Rebecca On The Wing

Category: Nature

  • To Spy a Hawfinch

    To Spy a Hawfinch

    After our great grey shrike stood us up last week, I was determined to tick a bird off my wishlist. I did some digging and found there were a few good spots for hawfinches down in Kendal. Zahrah and I picked the best day of the week and headed down, this time with Kacper. As…

  • On the Hunt

    On the Hunt

    After watching Chris and Michaela hunt for great grey shrikes on Winterwatch, I realised what stunning birds they were and that I’d quite like to find one for myself. I asked Cain if he knew of any recent sightings and of course, he did. There was one of these beautiful shrikes in a patch of…

  • Signs of Spring

    Signs of Spring

    Here is a piece I wrote for ‘A Focus on Nature’, the UK’s Youth Nature Network, where I’ve already met some really interesting writers, photographers and artists. I’m also very proud to say I’ve just been shortlisted for the AFON Pictures of the Week 2017. If you’d like to vote for my photography, follow the…

  • Calm After the Storm

    Calm After the Storm

    The past few months have been fairly hectic. University assignments have ranged from writing an article and designing its magazine layout, a 3500 word report discussing a client project and an exhibition designed from scratch. There was a week or so once these were all submitted, then lectures started again. The blessing (or curse, as…

  • Help For Red Squirrels

    Help For Red Squirrels

    According to Red Squirrels Northern England (RSNE), there are approximately 138,000 red squirrels in the UK. For some people this may sound like a lot, but the grey squirrel population currently stands at 2.5 million. Due to the difficulty of monitoring these animals accurately, this number could be even greater. Undoubtedly a much-loved aspect of…

  • Life in the Forest

    Life in the Forest

    For my latest university project, I explored the concept of forests and what people have to say about them. By creating a survey, I gathered a range of intimate stories that reveal just how important the forest habitat is to us all, for many different reasons.   Peaceful. Majestic. Timeless. Forests are a vast and highly…

  • The Legend of Jokul Frosti

    The Legend of Jokul Frosti

    The frost coated everything in sight. Like a shimmering white blanket it lay draped over leaf, twig and soil. The spectacle brought a hush to the usual bustle of early morning; for the brief time that the frost was here, a silence that only winter could bring hovered in the air. There were leaves scattered…

  • Winter Flora

    Winter Flora

    Chances are, everyone has seen that Christmas is coming. Holly adorns the cards, wreaths hang on the front door and trees are being dragged into the house. Christmas traditions have been part of our culture for many years, but why do we follow them? I wanted to find out, so get yourself another mince pie…

  • A Grand Day Out

    A Grand Day Out

    On my first day off, I decided to cram in as much natural history as I could. First I went to Bristol Zoo for a spot of nostalgia. Going to the zoo was a thing of great excitement when I was younger – though half the time I was equally excited by the gift shop…

  • Winter Migrations

    Winter Migrations

    During this time of year, many birds have migrated for the winter. Some, like Partridges, don’t stray more than a kilometre from where they were born, but most birds – at least 4000 species – will migrate to seek new pastures that will see them through the colder months. There are several different types of…