Category: Autumn

  • 2019 Wrapped Up

    2019 Wrapped Up

    Christmas is here again, which means it’s time to reflect on what I’ve achieved in 2019. I still have a long way to go before I can really call myself a freelance writer, but I’m so proud of the progress I’ve made this year. A particularly significant event was the Grant Arms Wildlife Book Festival…

  • Escape to the Wilds

    Escape to the Wilds

    Recently I travelled up to Northumberland to visit friends from university. They are two of the busiest people I know, so I was pleased to be able to steal a few days in October to catch up and visit their local patch. The first thing I experienced was severe house envy. Wildlife art adorned every…

  • The Red Rut

    The Red Rut

    As the mornings grow gradually colder, signs of autumn such as emerging fungi, clusters of conkers and grass crunchy with frost can now be seen. A seasonal highlight among wildlife during this colourful season is the deer rut, where red stags and roe bucks compete with each other for the right to breed with hinds…

  • To Catch A Fly

    To Catch A Fly

    Fly agaric, or Amanita muscaria, is perhaps one of the most recognised mushrooms in the UK. It is often used as perching posts for pixies and gnomes in storybooks, and can regularly be seen bringing a spot of colour to the forest landscape. With its blood red cap and white spots, it’s almost unmistakable. Fly agaric…

  • Northumberland: Day Three

    Northumberland: Day Three

    There was no frost today, but the sun was shining brightly and I knew the larches on the hills would be lit up like fiery beacons. We only had the morning, as we were leaving the bothy just after lunch, so first I headed out with Cain to pick up the camera traps. I was…

  • Northumberland: Day Two

    Northumberland: Day Two

      When I woke up the blinds were bright. I had a peek outside and was thrilled to see there was a frost clinging to the grass. I hurried into clothes and headed out into the garden. It had been a full year since my last frost and I was eager to capture some macro…

  • Northumberland: Day One

    Northumberland: Day One

    We arrived at the bothy just as the sun was at its warmest. We were in the Northumberland National Park, and as the car rumbled up the hill I craned my neck to see the valley opening up into a patchwork blanket of green, orange and brown. It was autumn at its finest; an explosion…

  • A Day in Newcastle

    A Day in Newcastle

    I’ve been writing a lot recently. This week, when I went to Newcastle for an adventure, I decided to dedicate the day to photography.

  • Chesters: Day Two

    Chesters: Day Two

    As I peeked out the window this morning, the sun was just beginning to shine. It looked like a promising day and I was glad, as we would be walking ten miles around the Breamish Valley. First things first though: check the Longworth trap for any visitors. Heather retrieved the trap and carefully emptied it…

  • Chesters: Day One

    Chesters: Day One

    The rain was lashing on the windscreen as we made our bumpy way up the hill to Chesters. Sheep shook their sodden wool and watched the car with quizzical expressions as it grumbled over rocky grass. Before long the bothy came into view, nestled amongst the rolling bracken hills. I was just scanning the ground…