Thank you for visiting my website (which works best on a computer screen, rather than a mobile). It gives details of my writing and wildlife watching, with a few of my nature photos included.
My latest book, The Everyday Guide To British Wildlife, an RSPB/Bloomsbury title, is an illustrated guide for nature enthusiasts describing our common and widespread species, from mammals, reptiles and amphibians to insects, fish and coastal life. Illustrated with colour photographs, it aims to help people put a name to species and learn more about their lives. Published in May 2025, it is a companion title to my previous RSPB/Bloomsbury book, The Everyday Guide to British Birds, which came out in a second edition in 2024. Few And Far Between, published by Bloomsbury and a Guardian Nature Book of the Year, tells of my adventures on the trail of Britain's rarest animals - everything from the scarce spiny seahorse and elusive Scottish wildcat to the majestic basking shark, bizarre Bechstein's bat and beautiful Duke of Burgundy butterfly. My first book, While Flocks Last, is an account of my travels in search of threatened UK birds on the national 'Red List'. Published by Transworld (Penguin Random House), it was described as 'totally compelling... a classic of its kind' by the Sunday Telegraph. I have been a journalist for more than thirty years, working for local, regional and national newspapers in the UK and overseas, and am currently Editor of the South West regional daily newspaper the Western Morning News. I am a Guardian Country Diary contributor and have written wildlife features for national newspapers and magazines, such as The Independent, RSPB Nature's Home and BBC Wildlife magazine, and appeared in short segments on BBC TV series Springwatch and Coast talking about wildlife. I was longlisted for the National Poetry Prize 2020 and a finalist in the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2023. I live on Dartmoor, Devon, and conduct free community wildlife talks and walks. |