LIVING LANDSCAPE
THERE ARE WILDLIFE wonders to be discovered every day of the year, according to naturalists Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss. Their new book
Wonderland charts the daily delights that the British countryside has to offer. Here’s what they reckon walkers should be looking out for this month, (and don’t miss our ticklist inside the back cover)...
1) BADGER
Once only glimpsed on wildlife programmes, badgers are now far more frequently seen in the countryside. They are nocturnal animals and if you know where a sett is, you can spot them by keeping still and quiet and staying downwind. The edge of a wood is a good bet. If you don’t know where to find a sett, look out for badger watch events that can make a great end to a day’s walk, from the comfort of a purpose-built hide.
2) HOUSE MARTINS
The squeaky chatter of these smallish birds is among the most evocative sounds of the summer. With their neat white rumps, snowy underparts and blue-black wings they are beguiling birds to watch as well as hear. Watch for them collecting pellets of mud from roadside puddles, or rising and falling in pursuit of insects to feed their young. Look for nests that will often be built under the eaves of houses.
3) GLOW-WORMS
Glow-worms mature in June and July. Look for them in downland areas with low light pollution on a warm evening. Their ethereal lights are produced by the wingless female beetles, which can light the last two segments of their abdomen with a compound called luciferin. Inverting her tail to display the light, she waits for a winged male to fly in. Once mated, she extinguishes her lamp, lays her eggs and dies.
4) WEASELS
Keep your eyes peeled for weasels and stoats moving their young, something they do regularly as their youngsters grow and their nests, which can be in an old rat burrow or mole tunnel, become too cramped for comfort. When the youngsters are born they are hairless and blind, but they soon develop a covering of white down and by four weeks old, they are miniature versions of their mother.