(My original title for this article was going to be ‘lambing time, a season of anticipation, and worry’ but I think my wife’s title is more fun!) Lambing Time For most sheep farmers right now lambing time is getting into full swing. Sheep pens all across the countryside will soon be alive with the questioningContinue reading “The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Bleating!”
Tag Archives: #Lancashire
The Oystercatcher
Oystercatchers, Haemotopus ostralegus, used to be commonly known as ‘sea pies’ (describing their black-and-white ‘pied’ plumage, in a similar way to Magpies) and are a large and very distinctive looking wader with a long red bill, red legs, black head, black back and brilliant white front. They are one of the largest waders in theContinue reading “The Oystercatcher”
The Controversial practice of Controlled Burning
Controlled burning, also known as Prescribed burning, Muirburn or Heather burning, has long been used as a method of managing the heather moorlands of the British Isles. Every year, from the 1st of October to the 15th of April in upland areas and from the 1st of November to the 31st of March in otherContinue reading “The Controversial practice of Controlled Burning”
The Rocks beneath our feet, Part 1
The Ice Age and Glacial Erratics The Ice Age As with all parts of the British isles the Northwest of England owes the current shape and form of its landscape to the geological processes of many hundreds of millions of years, some of which we‘ll look at in this series of articles. The most obviousContinue reading “The Rocks beneath our feet, Part 1”
Spring on the Upland Farm
Spring is rapidly approaching and it’s the busiest time for our upland farmers. The dairy and cattle farmers will be welcoming the year’s new calves, while lamb farmers will up at all hours helping their ewes deliver lambs. Our upland moors and pastures have looked the same way for centuries, and this is largely becauseContinue reading “Spring on the Upland Farm”
Halton’s Mechanical Elephants, or The Polish-built Petrol-powered Pachyderms
Halton’s heritage Just up the river Lune, a couple of miles from the city of Lancaster, sits the historic village of Halton, once a bustling hub of industrial activity powered by the waters of the Lune. In the area’s hay-days, which lasted from the 17th to 19th centuries, the water-wheel powered mills, the oldest ofContinue reading “Halton’s Mechanical Elephants, or The Polish-built Petrol-powered Pachyderms”
The Emperor of the moors, Saturnia pavonia
The Emperor moth, Saturnia pavonia is one of the most spectacular insects you could hope to see in the British isles and the only member of the Saturniidae family to be found here. The large ‘eyes’ on its wings give this moth its scientific name; ‘pavon’, which is Latin for Peacock, and it is indeedContinue reading “The Emperor of the moors, Saturnia pavonia”
Lichens, and how they can be used to measure air pollution
Lichens There are many rare and exotic species of Plants, Lichens and Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), which call the British isles home and they all have their charms and important roles to play in our ecology, for me one of the the most interesting families has to be the Lichens. Lichens are not what youContinue reading “Lichens, and how they can be used to measure air pollution”
Northwest Nature and History 