Introduction
Welcome to the naturalist's shack - a place to store a few pictures and links on local and global habitats from a personal perspective.
Heron in New Mills
A study of a heron in New Mills, in pictures and video.
April wildlife in New Mills
With travel restricted, walks locally have given me the chance to become better aquainted with wildlife within a short distance from home.
A few birds, some common, others less so. Canada geese (Branta canadensis) can be seen in most places with water in New Mills, such as the Peak Forest canal and the Goyt Valley. The house sparrow (Passer domesticus), although a familiar bird, has declined in the UK, numbers falling to nearly half of mid '70's population. The goosander (Mergus merganser) is a fishing duck, having a long, sawlike bill.
Read more: April wildlife in New Mills
Microscopes for naturalists
I've been thinking a lot about microscopes for naturalists lately.
Especially when first exploring wildlife in close up, a good low to medium power stereomicroscope is hard to beat. Useful magnifications are about x7 - x40 (or greater). Most stereo microscopes offer more than one magnification, either in set steps, or as a zoom. From a naturalist's point of view, this type of microscope is useful for examining insects and other mini-beasts, looking at fine details of plants (including mosses) and examining bone and other remains, for instance in owl pellets.
Longhorn moths dancing over oak on moorland
Seen dancing around and above the upper leaves of a young oak. Wooded part of Blacka Moor in the Peak District..
I think it's Green Longhorn Adela reaumurella, but I haven't confirmed it yet.
Platt's Wood
Platt's Wood is a community woodland project in Hayfield It is a mixture of wet woodland and grassland on a moderately sloping hillside, previously managed for grazing and now being planted up as a community woodland. You can view the project's Facebook page here.
Otter spraint analysis
Moors for the Future have a new Community Science Project, looking for signs of mammals in the uplands, the Tails of the Uplands Survey. (Follow the link for details of how to get involved and training courses available.)
Sphagnum identification training day
Sphagna seen on Moors for the Future training day
Along with a team of field surveyors from the MoorLIFE 2020 project, I attended a training day to identify species of Sphagnum (Bog-moss) in the field. Field surveyors will then be able to locate and map these species. This information will then be used to verify classification from remote sensors using new techniques such as multi-spectral sensors placed on UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
Species of Sphagnum are very important as the main species responsible for peat creation, which locks up large stores of carbon. Particularly in the Peak District, many of these mosses were badly damaged by atmospheric pollution following the industrial revolution.