Natterjack Toads
On Friday April 23rd The National Trust held a Natterjack Toad evening on their reserve at Sandscale Haws, I have to say that I was more than impressed by the quality of the evening and Neil, who is one of the wardens on the reserve, was brilliant.

The evening was well attended by members of the public and we started by looking into one of the small breading ponds, we were given a very good informative talk about the reserve and the toads. Not only did we learn about the very important work that goes on at this reserve, we also learned about the management of the site, some of the history of the dunes and how the dunes were formed.

To cap off a great evening we were all treat to what was an absolutely fantastic experience, we stood near one of the large ponds in the dunes and from here we stood in silence as the male Toads filled the night air with their calls, a sound I will never forget.

It was great to see a long string of torches making their way back along the path, through the dunes and back to the car-park like a long snake of lights. So many happy adults and children, all very content at what they had just experienced.

The most satisfying thing to me though, was knowing that I had made a contribution by helping with some of the work on this reserve over the winter months, by cutting down some Willow trees and helping to create a better habitat for the Toads

Many thanks to Neil and the team on the reserve, for the valuable work that you do. I am looking forward to the next event and to helping again next winter.

Get involved folks, it’s worth it!

Bigland Tarn/Low Wood

Spring is really here now and this is the time to get those boots waterproofed and dust off your binoculars.

Yesterday I walked with smoe frinds and three very attentive kids who loved everything they saw, how nice to be able to share my interests with a new generation of budding country folk.

Our walk was up to Bigland tarn, we started and finished at the Anglers pub at Haverthwaite, a circular walk of about 4km.

The first bird we saw was a Sparrow hawk, who’s presence was made known by a local gang of early Swallows who harassed him as he hunted above the wood, this was a great sight to start our walk.

The walk up the road from Bigland Bridge was long and steep for the kids and even harder for us old folk! One of the plants growing in the woods now is Ramsons, the kids loved the pungent smell of this plant as they crushed it between their fingers, then they got the chance to compare it with another garlic like plant ‘Jack-by-the-hedge’, which has a milder and more pleasant aroma.

Further up I found another nice plant on the roadside, ‘Sweet Cicely’, which has a nice aniseed smell when crushed. The kids seemed to like this very much, I think maybe it reminded them of some kind of sweets and it always makes me think of gobstoppers or jawbreakers.

Some of the birds here included Willow Warbler, Blue tit, Robin, Blackbird and Wren. The Willow Warbler, like the Swallows we saw earlier, are another newly arived migrant bird.

We had good views down into Backbarrow and across to Gummers how and the surrounding hills, the veiws from here always seem to be good.

Then to the relief of our now tired legs we reached Bigland tarn, here we had the pleasant company of a few more Swallows who were flying frantically in search of insects around the stables. These birds will be feeding up after their long migration, they are always a sign that spring really is here.

The tarn was quiet, only a few Tufted duck, Coot and Mallard on the water. Chaffinch, Willow Warbler and Tree Pipit, another migrant, sang from the nearby trees.

All down hill from here, through the wood and to me the nicest part of the walk. Wood Sorrel was flowering under the Oaks and Birches, I love these plants with their delicate white flowers and Shamrock like leaves that taste like apple skins.

The woods are greening up now with Oak, Birch, Horse Chestnut and Larch, all bursting into life after their long winter rest. Under these trees we found a few Bluebells already in flower, we also found some lovely Wood Anemone, one of my favourite spring flowers.

Towards the end of the walk we found a large Slow-worm, curled up in the leaf-litter, a sign that the day was warming up. There were lots of Marsh Marigold flowering by the river, big and loud is the best way to describe these yellow flowers that really like to advertise themselves.

So the walk was done, the surprising thing for me was that we didn’t hear any Woodpeckers or Nuthatch and I did want to show the kids my Woodpecker trick, oh well maybe next time.

Save our glorious Queens!

Tucked away in a quiet corner of my garden is a little shed, this may look just like any other ordinary garden shed but is in fact a very important wintering home for many creatures.

Woodlice have been active here all through the Winter months, the House Spiders that also live in the shed have been too. The Spiders' untidy dusty webs look like they are the only things holding the shed together at times, they look to be joining each wooden section together like strands of steel. A few small Moths also took up residence in this warm Winter refuge, it can reach barmy 1 degree centigrade in winter. A family of mice have also taken to using the shed, they have been busy feeding the seeds from a few Pine-cones I left in there last Autumn.

All through the winter I had been keeping an eye on the Common Wasp Queens that have been hibernating in my shed, I am fascinated by hibernation and amazed how small creatures like these can survive in sub-zero temperatures and it has been exceptionally cold this winter. Some of these Queens have been curled up under the roof joists, some tucked into dark crevices and a few have taken a liking to sleeping on the dirty old net curtain that hangs over the window.

By early April two of these large queens were flying in frustration, up and down the invisible barrier that stood between them and the warm sunshine outside, I wonder what insects think of windows? So I gave them a helping hand and released them out into the open where they can do their bit for the planet, what a very important bit that is too.

I wonder just how many people realise how important Wasps are, we seem to think of them as pests with nothing better to do than sting us.
Nothing could be further from the truth though, Wasps are amazing creatures and not aggressive at all, they build wonderful papery nests by chewing wood and then secreting it as a paste to build with.
They form large colonies where every individual plays its part to perfection, (we could learn a lot from Wasps, Bees and Ants), they also take many caterpillars and aphids which surely puts them in the top list of gardeners and farmers friends.

Workers mainly come into contact with us humans in late summer, by that time the Wasp grubs that have been secreting a sugary substance for the workers to feed on, have all turned into new adults. So the Wasps look for fruit to help their sugar craving; the fermenting fruit contains natural sugars. Therefore the Wasps help to break down the fruit by eating it.

The problem is that we also love sugary drinks like pop and beer, so the wasps are attracted to this too and not really interested in us at all. This is why they fly around us on warm days in August and September; they love the sugary drinks and food we like to eat.

So if you should find a Wasp Queen in your shed or house this Spring, give her the respect she deserves. If she is still sleeping then just leave her alone, and if she is awake please let her out to do her work.
Give her a helping hand, as her or her offspring will be helping you!