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Today, Wildlife Matters is exploring something a bit different: an autumn walk at Winkworth Arboretum, a managed wild space. An arboretum is a type of botanical garden where many kinds… Continue Reading... "131 Autumn Walk at Winkworth Arboretum"

Common frogs have smooth, moist skin, a slightly longer back leg and a more angular head and body shape than common toads. Continue Reading... "088 Common Frog"

Male honeybees sacrifice their lives for the chance of becoming a dad. They can mate with the queen bee an average of seven to ten times — mid-flight! — before their endo phallus (penis) is finally ripped off of their body! Continue Reading... "087 Some of the Unbelievable Way’s Wildlife Finds a Mate"

As we sat silently, enjoying the beautiful night, two Beavers had left their den below the dam and ventured out into the pond. The night was still, but there wasn’t a lot of light from the moon. There was enough to see the beavers shimmering in the silvery reflections from the water Continue Reading... "086 – Beaver Watching in Devon"

I recently joined a small group of dedicated individuals. Who were assembled in a remote car park. The day was changeable or, as my Scottish friends would say, ‘Mizzle’ –… Continue Reading... "085 The Return of the Golden Eagle"

Discover the captivating world of UK woodpeckers – from the distinctive great spotted woodpecker with its striking red patch to the diminutive lesser spotted woodpecker, and the unmistakable green woodpecker with its vibrant green plumage. These majestic birds exhibit remarkable behavior, from drilling into trees with their powerful beaks to nurturing their young. Delve into their enchanting world as they thrive in woodlands and gardens across the country. Continue Reading... "Blog 079 Britain’s Native Woodpeckers"

The Red Grouse shooting season, known as the Glorious 12th, is a cruel spectacle concealed by its grand title. Wildlife Matters shines a light on the disturbing truth behind driven grouse shooting. This barbaric practice not only inflicts senseless suffering on birds but also damages the environment. Our courageous team embarks on a mission to disrupt and thwart the grouse shoots, standing as fierce protectors of wildlife. Engage with our cause and help us put an end to this needless cruelty. Continue Reading... "078 The Grouse shoot is over for today"

The English oak holds a significant place in British history and culture. From providing wood for prestigious buildings and furniture to supporting diverse wildlife, these trees are crucial to the ecosystem. Oak trees are deeply intertwined with folklore, indicating weather patterns and serving as symbols of strength. Place names across the British Isles reflect the close relationship between oak trees and the people, highlighting their enduring impact on the landscape. Continue Reading... "077 Trees of Britain – The Mighty Oak"

Finding a quiet place to sit and reflect on the seasons passing by is one of the best ways to reconnect with nature. You can use this time to meditate or just be in silence and let yourself become one with nature again. Continue Reading... "075 Autumn Folklore Special – Story Two Why The Leaves Turn Red"

Mabon is also a time for reflection, on the year that has passed and planning for the year to come. It’s a good time to let go of things holding you back.  Continue Reading... "075 Autumn Folklore Special – Story Two Why The Leaves Turn Red"

A seasonal feast with family and friends and burning dried wild herb bundles is a wonderful way to celebrate the autumn equinox. Continue Reading... "075 Autumn Folklore Special – Story Two Why The Leaves Turn Red"

To celebrate autumn, I am bringing you two autumn folklore stories.  Continue Reading... "075 Autumn Folklore Special – Story Two Why The Leaves Turn Red"

The day has been hot and humid, but the early evening in the woods is cooler and more pleasant. Although the sun is still shining bright, the light is filtered through the leaves, creating a dappled shade. While some plants may struggle with the reduced light, others have adapted well to the summer woodland environment. Continue Reading... "063 Summer Wildlflower Woodland walk"

For the past decade, the British government has been authorising the killing of badgers as part of an alleged Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Programme. Despite warnings from their own scientific advisors, professors, and conservationists that culling badgers will have no impact on the spread of tuberculosis, the government has continued and even accelerated the culling of badgers/ Wildlife Matters asks WHY? Continue Reading... "060 – Why is the British Government Killing Badgers?"

Trophy hunting is the hunting of wild animals for sport, not food. Usually, the animal is stuffed, or a body part is kept for display. Most trophy hunters come from wealthier countries and pay high fees for their hunts and trophies. Trophy Hunting is the illusion of conservation. Continue Reading... "058- Trophy Hunting – The Illusion of Conservation"

Raptors are now present throughout much of the UK but are remarkably scarce around the upland moors – often called grouse moors. Continue Reading... "056 – Where have all the Raptor’s Gone?"

It is no coincidence that 68% of those convicted for raptor offences in Britain are gamekeepers. But they are caught ‘red-handed’ and, indeed, just a tiny part of a much bigger picture. Continue Reading... "056 – Where have all the Raptor’s Gone?"

Now, Let’s be clear Trail Hunting is a cover for the blood hunters to continue their blood lust with the conscious intent to mislead the Police and make it difficult for them to be prosecuted under the Hunting Act, and that isn’t only my opinion – its what they explained themselves on the Hunting Office webinar leaks released by the Hunt Sabs last year. Continue Reading... "054 Fox Hunting – Backing the Ban"

I tried to locate the source of the sound, a buzzy and slightly wheezy call, and then they came into view. Initially, around 20, maybe 30 of them, they called loudly to each other as they searched the woodland for the beech nuts.  I had just spotted my first flock of Brambling for the year. Continue Reading... "050 – Britain’s Winter Visitors – Brambling, Fieldfare and Redwings"

In this article, Wildlife Matters discovers the fascinating life of the Winter Moth. In early December and throughout the Winter, you may come across a little brown moth under the light of your porch or on the window of a well-lit room. If it looks like the one in the picture, you have found whose vernacular name is the winter moth.  Continue Reading... "049 – The fascinating life of the Winter Moth"

Driven grouse shooting is pretty much unique to the United Kingdom. Red grouse are cosseted on the upland moors – now known as grouse moors – where their habitat, primarily heather, is managed to suit this one species that is ‘protected’ from the local wildlife and any potential predators by the gamekeepers. You may think this sounds like a conservation project, but no, the end game is the Grouse are shot for pleasure!  Continue Reading... "047 – Grouse Moor Shooting – What’s it all about?"

From the start of September until the end of February every year, a large-scale hunt of dolphins takes place. During this period, fishermen, or more appropriately, dolphin hunters, utilise drive hunt techniques to herd large numbers of dolphins to shore, resulting in their capture or death. Continue Reading... "046 – Taiji Cove – Japan The Shameless Slaughter of Dolphins"

Although marine parks claim to conserve marine mammals through breeding programs, these programs are ineffective. Many marine mammals commonly bred in captivity are not considered threatened or endangered. Continue Reading... "045 – Captive Cetaceans – Dolphins sold into a life of Captivity"

What happens when the show is over, and the audience is gone?  Answer – NOTHING. Most dolphins are left to languish in their caged tanks forced to wait for food until the next showtime.  Continue Reading... "043 – Prison Grove – The reality for captive cetaceans"

This week, Wildlife Matters Investigates Trail Hunting Myths. But let’s start with a fact: There is no tradition in Trail Hunting. In fact, trail hunting did not exist before the Hunting Act of 2004. Continue Reading... "040 – Trail Hunting Myths"

This is my attempt to explain the process of Fox hunting based on decades of doing everything I could in the field to stop it. I have also spent many years working to bring those who hunt illegally to justice. This blog is not in any way meant to justify or, indeed, glorify the cruelty of fox hunting. Continue Reading... "038 – Fox Hunting and why it is banned"

Autumn Hunting, also called ‘Hound exercise’ as the Hunts now refer to it, was previously known, perhaps more honestly, as ‘cubbing’. Hunting takes place ‘when the harvest allows’. It generally runs throughout September and October and will start from ‘first light’ at around 6 am. Continue Reading... "037 – Cub Hunting, Autumn Hunting or Hound Exercise – They are all the same cruel thing"

The captive industry is driving the dolphin slaughter so that people can ‘see’ captive dolphins performing tricks in theme parks, holiday resorts and hotels. Of course, the Dolphinariums that purchase dolphins from the hunters quickly play the Con-Servation card, claiming they are “saving” the dolphins from slaughter—the hypocrisy of the cruellest kind. Continue Reading... "030 – This Masquerade – Wild dolphins sold into captivity"

The Hedgehog is one of our favourite mammals in the UK and is a member of the Erinaceinae subfamily of the Erinaceidae family. There are five genera of hedgehogs and sixteen distinct species that can be found globally – except in the Americas and Australia. From African deserts to frigid Russian winters, these small mammals have done wonderfully well to survive for thousands of years.  Continue Reading... "029 – Hedgehogs Around the World"