House sparrow and wood pigeon

Here are two of our most familiar birds. They are magnificent. Sadly the house sparrow is now increasingly rare and is endangered. There are many theories why this once familar bird has vanished, but nothing conclusive can be proved. I suspect that loss of nesting places and domestic cats may be the cause. Young sparrows are all too frequently caught by marauding felines.

Juvenile Starling

Oh what joy; A baby starling

Young Goldfinch

Roman Silchester

Roman Silchester; still hauntingly beautiful after 1400 years of abandonment! The atmosphere in the ampitheatre is still perfect.....you can almost hear the pounding of hooves and the screams of wounded men....and the cheering, jeering crowds baying for more....Silchester now is a peaceful place where wildlife and the wind compete for peace....Enjoy it, dream it. Come with me on a magical journey.

Graylings and Silver Studded Blues

Here are two of my favourite creatures......one of them, the elusive banded grayling, is truly a butterfly with personality and vanishing tendencies......find them while you can...

More Silver Studded Blues and Small Blue

Silver Studded Blue Roosting

I found this blue, and several others, roosting in the long grass on Yateley common. With each passing year, ths butterfly fades away from our memory even as it disppears from the heaths. With its complex ecology - (associated with an ant which needs heather of a certain length)- the blue quickly vanishes if the bell heather gets too long. Lack of grazing since 1940 has led to the heaths becoming overgrown.....and the butterfly has all but gone. See it while you can.