The reservoir rose above the neighbouring fields, its sloping banks covered waist high grasses, thistles and stinging nettles. The surrounding fields were black, with rich, fertile soil planted with bright green lettuce. Around the edge of this rectangular body of water a broad fringe of reeds sway in a gentle breeze. The leaves were packed … More Raptors in the reeds
Golden light filled the evening, bathing the tops of the trees before disappearing into shadows. The cars drove slowly along the farm track following the hedges along the edge of the field. The recent prolonged dry weather meant the sandy track was bone dry and the cars kicked up great plumes of dust that swirled … More Forest Raptors
It feels like March has flown by and while last year we were in the grasp of the Beast from the East, this year the warm weather of February has continued. In March 2018 we were building snowmen, walking on squeaky snow and braving sub-zero temperatures, while the natural world seemed only to be just … More March Nests
We had returned to the house from a bygone era where only a few weeks ago we had been delighted with a family of barn owls. On that day, once we had finished processing and ringing the owls, we had wandered over to check a number of other bird boxes erected in the surrounding trees. … More A kestrel surprise
Despite the blanket of grey white cloud overhead, soft green light filtered through the forest canopy. Among the dark crinkly leaves and branches of the forest floor the occasional green fronds of new bracken growth had begun to unfurl. It had only been a few weeks but we were back in Thetford Forest checking our … More Forest Rounds
It had been a glorious May Bank Holiday with bright blue, cloudless skies and soaring temperatures. An extended weekend of hours in the paddling pool, ice creams and for us yes a little bit of ringing, with the welcome return of many warblers to our reed bed site. Topping it all off was the return … More Adorable peewits
The Forest was bursting into life, shaking off the muted and quiet shades of winter and blooming in celebration of Spring. Across all the trees and bushes leaves were unfolding in a multitude of shades of green, adding lighter shades to the deeper evergreens of the pines. Set against this green is the skeleton of … More Spring in the Forest
From bird and insect watching to simply admiring wild flowers here is the story of my 30 Days Wild. 30 Days Wild is a campaign run by the Wildlife Trusts to encourage people to connect with nature and do something wild each day during the month of June. Now I like to think I am … More 30 Days Wild
It was a gorgeous, balmy, sunny evening. The bright blue sky clear above the sparkling greens of the forest. Everything seemed to glow in the long rays of sunshine as the sun headed for the horizon. Bright yellows of broom and gorse added a brilliant splash of colour to the palette of greens and browns … More Having a Hoot in the Forest
During the winter of 2015 / 2016 we spent some time setting nest boxes up in a couple of areas of Thetford Forest. The boxes were tall with a wide square opening at the top, and a little perch sticking out at a right angle. They were attached high up on selected trees, always in … More Nest Box Surprise
