Category: Notes from the sticks

IF YOU are not familiar with hares, it can take you by surprise how big they are. Occasionally I see one in the field at the back of us, and … Continue readingHare apparent

LAST year the Environment Secretary George Eustice outlined ambitious government plans to restore and protect nature and wildlife, including a world-leading programme to halt species decline.  Obviously I didn’t trust this … Continue readingThe end of insects is the end of us

WHEN we lived in London we used to see and hear a lot of ring-necked parakeets. In my opinion they are beautiful birds, bright green and a brilliant exotic sight, … Continue readingThe Parakeet Regiment

A FEW weeks ago I wrote about the problem of ash dieback which is predicted to lead to the loss of 80 per cent of the ash trees in Britain. I used … Continue readingThe ivy league

UNTIL a few weeks ago, all I had seen of kingfishers was a very occasional bright blue streak flying low and fast over water. Then one appeared on a rock … Continue readingThe bird that’s all lit up

THE landscape can look a bit monochrome at this time of year, but there is one group of plants that positively thrive in the cold and damp – mosses. They … Continue readingSterling moss

I HAVE never been very fond of ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior) chiefly because in every garden I have had they have seeded themselves like weeds. And they are crafty – they conceal … Continue readingAshes to ashes

WE have lived in Lancashire near the Ribble for about eight years (the move from London was an awful protracted business which I may recount some time if I can … Continue readingEgrets, I’ve had a few

THIS week’s column is a challenge to readers, and it’s a tough one – how do the Highways Department of Lancashire County Council decide on their road maintenance priorities? We … Continue readingRoad to ruin

THERE’S been some quiet excitement among the walking fraternity in the village recently because there are otters in the Ribble. They are thought to live under a pump house on … Continue readingOtter spotters