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Archive for June, 2010
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
 
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
Posted in Bleasdale Cottages | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
The month of June has been extremely warm and dry with little rainfall on the Bay, however the guesthouse has been busy and I have had litle time to explore the Bay and its goings on. There is scant birdlife, however the Herons are still on show and our Cormorants have returned to the sea guage opposite the house at the end of the groin. On solstice eve Bess and I managed to scramble to the end of the groin and get a great photo of three roosting Cormorants silouhetted on the guage against a magnificent milky sunset sky. One evening Bess and I came across what appeared at first to be a flat, shapeless mass of light blotchy brown fluid with a radius of about ten inches on the sand. On closer inspection it had what appeared to be veins and other transparent blotches over its body and what also looked like shrivelled tentacles. Its body was about one quarter to half an inch thick. When I realised what it was I remembered reading about stinging jellyfish in Cedric Robinson's book Sandman of Morecambe Bay in which he describes on page 14 a stinging jellyfish that has a '...brown decorative frill around the dome', its sting '...about ten times as strong as that of a nettle...' I was almost certain this was the stinging jellyfish Robinson was referring to so I immediately called Bess to me fearing her relentless search for food would lead her to sample a portion of this stinging creature and several hours of pain and discomfort, to which she came and sat nonchalantly next to me, oblivious of the present danger. I studied the creature with interest for a little longer then moved on. The Bay in Summer changes from misty morning haze which is burnt away by the hot June sun to reveal the Lake District fells which are now covered in great patches of dark deep greens and browns, and as late afternoon arrives so do the Bay's big blue skies, the clouds blown inland to Bowland. By evening the undefinable colours of the Morecambe Bay sunsets leave you speechless and in awe at one of nature's most sublime and beautiful displays.
Posted in The Wimslow guest-house | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
 Steph from the pony trekking centre has an afternoon ride with Frank and Janet
Posted in Broadgate Farm | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
 Only a few feet fron the back door of the farm house 2 duck were seen recently walking by!
Posted in Broadgate Farm | Comments Off
Monday, June 28th, 2010
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.”
Posted in Clough Bottom Farm, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, June 25th, 2010
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.
Posted in Elizabeth Mills | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
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
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Narcissus fly | |
My wildlife art website
Posted in Elizabeth Mills | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
   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
Posted in Cobden Farm | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Posted in Cobden Farm | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
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 the guests trying to do our bit for the environment would be impossible.
We have now just planted another 14 lime trees and would like to encourage any of our guests past and future, to purchase a tree and plant it here at Malkin Tower Farm
Posted in Malkin Tower Farm | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
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 they said that they had thoroughly enjoyed their stay.
Posted in Malkin Tower Farm | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
 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!!!
Posted in Bowland Hen Harrier | Comments Off
Sunday, June 20th, 2010
Absolutely thrilled to receive a ' Highly Commended' award at the recent Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board Annual Awards. Micheala Strachan was lovely, a wonderful personality and great fun. The blackbird nesting in the clematis hatched 4 eggs but there only seems to be two birds in there now. They are almost ready to leave the nest now so I hope they survive ok. Our visitors arriving in the Dairy today found a tiny, tiny baby sparrow alone on the cobbles. Can't find the nest it is from so Zoe has taken it home to try and feed it and help it to survive. Its such a tiny little thing, I just hope it makes it.
Posted in Martin Lane Farmhouse | Comments Off
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
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 My wildlife art website
Posted in Elizabeth Mills | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Posted in Height Top Farm | Comments Off
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