West Country Nature
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westcountrynature.bsky.social
West Country Nature
@westcountrynature.bsky.social
Observing and writing about nature in England's West Country.

https://victoriawoolley.substack.com/
A robin in a frosty Forest of Dean. The most obvious and cheering of all #winterbirds.

#birdoftheday #birds #nature #christmas #festiverobin
December 16, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I hope you are enjoying the bluer skies this weekend. This blue tit is, in Edford Woods Nature Reserve, Somerset.

The flitting acrobatics of blue tits are heartwarming. This one is investigating a swelling bud.

#birds #ukbirding #somersetbirding #Wildlifetrusts #somerset #bath #nature
December 14, 2025 at 12:07 PM
A grey heron on a grey day at RSPB Lodmoor in Dorset, for today's #birdoftheday. Easily the most 'dinosaur' of our native birds.

#heronsandegrets #birds #dorset #nature #naturewriting #wildlife #britishbirding #weymouth #dorset
December 14, 2025 at 11:43 AM
#birdoftheday finches in my back garden in Somerset. The goldfinches often fight to get onto this feeder full of niger seed. I have to sneak it in at night for its clean, so that they are never disappointed! These are the most common finch I see in my patch. #birds
December 13, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Ravens visit my work regularly. It turns out that they are not just 'big crows' after all... Feel free to take a read.

open.substack.com/pub/victoria...

#raven #birds #birdsky #somerset #nature #naturewriting #wildlife #iceland
The Raven Himself...
Ravens in a Somerset School
open.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:24 PM
We had so many ladybirds across the West Country this summer. There are still loads to be found tucked away in nooks and crannies for the winter. This pair are hibernating on an elder stick on my allotment.

#nature #insects #winter #hibertnate #somerset #wildlife
December 12, 2025 at 1:58 PM
In central Bath this evening, hundreds of pied wagtails came into roost on this Christmassy tree. They were illuminated by the lights and looked like living snow.

Credit to my sister for taking this video.

#birds #birdsky #nature #bath #christmas #ChristmasLights #urbanbirds
December 11, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Little egrets in the UK still seem exotic to me, despite having started to arrive in considerable numbers in the 80s. They are so elegant, until their bright yellow feed appear out of the water!

#Birds #Birdsky #BirdOfTheDay #sideviews #nature #wildlife #dorset
December 9, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Paying attention in a small Somerset nature reserve inspired this latest piece of reflection.

open.substack.com/pub/victoria...
#nature #naturewriting #mushrooms #fungi #somerset #rivers #ukwildlife #bath #wellbeing #environment
November 30, 2025 at 9:00 AM
A black headed gull in winter plumage at RSPB Lodmoor in Dorset. These gulls often seem well-mannered compared to many of their relatives.

#RSPB #Dorset #Weymouth #gulls #birds #addBirder #birding #nature #wildlife #environment
November 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
It's easy to forget how beautiful our most familiar creatures are. Everyone thinks of a mallard when they hear the word 'duck,' but how often do we stop and look at them?

RSPB Lodmoor, Weymouth, 8th November.

#RSPB #Weymouth #bird #birding #duck #wildlife #nature #Dorset
November 24, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Jelly fungus in woodland near Holcombe, Somerset today. Looking like some kind of spillage, this is one of nature's weirder and more fascinating creations.

#nature #fungus #somerset #wildlife #outdoors #woodland #forest
November 23, 2025 at 8:44 PM