This time of year, (around the end of November / start of December as of writing) is known as the “hinge of the year” by upland farmers. The clocks have gone back, the bracken has bleached to rust, and the last of the swallows are long gone. Up on the fells the year’s main outdoor work might be done, yet it never really stops. This is the season of maintenance, mending, and quiet worry.
Tag Archives: #Autumn
Blackpool Illuminations
Often dubbed the “greatest free light show on Earth,” Blackpool Illuminations have been dazzling visitors to the Lancashire seaside resort for nearly 150 years. The annual spectacle transforms the town’s promenade into an extravagant display of light, colour, and creativity, drawing millions of tourists each winter.
The Spindle Tree
The spindle tree, Euonymus europaeus, is an attractive-looking deciduous shrub, or small tree, that graces hedgerows, woods and wasteland throughout the British isles.
Buntings in Bowland
Snow Buntings are true Arctic specialists, thriving in barren, open habitats with sparse vegetation. They breed in high-latitude tundras but undertake impressively long migrations southward during winter to avoid the perpetual darkness and sub-zero temperatures.
Tommy Stroo’s Ghost by John Charles Twist
Th’ moon wur sheignin’ rare, an’ breet,
An’ stars wur twinklin’ o’er mi heyd,
When aw wur walkin’ deawn th’ owd street,
Wi’ Tommy Stroo’s ghost bi mi seyd.
The Effects of Fireworks on Migrating Birds
Fireworks, while a staple of celebrations around the world, from New Year’s Eve to national holidays like Diwali and Bonfire Night, are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their enormous environmental impacts.
Beyond the visual spectacle and auditory booms that we enjoy, these pyrotechnic displays release noise, light, and chemical pollutants that can profoundly affect wildlife.
Among the most vulnerable are migrating bird species, which rely on precise navigation, energy conservation, and undisturbed rest during their arduous journeys.
The Common Inkcap, Coprinopsis atramentaria
As the autumn rains soak our countryside, the fruiting bodies of fungi sprout forth, bewitching us with their bewildering multitude of forms.
One of the most bizarre of these is the Common Inkcap.
The Common Redshank
Regarding the Redshank, Tringa totanus, its Ecology, Conservation and Occurrence on the Coasts of Northwest England
Northwest Nature and History 