Animalia

Brownsea in autumn

IF you are of a whimsical turn of mind (or a fan of Beatrix Potter), you will think “Squirrel Nutkin” when you see this beautiful red squirrel. But you don’t have to go to Potter’s Lake District to see these enchanting little animals. You can see them on Brownsea Island, the National Trust property in…

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year

THIS stunning image by Shashwat Harish is one of the photographs on view at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery in Dorchester in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition from 19th July to 3rd November. The world-famous exhibition from the Natural History Museum, returns to Dorset Museum & Art Gallery this summer, showcasing the world’s…

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Old Crockern and other Dartmoor tales

THE great West Country moors – Dartmoor in Devon, Exmoor in Devon and Somerset, and Bodmin in Cornwall – are steeped in history and myths. One significant area of Dartmoor is Crockern Tor, once home to the Stannary Parliament, and now the inspiration for a series of story walks, organised by Devon’s Villages in Action,…

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Nocturnal wildlife wonders on Brownsea

THE National Trust is running a series of supper and safari evenings on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour on Thursday evenings throughout June. The aim is to give people a closer view of nature in a truly beautiful and tranquil setting. The evenings begin with a boat ride over to the island from Sandbanks, followed…

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Seahorse and Studland seagrass

SEAHORSES are enchanting, magical creatures – but they are vulnerable to many forces, human and natural. There is an important but fragile population ion Britain’s two native seahorse species – the spiny and short snouted seahorse – in the Studland seagrass meadow, which itself is a threatened habitat. The meadow is a voluntary no-anchor zone…

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Catching Purbeck’s puffins on camera

HIGH ropes experts have installed cameras on the cliffs near the National Trust’s Dancing Ledge in Purbeck to monitor the last known nesting site for puffins on the mainland of southern England. It is hoped that the cameras will reveal why these iconic birds are on the verge of extinction. In the early 1900s, puffins…

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Another good ‘Tern’ for Chesil’s special little birds

THIS year’s record of more than 45 Little Terns that have successfully fledged on Chesil Beach is a powerful endorsement of the hard work o local volunteers, and the positive results of the Chesil Little Tern Recovery Project. This year’s crop of Little Tern chicks is a remarkable increase on 2021’s three fledglings, and shows…

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Outstanding wildlife photography at Dorchester

THE Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, 100 outstanding images by photographers from around the world, is on show at the Dorset Museum in Dorchester until 29th October. This internationally renowned exhibition is on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, features exceptional images, which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking…

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Cathedral peregrines leave the roost

SALISBURY Cathedral’s peregrine season has drawn to a close, as the last of the three chicks leaves the rooftop roost and the livestream cameras have been shut down. The two female chicks, Lily and Rose, have headed off, while Rex, the only male hatched this year, has stayed closer to the roost, and has been…

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Good news on nightjars

NIGHTJARS, one of our most mysterious and elusive birds, are making a comeback, according to the latest report from the RSPB – numbers across the bird charity’s reserves in England and Wales hit a record high in 2022, up 11 per cent on 2021. RSPB Arne in Dorset, where the number of territorial male nightjars…

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