Nature with Nev

Water Cress in a crystal clear upland peat bog stream Nothing beats getting out and about for a few hours to blow the cobwebs away, especially when it is a cloudy grey day. So with that in mind, my good friend Kerry and I headed up to Llangattock. The walk was just around the peat bog and to see what was about generally. It was a slow paced walk with a stop after an hour or so for a flask of tea and some nibbles. Throughout the walk we were accompanied by the calls overhead of Common Buzzards, and three Red Kites and a male Peregrine were also seen. A distant Jay could be heard calling from deep within the Hawthorn and Blackthorn copses. The walk along the narrow but crystal clear stream was a delight. Water Cress was growing in abundance and the ground around the stream was carpeted with Sphagnum moss which dipped gently underfoot. We passed many Hawthorns and Blackthorns on the way, and small groups of Fieldfares were taking advantage of the bumper berry crop. O...

We tend to see Mistletoe many times, but do we actually know much about this strange parasitic plant?  Mistletoe is the common name for most obligate hemiparasitic plants. They are attached to their host tree or shrub through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. Their parasitic lifestyle has led to some dramatic changes in their metabolism as well. The name Mistletoe originally referred to the species Viscum album (European mistletoe);  and it is the only species native to the British Isles and much of Europe. A separate species, Viscum cruciatum, occurs in Southwest Spain which I have seen. The word 'Mistletoe' derives from the older form 'mistle' adding the Old English word tān (twig). 'Mistle' is a Germanic name.  Why do we kiss under the mistletoe According to the happier versions of the legend Baldur (sometimes spelled Baldr or Balder) was killed by an enemy's arrow made of Mistletoe. His mother, the goddess Frigg, wep...

I was wondering where to go on Saturday as Goldcliff has become waterlogged underfoot with the lagoons way too high and un-managed for waders, so when my birding friend and fellow togger Blair Jones had emailed me to see about a trip to Slimbridge, I would have bitten his hand off had he been close enough. The weather was actually very nice so we were really lucky, and at 8am we had arrived. As we got our gear out and wellies on, the birds around the car park included large numbers of noisy Jackdaws and Rooks, with small groups of Starlings here and there, Black-headed Gulls criss-crossing the sky, Collard Dove, Woodpigeons, House Sparrows and a serenading Robin.    Beautiful drake Pintail The first point of call was the Rushy Hide, where a mass of excited birds awaited us, well actually they were waiting for the staff member to place some grain down as is done every morning in the winter. Some noise soon became a lot of noise and the birds perked up, squalled, jumped a...