Category Archives: Biology

On declining grasslands and the nature of conservation

Posted on July 13, 2020 by David C

Over the weekend I found myself in a quiet part of Yorkshire along the east coast, far from everyone else. Having seen the traffic heading for Scarborough, it was wonderful to be somewhere without another human soul.

Posted in Biology, Birds, Botany, conservation, Ethology, Green exercise, Invertebrates, Media, Phenology, Plants, Why watch wildlife? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vultures in the UK

Posted on June 29, 2020 by David C

Bit of a departure from my normal posts here, as this is more of an essay with less pictures. Hopefully it’ll be interesting though. Over the weekend, I found myself sucked into a question as to whether vultures could live … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and culture, Biology, Birds, conservation, England, Ethology, Fossils, Media, Scientific Terminology, Why watch wildlife?, Wildlife stories, Zoology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The wildlife pond acquires plants, and wildlife!

Posted on May 4, 2020 by David C

A couple of weeks on and most of the plants have arrived and now been placed, at least temporarily, in the pond. What’s brilliant is that this has almost immediately attracted wildlife in.

Posted in Biology, Botany, Gardening, Green exercise, how to, Invertebrates, Plants, Wildlife Pond | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Avian Keratin Disorder

Posted on January 28, 2019 by David C

It’s possible that some of you noticed that one of the blue tits in yesterday’s post had an unusually long beak. That’s because, presumably, it is suffering from Avian Keratin Disorder.

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On late-nesting Great-Crested Grebes

Posted on September 30, 2017 by David C

While the Pochards have been a story characterised by their unexpected presence, for the Great-Crested Grebes it has instead been one of disappointing absence. But a few weeks back they reappeared, and since then something really interesting has happened.

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Heslington lake – belated nesting?

Posted on September 6, 2017 by David C

Back to Heslington Lake now, and some slightly unusual behaviour I have been observing.

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Some thoughts on non-native species

Posted on July 14, 2017 by David C

How many non-native species do you think there are in the UK? Ten? Fifty? A few hundred? Keep going upwards…

Posted in Biology, Birds, Botany, Invertebrates, Mammals | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

30 Days Wild – Day 28 – Rain 

Posted on June 28, 2017 by David C

With the rain continuing to fall I was wondering what I could write about today. Surely not another wildfowl photo?

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30 Days Wild – Day 26 – Aberlady Bay

Posted on June 26, 2017 by David C

Day 26 is really a second part to Day 25, coming from the first ever Local Nature Reserve, established in 1952. Aberlady Bay.

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World Wetlands Day 2017 – Disaster Risk Reduction

Posted on February 2, 2017 by David C

Today is World Wetlands Day, an annual event run by the Ramsar Convention for the past twenty years to recognise the importance of wetland habitats. For 2017 the focus is on the value of these habitats to humanity, so I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Amphibians, Biology, Birds, Botany, Invertebrates, Lancashire, Media, Plants, Why watch wildlife?, Wildlife stories, Yorkshire, Zoology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment