Author: James Common
-
If you live in the North East, doubtless you have noted the recent, and entirely justified, outcry surrounding the unfortunate deaths of a number of…
-
As a nation, we have been conditioned to view our cemeteries as dark, macabre places. And, to a certain extent, they are – each and…
-
After weeks of hot, dry weather, the River Mole meandering gently through its wooded valley looked particularly welcoming. Dogs were splashing about in the water…
-
With Britain half-baked as a result of the recent heatwave, there has never been a better time to hunker down in a shady spot, surround…
-
Have you heard of Chris Packham’s UK Bioblitz? If not, it’s essentially a ten-day tour of 50 wildlife sites scattered across Scotland, Northern Ireland, England…
-
Walking at Weetslade Country Park this past weekend, the rolling grasslands of the former colliery site appeared almost Mediterranean. Parched grasses, sapped by what seems…
-
Traversing the dappled woodland of Gosforth Park Nature Reserve earlier today, I had only one thing in mind: hairstreaks. Purple hairstreaks, to be precicse, Neozephyrus quercus,…
-
This year appears to have been a good one for the Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris). All around the local area at present, these energetic, golden,…
-
Rising particularly early one morning and feeling it was a good time to get outdoors, I set off for Brompton Cemetery in West London. I…
-
A quick visit to Gosforth Park Nature Reserve today came up trumps with my first ever Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa). Now, this is a relatively…
-
A history of declines. Once one of Britain’s commonest birds, sparrow numbers have crashed in recent years, with London alone losing three-quarters of its sparrows…
-
Golden eagles, beavers, ospreys and pine martens will take centre stage in a landmark new conservation book aiming to inspire a change in attitudes and…
-
After a hot and busy day, I decided to take a walk to a nearby patch of green. Clouds were moving in and the breeze…
-
For me, the Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) has always been somewhat of an enigma: a species I frequently encounter on TV, on social media and…