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Archive for October, 2009
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
 More unusual than the average earthworm is this green or stubby worm (Allolobophora chlorotica) found this week in our vegetable garden. An excellent UCLAN worm research group website tells you all you could want to know about our 28 native species of earthworm and has an identification guide.
 Also in the garden was this caterpillar of the large yellow underwing moth (Noctua pronuba).
More great information at the UK Moths website.
Autumn is the time for fungi and in Blea tarn wood above the fly fishery this common earthball has appeared (Scleroderma citrinum). It is listed as ’slightly poisonous’ in website guide!  These False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca) are growing on bark chippings in our vegetable garden.
Posted in Forrest Hills | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Been a good week for seeing owls. On Saturday as we drove through Holden Clough we saw a Little Owl sat on the wall by the road. Damp, mizzly weather so perfect for it to catch earthworms. On Monday as we arrived at Bank House Fly Fishery we were greeted by a cacophony of Blackbird alarm calls and suddenly a Tawny Owl broke out of the trees in front of us, persued by at least half a dozen blackbirds. They followed it into the copse opposite the house where they were joined by more blackbirds, blue tits and great tits, the noise was amazing. Eventually the tawny had enough and took off over the fields. On Saturday we also watched a hare in Anne Gardners garden up at Bleasdale cottages. It sat there for a while at the base of her hedge before ambling into the field, where I photographed it hiding. We also surprised a Buzzard which had just made a kill in the field near the hide as we drove up, took off carrying something dark with a tail! Looked huge so close, beautiful in the sunshine.  Little Owl near Holden Clough Nursery  Tawny Owl at Bank House Fly Fishery  Hare hiding in grass at Bleasdale Posted in Elizabeth Mills | Comments Off
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Well at last hopefully this blog space is sorted. It's been a funny old year, we have either been melting or drowning. The garden doesn't seem to have suffered to much. We have had lots of visitors of the fur and feathered type,and oh yes humans as well. Just now we are busy cutting back, everything seems to have put on a lot of growth this year. Like everyone else we have had a heaps of fruit, the vegetables, all did well as have the greenhouse brigade. Lots of our guests were able to share all of these things with us. We had a very successful coffee morning raising lots of money to sponsor Mark our son and Donna our niece who both completed the Great North Run and raised between them around £2000,00 for Prostate Cancer Research. Posted in The Garden Cottage | Comments Off
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Here at Foxhill the autumn colours are now in their full glory. During a recent walk down the lane we saw a large flock of longtailed tits working their way along the hedgerow. The flock was about 20 strong. At this time of year it is common for species of tits to congregate in flocks - either the same species or many species together. Fieldfares have also arrived. On another walk we also saw a pair of tawny owls. Since getting our chickens about 6 weeks ago we are now attracting some of the local pheasant population on a regular basis. They are getting tamer and we expect they will be around for the foreseeable future. Not many fungi as yet, probably because it's been relatively dry. The next few weeks should be a good time for fungi foraging, especially because our local lanes have a good selection of dead wood, providing the perfect conditions. Foxhill Barn Bed & Breakfast Posted in Foxhill Barn | Comments Off
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
 Our regular garden hare was again in it's favourite spot this morning while I ate breakfast. As I watched it performed it's morning ablutions, amazing to see the ear washing procedure. I went off to Church feeling I had had my "special sighting" of the day , came home to find two sitting side by side---- it was only coffee I was drinking !! Our Forest of Bowland Holiday Cottages
Posted in Bleasdale Cottages | Comments Off
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
 Watched a hare in the garden this afternoon, sunning itself in the lee of the beech hedge. Saw a large Buzzard flying off with newly caught prey, it landed in conifer woods nearby. The garden seems full of pheasants eating anything we put out. Our resident Kestrel is still roosting in niche above doorway and often hunting in fields near house. The autumn colours are fantastic at the moment. Hollies are covered in berries and ivy berries are starting to form. Flocks of Golfinches have been feeding on seed heads by roadside. Our Forest of Bowland Holiday Cottages
Posted in Bleasdale Cottages | Comments Off
Monday, October 19th, 2009
 I went to look at the hens and found some pheasants in the run helping themselves to the hen feed. One of them was a reeves pheasant.
Posted in Caldertop Cottage | Comments Off
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Read all about Travel Writer Peta King’s stay in The Trough of Bowland and her stay in The Coach House.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/leisure/4675454.Bottoms_up/
Posted in Clough Bottom Farm | Comments Off
Monday, October 12th, 2009
 Today we let the ex-battery hens out of their run to roam free. They didn't venture far from the coop.
Posted in Caldertop Cottage | Comments Off
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Had a walk around Gisburn Park. Sweet Chestnuts covered with spiky husked fruits. Hornbeams look very elegant and attractive with their bright yellow foliage and long drooping clusters of nuts in their leafy bracts. Have yet to find any acorns on any oak trees though I've found plenty of marble galls and artichoke galls. Horse Chestnuts seem to have less conkers too. Seems a good year for berries though, the Hollies and Rowans are covered with them. Hawthorn has done well too though not as well as last year when they were spectacular. Jays and Grey Squirrels are easier to spot now as they are so busy making their winter stockpiles. Still got wasps flying around and plenty of spiders are getting into the house. Bramble my pet ferret has developed an unfortunate partiality to House Spiders. There was a full moon on Sunday, so bright it was hard to sleep, lovely to go out walking in. The birds are starting to come back into the garden to feed, really pleased to see a little Wren bobbing around. Found a Woodlouse in my compost bin moulting its old skin, really surprised as didn't think they lived long enough to need to do that.  Mature Marble Galls  Young Marble Galls  Mature Artichoke Galls  Young Artichoke Gall  Hornbeam Nuts Posted in Elizabeth Mills | Comments Off
Sunday, October 4th, 2009
What a week. Alan has been away in Stutgart for the beer festival so I have been here on my own. Pinky & Perky are lucky that they aren't bacon !! On Friday evening, when I went to feed them, they had got out into the field and had made a right mess ! I eventually got them back into their pen and settled them down for the night. Saturday morning all was well, fed the beasts and then went off for a round of golf with my friends. Returned Saturday evening ( loooooooooooong game !) only to find that the porkers (no longer sweet little piggie wiggies) had, once more, escaped from their pen. Not satisfied with just digging up the paddock they had rampaged through the potato patch and devastated it. All our potato crop eaten in one day. (Roast pork & apple sauce now has a distinctive appeal!)
Still busy in the cottages, only a few days vacant up to the end of October. Seem to be very popular with Germans in two of the cottages this week and next week all our visitors are from New Zealand.
Played golf again today.....absolute rubbish....think I'll stick to watching it on the telly
Posted in Martin Lane Farmhouse | Comments Off
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More unusual than the average earthworm is this green or stubby worm (Allolobophora chlorotica) found this week in our vegetable garden. An excellent UCLAN worm research group website tells you all you could want to know about our 28 native species of earthworm and has an identification guide.
Also in the garden was this caterpillar of the large yellow underwing moth (Noctua pronuba).
These False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca) are growing on bark chippings in our vegetable garden.
