NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

This blogging lark has hidden depths, one of them being the privilege of connecting with fellow bloggers in a far deeper way than just reading what they write and leaving the odd comment on their blog. I have, over the years, met up with several of them and corresponded on a more personal level with a few more. One of them was Dylan Wrathall. His blog 'Of Esox and observations' was a regular stop off of mine. At first glance it seemed to be mainly about fishing, something that I have not taken part in since I was a surly teenager being dragged along to a riverbank by my Dad and fishing brothers. But Dylan's reputation went far beyond that of an angler as he was a well-known Kent birder, who for a time tore across the county in pursuit of year list records, so I knew that there would be a fair number of ornithological nuggets to find, particularly from his home in Dumpton. And together with the posts about birds you'd also find those dealing with moths, butterflies, ins...

Blogs. One of the great things about them is that they vary so much. In the 'natural history' department of blogland we have the 'went there, seen that' type; the photographic showcase; the site specific and the stream of consciousness variety. There is a place for them all, but I enjoy mostly the latter. These blogs are like lucky dips - you just don't know what the post is going to be about and whether or not you will be informed, entertained, annoyed or delighted (or, at times, all four!). I still lament the demise of Gavin Haig's ' Not Quite Scilly ' but I have a replacement, and that is Dylan Wrathall''s ' Of Esox and observations '. You can access it quickly by clicking here. Dylan might rock a few boats and could be accused of telling it like it is, shooting from the hip, posting before thinking about the consequences and being provocative, but this is all good in my book. It shows that he cares, that he has an active mind and th...

A grey, drizzly morning spent at Canons Farm. It was not without interest, as a smart immature male Common Redstart brightened up the gloom and a single Common Snipe circled before alighting in one of the larger fields (hiding amongst the unharvested flax). After that bit of ornithological adrenaline, I stood with David 'Devilbirder' Campbell in an increasingly heavy drizzle, both trying desperately to summon something of note from the low cloud. Apart from the odd Meadow Pipit and Swallow, a couple of Mallards were the only thing to disturb us. After four hours of that, I was off to the comfort of live football on the TV and several mugs of coffee. Please welcome my latest 'worthy blog' - Dylan Wrathall's Of Esox & observations . Do not be fooled into thinking that his blog is entirely about fishing (although his posts on the subject are well worth your time). Here is a birder with plenty of thoughts about the natural world, and how we engage in it. His photo...