A trip to RSPB Vane Farm

Last month me Mum Dad and my baby brother Sam went to the RSPB reserve at Vane Farm, which is in Fife in Scotland. We've been RSPB members for over a year but we hadn't gone before. It was a beautiful sunny day and I saw loads of things.

Vulpy, the fox skeleton

This week I'm going to write about my fox skeleton which I've called Vulpy. (All my skeletons have alphabetical names and I'm up to Y so far). This fox was given to me by a gamekeeper in my village, and last September I buried it by the Secret Lake. Last month I dug it up, brought it home and left the bones to clean in biological washing powder.

Wilma, the unborn red deer fawn

Last week I wrote about finding the skeleton of a pregnant red deer hind, and finding the bones of her baby deer as well. This week I'm going to write more about the baby skeleton.

There were 101 pieces of bone I found and brought back. First of all I put them in very hot water with biological washing powder, then changing the water as it got dirty. That took about a week. After that I dried them out and tried to put them back together.

Baby deer and a gruesome find

Baby deer are born in May, usually towards the end of the month. It's great to see baby deer, because they are small, cute and have a lovely spotted coat. When baby roe deer are born their mums hide them in bracken or long grass for a few weeks to keep them safe. Once when I was walking in woods near the Roman Fort in my village, two baby roe deer ran away ! It's important not to chase them or pick them up because if their mum smells humans, she might not go back to them.

Finding newts and lizards

Today was a bank holiday because of the royal wedding, so dad and I decided to put my baby brother Sam in nursery and go on a big walk in a red deer wood which we call Titus Well.

When we parked the car we met a man who was helping to plan a big power line which is going to go straight through the middle of the wood. One of his jobs is to find out what wildlife lives in the woods. He helped us solve a big mystery which has puzzled us for ages.

Digging up the fox and the grey squirrel

At the end of last September, I buried a fox and a squirrel that I had been given by a gamekeeper. (I buried because I wanted to get them rotted down but I now know the best way is to leave them above ground.) Yesterday morning, I went back to dig them up.

The Ulster Museum in Belfast

My mum is from Northern Ireland and we all go over in Easter time to see her family. Yesterday was my last day in Belfast and we went to see the Ulster Museum.

Big box of skulls #4: the bird skulls

This is the fourth week I've written about the cool box of bones I got as a present through the post. I've already written about the leopard skull, the boa constrictor skull and the monkey skulls, and this week this week I'm going to write about the bird skulls !

Big box of bones #3: The monkey skulls

This is the third week that I have been writing about a fantastic parcel of skulls I was sent. Last week I wrote about a snake skull, and the week before that I wrote about a leopard skull. This week I am going to write about these brilliant monkey skulls.

Does anyone know what this is ?

Does anyone know what this is ? I found it yesterday in a new wood I was exploring which is very remote and no-one has been there for years.