30 August

26 August

In light of all that is going on in regard to the relationship between Canada and “that place south of the border” I felt it necessary to make it quite clear where I stand.

22 July

We found a snake ...

But I'll be back ...

The long read: Intensive farming has all but destroyed England’s ancient woodlands and freshwater wetlands. On a farm in Lincolnshire a radical aristocrat hopes to show there’s money in protecting nat...

5 July

Considering the wildlife and plants we live near, yet often overlook, the environment and wildlife gardening. Regular posts and a longer article on Sundays. Click to read Whilst Out Walking, a Substac...

Noticing Nature

7 May

29 May - a book suggestion, a charitable experiment and a sophisticated drink

22 May - a weekly update from a corner of the fens

No 9: 8 May

Leaving Something Behind - A Garden Planted.

Trail into the forest

A Northern Flicker has returned to the garden perhaps a month ahead of the normal schedule - right in the middle of a snowstorm. These are primarily ground feeders ... that could be a problem.

Follow this link ...

Sunday 15 February Out and About This week started as the one before left off, overnight temperatures below -20C and not much warmer during daylight. Then mid week, as temperatures started to rise slightly we had a snow fall that required shoveling of fresh paths for me to get across the garden and full up the seven or bird feeders. It’s been strange this winter, because while we have not really had the usual mega-dump of snow even once, we have all been worrying about climate change.

Wednesday 11 February This week’s birds area eagerly awaited, I am sure ,simply because owls draw bigger crowds sometimes to their detriment) than pretty well any other birds. Everyone wants to see Owls. Whenever the nearby Arboretum organises a night-time "owl prowl" it is guaranteed to be sold out within days of announcement while visitors regularly ask where they can see these wonderful birds.

Sunday 8 February Coming Next Week: Last week, following a week which for various reasons did not include a whole lot of walking, I wrote a longer piece than usual about just one species, the Northern Cardinal. It has proved to be gratifyingly popular. Some years ago, spurred by a naturalist in England, I used an old-fashioned blog to share a photo of a new species of bird, mammal, fungus or flower each day.

Introduction to the basics of identifying pigeons, doves and cuckoos

De-Googling Your Life - Opt for Privacy

A Congregation of Cardinals

Snowy Owl

Citizeen science and raccoons

A model for people in other communities who are seeking ways to make their local environment healthier.

If the US no longer wants tp lead, Canada will.

A brief introduction to identification #birds #birding #shorebirds

Getting into nature #nature #conservation

There’s always something to see, even in January … and to read at the end, a tale about bears and another about dolphins. ** Please follow this link to read the post on my Substack

I shied away from this at first because the whole concept of “sacredness” makes me shudder … but if we could find an alternative word without the religious overtones then this makes a lot of sense. Perhaps sacrosanct or inviolable ? Quote: "I started thinking about sacredness as a conservation tool because of yet another fine article by Fred Pearce at…

Small things matter, as the article to which this link will lead you, demonstrates:

The following is a direct quote from an excellent Substack readers might like to follow (link at the end). It's just nice. QUOTE: Four days ago, I opened this newsletter with a story about a Miffy snowman in the Netherlands. Someone knocked off the bunny’s ears late at night. Police officers stopped, restored both ears, and drove away. Nobody would have known if a doorbell camera hadn’t caught them.

I have posted an overview of Raptors (birds of prey) on my Substack site - you can read it by following this link -

On enthusing people about nature - especially kids

Cottontail rabbit in the snow #rabbit #snow #garden

97 Garden Bird Species During 2025 #birds #birding #garden #gardenbirds

Follow the link to read about a year of garden birding (2025)

In the early days of January, the following commentary appeared in the Globe & Mail.  Book reading is a mode of reasoning that society should promote above many other skills. It is not a pastime, it is a training ground. According to Marshall Mcluhan, “Print is the technology of individualism.” So a book is not just a container of ideas: Reading is a technology that shapes the mind.

Look what the wind blew in - Montreal today. I'll not be going to see this poor creature, close as it is - I must have seen hundreds of real Euro-Robins on my life list already and I have little wish to add to the crowds of birds that will be crossing the continent to see this sad stray. I doubt it will survive for long, if something doesn't eat it the January cold will slow it down. Nevertheless - a nice tick for somebody. Heaven knows how it got here.

... or Bullrush, or Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia) There is a wetland area where I went looking for birds in the snow this morning. Most of the wetland is a shallow pond that is being gradually taken over by Cattails and this specimen called to me to take its portrait. And I did so, a large Raven flew lowish overhead, calling two another than answered for a good distance to the north.

A introduction to Waterfowl #bird #birding #ducks #geese

Noticing Nature and Darwin #science #nature #observation

This is a rather bizarre, but also extremely good, "Eco Fantasy" film. Using the life cycle of wild salmon to explain the threats to the species from nature, from predators but also from human activity. In the film, the salmon are replaced by tiny animated humans conveying, rather heavy handedly, the threats both to us and caused by us, from our environment depredations.

Neighbourhood Nature for a New Year Sunday 4 January If a child, or an adult if it comes to that, rarely goes outside to experience the natural world, what does it matter to them if billions of birds and plants continue to disappear from our planet - as they are doing? If we are familiar with our local environment then the more likely it becomes that we will care for it and work to preserve it.

Natural sculpture in the bird garden. #art #birds #conservation

Hope for a new year #poetry #Hardy

Orchids, Asparagus etc. Welcome to the Whilst Out Walking Parallel Universe. This post mirrors today's newsletter on the Substack site ( with a little something extra at the end for those of you who have found their way to this location. This is the most recent post in a series that has been running for several weeks and which provides a very simplified introduction to the main families of Flowering Plants.