Notes on the content of the site:
I've called this site 'Pulchritudo in natura', or 'beauty in nature'. So, perhaps that's what I'd like to try and show, as far as limited talents allow. These days I mostly photograph birds, although other occasional animal, plant etc. might get a look-in. Oh, and fungi, I do love them, so transient yet so beautiful, much like my own looks!

Of course, landscapes can be stunning too, so I'll put a few in, although they only work well, I feel, as large wide printed images, not on constrained computer screens, phones and the like.

In keeping with the 'Pulchritudo in natura' ethos all images are taken 'in the wild' by hand, by me. No zoos, no wildlife 'parks', bird sanctuaries etc, where tame animals and birds 'give themselves up'. Equally I do not use contrived 'artificial' backgrounds or faked situations. The most I will do is wrap up in camo sometimes and lay in a ditch or similar (who doesn't!), but that's it. I especially strive not to do anything to harm, disturb or alarm any bird, if I can't get a picture by fair means, then so be it. I'll try another day. Neither do I use remote, timed or automatically triggered cameras, my finger is on the button every time, so to speak. Of course, that might be what's going wrong!

This site is not intended as record of rarities, this is why I have selected the humble Chaffinch to kick things off.

A note on the images:
The images shown here have been adapted in some way from their original to make them suitable for display on a website. I always try to compose a picture to suit the subject, not to fit a particular aspect ratio. This obviously works fine where a print can be made to any format you want (think guillotine!) long and thin, fat and wide etc. Electronic screens come in a few fixed aspect ratios and this compromises the original desires. As said above this is most destructive with landscapes, but all suffer to some extent.

Secondly, all the final images shown here are reduced from the original size to 2500px wide, as well as jpeg compressed. This degrades them obviously but is it necessary mainly to reduce loading time and server-side storage to minimise my costs, I wish there was another way.

A note on the notes !
Most UK bird species shown here are presaged by little historical 'bon mots'. I hope these are interesting, For these I have drawn deeply from a number of old texts.

      Rev. Charles Swainson's 'The folk lore and provincial names of British Birds' of 1885. This is excellent scholarship, and a view into different times and attitudes too, well worth perusing.

      Rennie's 1833 'The domestic Economy of Birds' is also worth a look, especially if you have indegestion.

      William Thompson's 'The Natural History of Ireland' 1849. A wealth of lovely old tales and anecdote from the 'emerald isle'.

      The last (at the moment) is, of course, the much more well-known Thomas Bewick's 1826 'A history of British Birds'.

I confess I find insights into earlier accepted ideas, beliefs, and folklore truly interesting, but hey, perhaps I'm weird. All these books can be found on Internet Archive. For those that prefer 'hardcopy' I imagine, they are available from most 'reprint on demand' services such as those offered via Amazon.

A note on the website itself:
I simply have no money to spend on professional web-designers, coders, ready-made, or pre-formed web designs (my money goes on taxes, taxes, camera kit, more taxes, bottles of red 'sanity restorer', other sorts of taxes, involuntary donations to His Majesty's Government, payments to Adobe and, probably, taxes on the taxes). At this point I cede to the late great Terry Pratchett who wrote "Taxation is just a sophisticated way of demanding money with menaces."

SO, this website has been bent and hammered, drilled and filled, kicked and beaten into existence (amongst much profanity) by myself to my own design using code ideas, advice, clues and bits from the interwebs (legally). So it's crude and clunky, just like me, but I think it all (mostly) works. I've learned so much my head aches, or mebbe that's just last night's bourbon. This website therefore either stands in support of the adage "you're never too old to learn new tricks" or, more likely, the quip "don't give up the day job".

It is hosted privately, and I do have to pay for that, but no advertising or that sort of carp.

Yeah, but why is this site actually here?:
I have no idea on that one, sorry! Is it vanity, mebbe, who knows. I enjoy creating picture of things I find uplifting, or beautiful I suppose, that's a start. Perhaps others might find something similar in some of them. What are the odds?

So, I take pictures of things I am lucky enough to see (while carrying a lot of camera gear ) and wonder if they're worth sharing. Only you can tell that.

Of course, it is also true that I do spend a considerable amount of time taking and editing pictures (we will come on to this in a methods section much later). I look at some of my images and go 'aaaaarh' (99.999% of course evoke urrgh). And that's it, I see them, now you can too, and may your cup runneth over with joy!

Have we found out why yet? No. I clearly still have no idea, but I suppose it does provide some sort of an excuse to carry on doing what I do. Look it's this or knitting, and I aint got the patience for that. Besides I'd put an eye out.

A note on the author:
I mean there's not much to say is there really, and more to the point, who really gives a ..........? Look here's a picture: owing to legal advice it has been deliberately blurred to limit public outrage. The background. of course. is part of the beautiful archipelago of Shetland. Do go there sometime, no ifs or buts, just go.



I am now retired after serving as a Senior Research Fellow in Ecology and Remote Sensing (and eclectic blend I admit) at Cranfield University, followed by a lot more years as a freelance consultant. Since then I have returned to a much earlier life experience in photography, although things have changed a lot in nearly 50 years!

That's all, more than, anybody really needs to be exposed to, but If you still want to know more you could seek some sort of professional help. If the drugs they give you don't work, then I guess you could use the contact page link at the bottom of the page. I am more than happy to answer any real questions.