Lancashire wildlife

One summer job in the orchard is to remove apples from the young grafted trees. This allows them to put all their energy into growing instead of producing fruit too soon. Whilst there we spotted this buttefly which we think is a common blue. Actually on one of the apple trees and eating its way through the leaves was this very well camouflaged caterpillar.

Himalayan balsam is a very invasive plant and gets a very bad press but the bees love it. This one was caught just turning round and ready to come out laden with pollen.

In the garden these young peacock caterpillars are devouring a patch of nettles. Just like the swallow chicks, they look very alien at this stage.

They finally flew the nest on the 23rd July though hung around the building for a few days after that. They actually look like swallows. Hopefully we can get the windows put in now!

Recently spotted this flower on the fishing lake and didn’t know what it was. Looking in the guide books suggests a Common Hemp nettle Galeopsis tetrahit .

Amazing growth in just a week - the nest is looking a bit crowded and no sign of the swan feather decoration. While working on the roof Colin managed to photograph one of the parents too.

The swallows nesting in the resource centre are progressing and looking slightly less alien. It is amazing how much they develop in a week. Meanwhile others in one of the older buildings have already fledged. One particular family can usually be seen as a gang of four sitting together on a wire fence or in a tree, occasionally still being fed by a parent.

This year there seems to have been more swallows, swifts and house martins than usual. They are a pleasure to watch in the evenings as they fly low over the ground and in amongst the buildings.

Spotted this damselfly on the edge of the fishing lake. It is probably a relatively common Blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans though other suggestions welcome.

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.

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.

Our rescued bat was returned fit and well by Gail Armstrong on Friday. He was much livelier than when we last saw him. Gail is a licensed bat handler and runs courses for people interested in knowing more about the techniques.

A vigilant fisherman spotted this soprano pipistrelle bat hanging from one of the trees round the fishing lake with a hook in its mouth. After cutting it down Gail Armstrong our local bat consultant came to the rescue and cut the hook away and gave it some water.

Gail took it with her to keep an eye on its recovery and hopefully it will be returned in the next few days.

Back in February, we posted photos of our new bird boxes. Almost immediately two were occupied by blue tits. The nesting material inside this one is as varied and colourful as the boxes!  

About eight young have hatched and seem to be doing well.

The blue tits in the other box are a bit more developed and don’t look far from fledging.

Also seen in the last couple of weeks were this leveret trying to blend in with its surroundings and some growing ducklings.

Noticed our first frog spawn today. This was in an old water filled pit next to our beehives. Several large trees and shrubs were cut back last year to let in more light and the whole area looks much healthier.

Saturday 13th March saw local hedge layers coming to Forrest Hills for their annual competition. Mark Chippendale, our resource centre joiner, was one of the competitors. The event was organised by John Greenwood.

One of the judges was our cousin John Lamb from Old Glasson Farm, Glasson Dock.

A couple of weeks earlier than last year, our regular spring visitors - a pair of Greylag geese - arrived. They seem to stay for a while - wandering around the car park and buildings, sitting on the grass and fishing jetties. As this is being written at 6pm they can be heard calling as they fly in to land on the fishing lake for the night.