Nature explained with sources and context

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Outdoor interests and nature

Outdoor interests and nature

Ideas and knowledge for enjoying the countryside, water and outdoor life while understanding the living things and places we share.

Find your interest

Hunting and landscapesMethods, wildlife and habitats: understanding hunting practices and their relationship with the land. Recreational fishingFish, waters and methods: understanding freshwater and sea fishing and their effects. Horses and natureBehaviour, breeds, movement and trails to understand horses in their surroundings. Walking and navigationRead landscapes, interpret maps and explore paths on foot or by bike. Wildlife watching and photographyWatch, recognise and document wildlife and landscapes without disturbing them. Fungi and foragingFungi, fruit and woodland cycles: understanding their ecology and observing carefully. Gardening, growing and beekeepingCrops, soil, pollinators and colonies: the nature that lives close to home. River and coastal activitiesWetlands, riverbanks and coasts: discover nature from the water and its shores.

Read on and explore

Wildlife watching and photography · 2 min

Leaf damage: what can and cannot be measured

A mark on a leaf can be recorded as damage, but that alone is not enough to attribute it to an animal or distinguish its cause. A study of tropical plants compared methods for quantifying leaf damage and found different biases in visual and automated estimates.

Wildlife watching and photography · 3 min

Temporary Ponds: What to Record as Water Levels Rise and Fall

An observation guide with no universal calendar: how to prepare a record and what to note when comparing water levels. The available evidence does not support describing a verified biological sequence from rainfall to drying.

Wildlife watching and photography · 2 min

Observing wildlife at dusk: distance, light and limits

Different species and behaviors may coincide at dusk: activity depends on the animal and local conditions. Watching from a distance and avoiding deliberate stimuli are precautions, not a guarantee that wildlife will not be disturbed.

Wildlife watching and photography · 2 min

What fallen feathers can reveal—and what they can’t identify

A feather’s shape, structure and visible patterns can be described and compared with references. But resemblance alone does not confirm which bird it came from, and an isolated feather may not reveal its species, age or sex.

Wildlife watching and photography · 2 min

How to record feeding signs on hazelnuts: clues and limits

Hazelnut shells can preserve visible differences among signs attributed to various mammals and birds. Recording the shape of the hole and where tooth marks appear helps compare clues, but does not turn an isolated shell into a certain identification.

Documentary photograph: What to Record During a Tree’s FruitingDocumentary photograph Photo by James St. John Source: wikimedia_commons CC BY 2.0 resized and converted to WebP

Wildlife watching and photography · 2 min

What to Record During a Tree’s Fruiting Period

Note when and where you observe the tree, which part you are monitoring, and whether it has fruit; if you can count consistently, record the quantity too. Repeated observations can describe changes in that tree, but a record alone does not establish a universal calendar or a conclusion about climate.