Sometimes, just sometimes, I travel for pleasure and not just for work. My wife and I have travelled a lot within Europe and further adventures out to Africa, India and Asia. We've even had a 5-week tour of New Zealand. However, my wife has always had a desire to go on holiday in the Caribbean. I have always resisted the urge.

Over the last two decades I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe and United States, all in search of new customers, new birds, or both. It has taken me to some great places such as the below sea level Salton Sea in Southern California, the Texas Blackland Prairie, Rio Grande Valley and the central Florida wetlands in the USA.

Here I reflect on birdwatching experiences during work trips to Sweden, highlighting sightings of various rare birds such as the Alpine Chough, Baltimore Oriole, and Great Grey Owl. Frustration over missing photography opportunities is evident, alongside memorable moments like observing cranes and close encounters with species like Bearded Reedlings and Thrush Nightingales.

I have been travelling to Netherlands for work for now more than a dozen years. Most of those trips will have involved a trip to Texel and had opportunity to get some birding done, either before work or after. During that time I have connected a few decent birds both on Texel & the mainland too. Here is a selection of some of my favourites.

After nearly twenty years as a Regional Sales Manager for Opticron, my role involves extensive travel across the UK and Europe, often missing home and family. Despite the demanding nature of my job…

Once thought of as the Holy Grail of birds to be seen in the UK, and famously called a Cosmic Mind F*cker by Bill Oddie in his Little Black Bird Book; Siberian Rubythroat is still one of the most sought after birds for the majority of birders in Britain. There have been less than 20 records of the bird being observed in the UK and they are mainly in far-flung islands or inaccessible one-day birds.

A growing collection of sunrise, sunset, moon, blue hour and night sky shots

Off out to dinner at the beautiful village of Castara on Tobago and was struck by the setting sun over the Caribbean