A selection of recently seen butterflies including this Comma - Polygonia c-album feeding on a bramble near the fishing lake; Small skipper - Thymelicus sylvaestris feeding on a Shepherd’s purse in the grass verge of one of the meadows; and finally a Speckled wood Pararge aegeria seen in the wood near these dramatic foxgloves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On Sunday we called at Forrest Hills to look at the amazing resource centre. It is a while since we were last there and so it was good to see how thing have progressed. Colin was working away but took time out to show us around. The roof is on, some of the window frames are in and it's generally coming on. There is so much timber work and the shapes are outstanding. We're really looking forward to when it will be finished but know that however long it takes it's definately going to worth the wait.
Being there, reminded me that our vegetable garden is doing very well, although on a small scale. It is our first attempt at growing but we haven't bought any vegetables for weeks and it's lovely to go and decide what to dig up and cook immediately.

The little owl has a friend! This morning I saw two little owls both sitting on the fence posts.
I got very close to them and had both in focus when the lense closed on my camera and one of them flew off. I'll keep trying to get them both together.

Height Top Farm
A few of the wild and meadow flower seeds have survived the birds and certainly brighten up the stone wall. Next year hopefully we will have a better display.

The following were logged in the cottage nature diary by guests Maggie & Peter Gentry:-
29/6/10 Woodpecker on fat ball on bird table in the garden. Curlew, oystercatchers and magpie seen on the farm.
30/6/10 Swifts around cottage and also swallows and red admiral buterflies. Dunnick, chaffinch and sparrows at the bird table. Blackbirds on the lawn.
2/7/10 Magpie at the bird table.
4/7/10 Young pied wagtail on the garden wall. 3 brown hares in the field next to the cottage.

We realised we were taking too long building the resource centre when a pair of swallows moved in and nested inside the top floor of the building! The nest is beautifully lined, probably with swan feathers from around the lake, though the youngsters themselves are unlikely to win any beautiful baby competitions at the moment. They seem completely oblivious to building work going on around them.

We have also started to play a CD of swift calls (bought from the Swift Conservation Trust) every evening from the resource centre towers. This is intended to attract young swifts, who might then think of moving into the swift boxes in the tower next year when they return.

One large bed in the vegetable plot is planted with Phacelia tanacetifolia, a crop used as a green manure to build up the soil fertility. It also has the benefit of lovely purple flowers which bees love. The whole bed seems to hum as you walk past it.

As we arrived home last week from our trip to Australia the beauty of The Bowland Countryside was just stunning. The hedgerows, trees and wildflowers had all burst forth.
Visiting some last years cottage guests, they showed us the Australian Lapwing. We would not have recognised them, no crest on top and no purple/green shimmer in the feathers. What they do have is " bright yellow, dangling ear flaps " !!!
After another successful breeding season our visiting lapwing are now gathering into groups enjoying the wider area before leaving till next year.
Our family of Greylag Geese are still with us, looking in exceptionally fine form. I must say they have been the most attentive and protective parents I've seen in a long time.

Our Forest of Bowland Holiday Cottages

Steph from the pony trekking centre has an afternoon ride with Frank and Janet

Only a few feet fron the back door of the farm house 2 duck were seen recently walking by!

We now have two bee hives on site (owned by local honey producer, Dave Rayner who runs Ribblesdale Honey, based at Bashall Barn, Clitheroe). Not only do we hope that they produce lots of honey for Dave and the local community (last year’s wet weather seriously affected production), we hope too that they will bee buzzy pollinating fruit and crops and encourage bio-diversity which other local growers will benefit from.

Harry said “we were delighted when Dave asked if we could have some of his hives on our farm – it compliments our organic philosophy and our green credentials perfectly.”

Went for a lovely evening walk last night around Todber, as we walked up to Brogden Lane we got fantastic views over the drumlin field towards the Dales, the low sun hightlighting the drumlins gentle curves.
Great Tits, Blue Tits and Longtailed Tits all feeding fledglings, we could hear them calling as they worked their way through the tree tops. Barrie managed this shot of a Longtailed Tit fledgling way up in the canopy.
Barrie spotted a Tawny Owl, all I could see was a sun dappled tree till it turned round and fixed its huge brown eyes on me (or was it Bramble ?). It sat tight for a minute or so, with Blue Tits and Great Tits coming within inches of it - either they hadn't noticed or didn't feel it was a threat as it wasn't actively hunting. It took off with silent wingbeats. Amazing.
The hedgerows are full of flowers, Ragged Robin and Yellow Loosestrife waved among the grass flower heads and Honeysuckle, Dog and Hedge Roses filled the evening air with their perfume. There was a lovely sunset and we sat and listened to the welcome breeze stirring the beech leaves as the setting sun edged them with gold.

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Female Great Spotted Woodpecker and fledglings are daily visitors to our feeder by the bedroom window. Only slight niggle - starts hammering away at the peanuts about 5.30 am, whilst constantly softly calling (sounds like a small dog yapping in the distance). I will grind up some peanuts and put them on the bird table then we will all be happy. The young Woodpeckers are stunning and wait patiently in the fir tree to be fed, annoyingly when she does, she takes them into denser foliage so I can't photograph them. We also had a young Carrion Crow in the garden, this sent our local Jackdaws potty, they really were not happy. Found a Narcissus fly in a friends garden in Foulridge, thought it was a Bumble Bee at first till I noticed its eyes and flat abdomen. We had a walk from Cross o' Greets and saw some Large Red Damselflies flying in tandem by an iron stained pool. Every so often a pair would bob down to the water surface so the female could lay her eggs, wings glittering in the sun. We also saw two Gold Ringed Dragonflies flying over the water and resting on heather - if they are not please tell me.

Click on photos to enlarge

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Gold Ringed Dragonfly

Carrion Crow

Red Damselflies

Narcissus fly

 

My wildlife art website

Thanks to Chris and Terry for the roots, we've got a glorious display of fat red poppies.
Spot the real buzzy bee and the non-buzzy one...



Cobden Farm B and B website

June 21, 3.30am: After an hour's walk from the Nick o' Pendle, Sabden, to the trig point on Pendle Hill's 'Big End' above Barley, we were treated to the first sunrise of Summer 2010!




Cobden Farm B and B website

Lancashire and Blackpool ran a Heritage Campaign offering a 3 day break here at Malkin Tower Farm Holiday Cottages.  The successful winners were Mr and Mrs White from Norfolk who came up this weekend to take up their prize. The weather was superb for them and after speaking to them ...

After alot of hard work and a three hour interview with the GTBS assessors we were successful in maintaining our Gold Award.  However we must thank our guests who recycled their waste, turned off lights and heating when not in use and used the water sparingly.  Without the help of ...

Firstly I must apologise for the infrequency of the blog this year. We have been plagued with technological glitches to the point that we thought the filming of this years project was doomed!!!

Sadly we due to a failure in the camera / transmitter, we missed the hatching of the chicks and due a technoligical failure with our IT system I was unable to update the blog.

We are back on-line and the two chicks who were born to Olivia are thriving.

One of the chicks who is male and due to his BTO number EX11007 has been named James Bond. Bond has been tagged and you will see by the photo is a very handsome chap.

Our man in the field believe any day now his may fledge. I hope to keep you posted!!!

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Its been a wonderful week weatherwise here in Gisburn, long sunny days with a pleasant breeze, making a walk in the countryside very inviting. Treetops and hedgerows are full of fledgling Blue Tits and Great Tits insistently calling all day long to their poor harassed parents who look very tatty. Watched a pair of Blue Tits feeding their young all constantly calling as the adults worked their way through one tree gathering beakfuls of caterpillars, then all at once took off as one to the next tree along, and carried on in this way along the hedge. One Blue Tit seemed to think its sibling was being unfairly favoured over it and edged along the twig until it was above its rival then landed on it knocking it off its perch! We have also been watching a family of Blue Tits nesting in a broken bough, the parents squeezing through tiny holes to feed their noisy young, who are starting to look out of the entrance, hopefully they'll fledge soon. Watched a Grey Squirrel collecting fungus. Saw three woodpeckers all sat on a tree trunk, noticed them as heard drumming, do youngsters get lessons? Friday afternoon saw a large flock of Lapwings near Foxhill Barn, wheeling and calling, also saw a Bullfinch in the hedgerow, Bullfinches have the most boring call I have ever heard. Female Woodpecker and young are coming to peanut feeder in garden, female keeps pecking twigs off Fir Tree and chucking them away.

Click on photos to enlarge

 

 

 

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Jan a recent visitor staying in Jenny Wrens Cottage at Height Top Farm took some excellent photographs of Lancashire. Here are just three of my favorites.