... NATURE NOTES. At the Summer IsLunde, Ullapool, nosh-shim. large seal measuring Oft. in. has been shot by an Inland Revenue officer. That Scotch exciactnan belongs to the breed who, when happy, want to go out and slay something. ...

... Nature Notes SUMMER nights on the Island may be filled with the extremely noisy calling of the marsh frog (Rana ridibunda). This distinctive character arrived from Hungary in 1935, introduced accidentally on to the Romney Marsh, from where it has spread ...

... Nature Notes WITH the onset of winter we've seen a subtle change in the behaviour of the birds here on the farm. Hunger breeds boldness and as food in the wild grows scarcer, our feathered friends are foraging closer to the house. This last week saw hordes ...

... Nature notes LOOKING at an old photograph of the garden pond when it was first dug some 20 years ago, I was surprised ag how much the setting had changed. What at the time was a bare expanse of water backed by a sparse fringe of hedgerow, is now a dense ...

... Nature Notes WITH the amazing variety and kaleidoscope colours of present-day Christmas decorations it's easy to get carried away and overdo the effect. Extravagant displays have their attraction but so does simplicity, and the colours and textures of ...

... Nature Notes SEEING a driver last week carrying a rolled-up hedgehog to the side of the road, 1 was reminded of a scientific study I once read suggesting that some hedgehogs were reacting to approaching traffic rather than curling up. The suggestion was ...

... Nature notes AS the holly and the ivy shrivel in the jaded atmosphere of post-Christmas and the tired-looking mistletoe no longer invites a kiss, perhaps we should reflect on the downside of this year’s renewed fashion for natural decorations. Personally ...

... Nature notes A SURE sign of spring at Glen Haven, Brambledown, is the sudden reappearance of a bantam hen, after disappearing days before. Fussing and clucking self importantly around the corn bin she gobbles a late breakfast, gulps a drink and dashes ...

... Nature Notes OUR first foray into pig-keeugg:s was five years ago, with the acquisition of eight ‘old-fashioned’ Saddleback piglets. We'd seen them advertised by a dairy farmer, who'd brought them on impulse and then lost interest, and when we arrived ...

... Nature notes by Tony Wilson ...

... Nature notes by John Stanford EARLY April at Brambledown was the time of the blackthorn blossom, the white confetti-like flower of the bitter sloe, whose fruit we’ll use to flavour our gin at Christmas. Now, in mid-May, the hedgerows are heavy with the ...

... Nature Notes by John Stanford HE news that 1999 Tis set to become the warmest year since records began may come as a surprise in view of the absence of a heatwave this summer. But even a cold snap before Christmas is unlikely to upset the average, such ...