Monthly Archives: December 2015

Happy Christmas from Shetland

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Jon Dunn

So another year draws to a close. It’s been something of a rollercoaster for me, with some giddy, jolly highlights and, inevitably, their counterpoints. I think this year of all years I’ve come to realise the personal value of the natural … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2015, christmas, shetland | 4 Comments

Colombian hummingbirds – part 2

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Jon Dunn

The second stage of my recent first visit to Colombia took me to the Santa Marta mountains in the north-east of the country. These mountains are high, remote, and ancient – surely happy hunting grounds for fans of endemic species … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged black-backed thornbill, buffy hummingbird, colombia, coppery emerald, hummingbirds, jon dunn, lazuline sabrewing, pro-aves, red-billed emerald, santa marta blossomcrown, santa marta mountains, santa marta woodstar, sapphire-bellied hummingbird, shining-green hummingbird, tc boyle, white-tailed starfrontlet | 3 Comments

Colombian hummingbirds – part 1

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Jon Dunn

My recent trip to Colombia was made, principally, in order to spend some time in the isolated Santa Marta mountains in the north-east of the country. These ancient mountains – much, much older than the Andes – have stood alone on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blue-throated starfrontlet, bronze-tailed thornbill, colombia, glowing puffleg, golden-bellied starfrontlet, green-bearded helmetcrest, indigo-capped hummingbird, jardin encantado, jon dunn, observatorio de colibries | 5 Comments

Auroras and shooting stars

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Jon Dunn

It’s quite a night outside tonight. One of those dreamlike, rare Shetland evenings that come so infrequently in December. I’ve just come inside after a couple of hours wandering around Skaw drinking it all in. It’s still and clear out … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged meteors, shetland, shooting stars, whalsay | 2 Comments

A Whalsay selkie

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Jon Dunn

We’ve two species of seals here in Shetland, Grey and Common (or Harbour) Seals. Common Seals have their pups in the height of the summer – pups that are, within hours of birth, swimming in the open sea with their … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged grey seal, pup, shetland | Leave a comment

Rufous Turtle Dove in Shetland

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Jon Dunn

Today was all about expeditions. Back in Colombia, my good friend Diego Calderon was setting off today to trek deep into the Santa Marta mountain range, up into the remotest areas of paramo, seeking the almost mythical Blue-bearded Helmetcrest. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged rufous turtle dove, scalloway, shetland | Leave a comment

Of hummingbirds and Pablo Escobar’s hippos

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Jon Dunn

If a long section of the road that runs through the Colombian department of La Guajira from Santa Marta to Riohacha looks a little like a runway, then that’s because this is exactly what it was not so very long … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged colombia, hippos, la guajira, pablo escobar, riohaca | 1 Comment