The conditions were poor with a grey sky and not much light, but it was still good to get out and help them. Even a grey squirrel turned up!
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Cole Tit
Male Chaffinch
Grey Squirrel
Rob
Sunday, 9 January 2011
A Mixed Bag
Gave the birds a feast earlier as we have some cold weather on the way. All the recent species, which were absent the last time I fed them turned up. All apart from the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail and Tree Creeper.
The conditions were poor with a grey sky and not much light, but it was still good to get out and help them. Even a grey squirrel turned up!
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Cole Tit
Male Chaffinch
Grey Squirrel
Rob
The conditions were poor with a grey sky and not much light, but it was still good to get out and help them. Even a grey squirrel turned up!
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Cole Tit
Male Chaffinch
Grey Squirrel
Rob
Saturday, 25 December 2010
Merry Christmas!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from the Forest of Dean!
2011 is going to bring some challenges where our wildlife and forests are concerned in the UK, but this doesn't mean we should stop fighting to protect every living thing out there. If anything, it will make me work harder to make sure they will always have a safe home and lead a free life.
It is power and greed, which wants to destroy our beautiful ancient forests, but as the majority, we can stop them!
Rob
2011 is going to bring some challenges where our wildlife and forests are concerned in the UK, but this doesn't mean we should stop fighting to protect every living thing out there. If anything, it will make me work harder to make sure they will always have a safe home and lead a free life.
It is power and greed, which wants to destroy our beautiful ancient forests, but as the majority, we can stop them!
Rob
Monday, 20 December 2010
Help the Birds this Winter!
Did my duty and gave the birds a feast yesterday. One thing I did notice was the absence of quite a few different species from my usual feeding site.
No Bluetits
No Dunnocks
No Grey Wagtails
No Pied Wagtails
No Long Tailed Tits
No Great Spotted Woodpeckers
And only a couple of Great Tits and Chaffinches
There were plenty of robins, cole tits, nuthatches and blackbirds, but I was a bit concerned at the absence of the other birds as this area has "always" shown a great abundance of birds and a wide variety of different species.
Rob
No Bluetits
No Dunnocks
No Grey Wagtails
No Pied Wagtails
No Long Tailed Tits
No Great Spotted Woodpeckers
And only a couple of Great Tits and Chaffinches
There were plenty of robins, cole tits, nuthatches and blackbirds, but I was a bit concerned at the absence of the other birds as this area has "always" shown a great abundance of birds and a wide variety of different species.
Rob
Friday, 17 December 2010
The Forest of Dean is NOT FOR SALE!
Living in the Forest of Dean my whole life has been incredible. My childhood memories of building tree camps and walking around the forest finding snakes, while learning about all our other wildlife could never be topped.
Every day I grow fonder of this place and could not imagine living anywhere else. Away from my family, the forest and wildlife is my passion, my reason for living.
I would like to ask everyone who is reading this to support the fight to save the Forest of Dean from being sold into private ownership.
The FoD is one of Britain's most ancient forests and because of its unique, ancient and varied habitats, it also supports wildlife, which is also unique.
Bircham Wood near Coleford in the Forest of Dean has already been sold. Hunting and harvesting rights were included in the sale and this is bad news for the forest and our wildlife!
Once the wildlife has been shot and the trees chopped down, we could see this beautiful part of the forest left as a baron wasteland, or even worse, developed for housing etc.
There is not one part of the forest, which is safe!
I can't and don't want to imagine what the FoD would look like without its forest, but one thing I do know.....
It would then be called just "The Dean!"
We are going to need more than just a giant if we are to stop these insane proposals, so please help us be showing your support, today!
SUPPORT US AND CONDEMN THE SELL OFF BY VISITING THE LINKS BELOW - THANKS!
HOOF on Facebook
HOOF
HOOF Official Website
HOOF
Forest of Dean on Wikipedia
FoD
Every day I grow fonder of this place and could not imagine living anywhere else. Away from my family, the forest and wildlife is my passion, my reason for living.
I would like to ask everyone who is reading this to support the fight to save the Forest of Dean from being sold into private ownership.
The FoD is one of Britain's most ancient forests and because of its unique, ancient and varied habitats, it also supports wildlife, which is also unique.
Bircham Wood near Coleford in the Forest of Dean has already been sold. Hunting and harvesting rights were included in the sale and this is bad news for the forest and our wildlife!
Once the wildlife has been shot and the trees chopped down, we could see this beautiful part of the forest left as a baron wasteland, or even worse, developed for housing etc.
There is not one part of the forest, which is safe!
I can't and don't want to imagine what the FoD would look like without its forest, but one thing I do know.....
It would then be called just "The Dean!"
We are going to need more than just a giant if we are to stop these insane proposals, so please help us be showing your support, today!
SUPPORT US AND CONDEMN THE SELL OFF BY VISITING THE LINKS BELOW - THANKS!
HOOF on Facebook
HOOF
HOOF Official Website
HOOF
Forest of Dean on Wikipedia
FoD
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Badger Cull!
The Government is consulting until 8 December 2010 on a policy to control bovine TB (bTB) based on licensing the culling of badgers in specific areas in England. Gloucestershire is one of the counties where the incidence of bovine TB in cattle is particularly high.
Please help oppose the proposed badger cull.
CLICK HERE
Rob
Please help oppose the proposed badger cull.
CLICK HERE
Rob
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
NEW BLOG....!
I have started a new blog, dedicated to one species that is and always will be close to my heart. The snake.
We have two snakes in the Forest of Dean and both are native. They are the grass snake (Natrix natrix) and the adder (Vipera berus).
The adder is Britain's only venomous snake and this, accompanied by all the scare stories that have been around since time began, has given the snake a bad reputation.
Some people fear them, some people even kill them on sight, but this is down to ignorance and a lack of education because no animal deserves to die just because the TV has told us that they can be dangerous!
I love the snake for its shy secret life, its stealth and above all its beauty!
I hope you like my blog and please recommend it to your friends. Thanks.
SNAKES IN THE FOREST OF DEAN
Rob
We have two snakes in the Forest of Dean and both are native. They are the grass snake (Natrix natrix) and the adder (Vipera berus).
The adder is Britain's only venomous snake and this, accompanied by all the scare stories that have been around since time began, has given the snake a bad reputation.
Some people fear them, some people even kill them on sight, but this is down to ignorance and a lack of education because no animal deserves to die just because the TV has told us that they can be dangerous!
I love the snake for its shy secret life, its stealth and above all its beauty!
I hope you like my blog and please recommend it to your friends. Thanks.
SNAKES IN THE FOREST OF DEAN
Rob
Sunday, 31 October 2010
The Grass Snake
The photographs below show a clutch of 18 hatched Grass Snake eggs, plus the skin from the female who layed them.
Going by the size of the skin she was a very big snake. I have sloughed skins from 120cm snakes and this skin was considerably bigger!
As the young snakes hatch, they use a small egg tooth to cut through the leathery egg casing. They lose this tooth not long after they have hatched.
Hole where young snake has broken through.
Close up of mature female skin. Top scales - Mid body section.
Eggs
Sloughed skin complete with eye scales.
Top scales.
Close up of belly scales.
Rob
Going by the size of the skin she was a very big snake. I have sloughed skins from 120cm snakes and this skin was considerably bigger!
As the young snakes hatch, they use a small egg tooth to cut through the leathery egg casing. They lose this tooth not long after they have hatched.
Hole where young snake has broken through.
Close up of mature female skin. Top scales - Mid body section.
Eggs
Sloughed skin complete with eye scales.
Top scales.
Close up of belly scales.
Rob
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