The quest for woodpeckers continues. Now leaves are on the trees, birds are more often than not obscured by foliage. There are two types of woodpecker: One you can photograph easily and one you can’t. Greater-spotted Woodpeckers are generally quite obliging; they are frequently seen on garden feeders and will follow you about when you invade their territories. Conversely, the Green Woodpecker is terribly shy and when spooked, will fly not just to the next tree, but to the next group of trees, half a mile away. Its just a big game to the woodpecker and so frustrating when you trudge the distance and arrive only to see it fly off back again.

The short answer is to find the actual nesting hole, set up a hide and wait for the woodpecker to come to you. This approach has produced good results with Greater-Spotted, but I have so far been unsuccessful with the recalcitrant Greens. I have however, observed them regularly in a particular wooded area and am trying to locate the nest. There are certainly plenty of trees with holes, but none with the telltale sawdust below. I found some woodpeckers nesting at Gaitbarrows, Cumbria and waited while the resident pair of Greater-Spotted woodpeckers disappeared off into the forest. Seizing the opportunity, a hide of logs and branches was quickly improvised around the base of a tree opposite, and I settled down to await developments. Three hours later, the wait proved justified as the pair returned home, unaware of their temporary neighbour.

The beautiful, delicate arctic tern, such a pretty sight. These charming birds welcome visitors to their island home with an elegant, fluttering display followed by a ferocious stab in the skull. Access to the island is directly through the nesting colony and  though they are small, they can certainly draw blood. Ask Carol.

This visit coincided with a college field trip; it was great to meet up with fellow students. The most obvious difference from last year was the reduced number of puffins and the lack of sandeels in their bills. This is due to major overfishing of this species: Danish trawlers take them for processing into fertiliser, a ridiculous misuse of resources. This is rapidly becoming a major tragedy for the poor puffins and the increasing chasm in the food chain leaves some big questions about the future of the Farne colonies. A grim prospect indeed.

No longer a native species, a few of these European Eagle owls have escaped captivity and are now breeding in the Bowland Fells. Visitors have reported their dogs missing....   

These Bowland birds are virtually impossible to photograph in the wild, but Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling, provides an excellent alternative in 'Smeagle', the Eagle Owl. We had often passed this way, always meaning to stop but never quite managing in our haste northwards. On this occasion, we made the time and were rewarded with fine weather and good photo opportunities. This is a well appointed safari park containing a good variety of species, the highlight for us being the beautifully located falconry display run by Dave and Glenn. Set by an idyllic Loch, the mountains and forest provide a quintessential Highland backdrop. Here fly raptors, including an immature, but full-sized, White-tailed Sea Eagle, whose party trick involves diving into the loch for a lure; all very spectacular and a lot less hassle than going to Skye or Mull. Highly recommended.

This years 'big trip' found us taking the 12 hour crossing to the Shetland Islands, as remote a destination as you can go in the British Isles and were rewarded with two weeks of fine weather. As near to Norway as they are to the British mainland, these islands have a unique flavour and a feeling of remoteness. Here we found a friendly islanders, a genuine sense of wilderness and a great variety of wildlife - Shetland is famous for it;s seabird population and is the southerly breeding limit for several Arctic species. Here are some of the biggest seabird colonies in Britain - magnificent gannets, enchanting Arctic terns, endearing puffins and the infamous 'bonxie', or Great Skua. For us, the highlight was to watch and photograph the hunting behaviour of Arctic Skuas, which chase and rob Artctic terns of their catch: Surely one of the most spectacular wildlife events. Our visit really uncovered the tip of the iceberg - with long hours of daylight and so much potential for photography, we are determined to return again to what must be one of the ultimate destinations for British wildlife.