Nature's Calendar Blog

• Are the swifts late in 2021?

  By Lorienne Whittle, 07/05/2021
  

  Have you been looking skyward for the first glimpse of a swift swooping by? These summertime icons delight us with their aerial acrobatics as they return from Africa to breed in the UK. 

  Looking back at 20 years of Nature's Calendar 'first recorded' sightings we would expect to see swifts from mid-April, but this year comparably few have been recorded yet. Find out more about identifying swifts, their migration and how to add your record to Nature's Calendar.  

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• When do wood anemones start flowering?

  By Judith Garforth, 22/03/2021
  

  Wood anemone flowers are beautiful, symbolic and ancient woodland indicators. One of the earliest spring blooms, their flowering time has been recorded for hundreds of years. Here’s a summary of what we already know about their phenology, but we need your help to continue this important biological record into the next decade and beyond. 

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• Reflections on 20 years of recording with Nature’s Calendar

  By Valerie Hurst, 08/12/2020
  

  Responding to an advert in the newspaper 20 years ago, little did Valerie Hurst know she was embarking on a new hobby that would become an increasing part of her daily life.

  Recording the first signs of seasonal changes with Nature's Calendar has not only been rewarding, but also helped Valerie connect to and understand more about her local wildlife.  

  As Valerie eagerly awaits the first signs of spring that will take her into a hugely valuable 21 year dataset, she shares her reflections of recording phenology and what this has meant to her.  

   

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• Is 2020 a good year for sloes?

  By Judith Garforth, 07/10/2020
  

  If you’re a fan of sloe gin, you’ll be pleased to hear we’ve had reports of 2020 being a bumper year for sloes. But why is there a good crop this year?

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• Recording autumn phenology: An analysis of 2019 records

  By Lorienne Whittle, 11/09/2020
  

  We share our analysis of your autumn 2019 records. Find out how autumn was progressing this time last year.

   

   

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