The Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, (Accipiter being Latin for ‘hawk’, which comes from accipere, ‘to grasp’, and gentilis meaning ‘noble’,) known as the ‘Queen of the Forest’, is quite a large raptor, with the adult standing up to 70cm tall and having a wingspan of around 1 metre. As with other raptors, like the Peregrine andContinue reading “The Queen of the Forest”
Tag Archives: #Ecology
Xanthoria parietina, the Sunburst Lichen
Sunburst Lichen In the world of Lichenology the Sunburst Lichen, Xanthoria parietina is considered a bit of a weed, growing rapidly and spreading to take over, sometimes literally growing over neighbouring, slower-growing or more delicate species of lichens, its scientific name comes from ‘xanthos’, a greek word meaning yellow, and parietina comes from the sameContinue reading “Xanthoria parietina, the Sunburst Lichen”
The Tiny Wren, and the Tale of how he became King of All the Birds
Jenny Wren The Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, is the second smallest bird in the British isles, after the Goldcrest, and for such a small bird it has a huge personality. When you take into consideration their diminutive size they are incredibly loud, their familiar song, which is full of complex chirps, whistles and rattles is deliveredContinue reading “The Tiny Wren, and the Tale of how he became King of All the Birds”
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 