A seasonal tide
FieldĀ Notes
No. 08
Moon jelly
29th June 2026
At a glance
SpeciesMoon Jellyfish
Latin nameAurelia aurita
FamilyUlmaridae
SizeDiameter 5ā40cm
HabitatCoastal waters worldwide; the most common jellyfish in UK seas
Key facts
* Recognisable by four horseshoe-shaped gonads visible through the translucent bell
* Its sting is too weak to
Berry walk
FieldĀ Notes
No. 07
Hawthorn, Dog rose, Elderberry, Bryony, Hops
26th August 2026
The end of summer is showing Nature's full abundance just in our local walk this morning.
There are so many berries around that I wonder whether walkers are leaving them for the wild creatures who
Side eye at Sheringham
FieldĀ Notes
No. 07
Lesser Black-Backed Gull
23rd August 2026
At a glance
SpeciesLesser Black-Backed Gull
Latin nameLarus fuscus
FamilyLaridae
Size52ā64cm, wingspan 135ā150cm
HabitatCoasts, estuaries, farmland, increasingly urban rooftops
Key facts
* Dark grey to black back distinguishes it from the paler Herring Gull
* Yellow legs are
New Year's Eve at Brancaster beach
FieldĀ Notes
No. 06
Burrowing Sand Anemone and Common Starfish
31st December 2025
You can probably tell that I'm only now catching up with my blog after what has been a full-on year. I can't hope to capture all of my thoughts but I wanted
And look who came inside for a visit
FieldĀ Notes
No. 04
Southern Hawker
12th August 2026
And another new spot
At a glance
SpeciesSouthern Hawker
Latin nameAeshna cyanea
FamilyAeshnidae
SizeBody to 7cm, wingspan up to 11cm
HabitatPonds, lakes and canals, often near woodland; frequent visitor to garden ponds
Key facts
* One of the largest UK dragonflies, on
An amphibian arrives in the new pond
FieldĀ Notes
No. 03
Common smooth newt
12th August 2026
Look who's arrived in our pond!
At a glance
SpeciesCommon Smooth Newt
Latin nameLissotriton vulgaris
FamilySalamandridae
Size7ā11cm
HabitatGarden ponds, grassland and woodland; UK's most common newt species
Key facts
* Breeds in water in spring and
A surprise
FieldĀ Notes
No. 02
12th August 2026
Heron
Walking early in Chislehurst woods to avoid the coming heat, this was a surprise. Motionless and with a fixated gaze, I initially thought this was a sculpture. But then the sculpture moved. In hindsight I should have aimed lower to include the
On the Thornham shore this morning
FieldĀ Notes
No. 01
Poor little crab
10 August 2026
At a glance
SpeciesPennant's Swimming Crab
Latin namePortumnus latipes
FamilyCarcinidae
SizeCarapace up to 20mm across
HabitatBurrows in wet sand on sheltered sandy beaches, especially at low tide
Key facts
* Also known as the Slender Swimcrab
* Its back legs
Autumn in the country
I've been round and about recently and regular readers of my blog will know that I post a lot of mushroom pictures at this time of year. I find it fsacinating how the fruiting bodies appear overnight; their varieties; the difficulties people have in identifying them definitively; that