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Chesters – Day Two
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Chesters – Day One
The drive to the Village Tearoom and Emporium was stunning. As the sun was beating down on my right arm I was a little nervous I hadn’t brought the sun cream, but luckily the light was just right to make Northumberland’s hills shine gold, without turning my skin pink. After meeting Heather, we drove…
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Coming soon!
Last week, I went on an expedition to the Northumberland National Park, where I spent four days living in a bothy and discovering the ecology of the Cheviot Hills. During that time I had several wildlife firsts, including some real rarities! Stay tuned for the full posts, which I’m hoping to publish very soon. In the…
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Puffballs, Prints and Pellets
Due to a lecture cancellation, Zahrah and I seized the day and paid Watchtree Nature Reserve a second visit. As the sun was actually shining, we made haste before the English climate returned to its usual cheeriness. As we’d found several roe deer skulls at the reserve last time, we headed straight to Pow Wood…
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Sunset Sunday (on Tuesday)
Yesterday my lovely boyfriend cooked me sausages and the most incredible fried bread for breakfast because the horrid lurgy that had been lingering menacingly had finally reared its ugly head. For the majority of the day we watched Sherlock and ate the cake we were up until 2am making the previous night, while I wheezed…
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Birds at the bottom of the garden
As of today, I’ve been living in my new house a week! It’s not the biggest or the most glamorous, but it’s certainly enough to feel like home. There is also a generously sized garden that oozes potential. Currently, the grass is several feet high and tickles the midriffs of the two apple trees, but…
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Our Day On May
When the May Princess left Anstruther harbour the sun was at its highest, so as we headed out into open water we were slowly baking but not daring to complain in case the rain came back. As I watched my fellow passengers slap on the sun cream, I was geographically disorientated, not quite believing I…
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Carna – Day Five
Species seen: Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs Common Porpoise – Phocoena phocoena Common Seal – Phoca vitulina Common Shag – Phalacrocorax aristotelis Common Tern – Sterna hirundo Golden eagle – Aquila chrysaetos Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea Herring Gull – Larus argentatus Hooded Crow – Corvus cornix Lesser Redpoll – Acanthis cabaret Oystercatcher – Haematopus…
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Carna – Day Four
Species seen: Barn Owl – Tyto alba Bladder-wrack – Fucus vesiculosus Butterfish – Pholis gunnellus Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs Common Blenny – Lipophrys pholis Common Hermit crab – Pagurus bernhardus Common Pipistrelle – Pipistrellus pipistrellus Common Sandpiper – Actitis hypoleucos Common Tern – Sterna hirundo Eurasian Otter – Lutra lutra Eurasian Rock Pipit – Anthus…
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Carna – Day Three
Species seen: Bog Myrtle – Myrica gale Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs Common Frog – Rana temporaria Common Porpoise – Phocoena phocoena Common Shag – Phalacrocorax aristotelis Common Tern – Sterna hirundo Common Wood Sorrel – Oxalis acetosella Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo Eurasian Otter – Lutra lutra Green-Veined Butterfly – Pieris napi Grey Heron – Ardea…