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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Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) Green alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens is one of those plants that splits opinion sharply. With its vivid blue, forget-me-not-like flowers appearing from early spring, it is often admired as a welcome splash of colour in hedgerows, verges and gardens. Yet for many ecologists and gardeners, it raises more complicated questions about non-native…
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All photos (C) Andrew P. Chick March 2026 The Adder remains one of Cumbria’s most iconic reptiles, yet its current status is far from secure. Although still present across parts of the county, it is no longer a widespread or easily encountered species. Instead, populations are increasingly fragmented, localised and, in many areas, seldom recorded.…
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In the late 1980s I travelled to Thailand and abroad for the first time. As I leafed through the field guide before the trip, one species immediately caught my eye: the Greater Painted Snipe. It looked so different from the other waders, almost exotic, and I was determined to see one. Sadly, that first visit…
Andrew Chick Ecology 