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Alan Watson Featherstone

ECOLOGIST, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER AND INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER
FOUNDER OF THE AWARD-WINNING CHARITY TREES FOR LIFE

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Alan’s blog

Alan’s blog

Alan’s blog

These blogs feature my writing and photographs from my experiences out in the Caledonian Forest and other natural ecosystems. Please subscribe to receive automatic notifications when new blog posts are added.

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Wild weather in the Araucaria forest of Chile, part 2

Chile: 24 October 2018 6 Comments

Young Araucaria trees (Araucaria araucana) covered in fresh snow, amongst lenga trees (Nothofagus pumilio) in early autumn colours.

This follows on immediately from my previous blog, about my visit to see the forest of Araucaria trees (Araucaria araucana) at the Nasampulli Reserve in Chile, during the southern autumn in April this year.  In the afternoon of my fourth day there, the snow had stopped (or so it appeared at least), and Esteban Arias (the researcher and park ranger based at the reserve) and I decided to go for a longer walk. This was along an old logging track, and it was easier going on that because it was more open, although the snow was still knee-deep in most places. As we walked I couldn’t stop wondering at how remarkable it was that just 24 hours previously, this entire area had still been in the middle of the rainstorm, but now it was a white wonderland. [Read more…] about Wild weather in the Araucaria forest of Chile, part 2

Wild weather in the Araucaria forest of Chile, part 1

Chile: 2 October 2018 4 Comments

Araucaria trees (Araucaria araucana) covered in fresh snow, amongst lenga trees (Nothofagus pumilio) in early autumn colours, Nasampulli Reserve, Chile.

One of the places I’ve been keen to visit during my trips to the Araucaria forests of Chile in the past three years is the Nasampulli Reserve. It’s an area of 1,200 hectares that is owned and managed by the UK-based conservation charity Rainforest Concern, in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and Chilean scientists. Located on the site of a former logging concession, it contains undisturbed primary forest of Araucaria araucana, as well as previously logged areas that are in the process of recovery and restoration. [Read more…] about Wild weather in the Araucaria forest of Chile, part 1

Autumn approaches in Strathfarrar

Glen Strathfarrar: 21 September 2018 8 Comments

Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris) and birches (Betula pubescens) in the Caledonian Forest in Glen Strathfarrar in late August 2018, with heather (Calluna vulgaris) in flower, bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and blaeberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) changing colour on the forest floor.

When I went out to Strathfarrar on 27th August it had been about 10 months since my last visit to the glen. Such a long gap between trips to this beautiful area of old Caledonian Forest is quite unusual for me, but that’s because I’ve been concentrating my photographic trips recently on Glen Affric. I’ve also been to Chile a couple of times in the intervening period, so the months had slipped by and I was quite overdue for a return to what is one of my favourite places in the Highlands. It was therefore with considerable anticipation of having an interesting day that I headed there on one of the last days of August, hoping to catch the end of summer in the glen. [Read more…] about Autumn approaches in Strathfarrar

Misty mornings in the Araucaria forest

Chile: 31 August 2018 5 Comments

Araucaria trees (Araucaria araucana) and ñire trees (Nothofagus antarctica) in autumn colour with old man’s beard lichen (Protousnea sp.) and clearing fog, Conguillio National Park, Chile.

This blog follows on directly from my previous blog, ‘The Araucaria forests of Chile, part 2‘, which ended up with me descending from the Sierra Nevada ridge in Conguillio National Park at night, with low-lying clouds covering Lago Conguillio and the surrounding forest. I knew then that the next morning the Araucaria forest would be shrouded in fog, which is one of my favourite times to be out in it. So although I was very late getting back to my campsite, where I then had to cook my dinner before going to sleep, I planned to get up early the next morning to take advantage of the special weather conditions. [Read more…] about Misty mornings in the Araucaria forest

Life on a young alder tree

Glen Affric: 18 August 2018 2 Comments

Leaves of an alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) in Glen Affric, with galls induced by mites (Eriophyes laevis inangulis) on them.

Although I’ve made hundreds of trips to Glen Affric over the past 40 years, every time I go there, I have a different experience and see some new things. When I went out for a day in the middle of July, I stopped as I often do along the public road between Badger Falls and Dog Falls, as that is the richest and most biologically diverse area in the glen. As I walked along, my eye was drawn to the leaves of a young alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) that was growing right beside the road, as they were covered in brightly-coloured galls. This casual observation then led me to spending a couple of hours with the alder, as I discovered more and more of interest on this one tree – enough to fill this blog!

[Read more…] about Life on a young alder tree

The Araucaria forests of Chile, part 2

Chile: 31 July 2018 12 Comments

Araucaria trees (Araucaria araucana) and lenga trees (Nothofagus pumilio) in autumn colour in late afternoon light, with steam venting from Villarrica Volcano in the distance, Conguillio National Park, Chile.

During my most recent trip to the Araucaria forests of southern Chile in late March and April of this year one of my most memorable days was towards the end of my journey, when I was in Conguillio National Park. Centred around the active volcano, Volcan Llaima, the park contains a large area of forest dominated by the tree known in English as the monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana), and gains its name from the large lake, Lago Conguillio, immediately to the north of the volcano. I’ve visited the park during several of my recent travels to photograph the Araucaria forest, and it’s one of my favourite sites to see the tree. [Read more…] about The Araucaria forests of Chile, part 2

The return of the leaves, revisited

Glen Affric: 16 July 2018 4 Comments

New leaves of an oak tree (Quercus petraea) opening in mid-May, near Badger Falls in Glen Affric.

One of my favourite events of the year is that time in spring when the new leaves of the deciduous trees re-appear after the dormancy of winter. It always feels to me like there is a tremendous sense of joy and celebration in Nature when the bright green foliage of the trees bursts out from the buds, transforming the forest as it does so. I always refer to this part of the spring season as ‘The return of the leaves’, and I wrote a blog about that, with numerous photos of the new leaves of various different trees opening out from their buds, back in 2015. [Read more…] about The return of the leaves, revisited

The hummingbird stake-out

Chile: 28 June 2018 4 Comments

Green-backed firecrown (Sephanoides sephaniodes) perched on a flowering chilco bush (Fuchsia magellanica) in late summer, 2nd April 2018, Cañi Sanctuary, Chile.

When I went to the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) forests of Chile in March and April of this year I had a specific list of target species I was hoping to photograph, to complete the images for my book project about the Ancient Araucaria Forests of the Andes. I referred to this book in my previous blog, and my visit this year was the last of five I’ve made since early 2015 to document the forest in all the seasons of the year. This time I was going in late summer and early autumn, hoping to catch some of the features and phenomena of both seasons. [Read more…] about The hummingbird stake-out

An aphid discovery in National Insect Week

Glen Affric: 21 June 2018 2 Comments

Aphid (Amphorophora gei) on the flower bud of a water avens (Geum rivale) in Glen Affric, on Friday 15th June 2018.

At the moment we’re in the middle of National Insect Week, a biennial series of events organised by the Royal Entomological Society to encourage people of all ages to learn more about insects. As someone who has a special interest in insects (as well as many other organisms in Nature, from trees and birds to fungi and slime moulds) it’s a good opportunity for me to promote some of the creatures I’m passionate about – ‘the little things that run the world’, to quote the title of a famous paper by the eminent Harvard University biologist, Edward O. Wilson. [Read more…] about An aphid discovery in National Insect Week

The Araucaria forests of Chile, part 1

Chile: 11 June 2018 8 Comments

Araucaria trees (Araucaria araucana) and ñire trees (Nothofagus antarctica) in autumn colours, with Llaima Volcano behind, Conguillio National Park, Chile.

For the past 3 years I’ve been making regular trips to the Araucaria forests of the southern Andes in Chile. I first encountered these remarkable forests in 1977, during an extended 6 month trip throughout the southern countries of South America, when someone I met mentioned there was an interesting forest on the pass between the Argentinian town of Junin de los Andes and Pucon in Chile. As I was planning to cross from Argentina to Chile, I decided to take that route, and discovered that what he had referred to was a whole forest of what I knew from Scotland as the monkey puzzle tree. [Read more…] about The Araucaria forests of Chile, part 1

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Recent posts

  • A shieldbug extravaganza, part 2
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  • Life on a spear thistle
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I’m speaking at…

  • Online presentation to the Elders Action Network, 6th June 2021 – 6 June 2021
  • A Rewilding Journey: Rewilding the World and Ourselves – 28 August 2021–
    4 September 2021

Over on Twitter…

Alan Watson FeatherstoneFollow

Alan Watson Featherstone
AlanWatsonFeat1Alan Watson Featherstone@AlanWatsonFeat1·
14h

Even if there were no other valid & compelling reasons for Scotland to become independent, this alone would be sufficient cause. Additional nuclear weapons being installed in Scotland without public knowledge or consent is an outrage against democracy.

The Ferret@FerretScot

In 2018 @NukewatchUK estimated three new #nuclear warheads arrived at Coulport on the Clyde. Then nine in 2019, and 13 in 2020.

https://theferret.scot/sleekit-increase-trident-nuclear-warheads/

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AlanWatsonFeat1Alan Watson Featherstone@AlanWatsonFeat1·
23h

From Siberia to the Amazon & Borneo, forest fires are a major cause of the biodiversity crisis, often for agriculture. "in India most of such fires are deliberately caused by people mainly for agricultural purposes" We need planet-friendly agriculture! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-56671148

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AlanWatsonFeat1Alan Watson Featherstone@AlanWatsonFeat1·
23h

This is an excellent article about @royhdennis in the Guardian today. I've known Roy for many years & he's one of those rare people who just gets on & does inspiring, positive work for nature, not letting bureaucracies & mainstream inertia stop him. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/16/conservation-legend-roy-dennis-were-facing-an-ecological-crisis-but-its-exciting-too

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