Blog
Welcome to my blog posts about work, ecology, conservation…..
I am a totally Independent Ecologist and Protected Species Consultant working in the Lake District and Cumbria.
For impartial advice on all aspects of ecology and for further details please email me andrew@forktail.co.uk (I struggle to manage mobile calls in the field, so don’t be surprised if I don’t answer my mobile 07880700313.
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The Eider (Somateria mollissima) is one of our most distinctive seaducks, but its appearance can vary considerably according to sex, age and time of year. While the immaculate black-and-white adult drake is instantly recognisable, a flock of Eiders in late summer can contain a surprisingly confusing collection of brown, black, white and piebald birds. The…
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As summer begins to fade, one of the most noticeable changes around England’s estuaries and muddy coasts is the increasing number of Dunlin (Calidris alpina). Birds can be present throughout the year, but from July onwards numbers begin to build as migrants arrive from their northern breeding grounds. The pattern is quite complex because several…
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There was a time when the Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) seemed almost an expected part of an English summer. Country gardens, village churchyards, farmyards, orchards and old houses regularly held a pair. A favourite fence post, gravestone or exposed branch would provide a hunting perch, from which the bird would repeatedly dart out after a…
Andrew Chick Ecology 