What a month with pouring rain, gale-force winds and even a few frosty days. Unsurprisingly, the wildlife is remaining largely undercover although there is always...
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What a month with pouring rain, gale-force winds and even a few frosty days. Unsurprisingly, the wildlife is remaining largely undercover although there is always...
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It’s been a long while since I had a new species on my garden feeders, but in the middle of March a Lesser Redpoll turned...
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Sometimes something really interesting appears from the most unpromising material. Last month I picked up an old, dead Oak leaf whilst I was out walking...
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If you have a bee hotel in your garden, now is the time of year when it starts to become interesting. Any bees that have...
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Now should be the time of year when dragonflies and damselflies are getting really interesting, but like so many other invertebrates the recent weather has...
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At last a few sunny days and a chance to sit out in the garden and see what turns up. I was treated the other...
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A trip to Cossington Meadows in the Soar valley to the north of Leicester brought a number of pleasant surprises recently
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It is often a struggle to find something interesting at this time of year, but something unexpected usually turns up.
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With the first hint of snow for the winter some of us will be relying on our garden birds for entertainment as much as they...
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Looking back over the last year, it has been a rather poor one for wildlife, dominated by weather that was too cold, too wet or...
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Each winter, our garden birds struggle with the low temperatures and reduced food supply, and many of them rely for their survival on the generosity...
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One thing that really reminds us that spring is on the way is the sound of birds singing. There are a few birds that sing...
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A stroll around Thornton Reservoir in late February gave us a delightful display of the courtship rituals of Great Crested Grebes. This is an elegant...
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Trees are vital for many reasons. All plants provide oxygen and, as the biggest plants on the planet, trees are essential to all forms of...
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The garden is starting to fill up with insects now that the weather is warmer. Some, like the butterflies, are really beautiful, but some of...
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One of our readers, Peter Greenhill of Narborough, recently saw this female Sparrowhawk take a Woodpigeon in his back garden. It is never pleasant to...
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During the first few days of July, I noticed how the more colourful residents of my garden are putting in an appearance. One of the...
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The Lewis family from Coleridge Drive, Enderby found two Privet Hawk-moths living in their garden on a Honeysuckle plant. This is one of our largest...
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Nature Notes October 2023 It never ceases to amaze me at this time of year just how much insect life can be found on flowers...
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The end of the year always signifies the annual rut, when many species of deer compete for females.
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The year has got off to a relatively warm start so there are plenty of birds around at the minute, both around our garden feeders...
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Following on from letters and photographs that were sent in for publication earlier this year, we have received more communications about albino Grey Squirrels in...
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The warmer weather is starting to bring out the bees – not so much the common honey bees kept in the beekeeper’s hives, but our...
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Ash trees are amongst the commonest of our woodland trees, but this may not be the case for much longer. Ash dieback is a fungal...
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One of our readers, Rose Barlow from Huncote, sent in the above picture of Mute Swans on the pond at Croft Hill Nature Trail. Rose...
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Summer is associated in many people’s minds with butterflies, those beautiful insects that flutter lazily around the garden and the surrounding countryside. Some of the...
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It is always a delight to see our native wild mammals, but they are not always welcome in our gardens. Muntjac, rabbits and mice can...
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Although I have been observing and recording the wildlife of Leicestershire for many years, I still regularly come across species that I’ve never seen before.
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As the weather changes, so the subject of interest for many naturalists switches to fungi which tend to be more abundant over the next few...
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As we come towards the end of another year it’s time to look back over some of the more memorable wildlife that I have been...
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February is likely to be the coldest month of the year, but if we get a calm, sunny day then a brisk walk can be...
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March will see the start of spring, with various animals becoming more visible as they approach their breeding seasons. Amongst those travelling a long way...
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Recently, this column has concentrated mainly on animals and plants that can be seen easily around our villages. However, for those prepared to travel just...
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May will see your garden and the surrounding countryside bursting into life. Occasional butterflies have been recorded in Leicestershire throughout the winter, with Peacock and...
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March will hopefully bring the first serious signs of spring and amongst these will be animals coming out of hibernation. The defining feature of mammalian...
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April should see most of our common garden birds settled in their territories with nesting well under way. Our blackbirds nested last year in an...
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May should see more animals out and about as the weather warms up. Butterflies that overwintered as pupae, such as orange tip and holly blue,...
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June is a month when some spectacular jewels can appear in the garden, hopefully taking advantage of the summer sunshine. Amongst the brightest of these...
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July should present us with a better chance of seeing birds of prey now that the young have fledged and are out and about. Sparrowhawks...
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August brings those lazy days of summer for we humans, but for many animals it is a busy time of year with new mouths to...
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September will herald the changing seasons, although I’m sure we are all keeping our fingers crossed for an Indian summer. One of the first signs...
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October will see a reduction in the number and variety of species to be seen in our gardens so this is a good time to...
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November may well bring us the first real signs of winter and confine our wildlife watching to the back garden. Around twenty years ago I...
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December is a time when traditionally we have brought greenery into our homes as festive decorations. Prominent amongst these are the Holly and the Ivy,...
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