Wildzone Cumbria

When people think of Cumbria they often think of just the Lake District National Park but there's much more to this great county, tucked away in north west England.

Wildzone Cumbria is a really useful website that provides ideas and inspiration on:
* where to go to see Cumbrian wildlife
* what you can see this month in nature and wildlife
* upcoming wildlife and nature events in Cumbria

Plus much, much more.

To plan your Cumbrian wildlife Adventure visit the Wildzone website

Dumfries & Galloway Wildlife Festival 2012

Don't forget -the popular 2 week Dumfries & Galloway Wildlife Festival is back in 2012 for its ninth year. With more than 80 events packed into the festival there's something for everyone.

The Wildlife Festival runs from 31st March through to 15th April and there are some new events lined up - including a Wild Food Forage in Langholm with a cookery demo and free lunch - as well as all the favourites such as the badger watch and many activities for families.

Wild & Green has holidayed in this gorgeous but often over looked part of south west Scotland and the scenery is absolutely stunning - the area has great walking, forests, varied and spectacular wildlife, brilliant beaches and is lovely and quiet - highly recommended!!


Find out more on the Dumfries & Galloway Wildlife Festival website

Date With Nature 31 March - 2 Sep

Date With Nature - There are lots of wildlife and nature based activities and events taking places throughout the country, the majority from March to September, though others go on into the autumn.


To find out about events near you Wild & Green has pulled together the following links:

* The RSPB have lots of Date With Nature events this year

*Wildlife Trusts are organising events - find your local group on their website

* If you live in or near the New Forest (or are visiting the area on day trips or hols) then you might want to take a look at the  New Forest National Park's Date With Nature website

Woodland Walks In Wales

 Woodland walks a stone’s throw from new seating area  

Trekking to the summit of Penpych mountain or strolling along one of the many trails to visit the waterfalls hidden in the surrounding woodland can be an exhausting and exhilarating affair.

Now, Forestry Commission Wales has made life easier for visitors to regain their breath after enjoying a bracing walk in the countryside near Blaencwm, in the Rhondda Valley.

Visitors to the Welsh Government woodland can pause to take in the wonderful scenery around them after the Commission installed a new stone seating area at the picnic site beside the car park.

The car park, which is free for visitors to the woodland, was tarmaced two years ago and is very popular among locals and visitors who take healthy walks along the woodland trails, such as the Loops and Links.

Forestry Commission Wales Community Ranger Mike James said work to improve the car park and the waterfall walk had been going on for the past two years.

“The car park and picnic area provide a superb base for visiting the surrounding waterfalls and the summit of Penpych, which is a major landmark in the area,” he said.

The stone seating areas will be more robust and long lasting than the old wooden benches, which used to get vandalised or weather with age, and have already proved popular with residents.

Eddie Richards of Blaencwm said, “The picnic area is a well used local amenity and the new seating will encourage more visitors to use the area for exploring the forest and waterfalls.It’s a lovely place to sit after a walk in the woods, and the old benches and barbeques needed replacing.”


More information on the woodlands of Wales is available on www.forestry.gov.uk/wales

Forest Diary -Spring Is In The Air!

Forest Diary, Get Ready To Explore The Forest This Spring (13/3/2012)

"With spring in the air the New Forest is gradually waking from its winter slumber, boasting 145 square miles of stunning wildlife and habitats to enjoy. With so much to see and do in the forest, myself and the other rangers at the Forestry Commission have teamed up with local partners to launch the 2012 New Forest Events Calendar which is packed full of activities for all the family.

If you are keen to get out early in the season and make the most of all that the New Forest has to offer, we’ll be kick starting our activities with our ‘Jump into Spring’ events. Taking place over two weeks (Saturday 31 March to Sunday 15 April) they offer an opportunity to discover the range of birds that live locally. Starting at Bolderwood car park, these events will have fun and challenging activities for adults and children alike.

Keen ramblers will enjoy our brisk eight mile ‘Bluebell Walk’ on Sunday 15 April to admire nature’s blue carpets in peak season. For a shorter walk there’s our one mile circular ‘Wild Flower Discovery’ stroll on 13 May - join us to find out about our local plants and the customs that surround them. If it’s a pub lunch you look forward to at the end of a walk, then our six mile ‘Forest Explorer Pub Walk’ starting at Linford Bottom car park on 1 May could be the perfect choice. Or, if history is your interest, we’ll be taking a step back in time on our ‘Gliders and Typhoons’ walk in May, visiting the former RAF Homsley South airfield.

Children will have fun learning all about wildlife at the New Forest Reptile Centre on 25 and 26 May, where we’ll be joining the National Park Authority and partners to stage a 24 hour ‘National Park Bioblitz’! It’s a chance for us all to work together to record as much wildlife as we can in the New Forest.

Finally, visitors looking for a little adventure of their own can take advantage of the varied walking and cycling trails featured in ‘The New Forest – your essential guide 2012’ publication that will be out in April. We have included a favourite bike ride in the New Forest which is suitable for all abilities. You will also find information about our walking trails starting at Forestry Commission car parks. From deer watching to river strolls, visitors will be able to experience the fascinating sights and sounds of the New Forest along these circular waymarked walks.

There truly is something for everyone this year. To find out more about Forestry Commission events, please contact us on 02380 283141  or visit www.forestry.gov.uk/newforest. Alternatively, look out for ‘The New Forest – your essential guide 2012’ which will be available from Easter at all main Forestry Commission car parks in the New Forest, as well as campsites and visitor information centres, or, if you live locally, through your door!"

Zoe Cox, Ranger 

Wildlife Update

Foresters Plan Pleasant Surprise For Sleeping Dormice  

Dormice sleeping in a Monmouthshire woodland can look forward to a pleasant surprise when they wake from their hibernation in the spring after Forestry Commission Wales transformed their home as they slept.

Foresters have been busy giving Slade woodland, near Magor and Rogiet, a makeover to create the ideal habitat for the tiny creatures, which are so rare they are protected by law.

Conifer areas of the Welsh Government woodland have been thinned and broadleaf trees retained to improve its structure and create small open spaces to allow in light and encourage the growth of new trees and more shrubs, in which the dormouse feeds.

The work was carried out under a dormouse licence and will also improve the biodiversity of the 148-hectare woodland, which is a Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS), for other animals and birds.

Dormice are generally found in broadleaved woodland with a thick shrub layer. They are easily recognisable by their small size, bright golden colour, large eyes and bushy tail, but there are fewer than 30,000 left in the UK.
The work was carefully timed to take place while the dormice were still active and able to move away easier, and any heavily shrubbed areas were avoided during the latter stages of the operation, as this is where the dormice would be hibernating.

Forestry Commission Wales conservation manager Rosalind Codd said: “It was essential to carry out the work during times of least impact on the dormice, so the areas most favoured by them had to be completed first.
Thinning at this time doesn't mitigate all damage, but it reduces disturbance greatly as once dormice are hibernating we can't find them and they won't move, making them very vulnerable during any work.”

Retaining overhead “corridors” in the woodland canopy was also important, since dormice rarely travel on the ground. During the day, they sleep in small nests they have made themselves and spend the night foraging among the treetops.During the spring, dormice eat flowers and pollen, then in summer they move on to fruit and in autumn they eat nuts, especially hazelnuts.

Other measures designed to protect and improve the dormouse habitat included stacking the felled trees, which will be used for stakes and biomass, in sparsely vegetated areas to minimise disturbance and retaining broadleaf trees, especially those with honeysuckle and ivy.

“Honeysuckle is important for dormice as the flowers provide food at a time when few other things are available. They also use the shredded bark as nesting material. Honeysuckle is also important for other species such as butterflies and moths,” said Rosalind. “Retaining plants such as ivy is important for the bats using the woodland, and also dormice use ivy as a summer nesting site and it’s a good source of insects for dormice.”

The thinning operation took several months to complete and more thinning will continue on a regular basis to improve the woodland’s biodiversity and to restore it back to its native broadleaf state.

Spot Scottish Wildlife

Glen Loy Wildlife, Banavie, Fort William, Scotland




Glenloy Wildlife offers exclusive wildlife holidays in the majestic Lochaber region of the West Highlands of Scotland. Based in scenic Glen Loy, some 7 miles from Fort William, you will be treated to comfortable and cosy accommodation in Glenloy Lodge, with all meals and transport provided during your stay.

You can explore the many habitats in the area, which include native oak woodlands, Caledonian pinewood, rivers, lochs and coast. Wildlife in the area includes red deer, pine marten, black grouse, golden and sea eagle as well as more elusive species such as otter, basking shark, whale and wildcat.

Glenloy Wildlife is family run by naturalists Jon and Angela Mercer. Wildlife holidays are tailored for all ages and levels of experience and limited to a maximum of 10 people. Pick up from Fort William bus or rail station available.

www.glenloy-wildlife.org.uk