When I set a number of wildlife-related ‘Nature Quest‘ challenges for myself at the beginning of this year, I did not initially list discovering my local wildlife patch as one of them. Instead, it developed almost accidentally over the year as I used my local green spaces to take breaks from my work, get fresh … More Nature Quest: Discovering my local patch
‘Why do birds have to wake up so early?’ I thought, groaning as my alarm went off at what surely was not a time of the morning at which humans should be awake. After a busy week of work, a 4:30am start on a Saturday morning was not quite what I wanted, but it was … More Nature Quest: Listening to the Dawn Chorus
A couple of weeks ago I managed to complete a second ‘Nature Quest‘ challenge as part of my efforts to fill 2014 with more wildlife and outdoor adventures. After successfully watching winter wildfowl and waders as my first Nature Quest adventure, I decided to continue the theme with some more wetland and coastal birds as … More Nature Quest: Visit a new reserve
It’s that time of year again when I look back at my wildlife experiences over the past 12 months and look ahead to what the new year might bring. Last year I reviewed my wildlife highlights of 2012, and the year before I looked at my year in wildlife in 2011. I’ve had more great … More Nature Quest: discovering nature in 2014
After what has been a pretty decent summer in the UK this year, recent weeks have given us the first real taste of autumn. This has mostly been a benign combination of cooler temperatures and beautiful crisp, misty mornings, but two weeks ago the first autumn storm rolled in, with a cloudy morning giving way … More Birdwatching whatever the weather
My boyfriend and I recently made our first ever visit to RSPB Ynys-hir, a fantastic reserve on the south side of the Dyfi estuary in Wales, and the venue for the BBC’s Springwatch series. After getting some great views of ospreys in flight up the road at the Dyfi Osprey Project, we arrived at Ynys-hir … More Spring at RSPB Ynys-hir
Back in March I wrote about that strange time of year when it’s not quite winter any more, but still not yet spring. Well, now it’s very much the time when there are hints of autumn just around the corner, and yet pieces of summer can still linger on and make you feel that – … More A last bit of summer at RSPB Dungeness
The other week I was lucky enough to join a Bristol Naturalists’ Society walk to RSPB Highnam Woods in Gloucestershire in search of that master of song, the nightingale. I’d never actually heard a nightingale before – they’re sadly quite a rare thing these days. There is so much history and folklore surrounding these special … More A nightingale sang
Over Easter I managed to visit family in Kent and take a walk at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, a lovely reserve on the edge of Sevenoaks, owned by the Kent Wildlife Trust. After some glorious warm weather the week before, spring appeared to have been put on hold temporarily, and the day had turned out rather … More An Easter walk
It’s a funny time of year. Everywhere you look, there are tantalising glimpses of spring being just around the corner – indeed, I was writing the notes for this blog while sitting in the sunshine in the park, with my coat off and surrounded by courting pigeons, blooming daffodils and even the odd bee. I … More Not quite winter, not yet spring
