Sam Pyrah

Just as the birds fall quiet, my latest Substack on birdsong... open.substack.com/pub/timeonfe... #naturewriting

A Scottish toad enjoying the sunshine in Glen Tromie today. #cairngorms

Glorious Glen Feshie today. Walking, watching and learning. Sightings of Golden Eagle, Crossbill, Common Lizard and Pygmy Shrew.#scotlandbigpicture #rewilding

A pair of Heath Spotted Orchids

@wildflowerhour.bsky.social No helleborines but a lovely couple of Heath Spotted Orchids, along the boardwalk across the bog at Forsinard Flows in the far north of Scotland. #wildflowers

Kudos. This is the coffin I made for my resident spider

View over Abernethy Forest, in smoke filled air

It was like nightfall here earlier this evening. Smoke-filled yellow air… such devastation. 😞

@wildflowerhour.bsky.social Not an aquatic plant I’m afraid but this week’s exciting spot was a patch of twinflower - within walking distance of home - in the Cairngorms. Beautiful, but smaller than I’d imagined. #wildflowerhour

@ukrunchat.bsky.social I'm writing about getting older and slower and how we can still find joy and meaning in running in the absence of improvement/PBs. I'd love to hear any of your thoughts, runners. What motivates you once you're past your peak? #running

Yes, it worked really well.

Insects are dying: here are 25 easy and effective ways you can help protect them From turning out the lights to letting leaves rot, these small steps can create big changes at home or in the wild

So many easy wins here... great piece www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Feverfew in a pavement gap on a walk in Blackheath, where I was walking down memory lane (my old route to school) #wildflowerhour

The secret psychology of dogs and cats: do we ever really know what they are thinking? Pets have long been a source of comfort and companionship for humans. But are they really trying to console us when we’re distressed or do they just want their dinner?

My piece on dog (and cat) empathy for @theguardian.com heavily features my terrier Morris… www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

My first mountain bumblebee (Bombus monticola) seen today on Cairngorm plateau. On bird’s foot trefoil.

In my latest Substack, I wrote about trees as individuals, rather than as a species… #naturewriting #trees Find the link in my bio. Free to read!

Yes… and chilly, despite looking tropical!

Loch Garten, Scotland. Yes, really…

These two… friends for life

It was announced today by the European Commission that Coca-Cola will change some of its labelling practices to remove misleading recycling claims, after BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation and its members lodged a greenwashing complaint to the Commission in 2023 which we supported. (1/5)

Watching narrowly On losing yourself in nature...

Just published this month's Substack. It was Gilbert White, 18th-century naturalist, who coined the phrase 'watching narrowly'. I think he watched a lot more narrowly than me, but the zooming in on detail is what matters... #naturewriting timeonfeet.substack.com/p/watching-n...

One moment it’s bare twigs scratching the sky, the next, everything is coming into leaf. It can’t happen overnight, but it feels that way… #naturewriting

So the emotional tone is… controlling?!

We’ve got a pair nesting in an old steading right opposite the kitchen window. They are so industrious… and positive!

This is my dog-nephew, Dexter. He’s definitely trying to tell us something, but what? I’m writing a feature for the Guardian on to what extent we can read our dogs’ emotions. And what about cats? Thoughts appreciated 🐶 🐱

Cloud theatrics as the sun sinks tonight #cairngorms

An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Many authors have suggested that the negative effects of roads on animals are largely owing to traffic noise. Although suggestive, most past studies of the effects of road noise on wildlife were condu...

It is a thing... but it's not a good thing for the birds. It takes more energy to sing louder, in order to overcome traffic/urban noise, which means less energy for other things. This study found bird abundance dropped in response to road noise: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/....

Lochan Buidh on Cairngorm plateau

View from Cairngorm plateau under blue sky. Loch Morlich in distance.

Warm and still up on the Cairngorm plateau today. Even at 1200+metres! #walking

@privateeyenews.bsky.social shame on you for falling for the lies and misrepresentations of the gamebird/hunting lobbyists. Bring back Wild Justice!

Scots Pine tree with overlaid text including link to Substack

I've written about the depression that has waxed and waned for 3 decades on my Substack. Like the moon, it's currently waxing. It was impossible to write around the edges of it any longer; headlong seemed to be the only way. My Substack is 100% free. #depression #naturewriting #writingcommunity

Very disappointing. Depressingly in step with regressive global attitude to climate and biodiversity crises.

That’s good to hear, thanks 🙏