jackblagroves

Update on My Planted Trees: Growth & Challenges

Hello there! It’s been some time now since my last post, but I thought that it would be appropriate to provide an update on how some of the trees I planted a couple of years ago are doing. Additionally, winter is approaching quickly and for there to be any chance to do the deciduous treesContinue reading “Update on My Planted Trees: Growth & Challenges”

Riparian Trees in Winter

Over the holidays I had the opportunity to get out into the rural areas of Somerset and see what was happening at this time of year. Initially it was fairly easy to come to the conclusion that not a lot was happening in the very agricultural area where I was looking, but as usual theContinue reading “Riparian Trees in Winter”

Somerset Peatlands

Only a few days ago, I was out on the Somerset Levels at the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Westhay Moor nature reserve. There’s a cluster of large reserves within an area known as the Avalon Marshes. Being situated fairly close, I have visited these reserves a number of times previously, usually to see the impressive rangeContinue reading “Somerset Peatlands”

Traces of Wild Boar

On a family holiday in the Wye valley, there was a good opportunity to try to catch a glimpse of one of the area’s most elusive yet controversial wild animals, the wild boar. There is little consensus over the true number of wild boar remaining in the area, some say there are as few asContinue reading “Traces of Wild Boar”

Foreign Ospreys

During the spring holidays I was fortunate enough to be able to go to Majorca south-east of Spain. There are few indigenous large mammals due to its isolation but it has similar birds to the rest of Europe. One bird I was particularly keen to spot was an Osprey, which sometimes can be spotted soaringContinue reading “Foreign Ospreys”

Winter Storms and Fallen Giants

During the recent storms with strong winds and heavy rain, buildings weren’t alone in being damaged. Many large trees, some very old, have been blown over and uprooted by the extreme winds. Although wind is a natural phenomenon, areas in the lowlands that rarely experience winds have been exposed to an intensity of wind notContinue reading “Winter Storms and Fallen Giants”

The Knepp Estate

Most people don’t walk through kilometres of scrubby pasture on a regular basis but Tom Forward does since he is an ecologist at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, home to an ambitious “wilding” project which has received a large amount of media attention in recent years due to the rare and unusual species turningContinue reading “The Knepp Estate”

Little Owl Fledgling

A couple of weeks ago I came across a Little Owl fledgling in an old farm shed. Going up the weathered stone steps, I could hear peculiar scratching and scrambling sounds and found it curled up under a wooden box of some sort. It must have come down from the nest prematurely as it seemedContinue reading “Little Owl Fledgling”

Britain’s Native Grasslands

I think there is a lack of appreciation in the UK for its native grasslands despite them being a semi-natural habitat like woodland. Unlike woodland, grasslands are perceived to be unnatural areas created and maintained by people for agricultural interests. However, more and more evidence shows that our woodlands are not as wild as wasContinue reading “Britain’s Native Grasslands”

Pollarding willow

During the middle of the last lockdown, I decided to have a go at pollarding. I had never pollarded a tree before and I have never had any training of any kind that involves cutting wood. However, I did some research online about pollarding to try and find out more. People have been pollarding treesContinue reading “Pollarding willow”