Do you have hedgerows on your land? Have you ever thought of trying to date them? It is sometimes possible to give an approximate age to a hedge using the ‘hedge dating’ system devised by Dr Max Hooper in the 1970's. This is explained in a number of books, such as The Living History of Our Hedgerows: A Guide to Dating Hedgerows - Lesley Chapman, Brian Steffens (Illustrator) Orchard Publications - paperback - April 10, 2001.  Have a look on Amazon.co.uk or similar The basic formula for dating a hedge is as follows: First measure out a 30 metre length of hedge. Work along the hedge systematically recording each woody species. Repeat this process with two or three 30 metre sections of hedge. Calculate how many woody species on average you find in your hedge. Generally speaking, a new species is added every hundred years. Read more...

Spring is a good time for building birdboxes. If you have children it's a terrific way to make them more aware of the environment. Below are a few links to get you started: Building a basic nestbox How to Build a Nest Box for Bluebirds Building bird nestboxes Good luck! Read more...