Each of our team members looks after a number of woodland sites across the UK, and recently we were contacted regarding one of our latest additions to the Woodlands.co.uk portfolio, Coed Craig-y-Pandy, aka Pandy Wood, near Llangollen in North Wales, by someone known locally as Nicky ‘the bird lady’.  Apparently this site has been part of a long term scheme of monitoring nesting birds and nest boxes, and we were being asked permission for this to continue. Myself (Chris) and local area manager Jon went to meet Nicky one afternoon to find out more of what she does and how it benefits our local birdlife.  We were given a tour of the nest boxes in the woodland – most of which were empty as the young birds had already fledged -  but we were treated to a look inside a couple of boxes where the chicks were still being fed.  Nicky explained that the birds we were looking at were close to fledging themselves, and that she would be back to check the boxes again to see what happened. Below are some photos of the baby birds we saw. Nicky also showed us that she had ringed the birds in the nests, Read more...

The migration of animals can have a massive impact on ecosystems  - think of the migration of the enormous herds of caribou across the Alaskan plain.    Each caribou may eat 3 kg of vegetation a day.   With them come predators and parasites, and their waste (urine and faeces) contribute to nutrient and energy inputs to the ecosystem(s).     An understanding of the migration of large animals & birds and ecosystem processes is well established, but the effects of large scale insect movements or bioflows have not been intensively studied (with the possible exception of locust swarms).   Read more...

As a company,  we strive where possible to give a good access track into the woodlands we bring to market. In some instances,  this means just clearing a ride. However, in some cases,  the areas need more drastic action such as creating areas of “stone” tracks or rides. Normally this is due to areas holding water or ground being prone to deep rutting in winter. We came across a new problem earlier in the year with a ride that ran in a wood that was deemed to be of particular special scientific interest. Natural England were keen that we did not bring any foreign material such as crushed concrete rubble or even local stone into the woodland. Natural England did, however, agree that the ride was unusable and unless we found a solution it would be a mess very quickly. Read more...

Rather than applying to a single taxonomic group, the word puffball covers a broad range of distinct species of ball-shaped fungi that are typically commonly spotted around the fields and forests of the United Kingdom from Summer through to late Autumn. If you look at the first part of the Latin name describing the genus of the various different types lumped together under the puffball handle, it becomes clear they are less closely related genetically than their similar appearances suggest. For example, there are the Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum),Meadow Puffball (Vascellum pratense), the Brown Puffball (Bovista nigrescena), the Mosaic Puffball (Handkea utriformis) and the Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). The most obvious distinguishing features between them are their sizes. Read more...

We made our way along a narrow track, through young birch and old chestnut coppice. It had been recently cut to mark the boundary between our wood and the next. Down a muddy bank and into thick bramble that marks the beginning of the stands of old pine. There was plenty of water flowing in the stream in February. It came up out of the bramble, a partridge like bird with a flash of russet brown. What was clear was the immensely long beak. It had to be a woodcock. It was a bird that was new to me. I checked it out at home. Yes, the perfect conditions for this shy bird. Read more...

Despite suffering insect bites, scratched legs, and a general lack of washing, this was an expedition which brought together ten women who shared their concerns - Jo had recently lost a baby, Charlene's mother had died of lung cancer, one was anxious about getting pregnant, another was a full-time carer and one woman had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.  Despite personal issues, or perhaps because of them, the whole experience of this survival challenge and sleeping under the stars left the group "mentally and emotionally on a real high". Read more...

Whilst not unusual, the laburnum is a poisonous tree that is native to the mountainous areas of Southern Europe. It is a member of the Fabaceae (the pea and bean family). The laburnum is a deciduous tree,  that has trifoliate leaves i.e. each leaf consists of three leaflets (see featured image).   In the Spring, the tree is covered with pendulous clusters of bright yellow flowers.  These flowers are responsible for one of its names -  the golden chain tree (jpgs below).   When fertilised, a pod develops which contains black seeds when ripe. Read more...

"When you make a wand," explains Arthur, "you should describe it by the wood that it's made from, its length and then its core (if it has one).  This one's a hawthorn 11-inch and I got the wood from Hallr wood, where we run Wilder Woods Forest School."   Arthur made his first wands when he was 17 including one lovely long dark wand which he was carrying with him when we met - "it's an 'Ebony 12-and-three-quarter-inch" .    Arthur turns wands on a lathe and finishes them with shaping and applying a finish. Read more...