Brenda writes: “It’s very easy not to notice the world around us as we rush from one job to the next, but if we keep our eyes open it’s amazing what we can see. Down the years much of my daily logging of wild flower species has been picked up by observing things on the …
We were free for a few hours after lunch today and Brenda wanted to have a walk at Cley marshes, so I suggested we do a short detour to Glandford where the obliging long-eared owl that I saw on 13th had returned after a short absence. Brenda hadn’t seen it up until today, so this …
Today Brenda dropped me off in Holkham village on her way to do a service in Holkham Hall Chapel. As she pulled over to let me get out of the car she saw a large bird of prey in a tree by the road and thought it was the white-tailed eagle again. However as I …
For only, I think, the second time so far this year I didn’t manage to get out and about today. But – as I was doing various bits of work – I was reflecting on how much I’ve been enjoying writing this blog: Aside from the obvious merits of getting fresh air and exercise it’s …
It’s hard not to love a robin, however many one sees – and Brenda and I certainly saw a good number today when we spent a couple of hours at Lynford Arboretum, near Thetford – a place we have often visited since we first discovered it in about 2000 when we were living a few …
Back in the autumn Ely Sinfonia, one of the orchestras I conduct, included in their concert a piece by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara called “Cantus Arcticus”. It’s an orchestral evocation of the sounds of the arctic tundra and includes actual bird song recordings of common cranes, whooper swans and other arctic species. As part of …
Today Brenda and I had our first duo concert of 2023 in Burnham Market, so I had little time for any wildlife watching….and it was rainy! Give me cold, clear and dry over mild, grey and drizzly any day! But I ventured out briefly to Wells woods as at this time of year there’s always …
On another clear, cold day today Brenda and I took a walk through the parkland of the Holkham Estate. It’s a very rich and well-managed habitat and that’s reflected in the variety of wildlife. The park seems to hold an inordinate number of nuthatches; you usually hear them before you see them. Our first new …
Another beautiful sunny, clear and cold winter day today, and as Brenda was out working I decided to pop over to RSPB Titchwell in the afternoon. I started on the boardwalk: It was pretty quiet but I saw a lot of moorhens around the hedges and field areas – presumably trying to find food away …
I didn’t have any real chance for wildlife watching today as I was rehearsing in Kings Lynn in the morning followed by an afternoon concert conducting Norfolk Symphony Orchestra. I did manage to see both grey and red-legged partridge on the way to the rehearsal though, and I stopped a few miles from home to …
