The Tawny Owl, Strix aluco is our most common and widespread native Owl, found throughout the British isles except in Ireland where it is a very rare visitor. Their call is very well known too, it’s the familiar noise heard on tv soundtracks and radio shows to signify that a scene is based at night.Continue reading “Tawny Owls and their calls”
Tag Archives: #Yorkshire
Styles of Stiles
A short History of the Stile The Word ‘stile’ is thought to have Anglo Saxon origins and have evolved from from the Old English ‘stiġel’, “a set of steps for getting over a fence”, which in turn is thought to be based on the Proto-Germanic ‘stigilō’ “an entry, entrance, overpass or device for climbing,”. TheyContinue reading “Styles of Stiles”
Guide to Geese, Part Two
Guide to Geese Part Two In part one of my concise, two-part guide we looked at Canada, Brent and White-fronted geese, in this part we look at Pink-foot, Greylag and Barnacle geese. Pink-footed Geese, Anser brachyrhynchus The ‘Pinkfoot’ visits us from October through to March and usually associates with other geese such as Greylag andContinue reading “Guide to Geese, Part Two”
The Wood Anemone
I was inspired to write this article after a short walk around the grounds of Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham yesterday, where Wood Anemone and another flower of the woodland floor which I have recently written about, Lesser Celandine, are abundant. Plant of the Ancient Woods The Wood Anemone, Anemone nemorosa, is a plant of theContinue reading “The Wood Anemone”
‘Tis true, ‘tis true, the Swallow’s here
The Swallows are back in the British isles and although the saying goes “Two Swallows do not make a summer” quite a few have been seen around the country so I think we can safely say that summers on its way! I always like to tip my hat, (so to speak as I don’t usuallyContinue reading “‘Tis true, ‘tis true, the Swallow’s here”
The Cross of Greet
The Cross of Greet, or Top o’ Cross, is located on the highest point of the fell road between the villages of Slaidburn and Bentham at 1400 ft above sea level, marking both the watersheds of the Ribble and Lune rivers and the old, pre 1974, Lancashire/Yorkshire boundary. It sits at the top of theContinue reading “The Cross of Greet”
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 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”
Northwest Nature and History 