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Breeding and Releasing British Wildlife (Before rewilding became the catchphrase)
By Graham Wellstead Introduction: Delve into a fascinating tale of dedication and innovation in wildlife conservation with our guest contributor, Graham Wellstead. In this blog, Graham shares his personal experiences from the late 1970s, focusing on the challenges and triumphs of breeding and releasing Barn Owls and European Polecats in the UK. Before the concept…
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Podcast episode 4 – ‘Don’t keep your natural history to yourself’
Simon, John and Margaret’s theme for today’s podcast is “Records and Rapport”. But first, they share messages from a variety of places including India, the Caribbean, Scotland and a safari company based in East Africa. Recorded Wednesday 6th May at 19.00. Podcast edited by Edward King. Episode show notes: Since recording the podcast, The Map’s…
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The Back Garden Naturalist
Written by Graham Wellstead. As a lifelong enthusiasm for almost all things natural virtually controls my life – not quite every living thing, I admit to failure when it comes to enthusing my wife of 60 years. She does, however, enjoy watching the birds on our feeders, placed where she can see them, confined to…
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An explosion of starlings
Written by Graham Wellstead. Not everyone is keen on these brash argumentative birds but I have a soft spot for them. For several years starlings have been missing from my garden. I would see them elsewhere, and a number of times their glorious vast flock displays on winter evenings as they assembled prior to roosting,…
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A more optimistic long view of our place in nature
By Dr Valerie Jeffries. Walking along briskly for my lockdown exercise I was watching the starlings congregate for their evening swarm on the TV aerials, and listening to quarrelling sparrows and the raucous yells of the seagulls way inland. Many birds have adapted to live alongside humans in our urban landscapes, some like the house…
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“Habitat is King”; look after the habitat and all will be well
By Mike Gadd. As a great lover of wildlife art and sculpture, I fell into the fascinating world of taxidermy and have tried to recreate the beauty of nature ever since. My morning walks always bring ideas and inspiration, as I see the seasons change and the amazing wildlife along the River Wharfe and woods…
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“April … hath put a spirit of youth in everything”
John and Margaret Cooper submitted the piece below, with photos, for the FFON Armchair Naturalist, from their friend Dr Jennifer Whybrow BVSc MSc MRCVS. Jennifer’s notes reflect changes during April, during the first few weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown. She enjoys her garden but, like all of us, has to strike a balance between maintaining…
