I have just written the line ‘A crack willow is a slo-mo Sisyphus.’ And for this I deserve the rest of the month off.

An evening of wonder chatting with @drmjwarren.bsky.social last night about his beautifully-written book THE CUCKOO'S LEA, at The Bookery in Crediton - discussing crows & owls, placenames & Anglo-Saxon Charters! Buy Michael's book here or from your local indy - www.bloomsbury.com/uk/cuckoos-l...

Lesser White-fronted Geese - framed ready for my exhibition. A flock of 24 painted at Ken Hill Marsh, Norfolk in Jan 2025 and one of the highlights of the year. @wildkenhill.bsky.social details jamesmccallum.co.uk

Bachman's Warbler was discovered by the Reverend John Bachman in 1832 on the Edisto River a few miles north of Jacksonborough, South Carolina. In 1833 John J. Audubon painted and named the species after his friend Bachman. The photograph from 1958 is one of the last observations before extinction.

Oh Norfolk

Pink-footed Geese arriving at dawn, North Norfolk - framed ready for my exhibition this weekend. Painted in sub-zero conditions and ice crystals have left their own marks in the watercolour washes

Our first sea swim this year was in March. Perhaps today’s will be our last, though the water is still frighteningly mild.

I’m not COPtimistic 😞

Memories of summer: knapweed broomrape seedhead (and leaves of next summer’s greater knapweed) on chalk above the northwest Norfolk coast.

Weather-wise, what a difference a day makes. I hope wherever you are, under whatever clouds, this can be a good week.

From Blakeney Point today for this week’s #wildflowerhour: thrift, common ragwort, common cat’s-ear and the seedheads of this summer’s sea kale.

I am living in such fear of what the Planning & Infrastructure Bill will mean if passes unamended into law. How then to speak for old trees, the bats who encircle it at night or the birds that live in this hedge? www.wildlifetrusts.org/all-you-need...

Sea glass on Blakeney Point today

‘I can well rember when every cottage had a horse shoe nailed on the door, and a stone with a hole through it. That was to bring them luck, and preevent Witches from hurting them.’ Legendary Norfolk poacher Frederick Rolfe quoted in I Walked by Night (edited by Lilias Rider Haggard)

I just added merlin to my ‘while having a widdle on the Point’ list

The worn remnants of Second World War defences, washed up on Blakeney Point. Lest we forget.

Geese in my gutters

I bought these old RSPB magazines for their CF Tunnicliffe cover pictures. They look so good together (with that delicious typeface!)

It’s an autumn thing 🍂 🍁

Some old photos of me - on different projects and trips, in different places - resurfaced today. Ten years have passed. Still scrawny. Still pretending to have a job, gazing at wild things.

Just one for this week’s #wildflowerhour: Buddleja davidii on the Victorian ramparts of the originally Norman @norwichcastle.bsky.social

First drake shoveler spinning circles on the pond. It is winter.

My very good friends at Felbeck Trust @felbecktrust.bsky.social have a fundraiser in November. They do wonderful work for nature with dedicated volunteers. It’s an honour to be their patron. If you’re in Norfolk please attend and support www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-evening...

This evening’s sunset from my North Norfolk front door

Where we were in October '22 with a pond suffocated by Crassula & Parrot's Feather & where we are today after 3 years' work! @themarshtit.bsky.social @ajaytegala.bsky.social @bramblebotanist.bsky.social @avalanchechris.bsky.social @steffanaquarone.bsky.social @robertbohan.bsky.social

I shall, most diligently, not nork

All my #wildflowerhour plants and fungi this week are from #NationalTrust properties: daisy and magpie inkcap at Blickling, yarrow and common ragwort at Oxburgh.

Scenes from a week of friends and finds

Life was so much easier when these flowers were in the genus Aster. But botanists gonna botanise and now I have to remember how to spell Symphyotrichum. Either way, sunset from my front door this evening 🌅

Post-coital willow emeralds on a life ring today

Worried wallaby (Hidden dragon)

A North Norfolk sunset this evening

Me too chair, me too

Friends! The story of Julia, Doris, Marguerite & me is 3wks old! Would love to get their incredible, forgotten story out there & into the hands of readers. People have said wonderful & generous things, including @sallycoulthard.bsky.social …1/2 #booksky #GhostsoftheFarm Grateful for a repost! x

Pigs’ breakfast. It’s getting harder and harder to forage fresh food for them in the garden and on the common.

Front

Two headlines: 1. Record rise in atmospheric CO2. +2 degrees C by 2050. 2. People can now sext with AI chat bots. Three conclusions: 1. Am I the only one who - if that’s humanity - wonders whether he’s human? 2. Our extinction is not far off. 3. We richly deserve it.

Mid-October on the River Wensum 🦢 🍂

October haws (to a soundtrack of pinkfeet, brents, curlews and redshank) on the north Norfolk coast. Good things to you all this week x

This evening’s sunset from my front door. Good things to you this Saturday x

Hugh is passionate, delightful and indomitable. His many books will be on sale and this will be GOOD.

While preparing a talk, I just stumbled across this clip of nightingale, cuckoo, turtle dove, robin and chiffchaff singing in north Norfolk last year. Winter is daunting and conservation is relentless bad news… but for this you keep on fighting.

We have been described as "THE BEST NGO THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT" Please help by following us & reposting!!!

Every day they loudly ask me for breakfast. And every day I quietly explain to them that they’ve got the wrong guy.

Wild apples are a lottery. This one was amazing. More often than not, as my Norfolk great-grandfather used to say, they ‘bring your arse up to your elbow.’ P.S. I just heard a brambling, second on my patch this autumn, and pinkfeet are yapping over, bound for maize.

If you’re near RSPB Titchwell on the 11/12 October in the afternoon pop in and catch my video/photo presentation about RSPB Snettisham, and it’s free😀

Trans limpet, innit. Look it up, haters.