Tag

nature

journal

Out with the new; In with the old

One of the upsides of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano eruption and the resulting ash cloud has been a cloudless sky, devoid of any vapour trails. Saturday began with a trip into Headington to collect 1920’s original fireplace from Nicola. Having just…

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Don’t knock him, he has a point

The TV Naturalist and Autumnwatch Chris Packham has been coming under quite a bit of stick recently for his, possibly, radical approach for conservation. The thing is, he can’t knock him really, because he speaks with his heart, in his…

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Off To Otmoor

When Em and I joined the RSPB at the far off Glenborrowdale Natural History Centre, we discovered that we had a bird reserve right on our doorstep. If truth be told I knew that there was ‘something’ in the Otmoor…

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Springwatch: Revitalised

We like Chirs Packham. He’s a wildlife geek but he’s great. He’s just the right kind of balance between knowledgeable scientis and personable personality. I’m not about to knock Bill Oddie ‘cos I do like him, but I do think…

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The First Chaffinch

Or at least, I think it was a Chaffinch. It certainly wasn’t a Starling, or a Blue/Great Tit, and it looked too big to be a Sparrow. Em is the one who is good with birds, and I’m just a…

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Dawn Chorus

We’ve just gone back to bed, having already had breakfast. But why, I hear you ask? As decided yesterday, we got up at half past three this morning, dressed, and wiped the sleepy-dust from our eyes, and drove up to…

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Bluebells and Trees

Originally uploaded by shepline on 7 May ’08, 10.14pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 7 May ’08, 10.10pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 7 May ’08, 10.08pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 7 May…

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Beautiful villages and Barn Owls

My mood is so much better. I didn’t touch the A34 today. Instead, I headed off via country lanes to check out houses in villages. First on my list was Elm Cottage in Blackthorn. Very charming house, but the village…

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A prickly subject

Fergus Drennan The Guardian Tuesday 18 September 2007, 12:00pm For our hunter-gatherer ancestors, the hedgehog was meat for the pot. Today, it is an acquired taste – acquired by combing the verges of roads. Making a meal of it: first,…

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Woods are for walking

A nice sunny, spring day today, just right in fact for a walk in the woods. So i headed over to Amersham – it’s not actually that far and met up with Emma, and we had a spot of lunch…

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The Friday Buzzz

Have you heard the story about the honey bee genome that’s taking world by storm? I certainly did. On Friday afternoon I pushed through the latest issue of Insect Molecular Biology in a record time of 2 hours and 26…

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Little Donkeys

Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 May ’06, 1.15pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 May ’06, 1.16pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 May ’06, 1.14pm BST PST.

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Bluebells and Orchids in May

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.31pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.37pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.36pm BST PST. Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May…

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Quenching a thirst

Quenching a thirst Originally uploaded by shepline on 11 Feb ’06, 6.09pm PST. Ambling Originally uploaded by shepline on 11 Feb ’06, 6.08pm PST.

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The energy question?

There isn’t really a question. Not only are gas and coal power stations choking the environment but we are running out of these non-renewable resources. We have to go nuclear. That said, it’s also not the whole answer. We have…

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