The lake District is mine in June! What can I see and where? (1 Viewer)

I'm taking the family off to stay in Keswick during June.

Once I've lazed around the log cabin and waded in the babbling brook alongside, where shoud I go and what can I see?

Birds, animals, views, walks etc.

I've a particular interest in birds of prey and mammals.

The Eagles, Ospreys, Red Deer locals etc.

Cheers,

B

There are a couple of books with good walks in the area.
I walked up past the Old Man of Coniston last summer and saw ravens and peregrines.

Listen out for tawnies in the evenings as well.

Paul,

From there it isn't too far to St Bees. Park at the foot of the cliffs in the village and you can get a good walk, some great views and some very good birds (Black Guillemot and Puffin in particular).

Stephen.

Although I live near Newcastle I often, at least three times per year, nip over to the Lakes for a few days.
The ospreys are at Bassenthwaite Lake...conveniently just outside Keswick! I'm sure there IS a bus service that will take you there. RSPB have had a viewpoint with volunteers and telescopes there for the past three years...well worth the trek up there!
Red Squirrels...I've often seen them at Aira Force but they are in a lot of spots.
Red Deer...often seen them on the fells around Martindale and once saw a hind with calf grazing in a field just yards from the road outside Grasmere.
Bats...all over but I once saw a Daubentons feeding in the middle of the afternoon on a pond just up from Coniston...will try to dig out the map reference...and had an unforgettable evening lying on my back on the jetty at Glenridding (Ullswater) watching Pipistrelles hunting midges above me....FANTASTIC!!!!!!! LOL Guess what Gill's fave mammals are! I'm sure a walk along the banks of Derwent Water will also produce bats, Tawny Owls and much more!
Every time I pop over to the Lakes I try to visit Leighton Moss.....is a must-see for me!!! Dump the family with an explorer ticket, take the car and make a day of it!!! Often red deer feeding on edges, Bitterns and Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers...and loads of stuff in the woods...including Speckled Wood butterflies..saw my first last summer!

There's LOADS of guides about where to watch wildlife in the Tourist Information but why not get in touch with the local wildlife trust to find out what's about? Or the local bird club?

http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/cumbria/

http://www.cumbriabirdclub.freeserve.co.uk/

Hope you have a fab holiday...the Lakes are gorgeous!!!

GILL

Hi Paul

I'm there in May so I will be following this thread with some interest.

Red Squirrels anyone?

Paul,
Last year I posted 4 articles in the Cumbria section of the "County by County Index". 2 of them had disappeared as they were posted more than a year ago and the forum seems to have a default setting which only shows posts made in the last year. I've added on a reply to both to bring them back up to the top.

The Haweswater article will give you information on getting to the Golden Eagles nesting site in Riggindale, but there's no guarentee that you'll get to see them!

I'd also recommend the Osprey viewing point in Dodd Wood, overlooking Bassenthwaite. Afterwards we walked more of the paths through the woods and got a few birds, including Bullfinch.

There's the Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre close to Askham village, a few miles south of Penrith (which is where I'm from!). If you look on my website (URL below my signature) and go to the trip reports section, you'll find my 1998 report which might have something of interest for you.

Look out for a book called Birdwatching walks in Cumbria by Dean and Roberts, published by Carnegie publishing isbn 1 85936 074 2 at 7.95 or visit their website wwwcarnegiepub.co.uk

50 walks plus maps, spread all over the county

HTH

Gordon

We often stay in Keswick too for long weekends. The Ospreys are worth a visit, though the viewpoint is an awful long way from them so they are pretty tiny to see even with the scopes and forget about digiscoping from there as the heat haze over the lake is terrible. Evening visits to the lake can give much better views of them feeding.

I believe there is a bird hide at the Keswick end of Bassenthwaite Lake but we have never quite got around to visit it.

A favourite day or evening walk from Keswick town centre is down to the boat landings and along the easy walking path to Friar's Crag. It's quite scenic and the trees along the way contain many woodland birds including GSW, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Chaffinch, Grey Squirrels, Pied and Grey Wagtail, Jay, Jackdaw - not to mention the boat landings themeselves for geese and numerous ducks. Bats are at the boat landings too.

The park in the town by the river downstream from the YMCA is usually good for Pied and Grey Wagtails, Goldcrest, Jackdaw.


The barn just above Ashness Bridge is a good spot for Swallow, Wren and Spotted Flycather in early Summer.

Go for a ride on the "Ratty" at Muncaster,and you are quite likely to see Red Squirrels.Also there are Owls at the Castle(at Muncaster).It is part of the Owl protection programme.Also the Herons go to be fed every afternoon.
There is also a book,Where to watch birds in,CUMBRIA<LANCASHIRE,&CHESHIRE,by Jonathan Guest and Malcolm Hutcheson,price 12-99,Christopher Helm,pub by A&C Black.London.I sent for my copy from Birdwatching mag.It is very good and covers the whole of Cumbria,inc the coastal areas.
Don't forget waterproofs and wellies!!.It can rain an awful lot up here!!
Oh,I forgot,May and June,lots of breeding Terns here at Haverigg,in the Hodbarrow reserve and on the banks of the ski slopes(Jet Ski),and Great Crested Grebes,usually anything up to 4 and 5 pairs nesting in the reserve,and one pair nest very close to the hide.Also lots of Lapwing chicks ,and ringed plover chicks.We also have Herons galore in the bay,and if lucky, grey seal families come up onto the sandbanks to bask in the sun.

Thank's Christine, Ian and the rest of you for all this good information. My companiopn and I are getting married next weekend and we are heading for the Ravenglass camping ground with our tent, this seemed central and secluded enough for visiting most of the lakes. The Hodbarrow nature reserve is a definate must on my list because in the sixties, this area was an old Iron Oar Mine and I worked down them for a while, now it is all flooded and one wouldent emagine a mine ever existed there. Even in the old days this place was a haven for bird life. I personally consider the area surrounding Haverigg where Christine lives to be one of the best in England. Within walking distance from the village there are so many different ecosystems. Here is a list:
1/ The Lazy River, a fast flowing fresh water river with grassy banks where I saw the Bank Voles playing and Wagtails nesting and the Dipper feeding.
2/ Hodbarrow lake where Christine has already described the wildlife.
3/ The Duddon Estuary with it's marsh and sandbanks a haven for winter visitors.
4/ The Irish Sea and coastline of shingly beach and backed by sand dunes. Sea birds over the water and Short-eared Owls hunting over the dunes.
5/ The farmland with fields and hedgerows where the Ring Ousel and Hooded Crows have been seen by myself in the past.
6/ The deep woods of Pine and Oak, full of lichens and moss where the slots of the Roe Buck and tracks of the Badger are seen, a place where I first saw a Jay, they were not numerous in the sixties.
7/ The heather fells up Blackcoombe where the Peragrine and the Raven nest.
Where else could one find so many diverse ecosystems in so small an area.

After a week in Cumberland we will move to Hoddom Castle camping ground in Scotland to continue our bird watching from there. I will write a report on what we see on our return from our Honeymoon.

There are three Spoonbill on the reserve on south Walney Island at present giving good views along with numerous Eider - not to mention a few thousand gulls - take a brolley and I don't mean for the rain

Seals are a good bet too!

The wardens are very helpful with what's about and where best to see everything from.

Travelling from Grange-over-Sands to Barrow we saw several Buzzard along the roadside.

On the Solway coast at RSPB Campfield Marsh the Common Crane is giving good views from the end hide.

Speaking personally I wouldn't go to South Walney this time of year unless you REALLY like gulls. Not only do they attack you and do other unpleasant things Ian alludes to, but there are generally lots of dead and dying gulls around as well and it isn't very pleasant.

Often overlooked is North Walney, which is a National Nature Reserve. Although the birding isn't as good as the south end the flowers and butterflies are better and the views are stunning.

Stephen.

pduxon said:

Hi Paul

Red Squirrels anyone?

Click to expand...

I go across to the lakes every other weekend in the summer and stay at Hillcroft campsite near Pooley Bridge. This site has its own resident red squirrels which can be seen early in the morning in the trees near to the house/shop where the large waste bins are placed. These squirrels are shy and wild so be quiet if you want to see them!