For generations, ferrymen operating the historic crossing betwixt Ferry Nab and Sawrey knew better than to heed these unearthly cries after dark, for they knew that these were no ordinary pleas but rather the desperate howls of a damned soul.
Tag Archives: #Northwestnatureandhistory
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.
Unnatural Histories; Burnley’s Boggarts
Lancashire’s misty moors and ancient lanes are inhabited by all sorts of weird and eldritch beings; witches, spectral dogs and highwaymen have haunted these parts for centuries. Yet few of these mythical entities evoke as much intrigue and trepidation as the boggart.
The Common Redshank
Regarding the Redshank, Tringa totanus, its Ecology, Conservation and Occurrence on the Coasts of Northwest England
Unnatural Histories; The Tragic Tale of Private Patrick McCaffery
In the latest addition to my Unnatural Histories collection I return to a part of Lancashire I grew up in to look deeper into the background of a ghost story we heard many times as children.
It is a tale of murder, trial, execution and haunting, and was made even more chilling for us as our tall red-brick town-house directly faced the black gates of the barracks it occurred in.
Chanterelle; Notes on Biology and Foraging
Chanterelles belong to the Cantharellaceae family and their scientific name derives from the Greek word kantharos (κάνθαρος) which is a type of cup, describing their distinctive funnel or trumpet-like shape, with cibarius coming from the latin cibus which simply means ‘food’.
Unnatural Histories; Dandy the Dog, James Device’s Shape-shifting Familiar
A Tale of the Pendle Witch Trials and a Demonic Dog. Including a Chapter on the Design and Installation of the Eponymous Sculpture in Clitheroe, Lancashire
Northwest Nature and History 