Wildlife Circus

When a bat walk was advertised as an event taking place in the grounds of  this intriguing building, it was impossible to resist. Hanworth Park House dates back to 1802, wings and a clock tower were added in the early Victorian period. This mansion replaced a Tudor building, burnt down several years earlier, that had been used a hunting lodge by Henry VIII to access Hounslow Heath. The House became a military Hospital during the First World War. It was bought by the Whitehead Aircraft Company during WWI, factories were built along the north side of the park for the production of the Sopwith Pup fighter plane with the park used as an airfield. It became an old people’s home run by the London Borough of Hounslow; a Grade 2 Listed Building now on the Buildings at Risk Register . Read more about the setting The activity was slow at first, with the bat detectors registering the odd pipistrelle bat around the grounds. A few larger bat species namely, the Nyctalus bats Noctules and t...

  Squirrels foil  our best efforts to label trees - string, wire, cable ties - swopped in the blink of an eye. So it was with these 'heritage' apples that went to Pevensey Road orchard in the winter of 22,  now challenging us to identify.  The above displays none of the characteristics of the  two apples I  graft:- Kingston's own heritage variety Mitchelson's Seedling Kingston's apple story ; and the russety, Claygate Pearmain. The first port of call when attempting  apple ID is the New Book of Apples by Morgan and Richards. The second is  Fruit ID which contains a lot of  not - in - books info, accounting for information obtained from DNA. This includes synonymous varieties (sharing the genetic make - up) such as Chelmsford Wonder. Makes you wonder how an apple thrown into a hedge - classified as a seedling  - turned out to be the same as grafted stock.               ...