Will Hall Wildlife

13/11/2026

One of my favourite winter visitors has arrived in Inverness!

These beautiful little birds are Bohemian waxwings (*Bombycilla garrulus*), and they’ve travelled all the way from the northern forests of Scandinavia and Russia.

Waxwings are what’s known as *irruptive migrants*, meaning the numbers arriving in Britain can vary enormously from one winter to the next.

Their movements are largely driven by food availability, particularly berries. When crops further north are poor or become depleted, larger numbers can move south and west in search of something to eat.

And once they arrive, they can turn up in some surprising places, including supermarket car parks, housing estates and busy town centres, wherever there are berry-laden trees!

They’re named after the tiny red, wax-like tips on some of their wing feathers, and their distinctive high-pitched, trilling calls are often the first sign that a flock is nearby.

If you’re out and about in the Highlands over the coming weeks, keep an eye on rowan trees and other berry-covered bushes. You might just spot one of these spectacular winter visitors!

08/11/2026

Ever noticed how beech trees cling onto their dead, brown leaves long after other trees have shed theirs?

It’s a fascinating phenomenon called marcescence, and it’s particularly common in young beech trees, hedges and the lower branches of mature trees.

Scientists aren’t entirely sure why it happens, but theories suggest it may help protect young buds from browsing animals or provide some protection against harsh winter conditions.

So next time you spot a beech tree still covered in crispy brown leaves, you’ll know there’s a name for it!

30/10/2026

Between the howling winds and the dramatic storms last week, we braved the stunning autumn landscapes to showcase that even in bad weather, responsible camping is still a fantastic way to explore the Cairngorms National Park!

30/10/2026

Have you ever wondered where Halloween actually comes from?

Some of its oldest traditions have roots right here in Scotland, in the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain (pronounced SOW-in).

Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. As the days shortened and the landscape began to change, it was traditionally seen as a time when the boundary between our world and the supernatural Otherworld became particularly fragile.

In Gaelic folklore, supernatural beings known as the aos sí were believed to be especially active around this time, and people observed customs intended to protect themselves from unwanted encounters.

Bonfires, disguises and visiting neighbouring homes all became associated with the season, helping to shape some of the Halloween traditions we recognise today.

Of course, Halloween also has Christian influences, particularly All Hallows’ Eve, from which its name derives.

But what I find fascinating is how these stories were rooted in the natural world.

For communities living closely with the seasons, the arrival of winter wasn’t just a change in the weather. It was a significant turning point in the year, surrounded by stories, beliefs and traditions.

So this Halloween, as the leaves fall and the nights grow longer, spare a thought for the folklore that has surrounded this time of year for generations.

27/10/2026

Can autumn leaves actually help us work out direction?

There’s quite a bit of science behind why trees change colour, and some of it can be surprisingly useful for natural navigation.

As the days shorten, trees begin breaking down chlorophyll and recovering nutrients from their leaves before winter. This reveals the yellow and orange carotenoid pigments that were there all along. Some species also produce red and purple pigments called anthocyanins, particularly in bright sunlight and cooler temperatures.

Because south-facing branches generally receive more direct sunlight here in Scotland, they can sometimes develop stronger autumn colours.

But there’s another factor worth considering: wind.

Much of our weather arrives from the Atlantic, with prevailing southwesterly winds. As leaves prepare to fall, they develop a specialised layer of cells called the abscission zone, which gradually weakens their attachment to the branch.

Strong winds can then strip these ageing leaves from exposed branches, sometimes leaving the southwest-facing side of a tree noticeably barer.

Neither clue is completely reliable on its own. Species, shelter, temperature and local conditions all influence what happens.

But that’s the interesting thing about natural navigation. It’s not about memorising which side of a tree looks different. It’s about understanding the processes that have shaped it.

26/10/2026

Why does Scotland get so many powerful storms during autumn and winter?

It largely comes down to the growing temperature difference between the Arctic and the warmer air further south.

As the Arctic cools, the Atlantic Ocean is still holding on to heat absorbed during the summer. This increasing temperature contrast helps strengthen the polar jet stream, a fast-moving current of air around 10km above us.

The jet stream helps steer low-pressure systems across the Atlantic and, under the right conditions, can help them develop into powerful storms.

Here in the Highlands, we’re particularly exposed to these Atlantic weather systems. Even on the northeast coast, around Nairn, we can experience some pretty impressive winds.

Interestingly, these storms also help redistribute heat around the planet, transporting warm air towards the poles and colder air towards the equator.

So there’s quite a lot of atmospheric science behind those trees blowing around!

25/10/2026

Why is Storm Boelo bringing such powerful winds to Scotland?

It all comes down to atmospheric pressure, the jet stream and the movement of air masses across the Atlantic.

Deep low-pressure systems create what’s known as a pressure gradient. The greater the difference in pressure over a short distance, the stronger the winds. That’s why tightly packed isobars on a weather chart are usually a good indication that things are about to get rather windy.

High above us, the jet stream can help these systems develop and intensify, while cold fronts bring rapid changes in temperature, wind direction and often some pretty unpleasant weather.

Understanding a little meteorology makes watching these storms develop surprisingly fascinating.

13/10/2026

After a short break from running my own events... (try 6 months!) I'm BACK!

I've just put the finishing touches on the year's series of night walks. Tracking, UV torches, myths and legends and reading the landscape - I'm so excited to share it all!

So far I have sessions lined up in Inverness, Elgin, Findhorn and Nairn BUT...

If you have any other locations you'd like to have a session at, comment below and I can organise it.

Tickets already selling fast!

Discover stars, folklore and wildlife after dark on guided night walks across the Highlands and northeast Scotland with Will Hall.

04/09/2026

One of the best bits of camouflage in the British countryside… because this isn’t a snake.

It’s an elephant hawk-moth caterpillar, and those huge “eyes” aren’t eyes at all. When threatened, it retracts its tiny real head and swells the front of its body, making the eyespots much more prominent and creating a surprisingly convincing snake-like appearance.

It’s a form of defensive mimicry, designed to make a potential predator think twice before taking a bite.

The “elephant” name comes from the caterpillar too. When extended, its long, tapering front end was thought to resemble an elephant’s trunk.

They’re particularly noticeable in late summer, when fully grown caterpillars can reach around 8cm long before heading down into leaf litter to pupate for the winter.

Definitely one worth stopping for if you spot it crawling across the path.

26/08/2026

There’s really no getting around what this fungus looks like…

This is the common stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus, and even its scientific name acknowledges the resemblance. Phallus means pretty much what you’d expect, while impudicus translates roughly as “shameless” or “immodest”.

And somehow its appearance isn’t even the weirdest thing about it.

The dark, slimy material covering the tip is called the gleba. It contains the spores and produces an incredibly strong smell of rotting flesh, attracting flies which feed on the slime before carrying the spores away on their bodies.

Most of the fungus is actually hidden underground as mycelium. The rather conspicuous bit above ground is simply the fruiting body, produced to spread its spores.

So yes, it looks exactly like you think it does.

And apparently the person who named it thought so too.