Discover Bowland: Wildlife Sightings, Family Fun, Eco Escapes & Nature Recovery

We’ve created this newsletter to keep people who love Bowland up to date with what’s happening in the National Landscape. The main focus will be on wildlife, conservation and nature recovery, but we’ll also bring you details of events, activities and opportunities to get involved. Every three months or so, we’ll send you news about:

• Seasonal wildlife updates – what to look out for and where to see it
• Updates from local environmental and conservation organisations and volunteering opportunities
• Nature recovery projects – profiles on ambitious recovery and restoration projects
• Nature-friendly farming initiatives – profiles on Bowland farming businesses making a difference
• What’s on in Bowland – reflecting Festival Bowland events and other activities in the National Landscape

We hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it useful and we’d love to hear your suggestions for stories and articles to include. Get in touch via the link below.

WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS

What to look out for over the summer months

Spring arrived late in Bowland, which created a few challenges for early nesting birds, but the wet weather has helped the upland waders, who like nice damp and soft soil to find food for their chicks. The RSPB has been monitoring the breeding success of species such as curlew, lapwing and oystercatcher and has managed to tag a few of this year’s chicks.

More than 80 volunteers have been busy surveying upland waders at 78 farms across the Forest of Bowland, installing cameras at nests and tagging more than 60 curlew chicks to get a better understanding of breeding productivity and chick mortality.

Ospreys have again been spotted overflying Bowland with the occasional report of golden eagles drifting across the fells – possibly from the reintroduction programme in southwestern Scotland.

Over the next few weeks, look out for ospreys heading back south and families of swallows gathering on the telegraph wires as they prepare to head back to their wintering grounds in Africa.

Pied flycatchers seem to have had another good year in Bowland, with many pairs nesting successfully in the mature deciduous woodland and remnants of temperate Atlantic rainforest across the National Landscape.

Insects and pollinators continue to thrive thanks to the survival of traditional hay meadows where wildflowers are allowed to flourish before mowing takes place much later in the summer than in more intensive systems, where meadows may be cropped three times a year.

Insects are also the staple food of the local bat population, which numbers three different species that are active across the AONB from May to September. Head for footpaths beside rivers or the edge of woodlands to see bats. You don’t have to stay up too late. First bats – usually noctules – are out and about 20 minutes before sundown.

As summer unfolds, the hillsides are cloaked in a glorious late summer mantle of mauve and green as the heather blooms and dense swards of emerald bracken burst forth across the fells. This is when the whinberry or bilberry – our native blueberry ­– can be picked at many locations around the Forest of Bowland. The season is short but this tart little berry has a uniquely subtle flavour when sweetened and cooked in crumbles or pies.

WHERE TO WATCH WILDLIFE:

• Wander along Cross Lane, between Bashall Eaves and Waddington to see rarities like the pied flycatcher and redstart flitting between the hedgerows either side of this quiet country lane.
• Head down to the Hodder at Whitewell or the Ribble at Brungerley Park to see Daubenton’s or Noctule bats hunting insects in the evenings.
• Look out for fox cubs frolicking under the hedgerows in the corners of hay meadows and otters fishing on the Hodder early in the morning or late in the evening.
• Pick bilberries on Birdie Brow and Longridge Fell during August.

FAMILY FUN

Go wild in Bowland!

The long summer holidays provide a great opportunity for families to head outdoors and get closer to nature. There’s plenty going on in Bowland over the next few weeks, with family-friendly activities happening across the National Landscape. There’s always something happening at Bowland Wild Boar Park over the summer holidays or what about Walking with Alpacas at Wood End Farm? Check out the Festival Bowland events guide for listings or maybe plan a big family adventure in Bowland with one of our bespoke Eco Escapes Itineraries. For more information, take a look at the Activities page on the Discover Bowland website.

DISCOVER ECO ESCAPES

Explore our sustainable tourism itineraries

Eco Escapes is the Forest of Bowland’s award-winning sustainable tourism initiative – which aims to reduce the environment impact of tourism in Bowland and keep it looking beautiful!

The hills and valleys of Bowland are one of the last remaining places in England where you can hike for miles without encountering another soul. Much of the rugged upland landscapes of Bowland is open access land, criss-crossed with footpaths and bridleways.

With miles of footpaths, bridleways, quiet country lanes and dedicated mountain bike trails, the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural beauty is a paradise for those who really want to get away from it all.

Our bespoke collection of Eco Escapes Itineraries encourage visitors to arrive by train and explore on foot, by bike or e-bike and support the rural economy by spending money with independent rural businesses.

Find out more at www.ecoescapes.org.uk

AMAZING NIGHTLIFE

See the Perseids meteor shower at Bowland’s Dark Sky Discovery sites

The Perseids Meteor Shower reaches its peak each year around August 12, when the earth passes through the dusty remnants of the comet Swift-Tuttle, creating a celestial fireworks display if the skies remain clear.

The Forest of Bowland is one of a number of Dark Sky Discovery sites dotted around the UK where the absence of streetlights and other sources of light pollution mean the night skies are truly dark.

This means the stars, galaxies and constellations are clearer and during the Perseids Meteor Shower, you’ll see many more shooting stars per hour as even the fainter ones streak across the night skies.

If the skies are cloud-free, head to Gisburn Forest, Slaidburn Village Car Park, Crook o’ Lune Car Park or Beacon Fell Country Park for a chance to see the show. You don’t need binoculars or a telescope – just keep looking up.

The Perseids tend to appear in a certain portion of the sky (called a radiant point) to the northeast. The show starts around 11pm and peaks just before dawn. Click here to find out more.

WALK THIS WAY

Our favourite summer walks

The longer days of summer provide an opportunity to explore further afield on foot and really get away from it all. In the summer months, the Forest of Bowland tends to be quieter than better-known like the Lake District or Yorkshire Dales, so if you like to find a bit of solitude on your hikes, take a look at the selection of carefully curated routes on the Forest of Bowland National Landscape website.

One of the most popular routes in the Forest of Pendle is the iconic Pendle Hill and the #SummitElse collection features a range of walks around Pendle Hill for all abilities.

On longer summer walks, don’t forget to take plenty of water, wear sunscreen and make sure you have a fully charged mobile phone with you. You can download a car-free Pendle Hill walk to your smartphone from the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership website but we also recommend taking an OS Map as back-up.

ACCESS ALL AREAS

How all-terrain wheelchairs are making the outdoors more accessible

A new partnership between the Forest of Bowland National Landscape team and Access the Dales aims to open up even the most inaccessible parts of Bowland to wheelchair users

The Forest of Bowland National Landscape Partnership has joined forces with inclusive mobility charity Access the Dales to break down the barriers that prevent people living with disabilities enjoying the great outdoors – either independently or with their friends and family.

A new generation of ATW’s is redefining the performance boundaries of traditional wheelchairs and opening up more opportunities for adventure for wheelchair users with a range of mobility impairments.

A growing range of specialist all-terrain wheelchairs are now available, which have been carefully designed to be able to cope with different terrains, including muddy woodland trails, gravel paths, wet grass, tree roots and steep hills and even mountains!

The Forest of Bowland AONB has a number of hub locations across the region where all-terrain wheelchairs are available to hire and can be used along designated trails. Wheelchair users can borrow all-terrain access vehicles at Gisburn Forest, Wood End Farm at Dunsop Bridge, Sabden Village and New Laund Farm near Whitewell, where the Government’s Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) has funded a brand-new Terrain Hopper All Terrain Wheelchair (ATW). Find out more at www.forestofbowland.com

NATURE RECOVERY

Family-owned bakery works with conservationists to create a community orchard

Bowland conservationists have teamed up with a local bakery to create a community orchard and wildflower meadow in a beautiful corner of the Forest of Bowland.

Clitheroe-based Studio Bakery began renting a 14-acre plot in 2021 and with the help of volunteers from Friends of Bowland, have planted 145 heritage fruit trees and six acres of wildflower meadow.

The trees and flowers are allowed to grow naturally, without the use of any chemicals or artificial fertilizers and the grass is either grazed or bailed at the end of the season. The trees are caged to protect them the deer that browse the field every day. Each year the field is assessed by and anything that can be done to improve the field is put into action the following year.

Once the fruit trees are producing a viable crop, the family-owned bakery is planning to use the fruit in its products – reducing its reliance on imported fruit and cutting food miles.

Lucy Metcalf, from Studio Bakery, said: “It’s not easy for businesses these days but we have remained committed to our environmental responsibilities. We hope that the community orchard project offsets the carbon we produce.

“We are a small business and as we grow, we hope to increase our positive impact on the environment. We try the be the change that we would like to see.”

Find out more about Studio Orchard Project here: https://www.thestudiobakery.co.uk/orchardproject

The Friends of Bowland is a volunteer organisation arranging guided walks and carrying out practical conservation work all year round. Practical tasks are on the last Thursday of the month and walks are on the second or third Thursday of the month.

Friends of Bowland work for private landowners and organisations like UU (United Utilities – the water company) and the Woodland Trust. Tasks vary from tree and hedge planting, scrub bashing and thinning, retrieving redundant plastic tree guards and balsam bashing and you get a free lunch! Find out more by emailing: friendsofbowland@gmail.com.

THE MASTERPLAN

A roadmap for nature recovery in the Forest of Bowland

From ancient oak woodland to wildflower meadows, wetlands and rivers, Bowland’s complex mosaic of habitats need urgent restoration to nurture the iconic wildlife that lives here – and everyone needs to play their part.

The National Landscape team has been working with landowners, farmers and conservation groups to design a roadmap to restore these landscapes, improve habitats for wildlife and harness the area’s valuable natural assets to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The Forest of Bowland Nature Recovery Plan will secure the future of rare species such as the hen harrier, ring ouzel and merlin and potentially see the return of iconic upland species like the Black Grouse.

In a nutshell, the conservation priorities between now and 2040 are to make Bowland’s precious habitats bigger, better and more joined up.

This plan will be delivered by creating nature recovery networks incorporating a mosaic of habitats and ecosystems. These networks will radiate out from the area’s Core Nature Areas to form stronger corridors and links between rivers, woodlands, trees, hedges, walls and grasslands.

The National Landscape team and partners are working with communities across Lancashire and North Yorkshire to connect more people to nature – particularly people from under-represented groups.

Find out more about the Forest of Bowland’s Nature Recovery Strategy and download the report via this link: https://www.forestofbowland.com/nature-recovery