The Pink-footed Goose, Anser brachyrhynchus visits us from October through to March and usually associates with other geese, often Greylag and Whitefronted. Every year over 400,000 fly here and head straight for the coastal marshes of the country, with about a quarter of this number over-wintering in Norfolk and the rest staying at various otherContinue reading “Pink-footed Geese”
Tag Archives: # Scotland
Belted Galloways
The Belted Galloway is a very hardy breed of beef cattle, traditionally from South-west Scotland, able to subsist on pastures which are too poor for other breeds of cattle. Smaller than other breeds you might see in the British countryside, like the red/brown Limousine or the black and white Friesian, they are similar in sizeContinue reading “Belted Galloways”
Bilberry Season is here!
Bilberries Bilberry, or Whinberry, season traditionally begins at the start of August and doesn’t last long, although this year it looks like it’s going to be another fairly productive one. There are many regional names for Vaccinium myrtilus, in some parts of Ireland and Scotland it’s called a blaeberry, in the South of England aContinue reading “Bilberry Season is here!”
Yew, the Death Tree
The Yew, Taxus baccata, is one of only three coniferous species (trees that bear cones and needles instead of leaves) which are native to the British isles, the others being the Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris, and the Juniper, Juniperus communis. The ‘Death tree’ It is most famously found in the country’s graveyards and the groundsContinue reading “Yew, the Death Tree”
Ring Ouzel in Bowland, notes and observations
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”
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 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”
Northwest Recipes Cranachan, a traditional Burns’ night dessert
Burns’ Night celebrates the life of Scotland’s National poet, Robert Burns, and falls on his birthday, January the 25th, he is famous for penning, amongst many other works, ‘Auld lang syne’ and ‘Address to a Haggis’. This is a recipe for the traditional Burns’ night dessert of Cranachan, as I’ll always do with my recipesContinue reading “Northwest Recipes Cranachan, a traditional Burns’ night dessert”
Northwest Nature and History 