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  • Scimitar-horned Oryx Oryx dammah Shoulder height to 1m Endangered antelope associated with deserts and semi-deserts of North Africa and Middle East. Coat is buffish-brown grading to whitish and horns are long and curved.
    135628.jpg
  • View of Lundy island from the east in late afternoon, Devon.
    155536.jpg
  • Deciduous woodland on the east side of Lundy
    155421.jpg
  • FEN VIOLET Viola persicifolia. Height to 20cm. Charming, scarce perennial, similar to Marsh Violet but the rounded petals are bluish-white (not lilac) and the spur is short and greenish (not lilac) (May-June). It grows in a few East Anglian fens and, locally, in W Ireland too.
    113546.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    143100.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    143101.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    157139.jpg
  • After effects of  6 12 2013  tidal surge showing East bank and phragmites rhizomes at  Cley next the sea,  Norfolk UK
    155716.jpg
  • East side of Lundy showing cleared Rhododendron thickets, Devon.
    155540.jpg
  • Bell Heather - Erica cinerea (Ericaceae) - on the east side of Lundy, Devon. Height to 50cm<br />
Hairless, evergreen undershrub of acid soils, typically favouring drier locations than Heather or Cross-leaved Heath. FLOWERS are 5-6mm long, bell-shaped and purplish red; borne in groups along the stem that sometimes appear like elongated spikes (Jun-Sep). FRUITS are capsules. LEAVES are narrow, dark green and borne in whorls of 3 up the wiry stems. STATUS-Widespread and locally common, especially in the N and W; it sometimes becomes the dominant plant on dry heaths and moors.
    155428.jpg
  • Landing bay and east side, Lundy, Devon
    155439.jpg
  • Landing Bay and east Side, Lundy, Devon
    155440.jpg
  • Shingle, Rye Harbour, East Sussex, UK
    115080.jpg
  • Italian Cypress Cupressus sempervirens (Cupressaceae) HEIGHT to 22m. Slender, upright evergreen with dense dark-green foliage. Usually columnar, but sometimes broadly pyramidal. BARK Grey-brown and ridged. BRANCHES Strongly upright and crowded, bearing clusters of shoots. Numerous young shoots arise from the leading shoots. LEAVES Dark-green, scale-like, no more than 1mm long; unscented. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Small greenish-yellow male cones up to 8mm across grow on tips of side-shoots. Elliptical, yellowish-grey female cones, up to 4cm across, grow near ends of the shoots; they ripen brown. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of mountain slopes in S Europe and Balkans, east to Iran.
    137108.jpg
  • Spiked Rampion Phyteuma spicatum Height to 70cm<br />
Upright member of the bellflower family. Grows in shady hedgerows and beside woodland paths. Leaves are oval and borne in a basal rosette. Flowers are white and rather plantain-like; in spikes (to 5 cm long) on long stalks, May-June. Status-Very rare, and restricted as a native plant to East Sussex. Occasionally, sometimes appears as a garden escape.
    134129.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    140175.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    143080.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    143102.jpg
  • Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides (L 45-47cm) is a buffish heron with pure white wings seen in flight.
    155520.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    127760.jpg
  • Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - Merops superciliosus
    127774.jpg
  • Steppe Buzzard - Buteo buteo vulpinus
    127858.jpg
  • Steppe Buzzard - Buteo buteo vulpinus
    127860.jpg
  • Arabian babbler - Turdoides squamiceps
    162203.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    127756.jpg
  • Brown-necked Raven - Corvus ruficollis
    127785.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    127798.jpg
  • Steppe Buzzard - Buteo buteo vulpinus
    127859.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    127877.jpg
  • Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides (L 45-47cm) is a buffish heron with pure white wings seen in flight.
    133084.jpg
  • Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - Phylloscopus orientalis
    163071.jpg
  • Arabian babbler - Turdoides squamiceps
    162202.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    160900.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    160902.jpg
  • Ostrich - Struthio camelus camelus
    160965.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    159625.jpg
  • Crowned Sandgrouse - Pterocles coronatus
    159632.jpg
  • Aerial of Blakeney Point National Nature reserve, National Trust, summer, Norfolk UK
    156992.jpg
  • Florida Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma coerulescens
    148527.jpg
  • Eurasian Black Vulture - Aegypius monachus
    156806.jpg
  • Fen Mason Wasp - Odynerus simillimus
    156775.jpg
  • Fen Mason Wasp - Odynerus simillimus
    156774.jpg
  • Dyke showing water level, Sutton Fen RSPB Reserve, Norfolk UK
    156754.jpg
  • Fen Raft Spider - Dolomedes plantarius
    156755.jpg
  • Sedge cutting on Sutton Fen RSPB Reserve, Norfolk, UK
    156747.jpg
  • Ruins of Victorian mining building, Lundy Island, Devon
    156587.jpg
  • Eroded cliffs and damaged chalets following tidal surges of December 2013, Hemsby, Norfolk UK
    155693.jpg
  • Major breach in shingle defence sea wall and church at Salthouse following major flood surges of December 2013, Norfolk UK
    155714.jpg
  • Black-eared Wheatear - Oenanthe hispanica - eastern race male, pale-throated form
    155512.jpg
  • Black-headed Bunting - Emberiza melanocephala - Adult Male
    155518.jpg
  • White Mulberry Morus alba (Moraceae) HEIGHT to 15m<br />
 Deciduous tree with a narrow rounded crown on a broad bole, to 2m across. BARK Heavily ridged and grey, sometimes tinged pinkish. BRANCHES Shoots are thin, with fine hairs at first; buds are minute, brown and pointed. LEAVES To 18cm long, oval to rounded with a heart-shaped base and a hairy, grooved petiole up to 2.5cm long. Feel thin and smooth, and have a toothed margin, with downy hairs on veins on underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Female flowers stalked, spike-like and yellowish. Male flowers on slightly longer spikes; whitish with prominent anthers. Fruit comprises a cluster of drupes; white or pink at first, ripening purple. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E Asia, grown here occasionally. COMMENT The leaves are the foodplant for silkworms.
    117571.jpg
  • Reedbed, Titchwell RSPB Reserve, Norfolk
    129502.jpg
  • Aerial view of Blakeney Point, Norfolk, UK
    143176.jpg
  • RSPB reserve at Titchwell, Norfolk, Uk
    154420.jpg
  • Late afternoon sun over the beach at low tide, Titchwell, Norfolk, Uk
    154423.jpg
  • Boardwalk across the dunes at Holme Nature Reserve, Norfolk
    154246.jpg
  • Levant Sparrowhawk - Accipiter brevipes
    154048.jpg
  • Ray’s Bream Brama brama Length to 70cm<br />
An unmistakable laterally-compressed, deep-bodied fish. The head and eyes are proportionately very large. Overall, the fish is silvery-metallic in appearance, with a maroon/bronze sheen to the dorsal surface. This warm water species follows the Gulf Stream north in summer, retreating south in autumn; those that head south into the North Sea invariably end up dying and can be found on the north Norfolk coast in early winter.
    142742.jpg
  • Sweet Gum Liquidamber styraciflua (Hamamelidaceae) HEIGHT to 28m. A large tree with attractive foliage. BARK Greyish brown with scaly ridges. BRANCHES Twisting and spreading to upcurved. LEAVES Sharply lobed with a toothed margin. They are alternate and give off a resinous scent when crushed, unlike maple leaves, which they resemble. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The flowers are globose; fruits are spiny and pendulous, 2.5– 4cm across, resembling those of a Plane. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread and common native tree of the south-eastern USA as far south as Central America. Familiar here as a colourful autumn tree in many parks and gardens.
    135423.jpg
  • Sweet Gum Liquidamber styraciflua (Hamamelidaceae) HEIGHT to 28m. A large tree with attractive foliage. BARK Greyish brown with scaly ridges. BRANCHES Twisting and spreading to upcurved. LEAVES Sharply lobed with a toothed margin. They are alternate and give off a resinous scent when crushed, unlike maple leaves, which they resemble. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The flowers are globose; fruits are spiny and pendulous, 2.5– 4cm across, resembling those of a Plane. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread and common native tree of the south-eastern USA as far south as Central America. Familiar here as a colourful autumn tree in many parks and gardens.
    135422.jpg
  • Silver-lime Tilia tomentosa (Tiliaceae) HEIGHT to 30m <br />
Broadly domed tree. BARK Grey, ridged. BRANCHES Mostly straight and ascending. Young twigs whitish and woolly, darkening with age; buds greenish brown, to 8mm long. LEAVES To 12cm long, rounded; with heart-shaped base, tapering tip and toothed margins; dark green, hairless and wrinkled above, white and downy with stellate hairs below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS 5–10 off-white, strongly scented flowers are supported by yellowish bract. Fruit, to 1.2cm long, is ovoid, warty and downy. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native from Balkans eastwards; planted here and thrives in towns. COMMENTS Woolly leaves ensure no aphids, and hence no honeydew. SIMILAR TREE Pendent Silver-lime T. ‘Petiolaris’ (Height to 30m) is similar to Silver-lime, but branches have pendulous tips. Leaf underside is very white and downy, as is the long petiole.
    135035.jpg
  • Swamp Cypress Taxodium distichum (Taxodiaceae) HEIGHT to 35m. Deciduous conifer, conical at first, becoming broader and domed with maturity. When growing in or near water, fluted trunk is surrounded by emergent ‘breathing roots’ (likened by some to knobbly knees) characteristic of this species. BARK Pale reddish-brown, peeling in thin fibrous strips. BRANCHES Upright or spreading in older trees, carrying 2 types of shoots: long shoots bear spirally arranged leaves, and alternate side-shoots bear flattened leaves set in 2 ranks. LEAVES Alternate, up to 2cm long, and pale green; a greyish band on the underside has a fine midrib. A mature tree colours well in autumn before shedding its needles. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male cones produced in slender, branching clusters up to 15cm long at end of 1-year-old shoots. Female cones are globose and woody, on short stalks, ripening purplish-brown in first year. Each scale has a small curved spine in the centre. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S and SE USA, planted here for ornament.
    135032.jpg
  • Butternut Juglans cinerea (Juglandaceae) HEIGHT to 26m <br />
Slender tree. BARK Grey. LEAVES Compound, to 70cm long, leaflets more widely spaced than in Black Walnut; central leaf stalk is densely hairy and leaflets near leaf base are smallest. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Edible fruits in clusters of up to 12. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of eastern N America, planted here for ornament.
    135008.jpg
  • Chinese Plum Yew (Chinese Cow-tail Pine Cephalotaxus fortunei (Cephalotaxaceae) HEIGHT to 10m. Small, densely foliaged tree. Usually has a single bole but sometimes 2 or 3. BARK Reddish and peeling. BRANCHES Dense foliage can sometimes become so heavy that the branches sag. LEAVES Flattened needles, up to 10cm long greenish and glossy above with 2 pale bands on the underside; borne on either side of bright-green shoots. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Yellowish or creamy male and female flowers appear on separate plants, opening in spring. Fruits are up to 2.5cm long and oval with fleshy, purple-brown skin. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of mountain forests in central and E China; sometimes grown as an ornamental garden tree.
    134928.jpg
  • Ribbon Gum Eucalyptus viminalis (Myrtaceae) HEIGHT to 50m. Large tree. BARK Rough, peels in long ribbons revealing smoother, pale patches. BRANCHES Mainly upright. LEAVES Juvenile leaves opposite, oblong, to 10cm long. Adult leaves alternate, to 18cm long and tapering. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers usually in clusters of 3; buds have scarlet domed caps. Fruits rounded. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S and E Australia, grown here for timber and ornament.
    134900.jpg
  • Turkish Hazel Corylus colurna (Betulaceae) HEIGHT to 22m<br />
Larger that Common Hazel with a stout bole and a conical crown. The best feature for identification is the involucre, which completely encloses the nut and is finely toothed and often recurved. Leaves are similar to those of Hazel, but are more likely to look lobed. A native of SE Europe and Asia Minor, and also found as an introduction further north and west.
    134894.jpg
  • Ashleaf Maple (Box Elder) Acer negundo (Aceraceae) HEIGHT to 20m <br />
Small but vigorous deciduous tree with numerous shoots growing from bole and main branches. BARK Smooth in young trees, replaced by darker, shallowly fissured bark in older trees. BRANCHES With green shoots and small buds that have only 2 whitish scales. LEAVES Pinnate, to 15cm long with 3 or sometimes up to 7 irregularly toothed oval leaflets. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female flowers occur separately, opening in March before leaves. Petals are absent; male flowers are greenish with prominent red anthers, and female flowers are greenish-yellow and pendent. Brown fruits are about 2cm long with wings slightly spreading, remaining on tree after leaves have fallen. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America, commonly planted as an ornamental tree, and sometimes for shelter; sometimes naturalised.
    134881.jpg
  • Oriental Hawthorn Crataegus laciniata (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m. Rather low and spreading tree. BARK Scaly, brown with pinkish patches. BRANCHES Often twisted; young twigs and pedicels covered with white hairs; becoming smooth and blackish with age. LEAVES Deeply lobed, to 4cm long, with fine white hairs on both sides. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers are creamy white, in dense clusters of up to 16; fruits are hairy at first, ripening to orange or red, and containing 3–5 seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to SE Europe, Spain and Sicily and occasionally planted here for ornament.
    134878.jpg
  • Erman’s Birch Betula ermanii (Betulaceae) HEIGHT to 24m<br />
A fast-growing and attractive tree, easily recognised by studying its bark. The tree is more spreading and has a stouter bole than the Silver Birch, with which it frequently hybridises. BARK Pinkish, or sometimes shining yellowish white; it peels horizontally and hangs in tattered strips down the bole of mature trees; younger trees have a smoother white bark. BRANCHES Rather upright, with twigs that are warty and usually hairless. LEAVES Triangular to heart-shaped with a pointed tip and toothed margins; there are 7-11 pairs of veins and the stalks hairless. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Catkins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of E Asia, and introduced into Britain and Ireland from Japan. The best specimens are seen in established gardens where the peeling bark is a fine winter feature.
    134716.jpg
  • Northern White Cedar Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae) HEIGHT to 20m. Broadly conical tree. BARK Orange-brown, peeling in vertical strips. LEAVES Flattened, fern-like sprays of foliage show white, waxy bands below. Crushed leaves smell of apple and cloves. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male cones recall those of Western Red Cedar; female cones have rounded tips to cone scales. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America. Does not thrive here.
    134666.jpg
  • Yellow Buckeye (Sweet Buckeye) Aesculus flava (Hippocastanaceae) HEIGHT to 30m. Large domed, deciduous tree. BARK Peeling and scaly grey-brown. BRANCHES Ascending and twisted. LEAVES Palmate with 5 leaflets, each up to 20cm long. The leaves turn red early in the autumn. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS 4-petalled yellow flowers are borne in erect spikes about 15cm long, usually opening in late spring or early summer. The smooth rounded fruits are about 6cm across, covered in brown scales on the outside and containing one or 2 seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E USA, planted here in parks and gardens for its excellent autumn colours.
    134585.jpg
  • Pond Cypress Taxodium ascendens (Taxodiaceae) HEIGHT to 18m. Slender, conical to columnar deciduous tree. BARK Grey and ridged in older specimens. BRANCHES Horizontal but curving down sharply at tips, and fine shoots that curved upwards with small clasping leaves and give a knotted-cord look. Deciduous shoots are shed in autumn. There is a fine display of autumn colours, starting orange and turning brown. LEAVES Pale green and 8mm long; arranged spirally. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male flowers are yellowish-green, hanging catkins up to 20cm long. Female flowers are produced on the same tree at base of male catkins, first appearing in autumn, but not opening until spring. Rounded cones up to 3cm long are green at first but ripen brown. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the SE USA, growing in wet ground by ponds and swampy ground. Introduced into Britain, where it succeeds only in warmer parts of the south.
    134582.jpg
  • Apricot Prunus armeniaca (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m <br />
Small, rounded deciduous tree. BARK Greyish-brown with fine fissures. BRANCHES Twisted and dense with smooth reddish twigs. LEAVES Heart-shaped, reddish when first open, later becoming green above and yellowish beneath, on a red petiole with 2 glands near leaf base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White or pale-pink short-stalked flowers, solitary paired, open before leaves. Fruit, to 8cm long, is rounded, the downy red-tinged skin surrounding a rather acid-tasting juicy flesh that becomes sweet only when fully ripe. Stone is flattened, elliptical and smooth, with 3 raised lines along one edge. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of central and E Asia, grown for its edible fruits; requires shelter in our region.
    134527.jpg
  • White Mulberry Morus alba (Moraceae) HEIGHT to 15m<br />
Deciduous tree with a narrow rounded crown on a broad bole, to 2m across. BARK Heavily ridged and grey, sometimes tinged pinkish. BRANCHES Shoots are thin, with fine hairs at first; buds are minute, brown and pointed. LEAVES To 18cm long, oval to rounded with a heart-shaped base and a hairy, grooved petiole up to 2.5cm long. Feel thin and smooth, and have a toothed margin, with downy hairs on veins on underside.  REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Female flowers stalked, spike-like and yellowish. Male flowers on slightly longer spikes; whitish with prominent anthers. Fruit comprises a cluster of drupes; white or pink at first, ripening purple. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E Asia, grown here occasionally. COMMENT The leaves are the foodplant for silkworms.
    134473.jpg
  • Canadian Snowy Mespil Amelanchier canadensis (Height to 15m). Similar to Snowy Mespil A. ovalis. Has mostly oblong leaves. Native of NE America, planted here.
    134472.jpg
  • Medlar Mespilus germanica (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 9m <br />
Sometimes a small, rounded tree, or often a spreading and untidy shrub. BARK Greyish-brown, in old trees breaking into oblong plates with deep fissures. BRANCHES Young shoots are densely hairy. LEAVES To 15cm long, lanceolate to ovate with entire or sometimes very finely toothed margins and deep veins; often a yellowish-green colour and almost shiny above, with dense white hairs on the underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Solitary white flowers are up to 6cm across, with sepals longer than the petals and about 40 red anthers. The curious fruit is about 3cm long, divided into 5 carpels, with a brown russet-like skin and a sunken apex. It is edible, but not until it has started to rot, when it can be used in preserves. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the woodlands of SE Europe and Asia Minor, but has been in cultivation elsewhere for a long time. Usually found in old gardens, but is also naturalised in some woodlands.
    133956.jpg
  • Apricot Prunus armeniaca (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m <br />
Small, rounded deciduous tree. BARK Greyish-brown with fine fissures. BRANCHES Twisted and dense with smooth reddish twigs. LEAVES Heart-shaped, reddish when first open, later becoming green above and yellowish beneath, on a red petiole with 2 glands near leaf base. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White or pale-pink short-stalked flowers, solitary paired, open before leaves. Fruit, to 8cm long, is rounded, the downy red-tinged skin surrounding a rather acid-tasting juicy flesh that becomes sweet only when fully ripe. Stone is flattened, elliptical and smooth, with 3 raised lines along one edge. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of central and E Asia, grown for its edible fruits; requires shelter in our region.
    133742.jpg
  • Oriental Hawthorn Crataegus laciniata (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m. Rather low and spreading tree. BARK Scaly, brown with pinkish patches. BRANCHES Often twisted; young twigs and pedicels covered with white hairs; becoming smooth and blackish with age. LEAVES Deeply lobed, to 4cm long, with fine white hairs on both sides. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers are creamy white, in dense clusters of up to 16; fruits are hairy at first, ripening to orange or red, and containing 3–5 seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to SE Europe, Spain and Sicily and occasionally planted here for ornament.
    132991.jpg
  • Silver Maple Acer saccharinum (Aceraceae) HEIGHT to 30m <br />
Broadly columnar tree with spreading crown; suckers freely. BARK Smooth, greyish but scaly with age. BRANCHES Numerous, slender and ascending with pendulous brownish twigs. LEAVES To 16cm long, deeply divided into 5 lobes with irregularly toothed margins, orange or red-tinted at first, green above later, but with silvery hairs below; petiole usually pink-tinged. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Yellowish-green flowers (no petals) in small short-stalked clusters of separate sexes in spring. Green, then brown, fruits are about 6cm long, with diverging wings and prominent veins. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E North America, planted here for ornament.
    132914.jpg
  • Yellow Buckeye (Sweet Buckeye) Aesculus flava (Hippocastanaceae) HEIGHT to 30m. Large domed, deciduous tree. BARK Peeling and scaly grey-brown. BRANCHES Ascending and twisted. LEAVES Palmate with 5 leaflets, each up to 20cm long. The leaves turn red early in the autumn. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS 4-petalled yellow flowers are borne in erect spikes about 15cm long, usually opening in late spring or early summer. The smooth rounded fruits are about 6cm across, covered in brown scales on the outside and containing one or 2 seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E USA, planted here in parks and gardens for its excellent autumn colours.
    132813.jpg
  • Hubei Crab Malus hupehensis (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 15m<br />
Broadly domed and spreading tree. BARK Reddish brown with scaly plates. BRANCHES Long and spreading, lower ones with shoots that almost reach the ground. LEAVES Narrowly ovate, pointed at the tip, to 10cm long, shiny green above and borne on a rather long, downy petiole. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers are white, arising from pink buds. Fruits are reddish and 1cm across. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Scarce native of E Asia, planted widely here in parks and gardens.
    132759.jpg
  • Sassafras Sassafras albidum (Lauraceae) HEIGHT to 20m <br />
Medium-sized, columnar, deciduous tree. BARK Thick, reddish-brown, furrowed and aromatic bark. BRANCHES With thin, green shoots, particularly evident after leaf-fall. LEAVES Mostly elliptic and untoothed, to 15cm long and 10cm across, but sometimes with large lobes on either side. Upper surface is bright green and lower surface is bluish-green; leaves turn through yellow and orange to purple in autumn. Crushed leaves have a pleasing smell and to some they taste of orange and vanilla. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Male and female flowers are very small, greenish-yellow and without petals, growing in small clusters on separate plants and opening in the spring. Fruit is an ovoid berry, about 1cm long, ripening to a dark blue. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Common native tree of E North America, growing in woods and thickets, and used as a raw ingredient for root beer and tea. Seen in Britain and Ireland in arboreta and well-established gardens.
    132643.jpg
  • Water Oak Quercus nigra (Fagaceae) HEIGHT to 18m<br />
Domed tree. BARK Purplish grey. BRANCHES Spreading. LEAVES Dark green, glossy, hairless, with irregular lobes, broadest near blunt tip; retained into winter. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Domed acorns in shallow cups. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of E USA, planted here occasionally.
    132623.jpg
  • Ribbon Gum Eucalyptus viminalis (Myrtaceae) HEIGHT to 50m. Large tree. BARK Rough, peels in long ribbons revealing smoother, pale patches. BRANCHES Mainly upright. LEAVES Juvenile leaves opposite, oblong, to 10cm long. Adult leaves alternate, to 18cm long and tapering. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers usually in clusters of 3; buds have scarlet domed caps. Fruits rounded. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S and E Australia, grown here for timber and ornament.
    132515.jpg
  • White Ash Fraxinus americana (Oleaceae) HEIGHT to 30m <br />
Broadly columnar deciduous tree. BARK Grey-brown, intricately ridged. BRANCHES Upright, with straight shoots. LEAVES Leaflets smooth above and white beneath; blades do not continue down the petiole. Autumn colour is unreliable (in our region) but can be impressive, with purple-bronze leaves. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Similar to Ash. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native to E North America, planted here occasionally.
    132259.jpg
  • Sweet Gum Liquidamber styraciflua (Hamamelidaceae) HEIGHT to 28m. A large tree with attractive foliage. BARK Greyish brown with scaly ridges. BRANCHES Twisting and spreading to upcurved. LEAVES Sharply lobed with a toothed margin. They are alternate and give off a resinous scent when crushed, unlike maple leaves, which they resemble. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The flowers are globose; fruits are spiny and pendulous, 2.5– 4cm across, resembling those of a Plane. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A widespread and common native tree of the south-eastern USA as far south as Central America. Familiar here as a colourful autumn tree in many parks and gardens.
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  • Ribbon Gum Eucalyptus viminalis (Myrtaceae) HEIGHT to 50m. Large tree. BARK Rough, peels in long ribbons revealing smoother, pale patches. BRANCHES Mainly upright. LEAVES Juvenile leaves opposite, oblong, to 10cm long. Adult leaves alternate, to 18cm long and tapering. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers usually in clusters of 3; buds have scarlet domed caps. Fruits rounded. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of S and E Australia, grown here for timber and ornament.
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  • Brent Goose Branta bernicla L 56-61cm. Our smallest goose – similar size to Shelduck. Subtle plumage patterns allow separation of two subspecies that winter here: Pale-bellied Brent B.b.hrota (breeds on Svalbard and Greenland) and Dark-bellied Brent B.b.bernicla (breeds in Russia). Seen in sizeable and noisy flocks. In flight, looks dark except for white rear end. All birds have a black bill and black legs. Sexes are similar. Adult Pale-bellied has blackish head, neck and breast; side of neck has narrow band of white feathers. Note neat division between dark breast and pale grey-buff belly. Back is uniform dark brownish grey. Adult Dark-bellied is similar but belly is darker and flanks are paler. Juveniles are similar to respective adults but note pale feather margins on back and absence of white markings on side of neck; white on neck is acquired in New Year. Voice Very vocal, uttering a nasal krrrut. Status Winter visitor to coasts.
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  • Pygmy Cormorant - Phalacrocorax pygmaeus
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  • Blyth's Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus dumetorum
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  • Waders On The Wash
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  • Levant Sparrowhawk - Accipiter brevipes
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  • Brent Goose Branta bernicla L 56-61cm. Our smallest goose – similar size to Shelduck. Subtle plumage patterns allow separation of two subspecies that winter here: Pale-bellied Brent B.b.hrota (breeds on Svalbard and Greenland) and Dark-bellied Brent B.b.bernicla (breeds in Russia). Seen in sizeable and noisy flocks. In flight, looks dark except for white rear end. All birds have a black bill and black legs. Sexes are similar. Adult Pale-bellied has blackish head, neck and breast; side of neck has narrow band of white feathers. Note neat division between dark breast and pale grey-buff belly. Back is uniform dark brownish grey. Adult Dark-bellied is similar but belly is darker and flanks are paler. Juveniles are similar to respective adults but note pale feather margins on back and absence of white markings on side of neck; white on neck is acquired in New Year. Voice Very vocal, uttering a nasal krrrut. Status Winter visitor to coasts.
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  • Brent Goose, dark-bellied race  Branta bernicla L 56-61cm. Our smallest goose – similar size to Shelduck. Subtle plumage patterns allow separation of two subspecies that winter here: Pale-bellied Brent B.b.hrota (breeds on Svalbard and Greenland) and Dark-bellied Brent B.b.bernicla (breeds in Russia). Seen in sizeable and noisy flocks. In flight, looks dark except for white rear end. All birds have a black bill and black legs. Sexes are similar. Adult Pale-bellied has blackish head, neck and breast; side of neck has narrow band of white feathers. Note neat division between dark breast and pale grey-buff belly. Back is uniform dark brownish grey. Adult Dark-bellied is similar but belly is darker and flanks are paler. Juveniles are similar to respective adults but note pale feather margins on back and absence of white markings on side of neck; white on neck is acquired in New Year. Voice Very vocal, uttering a nasal krrrut. Status Winter visitor to coasts.
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  • Red-breasted Flycatcher - Ficedula parva
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  • Black Bush-robin - Cercotrichas podobe
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  • Black-bellied Sandgrouse - Pterocles orientalis
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  • Black-bellied Sandgrouse - Pterocles orientalis
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  • Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - Pterocles alchata
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  • Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - Pterocles alchata
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