A weekend of wildlife wonders
Up close and personal with Visions of Landscapes On Saturday 15th April, artist Anita Burrows part of Higherford Mill Artists and I introduced some immersive walks in the beautiful Storey Gardens. This was in conjunction with the fantastic art exhibition, Visions of Landscapes, being held in The Storey. Half-hour walks were given throughout the day offering people a chance to see the garden in a whole new way: up close and personal. We used hand-held lenses to magnify plants, lichen, mosses and insects. This is a great way to mindfully immerse yourself even in a small space like the Storey Gardens.…
Talk-walk: Spring birdsong
The aim of this session was to introduce and learn some different bird songs, of both resident and summer migratory species. This can be quite tricky to do in practice, attempting to distinguish one ‘voice’ amongst the many. Even more so as some of the songs are complex and varied. To make it easier, we started the talk part of the session listening to some recorded bird songs. I used an app for this, but there are plenty of websites (such as RSPB identify a bird) and online videos which can help with this. We then went outside to give…
Winter Tree Identification – A Beginner’s Guide
Saturday 4th February 2023 How to ID trees in winter This may sound obvious, but for me the starting point is always observation: Once you have an idea of some of these features, you can then start to identify your species. If you already have some knowledge, this observation alone might be enough for you to make an identification. For example, most people know that silver birch has shiny white bark with darker fissures. But it also has purplish catkins (before they open), which is another feature you could look for. It is a little harder if you don’t know…
Williamson Park & Fenham Carr Nature Reserve
Wonders of Winter Wet but wonderful Our walk started out in the beautiful Fenham Carr Nature Reserve at Williamson Park. Despite a persistent drizzle (which soon had us all pretty damp), our spirits remained high. There was wildlife everywhere we looked: Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Robins, Dunnocks and Blackbirds at the feeders. There were plenty of other bird species as we walked, and signs of the coming spring in the trees. Ancient indicator? As we walked around we discovered plenty of Butcher’s Broom. This plant is found in ancient woodlands, and is generally an indicator that woodland has…
Talk-walk: Kingfishers of Lancaster Canal
Rainbows and Reed Buntings This was the first event in a new series of talk-walks was organised to boost wellbeing. We started with a discussion about kingfishers – their biology and habits, with questions from the group. This was followed by two short mindfulness exercises. The event culminated with a walk along the canal and around Pony Wood in search of kingfishers (and other feathered friends). Who knew? We talked about some of the fascinating facts about kingfishers, not least that their sight changes from monocular in air to binocular when they dive into water. Monocular vision (I had to…
New Year’s Day Sunrise Walk
Serene start to 2023 A small group gathered in the gloom of 1st January 2023 to see the sun rise on a new year. From St George’s Quay at 8am on New Year’s Day, there wasn’t much light, but within minutes the start of a new day in a new year was evident. A clattering of Jackdaws (and yes, that is the fabulous collective noun for them!) took off in gloriously noisy splendour. There are some great Jackdaw facts on Discover Wildlife website. Just as we were about to set off, a skein of geese flew over. We didn’t see…
December news from Wildlife Wellbeing Walks
27th December 2022 General updates Thanks to some lovely friends, I have now managed to set up secure payment on the website. All future events can now be paid for by card on event pages. I will continue to use Google Forms for alternative booking (and collecting health questionnaires), which contain information for bank transfer payment. However, I have decided to discontinue EventBrite bookings due to the charges which are a bit steep (either for me or for passing on to you). I am introducing Loyalty Cards in response to feedback from a recent questionnaire. 10 stamps get you £5…
Leafy Loveliness – Canal & Pony Wood
Saturday 12th November Our walk started near Aldi on Aldcliffe Road, following the canal along to Pony Wood. We took the newer path through the wood, then headed down into Fairfield. We then went via Flora and Fauna back out to Cromwell Road where we finished. Unseasonably warm weather It was a beautiful day, blue skies and bright sun. It was very warm for November, a clear sign of our changing climate. This was evident with many green leaves on trees and shrubs, and even a few red campion in flower. Luscious leaves – the science behind it I was…
Wonderful Williamson Park
Sunday 30th October The walk started from outside the café in Williamson Park, then around Fenham Carr Nature Reserve and finishing back in the park looking around at the autumn spectacles. Nuthatch, anyone? Before we’d even got into Fenham Carr Nature Reserve a couple of nuthatches made themselves known. If you’ve never (knowingly) heard their calls before, check out the video below… Although this is in The Netherlands, this is the same species we get in the UK and gives a really good idea of the distinctive calls and song of the male and you get a great close up…
The Big Autumn Walk… of extraordinary ordinary things
Saturday 15th October 2022 There is a song I’ve sung a number of times (with a fantastic choir), called ‘Remember the little things’ which goes: Remember the little things, the ordinary little things Extraordinary ordinary things For there’s Magic in the little things, the ordinary little things Extraordinary ordinary things Esyllt Harker This is exactly what I had in mind on this walk, as you’ll see below. The walk started on St George’s Quay (where Lune Road emerges), along New Quay, through Freeman’s Wood onto the cycle path then turning left onto Aldcliffe Hall Lane at the car park. From…