Hornet Hoverfly This bounteous autumn peaked in early September with branches laden with hips, haws, acorns and sloes. I doubt I have ever seen such clustered masses of cherry-red haws, bending the boughs under their weight. We have had just the right combination of sunshine and, latterly, rain, to produce an exceptional harvest. Such abundance seems wasteful, but the more seeds there are, the better the chances of some of them escaping the hungry jaws of wildlife and generat

Hobby I think that the swifts left us on August 1st for their immense journey south. The swallows and house  martins are still with us...

Wall brown butterfly By the second week in August the landscape was looking autumnal; the pale, parched grass contrasting with the deep...

Pipistrelle bat As the summer comes to an end, there are lots of things you can do to help wildlife survive in the winter. Provide...

Butterbur It was a delight to see butterflies returning in good numbers after their (for many species) disastrous season last year. I...

Great whitethroat As I write, the swifts are screaming overhead in the clear blue sky. They seem to have done well this year, with over...

As Autumn approaches, there are still plenty of things you can do in your garden to help wildlife. Even the smallest things can make a...

House Martin The last few weeks have been relatively dry, and one result of this is the lack of mud! We were reminded of this on a walk...

Ground elder By the beginning of June, the wonderful hawthorn blossom, and the foam of cow parsley that lines our lanes, were over. In...

In July there is an abundance of wildlife in our gardens and there’s plenty you can do to help it thrive!   Provide food and water for...

Summer is here at last!  June is when you can make the most of your garden and enjoy the long summer evenings.  There’s also plenty to do...

May is one of the loveliest months in the year as the countryside starts looks its best after the winter.  It’s a time when we really...

Snipe To echo Peter in his report, the last few weeks have been glorious, and the perfect weather to be out and about. At the time of...

Oil Beetle This is the time of year when you note the first awakenings of spring. There was an early spawning of frogs in a friend’s...

Goshawk As we transition from winter to spring, so many of our winter residents start to head off and the inbound migrants start to...

Pink Waxcap 'The Ballerina' I have been away in a hot place, Oman, so these notes will have to be brief. On my departure the winter...

Raven Spring Hill and Burnt Wood continue to be rich in bird life. The golden plover, fieldfares, redwings and skylarks are all present...

As I write, the first aconites are appearing on lawns and in the churchyard, a cheerful little flower appearing at a time of year when we...

Golden plovers January has been a great month for sightings, particularly up on Spring Hill. Our resident group of over one hundred...

A new species has arrived in the area but not a welcome one. A demon shrimp, Dicterogammarus haemobophes , was found by riverfly monitors...