NATURE NOTES

Monthly highlights to look for by TOM BAILEY – Trail’s four-season photographer

KESTREL

The windhover, as it used to be known, is a common bird of prey in our hills. They primarily prey on rodents, and as there is no better habitat for voles et al than rough, rank grassland, even if it is on a steep angle, this is where you will spy kestrels all year round. Hovering is its speciality, and it can spot prey from 60ft up in the air. Next time you see one, take a moment to watch how dead still the head remains in a hover. In the mountains, they are often viewable from above, giving you a bird’s-eye view onto them.

JUNIPER

The most important fact about juniper is that it is used to give gin its flavour. Now you’re interested! It thrives in the north on acid soils and wet climates, so next time you’re in the Lakes, look high into those hard-to-get-at (if you’re a sheep) crags and you’ll see colonies of this twisted, shrubby evergreen tree. The berries ripen the year after they first appear, so there will often be green berries amongst the blue/black ripe ones.

STOAT

A member of the mustalid family (weasels, badgers, otters, pine martens, polecats), the stoat won’t be seen high up in the hills, but in the valleys and lower slopes. The real reason for keeping an eye out for them at this time of year is that in cold periods they often change from a brown to white, while still retaining their black tip to the tail. This colour change happens over a couple of days and benefits them hunting-wise when the landscape has turned snowy. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen stoats in ermine (white coat) twice, something I will never forget.