The organic vineyards on the slopes above the hamlet of Luddesdown are maturing and the arable weeds are hopefully still thriving. The ancient woodlands within Rochester Forest are alive with the sounds of spring birdsong and we find bluebells in flower amongst the celandine as well the much more local Moschatel or ‘town hall clock’….
Category: British Wildlife
Hunting raptors
A female marsh harrier patiently works a patch of long grass within the grazing marshes at Cooling; it floats lazily low over the ground and seeks its small mammal or bird prey on which it will suddenly twist and pounce. A nearby flock of starlings seems unconcerned and moves restlessly across the short-grazed grassland ever…
The Thames at Thamesmead
The Thames at Thamesmead is a mix of new build apartments and industries; many of the latter are by the river so they can move materials in and out on ships on the high tide. A number of moored barges sit idly on the water but at night carry much of London’s rubbish to tips…
Chasing oystercatchers and sleeping turnstones
Spring is alive when the oystercatchers start chasing rivals off territories. Two birds twist and turn up and down the beach in close formation. This frenzy is in marked contrast to the roosting turnstones and a single knot that quietly sit out the high tide on the wooden groynes. At the peak of the flood,…
Early spring on the North Downs
The cherry plum is out again in early February; always the starting shot to the new Spring with its blizzard of pure white blossom. The verges are coming alive with celandine and the single badger sett on the top of the bank is freshly dug, spewing flinted earth on to the narrow lane. Swanley village…
A Tale of Two Estuaries
In early January, the Torridge estuary in North Devon is wild and windswept; repeatedly hit by a series of gales blowing in from the Atlantic. Only a handful of walkers brave the elements. The pretty fishing village of Appledore is sheltered from the worst of the weather and looks east to the sand dunes of Braunton…
Brown hairstreaks on the North Downs
30th July 2023 The walk from home near Hextable in north west Kent to the corn bunting colony up on the downs passes along a tall, ancient hedgerow before emerging onto the rolling arable fields. This year the fields are down to flax and there are no nesting buntings to be seen or heard in…
Kent – 13th May 2023
Saturday was a grand tour of some of Kent’s finest places. The day was bright and breezy and confirmed that May, the month of many weathers, is the best month of the year for wildlife (and possibly gardens). Sissinghurst We checked the plant species in the cottage garden where the colours are always burning hot…
A Curlew in a Cage…
…does not put all Heaven in a Rage, in fact quite the opposite; it is 10 minutes to settle the captured bird after it has been colour-ringed and a GPS tag put on; a small but important part of the ongoing conservation work for this rapidly declining breeding species . It is late April and…
Bursting Cornflowers
Cornflowers are just bursting. A pretty plant renowned for its a long association with cereal agriculture, apparently hated by farmers because its tough stems blunted their scythes. The pollen record suggests it was an introduction most probably from steppe habitats to Northern European countries from the ‘High Middle Ages’, perhaps enabled through the increased movements…
Postcard from Lyme Regis
From the famous Cobb, the view is of a steep pebble beach, a thin line of colourful beach huts and an esplanade backed by solid Georgian and early Victorian houses. Lyme Regis is a picture postcard town with what appears to be more holiday homes than residents and consequently a popular escape, especially for families…