the first animal she showed me.

The other volunteer was all about feeding and weighing the baby hedgehogs. She would always call them “little buggers” – especially if they refused to eat or, more likely, pooped in her hand – but I knew they were her favourite. So it was a watercolour hedgehog for her.

I hope you had a good September – here’s my full wild list

Week 35 cont.

Thurs 1st Sept: Kicked off the month with an amazing walk from Islip to RSPB Otmoor. Think I spotted a hobby!
Fri 2nd Sept: Finished a watercolour and ink painting of a comma butterfly – inspired by the final wild encounters of August.
Sat 3rd Sept: Long walk to/from Todenham from home (10 miles). Spotted a small copper butterfly en route.
Sun 4th Sept: Started the Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett). Ever since I let the garden go wild, I’ve wanted to indulge my inner child and read this story.

Week 36

Mon 5th Sept: Spotted a robin in the tree on a walk. The first time I’ve heard them in a while. And also watched the house martins on the estate for a little while. They’ll be heading off soon.
Tues 6th Sept: And, what do you know, the robin in the Secret Garden made an appearance today: ‘when she stood still she saw a bird with a bright red breast […] and suddenly he burst into his winter song – almost as if he had caught sight of her and was calling to her’.
Weds 7th Sept: Early morning walk. Heard a chiffchaff for the first time since Spring!
Thurs 8th Sept: Read an amazing National Geographic article about the importance of birds and why we should protect them.
Fri 9th Sept: Morning walk to Honington. I loved the Autumn crocuses and flowers near the Honington Toll House.
Sat 10th Sept: Went to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve with a friend. Saw a couple of herons in the pools.
Sun 11th Sept: Sounds morbid but I marvelled at the power of birds of prey today when I had to clean up a fresh kill outside the wildlife hospital. It wasn’t a patient luckily! Oh and I saw a hummingbird hawkmoth near my house!

Week 37

Mon 12th Sept: Started an art piece for a volunteer at the wildlife hospital – a jay!
Tues 13th Sept: Spied on Brandon Marsh sightings on Twitter. Apparently a lesser spotted woodpecker was ringed there recently. I’m not sure I’ll ever see one of these – they’re so rare now.
Weds 14th Sept: Had a little wander around the ponds at work. There were cygnets on one of them.
Thurs 15th Sept: Walked up the Hanson Track in Shipston after quite a difficult day at work. Nothing specific to note, but the fresh air helped clear my head.
Fri 16th Sept: One of the best walks I’ve had in a long time. In Tysoe, which is about 5 miles away. I thought I might’ve seen a spotted flycatcher but I’m not 100% sure. There were lots of blue tits, great tits and robins though.
Sat 17th Sept: Visited Charlecote with my mum and dad. We heard so many nuthatches which was a real treat!
Sun 18th Sept: My last shift at the wildlife hospital for the Summer. Fed a barn owl for the first time and helped with some pigeons.

Week 38

Mon 19th Sept: Frozen Planet II. Need I say more?! The highlight for me in this episode was the crested auklet in Russia.
Tues 20th Sept: Post-work walk around the meadow and into town. Blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits.
Weds 21st Sept: Read a BBC Wildlife article while I was away in London with work. This one was about ‘teaching’ in the natural world. One type of ant apparently displays teaching behaviour…! They lead ‘pupil’ ants to a meal and stop on the way so that the ‘pupil’ can take in its surroundings. Interesting!
Thurs 22nd Sept: Spotted a small, bright green spider in the car when I arrived back from London. I think it was a cucumber green orb spider.
Fri 23rd Sept: You can really find colour and beauty everywhere. Today, it was a random snapdragon flower in the tarmac outside the local GP surgery.
Sat 24th Sept: Finally tidied up the garden a little. Though I didn’t make it too neat!
Sun 25th Sept: Channeling the Autumn vibes with a small autumnal piece. Might use it for a birthday card.

Week 39

Mon 26th Sept: Read a final short story in my Argentinian collection (A Perfect Cemetery by Federico Falco, translated by Jennifer Croft) – the imagery of the lost pine forests was powerful.
Tues 27th Sept: Wrote to my MP about the potential plans to reverse environmental legislation that protects wildlife and habitats. If you’re a UK resident, I’d urge you to write to your MP too.
Weds 28th Sept: Had a very, very short walk this evening. I’ve been battling a bad cold or mild flu so I wanted some fresh air to offset the headache. I saw some lovely flowers up Tileman’s Lane – pink garden cosmos.
Thurs 29th Sept: I’ve been reading quite a bit from my sickbed. I had a lot of British Birds articles to catch-up on. I’m always mesmerised by the Latin names that are included in the write-ups. Little egret is apparently Egretta Garzetta. Reckon I’ll remember that one!
Fri 30th Sept: Pondered over a crane snippet in BBC Wildlife Magazine. It’s amazing to see how successful they’ve been in the UK since 1970. Particularly in more recent years.

August was sent to test us.

For the first time in quite a while, I started writing this ‘monthly post’ on the last day of the actual month. For most of 2022, I’ve been lucky to get my posts written by the middle of the next month. Must do better.

The main reason I started writing it on this day is because I felt that it was a good reflection of the month as a whole. You see, on this day, August the 31st, I had one of the most challenging (and frustrating) walks in a while – blocked and obstructed footpaths, scratches on my legs from an over-excited dog, nearly being caught in a cow round-up… So I can’t say it was relaxing. I therefore didn’t enjoy it as much as I could’ve. But it was a useful reminder that these things are sent to test us. And August tested me to the max!

I won’t go into all of the anxiety-inducing detail, but my August required me to draw on a lot of resilience. The end result involved some tears (I’m a crier!) but I sought strength from wildlife when I could. And I paid attention to lots of little things – the birds, for example. Have you noticed that they’ve become louder again after their summer moult? For the first time in ages, I heard chiffchaffs again this month!

So rather than ‘Awful August’ (the initial title of this blog post), I hope that you enjoy reading about some of the highlights within the storm.

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Right. I have to start with a laugh. And I have a very close friend to thank. If you haven’t heard of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, you have got to get involved.

My friend sent me a link to the 2021 finalists for this award at the start of the month. The photographs are incredible. And hilarious.

One of my favourites 😂

These photographs were a running theme for me throughout August. I picked out my favourites and shared them with family and friends. As a residential summer school at work loomed, I also introduced these photos to my colleagues. A number of them ended up pinned onto a work whiteboard with various captions. I have no regrets!

I also liked the mudskippers!

Wildlife spots

Although the chiffchaffs came back out to play and I heard robins, great tits, blue tits and blackbirds again, it was still a quiet month for any new bird spots. Autumn will bring the next migration and winter is my best bet now to see a few new ones for 2022.

Instead, moths, butterflies and dragonflies were the stars of August, including:

Large skipper
White ermine moth caterpillar
Rusty tussock moth caterpillar
Square-spot rustic moth
Meal moth
Common darter

I also saw a red fox on my way back from volunteering at the wildlife hospital on the last Sunday of the month. The journey back is through dense countryside so I’m always on the lookout for animals on the road. The fox thankfully made it safely into a nearby field as I drove past.

Butterfly Isles

I started reading a book in July by Patrick Barkham called The Butterfly Isles. I finished it this month and now all I want to do is go out and find butterflies! Barkham’s key goal in the book is to find every single species of British butterfly in one year. That’s 59 species in total.

Reading his story made me realise how few butterflies I’ve seen out of the 59. And it also made me wonder whether that’s just because I’m a bit lazy when it comes to butterfly IDs! They’re a lot smaller than birds and they tend to move more quickly out of sight.

I think it’s already clear that 2022 hasn’t been a great year for butterflies – or wildlife in general – but reading the book encouraged me to reflect. The large and small whites certainly seem to have had good years (at least around the West Midlands) and I can’t believe how many speckled woods I’ve seen this year in woodland, scrub and amongst the hedgerows.

Black-tailed godwits

I couldn’t miss out on a trip to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve this month and I was lucky enough to spot a couple of black-tailed godwits this time. I saw this bird earlier in the year at Martin Mere Nature Reserve in the north west, but I don’t think they’ve been seen much at my local reserve.

A helpful birder pointed them out to me when I was in the bird hide – I would’ve totally missed them otherwise! Once I’d followed the birder’s instructions and honed my binoculars in on the pair, their fiery summer plumage was plain to see. The orange, tawny and pitch black feathers are woven in such intricate patterns. And their beaks and legs are much longer than you’d expect them to be. They look disproportionately long.

I was so intrigued by their patterns and shapes that the birds inspired a watercolour piece. I had to capture the moment as best I could. I wasn’t able to get a good photo of the pair so this isn’t necessarily a true representation. But the watercolour will always remind me of when I spotted the godwits at Brandon Marsh.

Channeling my inner canal

That subheading doesn’t make sense. Instead, a more accurate – and, I’d argue, less interesting – title would be: channeling my August-2021-self. But let’s go with it!

I completed a walking challenge in August 2021. I was raising money for Parkinson’s UK in memory of my grandad and walked at least 6 miles a day. For some of the time it was even further than that as my partner and I walked from Reading to Bristol on the Kennet & Avon Canal over 9 days in the middle of the month. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

So I channeled this towards the end of a trying month and walked along a stretch of the Grand Union Canal between Long Itchington in Warwickshire and Napton Junction where the Grand Union meets the Oxford Canal. The highlight was by a very large marina past a place called Stockton. As I innocently walked across a bridge and blindly stumbled onto a path near some brambles, a flash of bright orange caught my eye on the blackberries. It was a comma butterfly. And then there was another one and another one. All on this one blackberry bush!

I love being by the water. No matter how many times you walk along a stretch of canal, there’s something different. The vegetation, the birds flying over, the sound of the leaves, reeds and grasses. And there’s usually a good place to have lunch too!

I hope you had a good August – here’s my full wild list

Week 31

Mon 1st Aug: Lots of meadow browns on an evening walk near Honington Farm.
Tues 2nd Aug: Saw two green woodpeckers on a morning walk around the meadow. I think at least one of them was a juvenile.
Weds 3rd Aug: Spied on some pigeons that were out on the trellis. One must’ve been an adult and the other a, rather large, juvenile – the ‘adult’ was feeding it!
Thurs 4th Aug: Went to watch the athletics (part of the Commonwealth Games). I was totally mesmerised by the gulls and the pigeons having a whale of a time above the stadium.
Fri 5th Aug: Read about an Australian grasshopper in BBC Wildlife that has cloned itself – for thousands of years, only females of the species have existed…!
Sat 6th Aug: Lovely walk up the Hanson Track. Lots of butterflies and bees (including a large skipper!) Birds were quieter.
Sun 7th Aug: Got a beautiful shot of a common blue butterfly on ragwort and saw a family of kestrels on a walk to Burmington and round.

Week 32

Mon 8th Aug: My friend shared a link to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards shortlist for 2021. I would strongly recommend checking these photos out – they are hilarious!
Tues 9th Aug: I realised today that the bee hotel at the bottom of the garden might have been used!
Weds 10th Aug: Took a moment to admire a little egret as it flew overhead on a morning walk.
Thurs 11th Aug: I learnt more about hybridisation today – this time, a cross between a grosbeak and a tanager baffled scientists.
Fri 12th Aug: I was treated to some beautiful flowers from my partner today. The sunflowers were particularly delightful.
Sat 13th Aug: Spent some time painting the wonderful Harlech Castle this afternoon. Not strictly ‘wildlife’ but seeing the castle always reminds me of the jackdaws that caw and cackle around the old walls.
Sun 14th Aug: Impromptu 9-mile walk to Idlicote (before the heat set in!) Saw a hare.

Week 33

Mon 15th Aug: Rescued a rusty tussock moth caterpillar at work – didn’t have a clue what the critter was at the time. Had to look it up afterwards!
Tues 16th Aug: Read a chapter of The Butterfly Isles this afternoon – this was about black hairstreak and swallowtail butterflies.
Weds 17th Aug: A colleague shared a photo of a caterpillar with me earlier in the week and I worked out what it was today! It was a sycamore moth caterpillar.
Thurs 18th Aug: Nice late afternoon walk up the Hanson Track. Saw a red admiral butterfly.
Fri 19th Aug: Read up on what’s happening locally with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. I always feel I live in quite a coldspot when it comes to wildlife conservation, but apparently there are some local projects!
Sat 20th Aug: Day trip to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve and Piles Coppice. Saw herons, little egrets and two black-tailed godwits!
Sun 21st Aug: Started a watercolour of the black-tailed godwits – yesterday’s trip really inspired me!

Week 34

Mon 22nd Aug: Started The Peregrine by J A Baker today. This was a ‘mystery’ book that I received for my birthday in July.
Tues 23rd Aug: Took time out from a busy first day of the summer school at work to admire the purple flowers.
Weds 24th Aug: Focused on some of the little things in the chaos of work: green woodpeckers calling through the trees near the accommodation and bats swirling through the sky at an evening social.
Thurs 25th Aug: Read some of BBC Wildlife Magazine during a break from the summer school. This one was about the Mary Anning Rocks campaign in Lyme Regis. Mary Anning was a pioneering paleontologist.
Fri 26th Aug: Saw a blue tit outside my bedroom window at work when I was totally and utterly exhausted. The little blue bird gave me something to focus on in my haze.
Sat 27th Aug: Read some more of The Peregrine – the detail that Baker captured is just incredible.
Sun 28th Aug: Clifford Chambers walk. This walk went through Atherstone-on-Stour and Preston-on-Stour. Saw lots and lots of buzzards and a green woodpecker. Also heard chiffchaffs and blue tits.

Week 35

Mon 29th Aug: Another walk up the Hanson Track. Saw absolutely loads of speckled wood butterflies and I think there may have been a raven nearby… Difficult to know for sure! Also saw a kestrel.
Tues 30th Aug: Channeled my 2021 self by having an inspiring walk along the Grand Union canal between Long Itchington and the Napton Junction.
Weds 31st Aug: I ended the month with a challenging (and sometimes frustrating!) walk from Little Compton to Chastleton. Highlight was the comma butterflies.

Wildlife, wildlife everywhere

Y-hikes!

‘You look shattered’

Not your average tourists…

Places

The ‘Meadow’

Barcheston Fields

Shipston Town

Fell Mill area

Honington

Honington

River Stour area

Foxy

Wildlife Spots

Community action

Wycoller

Wonderland

I hope you had a good December – here’s my full wild list. Happy New Year!

Week 48 cont.

Week 49

Week 50

Week 51

Week 52

Making things simple

Wildlife Spots

Autumn vibes

Arts and crafts

*Gasp*

I hope you had a good November – here’s my full wild list

Week 44 cont.

Week 45

Week 46

Week 47

Week 48

Catch the wigeon

Wildlife Spots

A kingfisher, finally!

Grey wagtail

Naseby Naseby

I hope you had a good October – here’s my full wild list

Week 39 cont.

Week 40

Week 41

Week 42

Week 43

Week 44

Green orb

Wildlife spots

Tysoe it’s your birthday

A lil’ tidy

New art; new friends

I hope you had a good September – here’s my full wild list

Week 35 cont.

Week 36

Week 37

Week 38

Week 39

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Wildlife spots

Butterfly Isles

Black-tailed godwits

Channeling my inner canal

I hope you had a good August – here’s my full wild list

Week 31

Week 32

Week 33

Week 34

Week 35

Gasp