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Cymraeg

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Madagascar eBook Published
6th May 2024
Wildlife of the World - Madagascar has just been publisehd in eBook form with extra interactive features. It's available from Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play Store and many other sellers. See here for details...
Southern France
6th - 19th September 2023
Spending a couple of weeks touring France in my campervan to watch Wales play in the Rugby World Cup, I took the opportunity to visit some nature reserves with my cameras inbetween games. This beautiful kingfisher was at the impressive little Teich Ornithological Reserve in the Aquitaine region.

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), Gironde, France.
Ecuador: Andes to Amazon
25th February - 8th March 2023
For my next trip I headed to the Americas, starting off in Ecuador. The main target was mammals and I intended to search three different habitats; the high Andes, mid elevation cloud forest and Amazon rainforest. The results were rather mixed but included transparent butterflies, the world's smallest monkey and a bat that constructs it's own home! Click here for the full report.

Baizana Clearwing butterfly (Oleria baizana) in the Ecuador cloud forest
Wildlife of the World: Costa Rica
17th May 2023
The second book in my Wildlife of the World series for 8 to 13 year olds is now published. It contains a selection of photos from my trips to Costa Rica, together with information about the different animals and their conservation as well as links to videos, slideshows and sound files. Click here for more details and the Amazon link.
Wildlife of the World: China
12th February 2023
I've just published my first book. Wildlife of the World: China is the first in a series of children's books about wildlife around the world aimed at 8 to 13 year-olds. It contains photos I took while travelling around China together with information about the different species and their conservation as well as links to interactive media. Click here for more details and the Amazon link.
Wildlife of South Africa
15th - 29th October 2022
After two years of delays and cancellations I finally made my autumn(their spring) trip to South Africa. My previous visits having taken place in the middle of winter, now at last I had a chance to photograph some of the superb amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates to be found in the far south of the African continent. Click here for the full report on how I got on.

Ground Agama (Agama aculeata) in Mountain Zebra National Park
Wildlife of Madagascar
5th - 14th October 2022
With my twice-cancelled trip to South Africa finally able to take place I decided to combine it with a brief vistit to Madagascar. Despite the huge issues the country is facing particularly after Covid, its still a magical land for wildlife and I had an excellent trip with a facinating range of lemurs, chameleons and other wildlife. Click here for the full trip report.

Mother and baby Indri (Indri indri)
Wildlife of Northern Tanzania
5th - 17th June 2022
With restrictions easing everywhere I arranged my second frip of the year to Northern Tanzania, a strong contender for best wildlife watching destination in the world. Choosing to drive myself on both Zanzibar and in the National Parks where I slept in the bush on the roof of my Landrover, it was unforgettable experience... and of course the wildlife was superb! Click here for the full trip report.

Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi) on Zanzibar
Wildlife of Costa Rica
6th - 19th February 2022
With over two years having passed since my last trip outside the UK I decided it was finally time to get away, so at short notice I arranged a lightening trip to Costa Rica. Continuing Covid regulations made the lead up and journey a rather nerve-wracking but once I arrived it was all worth it. Noisy monkeys, strange frogs, stealthy carnivores and exotic birds... Costa Rica had it all and fully lived up to its reputation as one of the world's best wildlife watching destinations.
Click here for the full trip report...

Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis)
Welsh Wildlife Garden
June 2021
With last summer's photographic trips cancelled due to the pandemic I decided to spend lockdown replacing the desolate expanse of patio at the back of my house with a wildlife garden.
Click here to see how I got on and how it's all looking a year on...

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) bathing in a Welsh garden.
The Isle of Mull, Scotland
16th - 19th September 2020
With my trip to South Africa cancelled due to the pandemic I decided to try a campervan trip to Scotland instead. I headed for Mull which for me is the best all-round wildlife watching location in the UK. It was incredibly busy which made photography difficult but I managed two excellent boat trips which produced four species of cetacean including several hundred Common Dolphins. Report and more photos here...

Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) off the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Java, Indonesia
31st January - 3rd February 2020
My final stop in Indonesia was Java, the most developed of the islands with the the capital city, Jakarta and over half the country's population. None-the-less a couple of days exploring Gunung Gede National Park brought another impressive selection of tropical wildlife including the strange 'Trumpet-horned' weevil below. Report and more photos here...

'Trumpet-horned' Weevil (Curculionidae sp.) in Gunung Gede National Park, Java
Sumatra, Indonesia
23rd - 28th January 2020
I've just returned from an excellent trip to the fascinating tropical islands of Indonesia, starting with Sumatra. I spent three days photographing the wildlife of Way Kambas National Park... a magical rainforest haven in the island's rapidly developing landscape. Report and more photos here...

Red-bearded Bee-eater (Nyctyornis amictus) eating a cicada
Wildlife of the Scottish Highlands
16th - 23rd June 2021
Continuing my exploration of UK wildlife I spent a week up in the Scottish Highlands starting in the west around Fort William before spending a few days further east in Perthshire. The result was proof that you don't need to travel abroad to see fascinating animal life such as the Mountain Hare below.
Click here for more highland wildlife...

Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) running up a Scottish mountainside
Wildlife of the Ethiopian Highlands
19th - 26th October 2018
Ethiopia certainly isn't the easiest country for photography and wildlife conservation faces many challenges but in my brief visit I saw some superb animals and the trip was definitiely worth-while. Report and more photos here...

Giant Mole-rat (Spalax giganteus) peering out of its burrow
Wildlife of the Western Cape, South Africa
21st - 28th June 2018
I started my trip to Southern Africa at the Cape of Good Hope before gradually making my way northwards. The wildlife and scenery were stunning from Cape Town birds like the pelicans below to Hermanus Bay whales and the carnivores of the Great Karoo desert.
Click here for the full report...

Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Cape Town
Sulawesi, Indonesia
28th - 31st January 2020
From Sumatra I moved onto another exotic tropical Indoneisan island... Sulawesi. Crossing the celebrated 'Wallace Line' (named after one of the great Welshmen, Alfred Russel Wallace) brought a very different but equally fascinating selection of wildlife as well as further conservation challenges. Report and more photos here...

Endangered Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra) on the beach in Tangkoko National Park
Gelada Baboons of Debre Libanos Gorge, Ethiopia
19th October 2018
I started my trip to Ethiopia with a three-hour drive to the beautiful mountain scenery of Debre Libanos in search of Gelada Baboons. Despite battles with officialdom and poor weather conditions I spent an excellent few hours there. Report and more photos here...

Gelada Baboon (Theropithecus gelada) on the cliff-top
Zebra Painting
7th August 2020
Very flattered that talented artist Ian Peal has chosen to paint one of my photos of a mother and baby plains zebra. You can see more of Ian's impressive artwork here...
France and Spain
28th September - 18th October 2019
Decided to take my new campervan on tour spending three weeks driving from Swansea to the South of Spain and back via the Camargue in southern France. Discovered lots of beautiful, remote places teeming with wildlife. Report and more photos here...

Pyrenean Chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) in the Picos de Europa, north-west Spain
Ethiopian Wolves in the Bale Mountains
21st - 24th October 2018
The highlight of the Ethiopian trip was a couple of days wild camping on the high plateau of the Bale Mountains tracking Ethiopian Wolves. Click here for the report and more photos....

Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) racing across the plateau
Birds and Mammals of Namibia
5th - 17th July 2018
The last stage of my southern Africa trip was 12 days in Namibia. Sandstorms and a disreputable car hire company took their toll but the superb Etosha National Park made it all worth-while. Full report here....

Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) dust-bathing
Wildlife of the Northern Cape, South Africa
28th June - 5th July 2018
From Karoo National Park, I headed my 4x4 north into the Kalahari Desert in the Northern Cape. Again the wildlife was superb, from playful Cheetahs and menacing Hyenas to inquisitive Meerkats and lumbering Aardvark.
Click here for the full report.

An Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) having a good scratch!
Bird life of Fayoum Oasis
27th - 28th April 2018
Took a trip down to Fayoum Oasis in the Egyptian desert and was pleasantly surprised by the variety of bird life. Big flocks of Greater Flamingo, shorebirds such as ibis and sandpipers as well as kingfishers, bee-eaters and hunting kestrels. More photos here...

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) eating a black rat (Rattus rattus)
Life in the Red Sea
29th - 30th April 2018
From Fayoum we headed to Hurghada on the Red Sea coast and a day's snorkelling. The coral reefs and sea life were superb with the best underwater visibility I've seen anywhere. Click here for more photos of Red Sea marine life...

Lagoon Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) on a Red Sea coral reef
Amazon Rainforest (Ecuador)
29th July - 2nd August 2017
Final stop on the South American tour was Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, again Amazon rainforest but this time in north-eastern Ecuador and a whole new range of facinating species. From weird insects and giant spiders to huge yeti-like monkeys and tiny cat-like ones... click here for photos...

Long-horned Leaf-cricket (Tettigoniid sp.)
Amazon Rainforest (Peru)
24th - 28th July 2017
From one extreme to the other... I made my way from the arid heights of the Andes down to the humid, tropical heat of the Amazon rainforest and Tambopata National Reserve. Click here for photos...

Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
Wildlife of the High Andes
19th - 23rd July 2017
From Galapagos I headed to Peru and Colca Canyon over 4,000 meters above sea-level in the High Andes. It's a really beautiful place... the main attraction is the incredible display of Andean Condors but there's a lot more wildlife that most people never see. Click here for more photos...

Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) in the high Andes
Galapagos Wildlife
11th - 19th July 2017
Next stop was the amazing Galapagos Islands. I was expecting to encounter a wide variety of incredible wildlife and I wasn't disappointed. I was also pleasantly surprised by the high level of protection in place despite the volume of tourism. Click here for a report and more photos...

Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Islands
Ecuadorian Cloud Forest Birds
7th - 10th July 2017
Started my South America trip with a few days in the cloud forest of the mountains above Quito, Ecuador photographing beautiful birds like the strange Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. More cloud forest birds here...

Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruvianus)
Wildlife of Assam, India
1st - 14th April 2017
Spent two weeks in Assam, north-east India photographing rhinos, elephants, deer and birds like this cute Asian Barred Owlet in Kaziranga National Park. Click here for more photos from Kaziranga...

Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides) in Kaziranga National Park
Hokkaido Wildlife
29th January - 5th February 2017
Just back from a week-long trip to the icy wastes of Hokkaido, Japan's wild northern island, tracking down endangered cranes, giant owls and ferocious eagles.
You can read a report on my trip here...

Steller's Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus) fighting
Wildlife of the Central Chinese Mountains
29th December 2016 - 7th January 2017
Paid a winter visit to the mountains of Shaanxi and Sichuan Provinces in Central China in search of rare animals like the endangered Golden Takin. Click here for the trip report ...

Golden Takin threatens me with nostrils flared!
Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys in Foping National Nature Reserve
29th - 30th December 2016
This scary male Golden Snub-nosed Monkey was photographed in Foping National Nature Reserve, Shaanxi Province, China. Click here for more photos and details of my visit ...

Male Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) threatening
Red Pandas in Sichuan Province, China
17th - 19th November 2016
Just returned from an excellent few days in Labahe National Park, Sichuan Province in south-west China photographing some very cute Red Pandas. More photos here ...

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
Wildlife of the Tibetan Plateau
1st - 7th October 2016
I've always thought of the Tibetan Plateau as a remote wilderness and never expected to be able to go there myself, but in October I spent an amazing week photographing some of the unique wildilfe to be found there. Read the full trip report here ...

Pack of wolves (Canis lupus) crossing the plateau

Herd of Kiang (Equus kiang)
Wildlife of the Northern Pantanal, Brazil
15th - 24th July 2016
The northern Pantanal is probably the best place in the world to see jaguars, but I still felt really privileged when this youngster calmly sat on the riverbank and allowed me to photograph her.

Young female Jaguar (Panthera onca)

It's also a superb place to watch giant river otters feeding.

Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) eating a fish.

Click here for photos of other wildlife from the northern Pantanal such as marmosets, tapirs and various reptiles and birds....
Beijing Buntings
4th March 2017
Thanks to Terry Townsend and John MacKinnon for an excellent trip to Lingshan yesterday. Lots of great birds including eagles, vultures, mandarin duck and chukar... shows what great wildlife can be found in Beijing province if you know where to look. My favourites were the two buntings below, which are both new species for me...

Godlewskis Bunting (Emberiza godlewskii) and Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides)
Japanese Snow Monkeys
27th - 28th January 2017
Just back from a ten day trip to Northern Japan starting with Joshinetsu Kogen National Park in the mountains of Honshu Island... home to Japanese Macaques, the most northerly monkeys in the world. They're also known as 'Snow Monkeys' and are famous for their habit of bathing in the natural hot springs.

Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata) bathing in a hot spring.
Wildlife of the Amazon Rainforest
25th - 29th July 2016
The amazon rainforest is one of the most famous wildlife locations in the world and it didn't disappoint. I stayed at a community-run eco-lodge in the flooded forest which is home to two highly endangered (and rather strange-looking) species, the Bald-headed Uacari and the Amazon River Dolphin. Of course I saw many other fascinating animals as well, click here for more photos...

Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)

Bald-headed Uacari (Cacajao calvus)
Wildlife of the Southern Pantanal, Brazil
10th - 14th July 2016
I started my Brazil expedition deep in the southern Pantanal surrounded by an amazing selection of wildlife including the boisterous but charming hyacinth macaws.
Click here for photos of other southern Pantanal wildlife....

Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
Hainan Spiders
4th -8th April 2016
From Sichuan I travelled south to a completely different habitat... the tropical rainforest of Hainan Island. I didn't see any large mammals, but it was teeming with insects and spiders including the Golden Orb-weaver shown below. The giant female is obvious enough, but can you spot the tiny male next to her?
Click here for more photos and the strange story of the Giant Orb-weavers....

Female and male Northern Golden Orb-weaver (Nephila pilipes)
Scary Monkeys on Mount Emei, China
31st March - 2nd April
My second stop in Sichan Province was Mount Emei, a sacred site for Buddhists but also home to endangered Tibetan Macaques. These are one of the largest species of monkey in Asia and can be very aggressive. The one below is threatening a rival who came too close, but one of the males also attacked me. Click here for the full story...

Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) fighting in the Emeishan mist.
Tangjiahe National Park, Sichuan Province, China
26th - 30th March 2016
Took a trip to Sichuan Province in search of some of the endangered mammals and birds that are reported to survive in China's central mountains. The first stop was Tangjiahe National Park, home of the impressive golden takin and many other fascinating mammals and birds.

Golden Takin (Budorcas taxicolor)

Click here for more photos from Tangjiahe ...

Okinawa Island, Japan
29th September - 3rd October
Spent four days on Okinawa, one of Japan's southernmost islands, where I photographed some of the superb wildlife living in the humid tropical rainforest in the undeveloped north of the island.

Okinawa Tree Lizard (Japalura polygonata) eating a caterpillar

Pellucid Hawk Moth (Cephonodes hylas) feeding on nectar

Endangered Ryukyu Leaf Turtle (Geoemyda japonica)

Click here for more photos from Okinawa ...

Sika Deer in Nara Park, Japan
Monday 28th September
Spent the day in Nara Park, Honshu Island, Japan. The park has a population of over 1000 Sika Deer which have been considered sacred since ancient times so they are not afraid of people. They are easy to approach and sometimes even wander into the town itself.

Young Sika buck in Nara Park

Sika Buck in Nara town
Endangered Snub-nosed Monkeys
Wednesday 23rd September
As part of a school trip to Yunan Province in south-western China, we spent a couple of days in the Hengduan Mountains supporting conservation of the critically endangered Black Snub-nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti).

Mother and baby feeding on lichen

Adult male displaying

Click here for more photos of Black Snub-nosed Monkeys ...

Wuyishan Mountains
3rd - 6th September
Spent three days trekking in the tropical forest of the Wuyishan Mountains, southern China. No mammals and the birds were very timid, but some superb invertebrates and lots of very cool Flying Frogs, using their webbed feet as parachutes to glide from tree to tree.

Chinese Flying Frog (Rhacophorus dennysi)

Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)

Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae sp.)

Click here for more photos from the Wuyishan Mountains ...

Indian Hare Painting
28th July 2015
I'm very honoured that the talented artist Lesley Ann has made a painting from one of my Indian Hare photos taken in Yala West National Park, Sri Lanka. Below is a scan of Lesley Ann's painting together with the original photo:

lesleyannspaintings.weebly.com

Successful Survey
4th June 2015
Spent the night surveying Median Farm Nature Reserve in Carmarthenshire following the conservation work we've been carrying out over the winter. Between us, Chris Manley, George Tordorff and myself recorded well over 100 species of moth as well as various other invertebrates many of which depend on this kind of work for their survival. (Click here for more photos from the survey)

Beautiful Golden Y (Autographa pulchrina)
Scarce Butterflies
31st May 2015
Good to see lots of rare Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies in the Alun Valley this morning following the winter conservation work we carried out to improve their habitat.
Pembrokeshire Parasites
9th April 2015
It looks like something out of an alien movie, but this is actually a noctuid caterpillar that's been infected by a virus which is starting to burst out of it's skin. (Click here for more details on how the virus controls it's prey.)

Infected Caterpillar, Cwm Soden Nature Reserve, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire Coast
24th December 2014
Spent Christmas Eve walking the Welsh Coastal Path from Pendine to Saundersfoot. Not a lot of wildlife in the cool winter sunshine, but superb views of the Pembrokeshire coastline.

Marros Sands, Pembrokeshire
Humiliating myself for Children in Need
November 14th 2014
In a moment of weakness I agreed to take part in 'Sponge a Teacher' for Children in need... a big mistake! (click here for more photos.)
Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions
October 2014
Just completed two excellent Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. Firstly 26 Bronze Award students who coped admirably with strong winds and driving rain to complete their challenge. (click here for photos)

... followed by 23 very capable Gold Award students who made light of their two days of trekking around Gower. (Click here for photos )
Welsh Amphibians and Reptiles
13th -14th September 2014
Attended an excellent course on the Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles this weekend, where I not only learnt about how these facinating animals live their lives but I also got the chance study them in the their natural habitat.
Click here for more photos...

Young Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) basking in the autumn sunshine
Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda
30th July - 1st August 2014
The final National Park on my trip to Uganda was Lake Mburo... another savannah reserve but this time with lots of thorn scrub providing cover for species such as eland, impala and topi.

Two male Topi fighting... the victor will win the exclusive right to mate with all the females in the herd!

(Click here for photos of a snake eating a gecko at Lake Mburo...)
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
27th - 30th July 2014
Finally reached the main objective of the trip... Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the far south-west of Uganda close to the borders of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. It took a rough four-hour drive followed by another four hours trekking through lush tropical forest on steep mountain slopes, and then suddenly I was standing 5 meters from a majestic silverback mountain gorilla! There followed a magical hour photographing him and his family as they foraged, played and groomed each other. More photos of Bwindi primates here...
Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
25th -27th July 2014
Queen Elizabeth National Park, my latest stop is another savannah reserve. It doesn’t have as much wildlife as Murchison but I still managed to get some nice shots of elephants, buffalo and crocodiles as well as an interesting catch on the camera trap I left outside my tent! Clips from the camera trap here…
Kibale National Park, Uganda
23rd - 25th July 2014
The latest stage in my Uganda trip was a tough twelve-hour drive south from Murchison Falls on rough, unmade roads to Kibale National Park deep in the rain forest. It was worth it though, as the change in habitat brought a whole new array of species including the enigmatic chimpanzees. Photos from a night trek in the rain forest here…
Murchison Falls, Uganda
21st - 23rd July 2014
My first stop in Uganda was Murchison Falls National Park in the north-west of the country. A very impressive area of lush green savannah surrounding the River Nile and teeming with wildlife including elephants, giraffes, lions, hippos and many species of bird. More photos here…

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) browsing

Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bullocki)
Belgrade Forest, Turkey
20th July 2014
Spent the morning in Belgrade Forest on the outskirts of Istabul. It’s a beautiful deciduous woodland site with lots of interesting wildlife including birds, butterflies, dragonflies and lizards.

Belgrade Forest

Balkan Wall Lizard (Podarcis tauricus)

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
DofE Expedition
4th - 7th July 2014
Congratulations to all the students who successfully completed their four day expedition in the Brecon Beacons this weekend despite thunderstorms, driving rain, hailstones and the local terrorist threat!

More photos from the expedition here....
Glowworm and Moth Walk
28th June 2014
Thanks to everyone who turned up for the walk Mike Bright and I led around Old Castle Down yesterday evening. Despite the poor weather forcast and late start time we had a great turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Mike managed to find an impressive total of five glowworms all shining brightly...

Female Glowworm (Lampyris noctiluca) shining to attract a mate

My two moth traps also produced a reasonable selection including four beautiful Small Elephant Hawkmoths (Deilephila porcellus). Click here to read a full report on the evening with more photos...
Wildlife you don't have to search for!
22nd June 2014
I usually have to search for hours to find animals to photograph, but on the Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition his weekend the wildlife came and found us... thousands of tiny midges following us around in swarms. Click here to read the full report with more photos including the affect these vicious little creatures had on my arm....

Midges (Culicoides sp.) biting my arm
Boring Brown Moths?
15th June 2014
The trouble with moths is that they're all boring brown things that just buzz around at night... or are they? This lovely creature is a Green Silver Lines I caught in the moth trap last night, more moth photos here...
Pembrokeshire Expedition
6th - 8th June 2014
Just returned from an exhausting Duke of Edinburgh Award Leaders assessment expedition in the Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire. Thanks to everyone for your support, especially Joe, Sara & Gemma. More photos here...
Rare Snakes and Spiders
29th May 2014
Just got back from a very wet but fascinating trip to Surrey where I met up with Matt Dowse from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, who showed me some of the work they're doing to conserve rare reptiles like this gorgeous smooth snake:
Click here to learn more about the trust...

Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca)

While we were there I was able to show Matt the equally rare Hackled Orbweb Spider which has only been able to survive thanks to the habitat management work the trust has carried out. Click here to read the full article about this strange spider...
Weird Wildlife at Home
6th June 2014
You don't have to travel to exotic locations to find strange wildlife. This is a female Daddy-long-legs Spider clutching her egg-sack in her teeth while suspended from my bathroom ceiling this morning.

Daddy-long-legs Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) with eggs
Generations of Moths
26th May 2014
Last summer I had hundreds of Buff-tip caterpillars devouring the hazel and oak in my garden. By the look of it at least some of them made it safely through the winter because this morning I found a pair making a start on the next generation. See photos of the Buff-tips in my garden here...
Sleeping Lepidoptera
17th May 2014
Butterflies and moths can be great subjects to photograph... but it's not easy when moths are mainly nocturnal and butterflies never seem to keep still. One answer is to photograph them while they're asleep. Read about my latest attempts here...
Endangered Duke
4th May 2014
I took a trip down to Noar Hill Nature Reserve in Hampshire this weekend in search of one of the most endangered british butterflies. The lovely Duke of Burgundy is in danger of becoming extinct in the UK with it's numbers having halved in the last ten years due to habitat loss. More about my visit to Noar Hill...
Beetle Mania!
26th April 2014
I went back to the Alun Valley today and saw lots of different types of beetle making the most of the spring sunshine. Click here for photos of Alun Valley beetles...
Early Spring Caterpillar
16th April 2014
Took a walk around the Alun Valley to check out the affect of the winter habitat management. It's looking great with a lot of violets in the area we cleared last year and one very small Dark Green Fritillary caterpillar doing it's best to destroy them!.

Dark Green Fritillary caterpillar (Argynnis aglaja)
Night Navigation
15th March 2014
Spent 8 hours on Saturday practicing navigtion for my Duke of Edinburgh Award qualification in the Brecon Beacons. Finished up at 10:00pm reading the map by a headtorch!. Hopefully it will come in handy when carrying out night searches for the rare Silurian Moth later in the year.
Good News for Marsh Fritillaries
27th February 2014
Spent a few hours working at Caeau Ffos Fach Nature Reserve, home of the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly this morning. Butterfly conservation arrange a series of working parties every year to clear invading scrub which threatens to shade out the caterpillar food plants. The good news is that there's been a big increase in the number of caterpillars recorded this year, so hopefully our work is paying off. Anyone interested in helping out, please get in touch with me via the contacts page.
Adders enjoying the Spring Sunshine
25th February 2014
Went for a walk with my parents around the Gower cliffs and saw two beautiful adders basking in the early spring sunshine. One was a large female beautifully camouflaged amongst the dead leaves and the other a tiny bright orange baby curled up in a ball about the size of a 2 pence piece! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera equipment with me so I had to rely on the phone for photos.