Stocks reservoir sits at the head of the Hodder valley in Lancashire and was constructed over the latter half of the 1920s, opening in July 1932, you can read about the history of the reservoir here; Sources of Stone For the construction of the dam and its many associated buildings, culverts, causeways, bridges etc nearbyContinue reading “The Abandoned Steam Crane in Jumbles Quarry”
Tag Archives: #Yorkshire
The Wood Mouse
The Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, (Apodemus deriving from the Ancient Greek for ‘away from home’, and sylvaticus coming from the Latin for ‘of the woods’), is a very common rodent of the British countryside and quite a handsome looking wee beastie, with a dark brown back, yellow/brown flanks, white chest and belly. They are oftenContinue reading “The Wood Mouse”
The Rocks Beneath Our Feet, Part Two, Norber Erratics
Norber Erratics are fascinating and unique geological formations scattered on the western flanks of Ingleborough in Ribblesdale near to the village of Austwick. They are formed from over a hundred precariously balanced boulders and widely thought to be the best example of glacial erratics in the British isles, erratic referring to the fact that theyContinue reading “The Rocks Beneath Our Feet, Part Two, Norber Erratics”
The Queen of the Forest
The Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, (Accipiter being Latin for ‘hawk’, which comes from accipere, ‘to grasp’, and gentilis meaning ‘noble’,) known as the ‘Queen of the Forest’, is quite a large raptor, with the adult standing up to 70cm tall and having a wingspan of around 1 metre. As with other raptors, like the Peregrine andContinue reading “The Queen of the Forest”
Xanthoria parietina, the Sunburst Lichen
Sunburst Lichen In the world of Lichenology the Sunburst Lichen, Xanthoria parietina is considered a bit of a weed, growing rapidly and spreading to take over, sometimes literally growing over neighbouring, slower-growing or more delicate species of lichens, its scientific name comes from ‘xanthos’, a greek word meaning yellow, and parietina comes from the sameContinue reading “Xanthoria parietina, the Sunburst Lichen”
The Tiny Wren, and the Tale of how he became King of All the Birds
Jenny Wren The Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, is the second smallest bird in the British isles, after the Goldcrest, and for such a small bird it has a huge personality. When you take into consideration their diminutive size they are incredibly loud, their familiar song, which is full of complex chirps, whistles and rattles is deliveredContinue reading “The Tiny Wren, and the Tale of how he became King of All the Birds”
Sika Deer
The rutting season for Sika, Cervus nippon, lasts from around September to November and is the best time for spotting this large deer skulking about the woods and forestry. Sika are similar in appearance to Fallow but are in fact foreign invaders and their size varies considerably, the more common Japanese sub-species has a shoulderContinue reading “Sika Deer”
The Ancient Art of Hedgelaying
Hedges As you walk or drive around Britain you may notice that much of our countryside is bisected by undulating, verdant ribbons of lush foliage which stand out from the fields like thin brush strokes in vivid shades of green. These are hedgerows and have been used for stock proofing and marking field boundaries forContinue reading “The Ancient Art of Hedgelaying”
Northwest Nature and History 