The Ring Ouzel, Turdus torquatos is a member of the Thrush family and in appearance is similar to a Blackbird, indeed another common name for them is the ‘Mountain Blackbird’. They are quite a smart looking bird, jet black all over except for a bright white band across their breast, this is referred to inContinue reading “Ring Ouzel in Bowland, notes and observations”
Tag Archives: #Ecology
Tawny Owls and their calls
The Tawny Owl, Strix aluco is our most common and widespread native Owl, found throughout the British isles except in Ireland where it is a very rare visitor. Their call is very well known too, it’s the familiar noise heard on tv soundtracks and radio shows to signify that a scene is based at night.Continue reading “Tawny Owls and their calls”
Guide to Geese, Part Two
Guide to Geese Part Two In part one of my concise, two-part guide we looked at Canada, Brent and White-fronted geese, in this part we look at Pink-foot, Greylag and Barnacle geese. Pink-footed Geese, Anser brachyrhynchus The ‘Pinkfoot’ visits us from October through to March and usually associates with other geese such as Greylag andContinue reading “Guide to Geese, Part Two”
The Wood Anemone
I was inspired to write this article after a short walk around the grounds of Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham yesterday, where Wood Anemone and another flower of the woodland floor which I have recently written about, Lesser Celandine, are abundant. Plant of the Ancient Woods The Wood Anemone, Anemone nemorosa, is a plant of theContinue reading “The Wood Anemone”
The Blooming of the Bluebell, Part One; When and Where
The Bluebell The flowering of the native British Bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, is one of the surest signs that summer is just around the corner. Along with the blooming of the Snowdrop and Daffodil it is one of the three events which mark the flow of spring from the cold of winter through to the heatContinue reading “The Blooming of the Bluebell, Part One; When and Where”
‘Tis true, ‘tis true, the Swallow’s here
The Swallows are back in the British isles and although the saying goes “Two Swallows do not make a summer” quite a few have been seen around the country so I think we can safely say that summers on its way! I always like to tip my hat, (so to speak as I don’t usuallyContinue reading “‘Tis true, ‘tis true, the Swallow’s here”
Guide to Geese, Part One
Guide to Geese, Part One Around about this time of year you might see, or hear, Skeins of geese flying overhead, as they head back north to their summer breeding grounds. In this two-part series of articles we look at how to identify some of these species, including the migrant species which call these islesContinue reading “Guide to Geese, Part One”
The Cuckoo
The Eurasian Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, has an onomatopoeic name, cuculus simply refering to the sound of its call and canorus means ‘pleasant sounding’. The call of the Cuckoo is indeed very pleasant to hear and evocative too, conjuring images of spring in the minds of most people, even those that might never have heard theContinue reading “The Cuckoo”
Northwest Nature and History 