Author name: AllisonHill

Plenty to See in the Pantanal

Wildlife Watching /

A great trip to the Pantanal in 2017 inspired us to return. Our gang of 4 wildlife watchers set off in mid-September. Naturally my greatest hope was to see lots of jaguars, plus the amazing variety of animals and birds to be found in this great landscape of Brazil.

After a slightly irritating flight delay, we arrived at our first destination –  South Wild Pantanal Lodge on the banks of the Pixaim River. We spent just over 2 days with a mix of walks and boat trips. Although we didn’t see jaguars, we did see lots of capybaras – which I am really fond of – capuchin and howler monkeys, caimans and a whole array of birds.

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Roars of Pride

Poems /

Celebrating England Women  winning the Euros, 2025

Our lionesses now rightfully reign,
Making history, they’ve won the Euros again.
Sarina’s grand plan proved to be right,
As they pulled themselves through a nail-biting fight.

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Utterly Lovely Lynx

Wildlife Watching /
Finding these felines in Southern Spain

For most of my life when I’ve thought of Spain, Barcelona, bars and beaches have come to mind. My parents had a flat in Denia for many years, so holidays there, plus visits to friends in Sitges in more recent times, fuelled that rather limited view. I have now finally found that Spain has the most amazing nature reserves. And in certain places you can even spot the most elegant wild cats imaginable: lynx.

I had the thrill of seeng lynx in Andujar Natural Park in January with my usual great gang of wildlife watching friends. Iberian lynx used to be fairly common in Spain and Portugal but, as with lots of wildlife, their numbers diminished through habitat destruction, disease, hunting and road accidents. At one time they were on the verge of extinction; thanks to conservation efforts, they are now listed by the IUCN as vulnerable – a small but significant improvement. Spotting them would be a challenge, but we were optimistic.

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Lots to See in Sri Lanka

Wildlife Watching /

Visiting Sri Lanka, I enjoyed seeing wonderful wildlife and some truly amazing iconic temples.

It had never occurred to me to visit Sri Lanka until one of my wildlife watching mates suggested it. Until then, I just knew Sri Lanka was once called Ceylon and is famous for tea. Not that I drink tea. After a trip there in October, I can tell you it is well worth a visit – both for wildlife viewing and cultural sightseeing.

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