Sheep are ‘short day’ breeders, meaning they mate when the days become shorter in the autumn so their lambs are born early enough to take advantage of next year’s spring growth. Around this time of year hill farmers will scan their ewes to find out how many lambs they are holding. They do this byContinue reading “Sheep Scanning”
Tag Archives: #Autumn
The Dog Rose
The Dog Rose, Rosa canina, is a deciduous shrub native to the British isles, it is found in a wide variety of habitats but prefers hedgerows and scrubby patches of woodland, where it grows in a sprawling manner, its stems arching over each other and getting entangled with other briars and shrubs. It usually reachesContinue reading “The Dog Rose”
Northwest Recipes, Pheasant au gratin
This week is Great British Game Week and here in the Northwest of England we are very lucky to have a great choice of local and seasonal produce to pick from including Game such as Pheasant. The latest addition to my Northwest Recipes Series is one for Pheasant and sticks with the Seasonal and LocalContinue reading “Northwest Recipes, Pheasant au gratin”
Sika Deer
The rutting season for Sika, Cervus nippon, lasts from around September to November and is the best time for spotting this large deer skulking about the woods and forestry. Sika are similar in appearance to Fallow but are in fact foreign invaders and their size varies considerably, the more common Japanese sub-species has a shoulderContinue reading “Sika Deer”
The Ancient Art of Hedgelaying
Hedges As you walk or drive around Britain you may notice that much of our countryside is bisected by undulating, verdant ribbons of lush foliage which stand out from the fields like thin brush strokes in vivid shades of green. These are hedgerows and have been used for stock proofing and marking field boundaries forContinue reading “The Ancient Art of Hedgelaying”
Daubenton’s Bat Myotis daubentonii
As the nights draw in and the trees begin to lose their leaves some of our countryside’s lesser-seen creatures become more apparent, nocturnal or crepuscular animals like bats for example, which can be seen more readily against the dusk sky as they flit about hunting for moths and midges. On a country lane the smallContinue reading “Daubenton’s Bat Myotis daubentonii“
The Long-Tailed Tit
Long Tailed Tits, Aegithalos caudatus, have formed winter flocks now and are roaming the countryside in twittering bands, hunting hedgerows, treetops and gardens. Our smallest bird One of the UK’s smallest birds the Long-tailed tit or ‘titmouse’ as it is also affectionately known, is one of Britain’s favourite birds, and it does have some veryContinue reading “The Long-Tailed Tit”
The Fieldfare
The Fieldfare, Turdus Pilaris, is a large migratory Thrush and the first Flocks of the winter may be seen now as they fly in from their summer breeding grounds in Russia and Scandinavia to overwinter in the British isles. Gregarious gatherings They are a very Gregarious bird, gathering in flocks of 2 to 3 dozen,Continue reading “The Fieldfare”
Northwest Nature and History 