A blog and photo journal about the natural history of north-west England and beyond
I’ll be the first to admit I wouldn’t have found this particular fox in a million years. Hidden away between some tree trunks felled a long time ago this was one of Muttley’s discoveries. Over the past week the local Foxes have been extremely active. Read More …
Highlights from a visit to Old Henley Farm in deepest Dorset. One of up to twelve of the Badgers that can be regularly seen. Originally we’d planned on visiting a sett hidden away in the Purbeck Hills. Unfortunately an early afternoon visit revealed that it Read More …
Sika Stag at the RSPB’s nature reserve on the Arne peninsula in Dorset. Stag and one of this year’s fawns. Despite arriving at one of the rutting sites before dawn this year the rutting season appeared to be starting later than usual. What an amazingly Read More …
The American Mink living on the River Mersey first appeared around 9 years ago and although secretive at first over the past 3 years they’ve gradually become bolder. During Spring and Summer they’re normally relatively easy to see around dawn and dusk. Although not everybody’s Read More …
Lady’s Slipper Orchid (part of the reintroduction programme) Officially declared extinct in 1917 due to over zealous Victorian collectors a single plant was rediscovered in the craven district of Yorkshire in 1930. Since then the location of the last of the Lady Slipper Orchids Read More …
Red Squirrel – Formby Highlights from a trip to the seaside. It was actually our first visit to Formby since the devastating outbreak of Squirrelpox in 2008. Great to see the Red Squirrels are still around and have remained relatively easy to find. Since Read More …
Finally after weeks of rain it stopped for a whole day and I was able to get out once again with the camera and binoculars. Although they’re far from rare it’s always good to come across a communal nest of Wood Mice. There was around Read More …
Originally introduced to Brownsea Island in the centre of Poole Harbour during the1860’s for some unknown reason it didn’t occur to anybody that most types of Deer are actually quite good at swimming. Sika are no different and faced with a choice just a few Read More …
A strange few weeks. First a mysterious evening visitor with an appetite for wasp nests. Note: no footprints, no clean cuts from a spade to the nest, the soil or the adjacent roots, no spoil heap in fact absolutely nothing to suggest it was dug Read More …