Sue Morton writes: You know what it’s like packing to go away – you can’t take everything, and this time my bat/cricket detector didn’t make the cut. I regretted this almost immediately when we arrived in Germany last month to balmy evenings, just right for bats, and resigned myself to a cricket-free holiday, as most bush-crickets’ songs are too high pitched for us to hear except through a bat detector.
John C. writes:
Out for a walk today (6 August) in the Hailey, New Yatt, Ramsden area to look for bush crickets we made a rather pleasing find as we were passing through Holly Grove.
John C. writes:
We don’t usually think of this time of year as a time to go looking for flowers but there are a number of late-flowering species that are as rewarding to find as the season winds down as the first spring flowers are as the season winds up. A particular favourite of mine is autumn gentian, Gentianella amarella. Whilst perhaps not as spectacular as spring gentians – which are rare in the British Isles – they’re not very uncommon and have, to my mind, a rather understated charm.
Come on a short sound walk with Sue Morton who writes:
What could be nicer than strolling along in the dark on a fine summer night listening to crickets? It’s something I never get tired of, although passers-by tend to give us a wide berth when we’re poking around in the undergrowth with the bat detector.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE FIELD CLUB