Tythe the Barn Owl with children from Hawkshead and Levens Valley Schools, along with Kate Jordan Education Officer for Grizedale and Hilary Lange UK Conservation Officer for the World Owl Trust.

The World Owl Trust at Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass and the Forestry Commission at Grizedale Forest near Ambleside are joint partners in the Rusland Valley Barn Owl Project, which aims to improve barn owl numbers and habitat in Grizedale and the Rusland Valley.  The project is funded by the Tourism and Conservation Partnership.

As part of the project, the experts have been working with children from Hawkshead and Levens Valley Primary Schools to get them involved and teach them about the barn owl conservation work taking place on their doorstep.

The Forestry Commission and the World Owl Trust recently staged an event at The Yan, Grizedale’s forest learning centre, where the schools took part in a number of hands on activities, including art work and finding out what a barn owl eats by examining their undigested food.

Tania Crockett, People Engagement Manager for the Forestry Commission at Grizedale said:

“We’re delighted that two local primary schools joined us to take part in this exciting project.  The combination of activities worked really well, from seeing a barn owl up close to thinking in detail about its eyes and feathers and creating artwork about them.

“The highlight of the day was finding the bones from a bat in an owl pellet – fairly uncommon food for a barn owl!”

The children also got the opportunity to express what they had learnt with help from local artist Hannah Fox.  Taking inspiration from the owls, the children each made an individual piece of art from felts and other textiles.  These will all be brought together to make six striking wall hangings which will remain on exhibition in the Yan Building to inspire more people about the project.

The World Owl Trust and Forestry Commission hope that by encouraging landowners to provide nest boxes and leave some areas of rough grassland uncultivated, young owls will disperse through the valley and boost the local population.

Hilary Lange UK Conservation Officer of the World Owl Trust said:

“We are educating local children about the project, hopefully to ensure the future of the barn owl in their area.

“We now hope the children’s parents will offer new sites and manage a small area of land with barn owls in mind, to ensure there will be a future for this magnificent bird”.

More information
World Owl Trust
Forestry Commission in North West England
Muncaster Castle

Alder moth (Donegal Moths)

Moth species
All macro moth species recorded in Donegal are listed alphabetically, and each one has a map. Most also have one or more photos, all of which have been taken in Donegal. This may be of interest, particularly for those species which show geographical variation. While some of the photos and specimens are rather poor, they are included for the record.

Moth sightings
Here, maps show where moths have been found, and in what numbers. There are also descriptions of some of the more interesting moth locations, giving details of habitat and species present.

Donegal Biodiversity Project
The Donegal Biodiversity Project aims to increase our knowledge of the fauna and flora of County Donegal through long term scientific survey and research.

Major developments in the wider context are taking place and MothsIreland has started to collate and map records from all the active moth enthusiasts in the Republic of Ireland.

It has also set up a validation sub-committee which is establishing the criteria needed to have records accepted. Also the Irish Biological Records Centre is now up and running, and will in due course take over the collection and management of records, and may also be able to support the participation of the people on the ground in this process.

More information
Donegal Moths website.

Moths Ireland project – mapping Irelands’ moths.

UK Moths - Guide to Moths of Great Britain and Ireland.

The competition has a junior class for people up to 25 years of age and a senior class for 25 and older and is run by Exmoor National Park Authority in partnership with the Devon Hedge Group and the Somerset Hedge Group.

Tara Wright from Exmoor National Park Authority said: “We are looking forward to receiving entries from farmers, landowners and contractors on Exmoor who have carried out good quality work on hedges and people are welcome to enter more than one hedge if they wish to.

“Exmoor’s hedges are particularly characteristic and are very valuable for wildlife, supporting a diverse range of plants, insects, birds and small mammals. We are grateful to the Exmoor Trust for generously donating the prize money for this competition.”

Entries must reach Exmoor National Park Authority by 31 March 2010; for more information and an entry form telephone Tara Wright on 01398 322282 or visit www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk

The hedge must be within the National Park boundary and have been laid during the winter of 2008/09 or 2009/10.

The judges will be looking for a combination of stock-proofness, regrowth, traditional style, wildlife value and overall appearance.

Traditionally, Exmoor’s hedges have been managed by regular laying to conserve them as stock-proof features.

Laying is where hedges are allowed to grow up, commonly for around 8-15 years, and then each stem (or steeper) is partially cut through and literally laid down flat.

Laid steepers are woven under previously laid stems or secured with a wooden crook.

This work is very skilled and provides employment for numerous people during the winter months on Exmoor.

Owners of the up-market accommodation for doves and pigeons are being asked to get in touch with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) to help in a special new conservation project.

Robert White, the Authority’s Senior Conservation Archaeologist, said: “Dovecotes played an important part in rural life in the National Park.

“The birds they housed provided their owners with many resources, including eggs and meat for food, feathers for bedding – and even fertiliser.

Dovecote - Picture courtesy of Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

“We want to hear from people who have them – whether they are built into their houses or outbuildings or are freestanding – because, if we can identify more examples and increase our knowledge of their design and distribution, we will be able to improve the ways we can conserve and protect them in the future.

“Not all of them have survived so we would also be interested in any documentary records.“

Feature of the Season

Dovecotes are put under the microscope in the YDNPA’s Feature of the Season Project, which was designed to increase understanding and appreciation of unrecorded, small-scale historic features in the National Park ranging from unusual gate posts and churn stands to veteran trees and turbary stones.

The project aims to create accessible records of them – mainly through the help of Dales Volunteers – that are included in the National Park Authority’s Historic Environment Record.

An article about them can be found on the YDNPA website at www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/dovecotes_main.htm.

Anyone who has information about dovecotes is asked to contact the Authority’s historic environment team on 01969 652300.

The Authority took first place in the best public building installation category of the Yorkshire and Humber Microgeneration Partnership awards for its biomass boiler, which uses wood chippings to heat the Colvend offices.

The new, environmentally-friendly heating system was only fired up for the first time in December.

William Weston, the YDNPA’s Member Champion for Climate Change and Paul Drake, the Authority’s Project and Estates Officer, received the award from BBC Look North weatherman and climate correspondent Paul Hudson at a special evening in York.

Mr Weston said: “The Authority has already reduced its carbon emissions by an impressive 20 per cent since 2005. One of the main reasons for the decision to go ahead with the biomass boiler was our determination to reduce even further our carbon footprint.”

Paul said: “The award is fantastic recognition that the National Park Authority is doing all it can to reduce its carbon footprint by cutting carbon emissions.”

The Authority received a generous grant towards the installation of the boiler from CO2Sense Yorkshire, through the Wood Fuel Programme delivered by Yorwoods.

CO2Sense Yorkshire is a not-for-profit company funded by Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund and the programme is supporting and funding businesses and other organisations to develop the sourcing, supply and use of wood fuel in Yorkshire and Humber.

For further information, see www.co2sense.org.uk or contact woodfuel@co2sense.org.uk, 0113 237 8478.

Every couple of weeks, a delivery of woodchips is tipped into the underground fuel store and a mechanical arm and an Archimedes screw gather them up and feed them into the boiler automatically. The boiler uses a hot air ignition system to get the woodchips burning and they then heat water that is piped underground to the offices where a heat exchanger pushes the heat into the existing radiators. The wood fuel is produced locally and sourced from sustainably managed woodlands within the Yorkshire region.

An interpretation board will be sited in the reception area at Colvend to explain the system to visitors and the Authority will offer site visits for members of the public to look around.

In 2007, the Authority publicly confirmed its commitment to helping counter the effects of climate change by joining more than 200 other organisations in supporting the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, a voluntary pledge to address the issues of climate change.

The Authority’s Yoredale offices in Bainbridge were built incorporating the latest in environmentally-friendly equipment including a ground water heat pump built under the new car park which captures the low-grade heat of the ground and uses it to provide underfloor heating to the offices. The complex is partly built into a grass bank and has a grass roof to try to reduce its impact on the surrounding area. The grass layer also acts as a natural insulation.

Once more the British Trust for Ornithology is organising National nest box week in a hope that everyone will make a home for birds, both resident and migratory.

This year is the International Year of Biodiversity and people all over the world are being encouraged to look at ways to safeguard the variety of plants and animals on their doorstep.

So why not take part in this year’s National Nest Box Week and lend a hand to nesting birds in your garden or local green space?

National Nest Box Week is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and founding sponsor Jacobi Jayne & Company, runs from 14th to 21st February and is this year being promoted by Simon King.

Information booklet

To support National Nest Box Week, Simon has worked with BTO scientists and Jacobi Jayne to produce an information booklet, which tells you how to make a warm, dry home for the birds that share your garden and lifts the lid on what happens inside your box between March and June.

This is available via the National nest box week website.

Build your own nest box

Nest boxes are incredibly easy to build or buy and can make a huge difference to the lives of our garden birds.  Blue Tits love them but you could get all manner of species moving in”, says Jeff Baker, the BTO’s organiser of National Nest Box Week.

More than 60 species of birds have been recorded using nest boxes. Most commonly, Blue and Great Tits, House Sparrows and Starlings will use the typical round hole design, while Robins and Spotted Flycatchers prefer open-fronted boxes.

If you are confident with a saw and a bit of a dab hand at the DIY then maybe you would like to make your own nestbox.

Many plans and diagrams are available on the internet and in books. Here is one way starting with a piece of wood 150mmx1170mm.

Helpful nest box tips

Viv Greenough, the BTO’s nesting expert, hopes that this is going to be a good summer.  Here are her top tips to help breeding birds:

• Put up a nest box during National Nest Box Week.
• If you already have a box for Blue Tits, then why not make or buy an open-fronted box for a pair of Spotted Flycatchers or Robins?
• Providing high-energy foods (such as peanuts and fat balls) at feeding stations can help adult birds boost their breeding performance.
• Change your bird bath water regularly so that birds can keep their feathers in prime condition.
• Avoid using garden chemicals as chicks and juvenile birds feed mostly on insects and caterpillars.
• Think natural – plant a variety of native species to enhance and promote biodiversity, an insect-rich garden will also benefit birds.
• Grow climbers against walls and fences to provide shelter, roosting and nesting sites for birds.
• Think about birds that don’t use boxes (such as Blackbird and Dunnock) – keep your shrubs and hedges thick and avoid hedge-trimming and pruning from March to August, inclusive.
• Dead wood is great for biodiversity (especially insects); dying shrubs and plants are best left to decompose naturally.

National Nest Box Week gets underway on Sunday 14th February 2010.

Nest Box Challenge

Putting up a nest box is great fun; however the fun is only just beginning!

To get the most enjoyment out of your nest box, take part in Nest Box Challenge (NBC) on-line.

You can do your bit to help the BTO monitor the breeding success of birds in Britain’s green spaces by recording the activity of the adults and the contents of your nest box at regular intervals during the breeding season

This year, as well as monitoring your boxes, the BTo want you to tell them about the other nests that you find in your garden/local green space, such as Woodpigeons and Blackbirds.

So remember to look out for breeding activity in your trees and hedges this year too!

Nest box challenge website http://www.bto.org/nbc/

Rosedale old railway by Chris Ceaser

Prints of varying sizes will be available to buy and entry to the exhibitions is free.

‘Masters of Light’ runs from 13 to 22 February and is followed by ‘Northern Light’, a collection of images from Ryedale-based photographers Janet and Richard Burdon, Tracey Philips and David Sault from 19 to 29 March.

The series concludes with Chris Ceaser’s ‘Light on Land’ from 1 to 16 April.

Commenting on why he finds the North York Moors so inspiring, Chris Ceaser said:

“The North York Moors is a quiet and intimate place which offers stunning scenery throughout. The valleys, hills and open moorland offer unique photographic opportunities all year round depending on the light and the season.

From east to west and top to bottom, each part of this wonderful landscape has its own special characteristics that gives me a different perspective and a new challenge each time I visit.”

Sally Smith, the North York Moors National Park Authority’s Events and Exhibitions Coordinator, added:

“We are fortunate to have some wonderful views and iconic buildings and landforms in the North York Moors.

Each of our featured photographers brings their own subtle style and their stunning images will I’m sure provide lots of ideas of different places to visit in the National Park.”

Sutton Bank National Park Centre is on the A170 between Thirsk and Helmsley.

It is open daily from 13 February from 11am to 4pm during February and from 10am to 5pm from March onwards.

More information on forthcoming exhibitions at Sutton Bank and The Moors National Park Centres can be found at www.visitthemoors.co.uk/events

Swan eats food made available for it from a householder.

Swans from the Lancaster canal have left the waterway and headed inland, rummaging through dustbins and gardens in search of food or for something to do.

Dangerous

Delays in collecting rubbish left after christmas due to frozen roads and icy conditions have provided a rich supply of both food and danger.

We often hear about animals getting tangled up in discarded fishing line left on the banks of rivers but nothing can prepare animals for the dangers of sharp metal cans, plastics and general household rubbish.

Councils advise keeping dustbins and recycling boxes firmly closed to avoid animals gaining access. Foxes, mice and even feral cats and dogs are all guilty of breaking into bags and boxes.

Placing a rock or a bungee strap across a box lid is an ideal solution to keep it in place.

Safe
This swan was kept under supervision and away from the contents of the dustbins. Food and fresh water was made available, before he or she returned to a nearby waterway.

Food

Swans are happy both on salt water and fresh.

Swan hunting for food

Water based vegetation and grass are the usual food for swans.

Being a large bird an adult swan can consume around 4kg per day along with small bits of grit to help break it down in their stomachs.

It has also been known for swans to eat grain, frogs, small fish and insects.

Swans near to humans will no doubt be fed bread at some point however this is not ideal as it can swell in their stomachs.

Mouldy bread is poisonous to them.

An adult swan can live to be around 50 years old however normally they live around 5 years. The average weight of a male swan is around 10kg.

The swan is a member of the same genus as the duck, Anatidae.

Royal connections

The Queen has the prerogative right of ownership for all the mute swans in England and Wales.

Swan Upping is the annual census of the swan population on stretches of the Thames in the counties of Middlesex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

After all the cold icy weather the first shoots and flowers are starting to appear indicating the winter will soon be behind us.

Snowdrops

One of the first flowers to peak above the dark cold earth is the snowdrop.

Some gardeners are hoping that after the very hard frosts that this should be a good year for these and the the crocus.

For some reason a hard frost seems to help them have a good flowering season. In our garden this would seem true as the recent wet years have resulted in a poor crop of flowers.

The snowdrop is one of a small genus, around 20 species, called Galanthus.

Shoots from bulbs

Many snowdrops in the wild are protected due to them being rare.

Shoots

Many other plants are starting to break through and into the spring air.

Following the delicate white and green snowdrops comes the carpets of colour from the crocus. Often sunny garden  banks ripple with the small but stunning bright yellow, purple and white flowers.

After a few weeks these small low growing flowers give way to the spring garden heavyweights, the daffodils, narcissus and hyacinth.

A primrose flower

Bright yellow daffodil trumpets herald the end of winter and the coming of summer sunshine whilst the heady perfume from the hyacinth sweeps away the damp stale winter air.

Primrose

Also taking part in the orchestral movement that is spring are the primrose, the Lesser Celandine and towards the end of March the bluebells.

In our garden we already have the primrose flowering.

With only a few weeks left of winter officially, let us hope we have seen the end to the cold weather and the short number of daylight hours.

Snowdrop open days

Colesbourne Park – Thousands of snowdrops in the gardens

Lytham Hall in Lancashire

Scottish Snowdrop festival