Lake District Wildlife Discovery

Yorkshire Dales Wildlife Discovery
 
Lake District Wildlife Discovery 
From the hills of the Lake District to the beaches of Morecombe Bay, we will explore rivers, reedbeds, estuaries, ancient woodland, moorland and mountain.  Discover some of England’s rarest species on leisurely walks with lots of advice if you are new to the subject.
We will watch birds, learn about butterflies and seek out special flora.

Day 1 Arrival
A chance to meet your fellow guests.
Day 2
Visit Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserves at Walney and Foulney Islands with colonies of terns and gulls to examine bird behaviour up close. Also visit Sand Scale Hawes NNR.
Day 3
Search for the Lake District Osprey around Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater in the north Lake District. Walk along beautiful river valleys to look for special upland water birds.
Day 4
Explore around Haweswater and visit the RSPB reserve. In the remote eastern Lake District we will search for England’s only nesting Golden Eagles and take a chance to look for specialist upland birds in the local ancient woodland.
Day 5
Witherslack and Foulshaw/Meathop Moss. Looking at the restoration project of one of England's largest lowland raised mires
Depart after 4pm.

Yorkshire Dales Wildlife Discovery
Day 1 Arrival
A chance to meet your fellow guests. 
Day 2
Visit Malham Tarn National Nature Reserve (NNR) to discover the unique alkaline lake and raised bog habitat. Explore Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss and see the incredible tufa limestone formations before moving on to search for peregrine falcon on the 300 foot high cliff of Malham Cove.
Day 3
A day around Ingleborough NNR which is renowned for the wildlife and geology of its limestone pavements and other limestone features. The pavements at Scar Close are superb examples of this rare rock formation whose signature is a complex system of clints and grikes which support an array of unusual plants.
Day 4
Visit England’s 'alpine meadows'. They are rare, with only around 600 hectares remaining in the country. The meadows are characterised by abundant grasses, wood crane’s-bill, lady’s-mantle, pignut, great burnet, yellow rattle and melancholy thistle. Limestone outcrops harbour alpine cinquefoil, hoary whitlow-grass and orpine.
Day 5
Take a chance to look at moorland ecology and its birds in Wharfedale. We will visit Scoska Wood NNR which is a strip of ash woodland and pasture on the slopes of Littondale with woodland clinging to the limestone scars and rocky slopes. The valley hold limestone streams and we will search for birds associated with this habitat such as dipper and grey wagtail.
Depart after 4pm.