About Me
I am a naturalist, bookworm, cat owner and occasional blogger.
I live in Bristol, where I am attempting to create a wildlife-friendly garden. As I rent and my garden is covered in pebbles, this means I am somewhat limited to pots and raised beds, but I live in hope!
Latest Blog Posts
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it saved the French wasp
I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in south-eastern France during early November (it’s nice having connections!). Although I spent much of the time working on ecology assignments or trying out new recipes, I still had the chance to see…
Three counties, three days, three reserves.
Now if you’re a friend in the real life, or you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I’ve been having some adventures since I came back from South Africa. One of these took place last week when I headed southwest to Dorset from…
UK Animal Profile - The Dormouse who fell asleep instantly
Before writing this blog post, I did a quick whip-round knowledge survey of my friends and family via Facebook and e-mails on their knowledge of the hazel dormouse. Roughly one fifth had never heard of them, whilst almost two thirds knew of…
A green surprise in the centre of London
Earlier this week, I left my leafy suburbia and headed deep into urban environment. Rushing through dark tunnels on a Tube train where everyone was consciously avoiding each others’ eyes, walking through a swish but very grey Kings Cross train…
Wherefore art thou mongoose?
This was meant to be published in early October but my internet connection wasn't good enough for upload photos, so here it is now.
Oh the frustrations of finding dwarf mongoose in the bush. To start off, they are pretty small – less than…
Domestic wildlife - The South African version
Due to the recent increases in temperature, the middle of day is now quite hot and as a result, the mongoose flake out in the shade for a few hours and we head back to the house. During one of these midday breaks, I got a good view of the local…
My workplace is pretty cool
Unlike most of the previous blog-worthy sightings, this week’s ones occurred at our workplace. On a side note, I like using the word ‘workplace’. For many, it will evoke an image of an office or another indoor environment, which reminds…
SA Animal Profile - Eland and the mystery of the clicking
The eland, Tragelaphus oryx, is an intriguing animal, though of course to me, every animal is intriguing. The largest antelope in southern Africa, it seems that they’re often dismissed in favour of more elusive or prettier animals. With a…
Twiddling my thumbs
The work of a dwarf mongoose research assistant does not vary all that much and can be summed up in one word: habituation. A few more details would include GPS tracking, weighing, sound recordings and behavioural observations.
However, there…