Locations

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”

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”

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”

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 4

Today in the morning there was no early otter search but instead an early breakfast, so we could arrive on the boat early, before the other boats were out. Sadly the first half of the boat trip was raining, so it was quite difficult to see the ripples of otters and cetaceans. However there wereContinue reading “The Ardnamurchan Peninsula: Day 4”

The Ardnamurchan peninsula: Day 1

Yesterday I left the intensive agricultural land of England and headed far north for the west coast of Scotland, to a wild area called Ardnamurchan. I travelled all this way for a a seven day tour of the beautiful highlands, where there would be plenty of unique and interesting wildlife to see. On arrival itContinue reading “The Ardnamurchan peninsula: Day 1”

The Ardnamurchan peninsula: Day 2

Today there was another very pleasant early morning otter walk, but sadly there were none on show in the early morning. Then on the way up to breakfast, two otters were seen in the water, although I only saw one. After the excitement of seeing otters, I enjoyed a “full Scottish breakfast”, which was essentiallyContinue reading “The Ardnamurchan peninsula: Day 2”

Dartmoor National Park

Yesterday I visited Dartmoor National Park, one of the largest in southern Britain. There was an abundance of butterflies and birds, including some endangered species. I visited the river Dart and the surrounding area, including a tor. I was shown the area by a local guide, who knew where the interesting sights were, it wouldContinue reading “Dartmoor National Park”

Falcons and Seabirds on the Isle of Purbeck

After a rather interesting turn of events, linked to the Coronavirus Lockdown my summer holiday ended up in Dorset, in the pleasant seaside town of Swanage. At first glance not a greatly interesting place for wildlife, but if you look more closely at Swanage and the surrounding area, you will find an abundance of seashoreContinue reading “Falcons and Seabirds on the Isle of Purbeck”

Beavers of the River Otter

Yesterday I visited the River Otter in Devon, where there are the only wild Beavers in England. Upon arrival I was very lucky, there was a small group of people filming a beaver only a few hundred meters from the start of the footpath. I then proceeded to follow this Beaver along the river forContinue reading “Beavers of the River Otter”