Author Archives: jonathan

The lollipop bird is the long tailed tit.  Aegithalos caudatus, the tiny pink, black and white creature that twiddles around in the trees looking for tiny spiders and insects. I called them such name when I was a child and … Continue reading →

The hoards of wintering wildfowl have winged their way southwards from the cold north. Often migrants wait for weather systems to push them along and often some species do not move until cold weather prevails.some only fly south if the … Continue reading →

The sika deer are in their gray winter coats, and look nice amongst the dead bracken and birch. A sunset over Poole harbour is always a nice way to end the day.

Slime moulds are not fungi as once thought but completely different organism, they maybe should be among the protozoa group. They start life as a single celled ameaba type, they feed on bacteria and small fungi and often find other … Continue reading →

Nematode worms are some of the most abundant organisms on earth.There are hundreds of thousands of different types and living in so many different types of habitat. Many are parasitic on all forms of animal or plant life, others just … Continue reading →

Whilst out doing big cat research I and other people came across a large regurgitated pellet, possible from a buzzard.It contained the bones of a mole. It was the largest mole I had ever encountered. Its skull and insectivorous teeth … Continue reading →

The mild early winter has allowed many species of fungi to  fruit or re fruit creating an abundance of late variety.  This magpie ink cap (Coprinus picacea) was under beech amongst the leaf litter on a roadside verge. The sika … Continue reading →

The sika rut has reached its peak and the herds are reforming back into separate stag and hind groups. The annual rut of this species is the longest period for any known deer species , here in the UK it … Continue reading →

Heteropteran bugs are members of the true bug order. This means that they do not possess jaws like most other forms of insects, but have a tube like rostrum for sucking the liquids from plants or animals.The well known cicadas, … Continue reading →

Brownsea island(Branksea)is the largest of the sixteen small islands that nestle in Poole harbour. The area around the harbour as well as its waters and islands are jewels in the crown of Dorset environments,it boasts so many different habitats within … Continue reading →