Monthly Wildlife Blog

March 2018 Hazel   For the last few weeks, when touched by the winter sun, woods, hedgerows, roadsides and parks have been lit up by the yellow-gold of the Hazel catkins that seem to appear anytime from early February to April. The male catkins are long and yellow, but the female ones are just tufts of red stigmas which sprout  ...

February 2018 Lesser Celandine February is my favourite month.  Although the middle of January sees a gradual increase in evening daylight, once February arrives, both the evenings and mornings seem to get lighter with every passing day. This growing light brings about amazing changes. The birds sound different. Totally different, a higher pitch of notes, more frequent calls, all leading...

January 2018 Long-tailed Tit You are always notified when Long-tailed Tits are in the area. The un-mistakable high-pitched “tut-tut” sound as they approach with rapid movements through the branches of the trees. They are always in groups, sometimes in groups of five or six and sometimes, especially in spring, when whole families join to form large noisy gangs of more...

December 2017 Sparrow Hawks   The numerous bird feeders which I provide for the birds, also provides an attraction for the Sparrowhawks. Like every living thing it needs to find food, so an area which seems to attract its prey is a logical place for it to hunt. They fly incredibly fast and are amazingly agile. I once watched one...

November 2017 Squirrels I not only have a garden full of various bird feeders, I have a row of them suspended from two large trees in the wood. Gradually, the ordinary seed and peanut feeders have gradually been replaced by expensive versions that have at last, proved to be squirrel-proof. What incredible creatures Squirrels are and one must admire their perseverance...

October 2017 Blackberry.  The humble Blackberry or Bramble, that vengeful plant that borders rural tracks and sends prickly stems across the path, just waiting for the joy of tripping someone over. The perfect human trap to reduce our lofty dignity, something that most of us has experienced in our lives Yet, when it is in flower, a cloud of delicate...

September 2017 A night of thunderstorms and lovely torrential rain to bring life back to our rather dried up world. The combination of warmth and wet, just perfect for the growth of fungi. During my usual early morning wander through the wood, over lush, vibrant grass and abundant vegetation, I was suddenly aware of an intense smell. No longer the...

August 2017 August 2017 I have a very sad and almost upsetting tale to tell, but something so unique that it should be recorded. There is a big, long established Badger sett near the wood, one that is so long-established that some of the tunnel entrances are some 25 metres apart. It is un-mistakable, on a steep hill, with vast...

July 2017 July 2017 A night of thunderstorms and lovely torrential rain to bring life back to our rather dried up world. During my usual early morning wander through the wood, over lush, vibrant grass and lush vegetation, I was suddenly aware of an intense smell. No longer the delightful scent of Nature’s freshness, but a strong smell of rotting...

Gardener's World Live 2017 At this year's Gardener's World Live 2017 show, Wonderful Wildlife was delighted to be working with Viv Seccombe of Outside Garden Design and Artemis Landscapes Ltd in the design and development of their wildlife friendly front garden 'Living in Sync' due to be constructed on the APL Avenue at this year's Gardeners' World Live show which will...