What is Deer Pronking or Stotting?
Pronking (or Stotting) is a common defensive signal amongst deer and some other quadruped prey mammals. From the book, Wild Signs and Star Paths (Published…
Tag: birds
Finding Land with Help from the Birds
“It was our first and only experience in 50 years of cruising of navigating by gannet!” My thanks to Christopher for this lovely email and…
Which Way is the Wind Blowing?
The video above is taken from St Mary the Virgin’s church rooftop in the town of Rye, East Sussex, UK. Which direction is the wind…
Into the Reeds
A Guest Blog by Ajay Tegala After half a mile of cycling along a slippery track, I cross a rickety little bridge over a ditch,…
A Parasol Pine in Texas
My thanks to Dan for this email and permission to share: Hi Tristan, I received a copy of your newest book on trees and it’s…
Frost in Coleridge’s Cottage
It was great to visit Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset. He wrote the poem ‘Frost at Midnight’ in this room. The first 3…
The Meaning of Wood Pigeons
It is hard to go for a country walk and not send a wood pigeon or two up into the air ahead of us. Their…
Analysing Deer Behaviour: Flight, Refuge and Jink
I was looking over one of the local hills from the cover of some undergrowth, when I spooked a herd of fallow deer. They were…
Sounds Make a Map
A Guide to Exploring Soundscapes Sounds make a map. Here is an easy exercise to help you hone your understanding of sound maps. It is…
A Graduation Expedition
My thanks to Ruth Street for taking the Beginner’s Guide to Natural Navigation Online Course and for feeding back about her ‘Graduation Expedition’: Having done…
Finding Direction through Bird Nests in Termite Mounds
A guest blog post from Brazil, by Pedro and Gersony C.Jovchelevich. Termites are insects belonging to the order Isoptera, also known here in Brazil as…
Some Observations from Search and Rescue
My thanks to a helicopter pilot for this fascinating email and for permission to share it. And for adding the ‘ptarmigan altimeter’ to my collection!…
Fast Recognition and Optical Illusions in Nature
Our brains are pattern-recognising machines. This is true everywhere, but not least in nature, where it honed these skills over millions of years. Bird calls,…
Natural Navigation in Brazil
A guest article by Pedro Jovchelevich Natural navigation in tropical biomes – My experience in the southeastern region of Brazil First of all I would…
Podcast Episode 4 Out Now!
The latest episode of my podcast – Badger Setts – has been released on all the usual platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/OutdoorClues You can get a taste of…
The Joy of Signs in Spring
by Tristan Gooley Time outdoors has become precious and there’s a joy in this. We’re all about to get better at appreciating the beauty and…
Allow the River to Invite You In
Whilst researching a chapter in the book, How to Read Water, I spent time with fly fishing expert and all-round river guru, Stuart Crofts. During…
Birds and Weather Signs
Perching birds usually face into any breeze. It stops their feathers getting ruffled, but more importantly allows them to take off quickly into wind. So…
The Early Bird – A Haiku
This month our rooster is paying no heed to its own circadian rhythms. Crowing before sunrise in June is not on. On top of which,…
Great Spotted Woodpecker Chick Calls
I passed this old tree trunk in a beechwood yesterday afternoon. It has been home to many generations of woodpeckers. This is the sound of…
How to Navigate Using Snow Strips
As is my habit at this time of year, I like to get out early after any overnight snow. The tracking opportunities are spoiling and…