I am on my bike cycling to Duncliffe woods, the sky is a changeable hue of black and blue and I am bracing myself for a downpour. It is early Saturday morning and I am hoping to get there before the crowds who come to savour the bluebell display at its best. Duncliffe Woods is …
The sun is out, the wind has dropped and despite the frost the lovely cool air calls me outside. There is something about the light today which has changed. I get togged up, grab my camera and throw my binoculars over my shoulder, excited by what I might see today. But a huge disappointment crept over …
Although I find it difficult to assign any favourite species, swifts are certainly my most favourite bird, and each year I mark their arrival and then their departure. It is the 29th April and I have seen my first swift of 2016. Looking back at my records this is the earliest I have ever seen …
It is the beginning of March and I am taking my usual walk up on top of the Cranborne Chase, a high area of rolling chalk grassland which marks the border between Dorset and West Wiltshire where each year it is possible to see up to a dozen or so hares. I have left it …
It has just gone midnight. The air is warm and still and there is the sound of gentle raindrops caressing the ground outside. Male tawny owls are issuing their haunting calls, vying for their territories and distant blackbirds are singing. It is a secret magical time. I feel at peace with the world, it has …
After another long bus ride I am sitting in a café in the hot, dusty desert town of Nazca. It is mid-late afternoon. There are flowering acacia trees, Latin music blasting from every corner of the plaza, political banners and demonstrations, car horns and hundreds of people enjoying their Saturday. This is what I love …
Two weeks ago, I was in Lima working with a team of British and Peruvian environmental scientists and tourism specialists. We are working on sustainability, green growth and green economy transitions in ground transport, tourism and coastal industries in Peru. Following an intense but very productive week, I had two free days before my flight home; …
Today is the first day of the year that I have been free to just sit and enjoy my spring garden. Off work, time to think, time to reflect and time to soak up the healing rays of sunshine. Having time is such a precious thing. There is lots more going on than I thought: blue …
An uneventful trip back to Medan is followed by a further seven days of travel, of meetings and of forming new elephant conservation research partnerships. The first is a trip to Banda Aceh to meet colleagues at the Universitas Syiah Kuala. Banda Aceh is a clean and bright coastal town famous for the 2004 tsunami which was the first …
Heavy rain and thunder overnight leaves the air dense with humidity. Mandy, Ross and I are to trek north through the old, overgrown logging trails. We dress and pack accordingly but as we set off, I decide that today I would let them trek with the guides and I would go alone to explore the …
Rewilding journeys 