Below are aggregated posts from various wildlife blogs created by people within the Forest of Bowland (bowlandwildlife.org.uk accept no responsibility for any content not created directly by bowlandwildlife.org.uk)
Breeding Wader Survey (3rd Visit) Post Origin "Alison Kelsall Blog" added here on May 18th, 2012
A total of 58 adult lapwing – suggesting 29 pairs – at least 3 of these are still sitting.
There are now lots of chicks about since my last visit on the 20th April – a total of 31 seen, from at least 14 different broods – some of these are getting well grown, and still in broods of 3, suggesting survival is good. This number of young will be a minimum count – its very likely there will have been others I didn’t see. There were several adult birds that were behaving as if they had young with them, but I could not see the chicks.
The fields nearest the hide continue to be where most of the lapwing are to be seen.
One sitting oystercatcher was also seen, and at least 5 curlew were present.
There were six wheatears on the main hide field, including several very smart males – two were even sitting on the roof of the hide at one point !
The pond at the top of the farm held a brood of young moorhen with adults.
Springtime Post Origin "Bleasdale Cottages Blog" added here on May 13th, 2012
On Friday I went to the orchard to pick a bunch of pheasant eye flowers before the cottage guests were due to arrive. I was surprised to find I had company, this Roe Deer. At last the swallows have settled in the barn, there have been swallows passing through on the farm but our own group are a whole month later than last year. The woods are looking lovely with the bluebells at their best. The cow parsley and red campion are now out in the hedge rows, everything looks so green, each day more trees come into leaf.
Redstarts and Jays Post Origin "elizabeth mills Blog" added here on May 8th, 2012
The Jays have become regular visitors to the garden, though not everyone is happy. A pair of Blackbirds make every attempt to show them they are not welcome, working together to drive the Jays away. This morning we watched a pair of Redstarts investigating our feeders and then look with interest at a hole in an outbuilding. Apparently they like to make nests out of moss and hair so I think Barrie may be due another haircut later. Driving along in Bleasdale I saw something white flapping in a field, I couldn't make out what it was so got my telephoto lense out - two Redshank mating. We often see Roe Deer in the grounds of Gisburn Park, as we were drivng past on Monday we spotted one by the side of the road nonchalantly chewing as two men walked right past and never noticed it.
Nest with a view. Post Origin "Bleasdale Cottages Blog" added here on May 7th, 2012
picture taken by Helen Turner
picture taken by Barrie Tyrer
This Oyster Catcher decided to go for a nest with a view. She is sitting on three eggs, at first she flew off the nest everytime a car passed by. After a few days she was ok with the passing traffic even with the rattle of the cattle grid. We have some concerns about the number of times she flies from the nest when people pass by using the footpath but we hope she is successful.
Calder Vale Bluebell Wood Post Origin "Alison Kelsall Blog" added here on May 6th, 2012
Walked down to Calder Vale village this afternoon through the church wood, which is carpeted with bluebells. Called in at the village hall for a bluebell tea - homemade banoffi pie, delicious!
Refreshments are available during May on Saturdays and Bank Holidays at St John's Church and on every Sunday afternoon in the village hall in Calder Vale. Well worth a visit!!
Copy of Nature Diary Post Origin "Anne Clark Blog" added here on May 3rd, 2012
14th March 2012...a flock of 25 curlews on pond, lapwings,and pheasants 31st March 2012...just seen curlews, Buzzards, and lots of hares 29th March to 5th April 2012... Stayed at Broadgate Farm this week, we have seen the following :- 2 oyster catchers, 3 buzzards, 1 hen harrier, 1 cross bill, lapwings, partridge, curlews, tree creepers, starlings, kestrals, woodpecker and lots of hares.
Wheatear Post Origin "Alison Kelsall Blog" added here on May 2nd, 2012
Photographs of Wheatear spotted from the birdhide at lunchtime today - stopping off on their migration to Africa to feed on insects on the open ground.
Swifts and snow Post Origin "Andre Farrar Blog" added here on May 1st, 2012
Thirty years ago I started working for the RSPB on a six month upland bird surveying contract – with the additional challenge of helping to protect England’s only regular nesting hen harriers. The Forest of Bowland was the only stronghold for hen harriers in England in 1982 – it still is. I’ll be contributing a series of guest blogs over the spring and summer and tweeting in real time on @andrefarrar
Winter’s last grasping fingers of snow gathered on tracks and stream sides as spring finally won through with two swifts cutting the cold air.
May dawned cold but quickly recovered its composure as my endless walking and sitting and scanning revealed a third merlin territory. The nest would be tucked away in heather, likely as not on a break in the gradient of the hill giving the nest a good view.
The behaviour of the peregrines was changing – lots of activity and calling, but still the eggs were visible, was hatching imminent?
Marching about between the harriers and peregrine territories didn’t leave much time to just sit and watch, but I would always find a few moments to enjoy two birds that my mind always associates together from my time in Bowland; grey wagtail and common sandpiper. Walking to check the peregrines alongside a rocky stream was a festival of bobbing and wagging as dippers dipped alongside the other two.
Dipper - photo Tom Marshall, RSPB Images
Now all of the spring migrants had joined the residents my walks and transects became more predictable – until one morning I bumped into a goshawk. It was a casual encounter as there wouldn’t be the time to nail down where they were nesting.
Skydancing Schools: Part 2 Post Origin "Blánaid Denman Blog" added here on April 30th, 2012
What a busy couple of weeks I’ve had! Bouncing here there and everywhere, colouring-in and cutting out, painting, gluing, sticking and crafting... and that was just the prep work! Part of the fun of working with primary schools has to be that you get to be a kid again yourself. I sometimes have to remind myself that yes, playing with puppets, story-telling, make-believing, dressing-up and all those messy, sticky arts and crafts do actually count as “work”! Honestly, it’s a tough life.
Of course, despite the appearance of frivolity, at the core of all the fun and games we are still delivering some key educational messages: hen harriers are beautiful, amazing birds; the moorland landscape is a unique and special place; hen harriers are an integral part of that landscape and while moorland has many uses, we all have a responsibility to look after it for people and for wildlife.
Just last week, I visited a school in North Tynedale which we had previously engaged with in 2008, the last time that hen harriers nested successfully in the local area. The school still had their “adoption” certificate hanging on the wall from when the children named all the chicks and followed their progress from hatching to fledging. Four years later, one boy, who had been in the Reception class at the time and had now reached the grand old age of eight and one quarter, was enthusiastically telling me almost everything there is to know about hen harriers, without so much as a prompt! The information had obviously stuck.
Now this boy clearly had a particular interest in birds and wildlife, and it’s fair to say that every child we work with won’t grow up to be the next David Attenborough. But whether they grow up to be teachers, gamekeepers, business owners, conservationists or even IT consultants, as long as they carry with them the knowledge that hen harriers are a beautiful and integral part of our upland heritage, deserving and in need of our protection, then perhaps we’ll have a future for these birds after all.
What a difference a day makes Post Origin "Jude Lane Blog" added here on April 27th, 2012
Sitting out on the fells in Bowland these last few weeks has been a strange experience. By now, in all the years that staff and volunteers monitoring hen harriers on the United Utilities estate can remember, we would have been able to head up onto the fell knowing we would be able to watch harriers. Indeed we would already have nests established by now. This year that is not the case. Despite the best efforts of Mick and our volunteers, sightings have been very few and far between.
I had already started to formulate this blog before I went out on the hill today but just after mid-day I realised I would be able to change what I was going to write - for the better!
We new that 74843 had been back in Bowland since last weekend (more about her adventures later) but today Mick watched her displaying on part of the estate whilst I caught sight of a second female elsewhere ... hurrah! Has this bit of warmer weather drawn them back in? Are we just experiencing an anomaly of a year with birds just being much later than usual?
So it's eyes to the skies folks ... if you see any birds anywhere please let us know and hopefully I can bring you some more positive news over the next week, it's a male we really want to see now!
