Do you know how the knot, a small sandpiper, got its name?
I recently came across the answer whilst reading this weekends Guardian. The author Margaret Atwood wrote an article, 'Act now to save our birds', in which she describes her new role working for Birdlife International, personal birding experiences and her fears for the future.
The knot (Calidris canutus), a wading bird that feeds on British shorelines in the winter, is named after King Canute or Knut, who infamously tried to stop the incoming tide.
The full article can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/09/margaret-atwood-birds-review.
Meadow yellow
Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) in a Devon meadow
About Me
- Nick White
- As a child I was happiest searching for toads, grubbing for stag beetle larvae, or installing nest boxes & hides to observe behaviour. At Bath University I studied Biology, specialising in Ecology and for my dissertation studied the foraging habits of the Dipper. After 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry I left in 1996 to join a sustainability experiment in Nottinghamshire, the Hockerton Housing Project. We contributed to building zero carbon earth-sheltered homes with autonomous energy & water systems. I led the development of an on site sustainable business that included tours, educational services, consultancy and publications. We also developed habitats to promote biodiversity, in particular ponds, woodland and hedgerows. I monitored birds (including an Osprey) and assisted the local university studying water voles and shrews. We left HHP in January 2009 in part to go back to my ecological roots, and start an MSc in ‘Biological Recording’. Recently we have moved to Devon, in part for the richer more stimulating landscape and biodiversity. Devon had always appealed to me with its mix of extensive coastline, moors and rivers.
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