A wildlife-rich mosaic of habitats with free parking and a Visitor Centre just off the A1
“In like a lion and out like a lamb”, an old proverb about the weather in March suggesting it is unpredictable. It is always that decision as to what to wear and how many layers to put on! This morning was no different for a pleasant walk with a jacket, fingerless gloves and a snood,… Read More
Oh, joy of joys the sun showed itself last weekend. Walking the Meadow Trail on the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) on Sunday, the birds were agreeing with this with their cheery songs, particularly the musical songs of the thrushes and robins. I heard my first blackcap the other day as well. The Bullace tree, on… Read More
It is difficult to imagine that Huntingdonshire was covered in extensive forests during Saxon times. The area was declared a royal forest by King Henry II in 1154. Since then, it has been gradually deforested, and Huntingdonshire now has one of the lowest coverage of trees in the country. The Paxton Pits nature reserve may not… Read More
Image by Marilyn Peddle, CC BY-NC 2.0 Latin name: Sturnus vulgaris Adults in the breeding season look basically black, but with a shining purple and green feathering, the starling is truly a very handsome bird. It is indeed very attractive and so underrated by both birdwatchers and the general public. The starling, like all birds,… Read More
Image by aaandreasss, CC BY-ND 2.0 Latin name: Turdus merula It has very few local names, but I have located blackjack (male) (Surrey), black thrush (Yorkshire), garden ousel (Cheshire) and colly (Somerset). We all grew up with the nursery rhyme “Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie”, and just about every species from sparrows… Read More
