Category Archives: Lockdown Diary

Continuing this week’s theme as it is National Tree Week, today I’ve been looking at willows. The commonest has a number of names such as Goat Willow and Pussy Willow, but also Great Sallow. Willows are particularly associated with water … Continue reading →

Over a number of years I’ve driven past some oaks in a field not far from Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. I always take a look as, in the past, one could often find a little owl roosting there. Sadly, its … Continue reading →

Today’s tree for National Tree Week is Sycamore Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus A type of maple Sycamores were introduced to the UK from Central Europe somewhere before 1500 CE. As kids we called the seed helicopters or whirligigs as the double … Continue reading →

As the Scottish Bard put it: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley. We set out for Oare so that we could look for a Little Owl while indulging in out permitted lockdown exercise. Arriving at … Continue reading →

I don’t tend to spend a lot of time in woodland birding. Having a permanently bent back makes looking up into the treetops difficult for me, so I tend to go to places with benches in handy spots for seeing … Continue reading →

The garden has entered its ‘quiet’ phase too. Summer may have gone, but plenty of flowers linger in the southern Autumn. Some even manage to make themselves believe that the cool and wet is just a phase the weather is … Continue reading →

We had to be up early to let a window repair man over the threshold to seek out the reason for a window’s rattle. It was weird letting anyone in… despited full PPE worn throughout it was mildly disturbing. Quiet … Continue reading →

Yesterday started well as I gazed out of my office window over the brewing coffee a male Blackcap popped into the cherry tree… closely followed by a browncap, either a female or immature male. It was cold overnight as my … Continue reading →

Another planned outing bit the dust today… our oh so weak flesh was not up to an hour and a half drive to Dungeness. Instead we had a brief local outing. But the woodland held some surprises. Looks like the … Continue reading →

My good mate Charlie has been a campaigner forever… always on the side of nature. He was chatting to me today about a notable success for Wild Justice who have ensured that Game Birds will no longer be released by … Continue reading →