Some things I’ve been thinking about lately: life in the city, nature trips, this year’s endless summer, and the climate crisis we live in, consciously or not.

The end of May marked my first full year of bird photography, and I spent it on the Isle of May, Scotland, photographing all the seabirds I had always dreamt of seeing one day.

This is the story of my first-ever encounter with puffins on the Isle of May, Scotland. As such, it’s also the story of how stereotypes don’t work, not even when they’re about puffins.

Birding is special, pervasive, transformative. It’s not just about spotting birds and photographing them. It takes over everything you see or do, it changes the way you look at all things around you.

Sunrise always catches you off guard, however you anticipate it in your head. Early morning, I went for a lake swim.

Brno reservoir at its prettiest. I went on a long lake swim at twilight, and it was beautiful.

Birds: this is pretty much what this summer has been all about. I’ve only been photographing birds all summer, so birds are also what I mostly get to write about.

I’ve planned a sunrise trip to Mohelno Serpentine Steppe, but for a few eternal seconds I’m not sure I know what I’m doing.