jackblagroves

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”

Kingfisher Encounter

In recent weeks there has been lots of commotion along the rivers and ponds near my home. A pair of Cormorants has arrived at one of the ponds and the cygnets that hatched earlier this year have grown rapidly and are now nearly as large as the adults. All of this is interesting, but thereContinue reading “Kingfisher Encounter”

“Rewilding”: A Conservation Renaissance

The term “rewilding” has become a controversial topic over the past few years. The National Farmers Union is worried it will destroy the very fabric of the countryside. While many conservationists argue it needs to be done in order to restore Britain’s lost wildlife. But what is it and what will it do to theContinue reading ““Rewilding”: A Conservation Renaissance”

Planting trees

Often we hear about how the key to solving climate change is planting millions of trees. It probably isn’t quite that simple, but in a garden it can be a good way to encourage wildlife as well as reducing your carbon footprint. In a small garden one can plant only a small handful of treesContinue reading “Planting trees”

The English Oak

The Oak, is certainly a feature very unique to the english countryside, the green acorns feature on many a logo. In many areas of the UK it towers over cattle on lush green pasture or even meadow. The distinctive lobed green leaves are also and icon for woodland and the countryside. Sadly, the genus QuercusContinue reading “The English Oak”

The Ardnamurchan Peninsula: Day 6

On the final day, the aim was to try and see more otters and eagles, the night before had been great as usual for Pine martens with the same three coming in again. The day began as usual, a “Full Scottish” breakfast, which is essentially a Full English breakfast, but with a black pudding. EveryContinue reading “The Ardnamurchan Peninsula: Day 6”

The Ardnamurchan Peninsula: Day 5

Today was the last early morning otter search of the week, no otters, but still some Greenshank in the bay followed by a group of Goosanders. There was persistent light rain throughout the day and a light breeze. Plenty of highland midges would gather when I stood still for more than a couple of minutes.Continue reading “The Ardnamurchan Peninsula: Day 5”