A fantastic start to the year and a visit to the RSPB’s nature reserve at Leighton Moss. With plenty of rain over the festive season I was relieved to find a pair of wellies in the boot of the car. Not great for walking – Read More …

A blog and photo journal about the natural history of north-west England and beyond
A fantastic start to the year and a visit to the RSPB’s nature reserve at Leighton Moss. With plenty of rain over the festive season I was relieved to find a pair of wellies in the boot of the car. Not great for walking – Read More …
A fine start to the day with the unmistakeable song of a Yellowhammer singing close to Dancing Ledge quickly followed by a family of Stonechats. In the haymeadow surprising to see several stems of Common Broomrape. Normally as a parasite it’s fairly clear which is Read More …
A slightly better day, the wind had dropped but still muggy. Off we headed to Chapman’s Pool. A steep and in place precarious walk down the slippery slopes of Kimmeridge Clay and towards the beach. Great to see somebody had thought of a way back Read More …
34028 Eddystone approaching Corfe Castle Train Station I’ll be honest I’m not a railway buff however I do appreciate a good old fashioned Steam Train. Likewise the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers who have made the Swanage Line a success. Great to Read More …
Badbury Rings. A superb example of an Iron Age hillfort and a scheduled ancient monument Badbury Rings has survived as chalk downland largely unchanged for the past 2500 years. In early August the sun-drenched banks are a haven for insects with shelter to be found Read More …
An absolutely stunning walk from the outskirts of Worth Matravers along the Jurassic Coast to the tranquil cove of Chapman’s Pool. Fishing boat next to the former lifeboat station – abandoned in 1880 Surrounded by tall cliffs of Kimmeridge clay the “rocks” are rich in Read More …
Chesil Beach – the view north from Portland and Tout Quarry Sculpture Park A really enjoyable visit to Tout Quarry Sculpture Park. Created in 1983 when the former quarry was turned into a sculpture park and now managed by Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust many Read More …
Another warm day and to begin with a walk along the Purbeck ridge running from East Creech down to Corfe Castle. Despite the fearsome looking horns the Highland cattle grazing along the top proved to inquisitive and quite friendly. On this occasion Meghan decided to Read More …
A short walk along the Priestway to Keates Quarry and an opportunity to see some 145 million year old footprints. Left by a group of Sauropods grazing by the side of a freshwater lagoon the footprints were discovered by a local quarryman back in 1997.