Love Bowland this Winter: Wildlife Sightings, car-free walks, hen harriers bounce back and a hi-tech approach to peat restoration
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.
Mark Sutcliffe
Editor
Discover Bowland
SEASON’S GREETINGS!
Welcome to the Mid-Winter edition of the Love Bowland newsletter – packed with festive cheer! The Christmas Break presents a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors in the middle of the day and soak up some precious vitamin D at a time of year when it’s sometimes rare to see much daylight.
Winters can be long and harsh in Bowland and it’s all too easy to fall into a state of suspended animation during January and February, with only the hardiest types venturing out into the icy uplands.
Snowfall is pretty much guaranteed above the 500-metre contour and after an extended cold snap, when the peat freezes hard, the winter walking can be exceptional – although its crucial to have full winter walking gear in your pack before setting out.
So wrap up warm, fill a flask, pack a hearty hot picnic and start planning your big Bowland winter adventure!As the days shorten and the shadows lengthen, the steep-sided river valleys gild the fringes of the Bowland uplands with the auburn colours of autumn.
What to look out for over the winter months
Flocks of snow bunting are often spotted near the summits of the higher hills of Bowland and when the winds turn north-easterly and cold weather descends from the arctic, waxwings occasionally appear in the most unexpected places to gorge on any remaining berries.
- Large flocks of ducks gather to overwinter on Stocks Reservoir, where they can be viewed from the hides that are easily accessible from the car park on School Lane.
- Badgers are especially active when they emerge from hibernation in Feburary – look out for them in the woodlands at dusk when they may emerge for some ‘spring cleaning’ of the sett.
- Snowdrops are a welcome precursor to the arrival of the first spring flowers and huge drifts are visible at Newton in Bowland and Hornby Castle near Wray, where the grounds are open to the public for an annual Snowdrop Weekend in mid-February.
- Deep winter is your best chance to have a surprise encounter with two of Bowland’s most elusive waders – the snipe and the woodcock. Thousands of these tawny tourists fly in from Scandinavia to escape the cold and they are most active at dawn and dusk. On a frosty morning, you’re likely to almost trip over them in meadows and woodland as they wait until the very last minute before using up valuable energy to flee.
- Listen out for curlew ‘clearing their throats’ when they return to the uplands in late February. They will keep a low profile for another month or so, but you may notice the occasional half-hearted call as they begin the search for suitable nesting sights.
- Get ready for the Big Garden Birdwatch by stocking up on feeders and putting out water, so you’re firmly established on your feathered friends’ feeding flightpath in time for the big day (January 24-26, 2025).
WINTER WALKS
Bowland is a wonderful place to wander in the depths of winter when the clear skies and fabulous scenery take on new characters as the temperature’s plummet.
With the peat frozen hard, walking becomes easier on the exposed uplands, opening up new possibilities for hardy winter walkers.
You can find and download some of the best winter walks via the Forest of Bowland’s OutdoorActive Walks Collection, but please do stay safe out on the hills in winter. The Bowland Fells are largely safe for walkers in winter, but some steep, north-facing paths – such as the Ouster Rake in the Brennand Valley – can be treacherous in snow and ice.
Large parts of Bowland have only patchy mobile phone reception, so relying solely on a phone signal to call for help is not an option. Ensure you have the appropriate clothing, footwear, waterproof and emergency equipment.
In winter, this means spare clothing, warm drinks, additional food, a torch with spare batteries and a whistle to attract attention. A powerpack to recharge mobile phones is also a good idea.
Let someone know where you’re headed and what time you expect to be back. If you do need to call out Mountain Rescue: dial 999 or 112 and ask for ‘Police’ then ‘Mountain Rescue’.
JOIN US FOR A CAR-FREE GUIDED BUS WALK
The Service 11 Bus connects villages across the Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales, providing a welcome boost to public transport to the rural communities on both sides of the Lancashire-Yorkshire Border.
Service 11 buses operate Monday to Saturday, running every two hours between Clitheroe Interchange and Horton in Ribblesdale – connecting with rail services at either end of the route.
As well as providing vital links to villages along the route, the new service delivers a boost for sustainable tourism, opening up car-free access to some of the most popular visitor attractions and walking routes in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
In March, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape is hosting two guided walks to showcase the car-free walking opportunities offered by the Service 11 route.
Start and finish times will line up with the Number 11 bus service from Clitheroe.
Dunsop Bridge
Thursday, March 13
11am – 3pm
A moderately challenging 8-mile circular route from Dunsop Bridge exploring the Whitendale valley and climbing up onto Dunsop and Beatrix Fells.
Stocks Reservoir
Saturday, March 22
11am – 3.30pm
A challenging 11-mile circular route from Slaidburn climbing above Stocks Reservoir and returning via Gisburn Forest.
To find out more and book a place, visit: https://www.forestofbowland.com/festival-bowland.
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.
BOWLAND’S HEN HARRIERS ON ROAD TO RECOVERY
Chosen as the logo of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, hen harriers are one of the most iconic bird species nesting in our upland moorland habitats, but also one of the rarest and most threatened. For many years the Forest of Bowland has been the most important stronghold for breeding hen harriers in England, and the RSPB has been working in partnership with United Utilities and their tenants to monitor and protect these amazing birds on the United Utilities Bowland Estate.
In 2024, hen harriers have had a mixed breeding season in Bowland, with good numbers of breeding birds but relatively low breeding success.RSPB staff and volunteers recorded 10 nests on the United Utilities Estate. Nine of these nests were successful, although only 22 hen harrier chicks fledged – an average of 2.4 young per successful attempt overall. The remaining nest sadly failed as the female deserted her eggs. Natural England also recorded an additional female nesting on a private estate in Bowland not monitored by the RSPB.
Chick survival was much lower than in 2023, when 32 chicks fledged from seven nests – 4.6 young per successful attempt. This was due to the prolonged wet and cold weather during the hatching and early chick rearing period, likely combined with a lack of prey.
This was exacerbated by the fact that six nests were associated with polygamous males, which resulted in smaller brood sizes compared to the nests with monogamous males. Male hen harriers often mate with more than one female (known as polygamy), however, when prey availability is low, they may struggle to provide sufficient food for both broods. Females can compensate for reduced male provisioning by investing more time in hunting themselves, but that means leaving their young unattended and exposed to the elements.
The sustained recovery of hen harriers in Bowland during the last seven years is encouraging and a tribute to successful partnership working. However, the overall recovery of hen harriers in England still has a long way to go, as illegal persecution, changes in land use, habitat loss and climate change may continue to put their recovery at risk.
Article by: Dr Sonja Ludwig
RSPB Species and Habitats Officer
HI TECH HELP TO RESTORE BOWLAND’S PEATLANDS
Millions of pounds is being invested in peat restoration across the UK’s northern uplands with conservationists deploying the very latest technology to maximise success rates in the Forest of Bowland’s precious peatlands.
Peatlands are at the heart of the UK’s climate change mitigation strategy as pristine peat locks in millions of tonnes of carbon – around eight times as much as woodland. Healthy peatlands also absorb heavy rainfall and hold it on the hilltops – slowing the flow into the rivers and preventing flooding in the valleys.
In the Forest of Bowland, 16,000 hectares of uplands are protected under the Bowland Fells SSSI/SPA, much of which is made up of deep peat and peaty soils. Large areas of peatlands – both in Bowland and nationally – require restoration work to return their ecological function. Last year, thanks to Government funding, work started on restoring 160 hectares – equivalent to 200 football pitches.
The work is part of wider project to restore peatlands on a regional scale through the Great North Bog – a landscape-scale restoration and conservation project stretching across nearly 700,000 hectares of peatland soils in the protected landscapes of northern England.
Highly detailed, current satellite and aerial imagery is making mapping and monitoring actively eroding peatlands more accurate, whilst precise GPS satellite tracking enables pinpoint targeting of proposed restoration interventions. Drones are being used to capture the scale and progress of restoration works, indicating how the restoration is taking and allowing early identification of any places where it isn’t, so this can be addressed at the earliest opportunity.
To save time and labour, helicopters are employed to fly in the materials required to restore the more remote expanses of peat, minimising the use of tracked vehicles to carry heavy loads over the fragile peatbog – which would result in more damage to the habitat than would be addressed by the restoration work in the first place. Once the restoration work is complete, drones are again deployed to survey the area to monitor progress in addition to land-based surveys on foot.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
In need of a little inspiration for your New year’s Resolutions? Why not make 2025 the year you start volunteering. A number of conservation organisations are active in the Forest of Bowland throughout the year and they are all keep to hear from prospective volunteers. You could try your hand at tree planting, monitoring plant species, insects or birds or getting hands-on to keep our nature reserves in fine fettle. No specialist experience is necessary and full training is provided. It’s a social experience and a wonderfully rewarding way to make new friends and put something back into society. The organisations below all run volunteering activities throughout the year, so what are you waiting for?!
