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”
Tag Archives: #Northwestnatureandhistory
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”
Lesser Celandine
Lesser Celandine, Ficaria Verna, (ficaria meaning ‘of a fig’ and being a reference to the root structure of the plant, and verna being a girl’s name of Latin origin meaning ‘springtime’), is one of the first flowers to raise its head in the spring. Its common name Celandine comes from the Latin chelīdonius, which inContinue reading “Lesser Celandine”
The Role of the Sheep in Shaping Britain’s History and Landscape, Part One
Part One; How sheep farming became a major industry in the British isles There are currently around 38 million sheep in British isles, made up of more than 60 different breeds, not to mention an enormous variety of crossbreeds, or ‘mules’. In this series of articles I’ll write about the history of some of theseContinue reading “The Role of the Sheep in Shaping Britain’s History and Landscape, Part One”
Crash Landing at Dunsop!
This article tells the story of an incident I witnessed some years ago whilst walking along the Hodder valley in Lancashire. In August 2012 I was out walking from Knowlemere estate towards Whitewell, enjoying the late summer scenery and minding my own business, as you do, when I espied (good word that, I’ll have toContinue reading “Crash Landing at Dunsop!”
A (pint) Potted History of the Hark to Bounty Inn
One day Reverend Wigglesworth and his entourage were enjoying some apres hunt drinks in the pub
Down on the Dairy farm in March
Dairy farming Whilst I write a fair bit about sheep farming on here there are of course other ways in which the land of the Northwest is farmed, after all we produce over 15% of the UK’s farmed food and ¼ of the nation’s milk! With this is in mind I’d like to write aContinue reading “Down on the Dairy farm in March”
The Alder
The Common alder Alder glutinosa, is a very hardy species of tree found all along the cloughs, streams and riverbanks of the Northwest, with some areas of Alder woodland traditionally referred to as ‘Carr’. As it does not usually suffer from late spring frosts and is hardy to early autumn frosts it has been plantedContinue reading “The Alder”
Northwest Nature and History 