‘An Unnatural History of Britain’ with Kevin Parr The Wimborne Literary Festival May 11th 2026 at 2pm Most people have no idea that we have scorpions, Aesculapian snakes, eagle owls, wallabies and many more unusual non-native species living and breeding in the British Isles. In An Unnatural History of Britain nature writer Kevin Parr travelsContinue reading “Book Event”
Tag Archives: Nature
Everything Changes
My reaction to a swallow alarm call is only marginally slower than the intended benefactors. I don’t always get to see the source of the concern, and there are moments when the outcome is decidedly anticlimactic (such as the summer that the swallows and woodpigeons shared eave-space), but a quick dash outside will often bringContinue reading “Everything Changes”
Too tired
July already. The hottest June on record (by a distance) followed one of the driest ever Mays. And, oh how the landscape responds. Cracked earth and stunted crops. Blackened nettles and trees already wearing their early autumn clothes. Insect numbers have improved from the cold spring, but such was the paucity then that the numberContinue reading “Too tired”
White-tail
I was 8 years old when I saw my first eagle. We were holidaying on Arran and it rained every day for a fortnight. But it didn’t matter that Scotland was wet, I had gone with a firm belief that I would find gold in the mountains and despite the conditions, serendipity soared over usContinue reading “White-tail”
The Shortest Month
I once worked with a Sci-Fi nut who took pride in seeing everything, knowing everything and being first to everything. With a brand-new Star Wars film on the horizon he was saving pennies and beginning to bubble. And in order to ensure he saw it before anyone else he knew, he bought plane tickets toContinue reading “The Shortest Month”
Slipping
It can be difficult to roll with nature’s fluctuations. Man has, after all, gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid them for himself. There is much to admire in what we have achieved as a species – science, welfare and medicine have created a world (certainly in the West) which, though far from equal, does offerContinue reading “Slipping”
Bloodlines
Such is the power of the current Brexit storm, that any issue unconnected (and many things connected) is swept out of thought almost as soon as it comes to mind. And having turned the most complex of sociological and economic issues into a straightforward question of ‘Yes or No’, it seems that every pointContinue reading “Bloodlines”
Reality
I have come to realise that I do not much enjoy living in ‘interesting times’. If that is indeed what we can call the now. We are certainly living in a time of confusion. And mess. Working twice as long for half as much, and then waking to discover that yesterday we hadn’t even beenContinue reading “Reality”
Quiet
Nearly three months have passed since I last walked the Common. I’ve been frequently tempted, particularly when I have woken early and the air has been fresh. The prospect of a parachuting tree pipit always stirs me, especially against a backdrop of willow warblers and whitethroat. But then I remember the ticks, and my skinContinue reading “Quiet”
Butterflies and Thistles
My daily checks of the grass snake colony (8 individuals is my best count so far) now have an added distraction. The landowner has left an area of old paddock to it’s own devices and the grasses and wildflowers have flourished, growing deep and dense enough for a roebuck to mooch within. Prime spotContinue reading “Butterflies and Thistles”
Kevin Parr 