My Local Wildlife: A Goldfinch and a Stag Beetle

I know these aren't the best wildlife photographs - the one at the top was taken with a camera phone and the one to the right was taken quickly from my kitchen window - but at least I managed to get snaps of some of the wildlife I've seen in my town.

A pair of goldfinches have been regular visitors to my garden since early this spring. In this photo one of them is nibbling at a flower head, but they usually seem to like my silver birch tree around breakfast time.

I saw the stag beetle lying on his back, wiggling his legs in the air and looking very much in trouble, so I righted him and sent him on his way. He gave me a little nip to the finger as I did so, but I expect he didn't realise I was trying to help him.

People sometimes ask me if I find it difficult to be a nature-worshipping pagan while living in London. My answer is that there is no shortage of nature in the city, you just have to be aware of it.