Birds and wildlife in the Lake District
The most interesting birds of the high fells are perhaps the buzzard, the raven and the golden eagle, preying on small animals and feeding on sheep carcases. Eagles were lost to the Lake District in the eighteenth century, but a nesting pair returned in the 1960s and the future looks hopeful.
Buzzards, whose soaring flight is quite commonly witnessed by fell walkers nowadays, became virtually extinct in the nineteenth century but survived in the Lake District because safe nesting sites could be found high in the crags. Merlin, preying on smaller birds, and kestrels and per'egrine, nesting in the highest and most remote crags, are also present.
Amongst the smaller birds on the fell sides the meadow pipit and wheatear are commonest in summer, though skylarks, pied wagtails and ring ouzels are sighted frequently. Another common visitor to be seen flitting in and out of the bracken is the attractive yellowhammer.
A bird characteristic of the high ridges is the dotterel, which feeds on flies and mountain spiders and beetles, and breeds only rarely in the Lake District, at 700m (2,300ft) or ‘more on the bouldery, barren summit slopes of the high fells. The moorlands are home to the yellow plover and hen harrier.
Lake District things to see with the kids
If you are planning to stay in the Lake District and see the wildlife at close range, there are plenty of natural parks and open countryside where you can go. Wherever you decide to stay, the Lake District fens will be closeby, and the range of accommodation in Windermere and Bowness is wide and varied. If you are a first-time visitor to the Lake District, the best place to base yourself is probably Bowness with its great choice of attractions and hotels.
In the Lake District's coniferous woodlands only the tits and gold crests thrive, but in the oak woods, which are lighter and have more abundant vegetation at lower levels, there is much more variety. The wood warbler, with its instantly recognisable song, the brown tailed redstart, the tree pipit, the woodcock in limestone country and the pied flycatcher, quite rare in Britain but numerous in certain dales, especially in the south of the district, join the commonest woodland bird of all, the chaffinch. The lakes and rivers support a quite different bird population, notably the dipper, wren and grey wagtail in the lower valleys, and the common sandpiper and yellow wagtail near the lake shores.
The lowland lakes support species such as the mallard, tufted duck and especially the merganser and also, in winter, the whooper swan. Upland lakes and tarns support fewer birds, though there are nesting pairs of the great crested grebe on Esthwaite Water and Blelham Tarn.
Along the Cumbrian coast there are some migrant waders such as the greenshank, spotted redshank and godwits, and there are colonies of gulls, particularly at the reserve at Drigg Dunes near Ravenglass and (outside the National Park) at Walney Island, where there are eiders and lesser black backed gulls. At Drigg, the Ravenglass Gullery and Nature Reserve (access by permit only) has a substantial colony of great blockheaded gulls.
Butterflies and Moths
Though the fells of the Lake District are not particularly rich in butterflies or day flying moths, the peripheral limestone hills and the Cumbrian coast support a much wider variety, and there are occasional gems in the Lake District proper. The best is perhaps the mountain ringlet, dark brown with orange markings, which feeds on matgrass and occurs only in the Lake District and a small area in the Scottish Highlands.
It is only likely to be seen during sunny spells in June and July, and even then only above 55Om (l,800ft); amongst the most likely places for sightings are Red Screes and the Langdale fells. The only other butterfly breeding in the high fell country is the small heath, which is common throughout Britain. At lower levels the meadow brown, green veined white and common blue are relatively numerous and easily spotted. The commonest moth in mountain country is the yellow and black wood tiger, though the grey mountain carpet and the red carpet may also be seen.
At lower altitudes the commonest wood¬land moths are nocturnal and there are few moths likely to be spotted. The limestone hills in the southern Lake District, and especially those around Under barrow (where there are patches of limestone pavement on the top of Under barrow Scar) and Witherslack, are home to a much wider range of species.
Four fritillaries (the high brown, pearl bordered, small pearl bordered and the scarce dark green) can be seen, together with the northern brown Argus and the northern brown, the last named at its southern limit in Britain.
The darting grayling, dark brown and rather large, can be seen here and also in the coastal sand dunes of Furness.The most interesting of the many moths is the fast flying least minor, which occurs only here and in a small part of western Ireland. More widely distributed is the six spot burnet, a red and black moth likely to be sighted both in the limestone hills and in the coastal strip. The emperor moth and northern eggar are both to be seen in the heather moorland.
Lake District wildlife
Though the commonest mammal in the Lake District is the field vole, which thrives in all habitats from the deepest valley to the bleakest mountain top, the mammals most likely to be seen by the casual visitor are the rabbits and, perhaps surprisingly, deer. The red deer, the largest of the mammals, is concentrated in Grizedale Forest, where the Forestry Commission controls its destiny, and Martindale. In the latter location the preservation of the species has been achieved first by the area's medieval designation as a deer park and more recently by virtually excluding visitors from the remote eastern fells where it thrives.
It can, however, sometimes be spotted roaming more widely in the fells east of Ullswater. Roe deer are more widespread and can be encountered in any of the woodlands or in the adjacent bracken or heather.
The Lake District is one of the last refuges of the red squirrel its grey cousin, thankfully, has only rarely been noted making incursions and followers of woodland walks, notably in the coniferous plantations of Furness, will often be rewarded with a sighting. Other mammals which are often seen include the badger, very common and best seen in the woods at twilight, foxes, shrews and water voles.
Foxes can often be seen (or heard) on the fell sides, though they are more at home in the rocky crevices in crags or scree. A number of mammals have, sadly, become much less common, including the dormouse, otter, pine marten (which may exist amongst the conifers, as in Grizedale Forest, or even above the tree line) and mountain hare. Finally, mention should be made of the bat, six species of which survive in the Lake District the pipistrelle, longeared, natterer's, noctule, whiskered and doubleton's.
Reptiles in the Lake District
Though few of them will be apparent to the casual observer and one or two would be repellent if they were! ten of the twele reptiles and amphibians native to Britain are present in the Lake District.
Two snakes (the grass snake and the adder or northern viper), a lizard and a slow worm comprise the reptiles, while amphibians are represented by three newts, two toads and a frog.
The grass snake, which can be either brown or green but has a black bordered yellow or white collar, has the distinction of being the larger of the two Lakeland snakes. It is aquatic, often gathering its food supply underwater, and can also climb vegetation.
The adder, recognisable from the zigzag markings along its back, is rare and despite its reputation is unlikely to attack unless provoked. The other Lake District reptiles are the common lizard and the slow worm, a smooth and legless lizard rather similar to a snake, which often falls prey to hedgehogs and adders.
The three newts, in descending order of size, are the warty or great crested newt, the common newt and the palmate newt, which is the most numerous in the district. The common toad is also present in the Lake District in very considerable numbers, whilst the natter jack or running toad a poor swimmer which, whilst it is comparatively rare, can often be found in burrows in the sand dunes along the west Cumberland coast and the common frog, which can be found throughout the district from the dale bottoms almost to the mountain tops, complete the roll call of amphibians.
Fish and relic fish in the Lake District
The commonest fish in the Lake District is probably the trout, which is in nearly all the lakes and in the becks and rivers. The only other fish which inhabits both the rich, silty, reed-fringed lakes of the agri-cultural lowlands and also the rocky and less food rich upland lakes and tarns is the char, though the perch is also widespread. There are also two fish found only in the Lake District the schelly and the Cumberland vendace.
The trout include brown trout, characteristic of the lakes and becks, and sea trout and indeed salmon, which migrate up the rivers to spawn. The biggest, usually found in the major lakes, grow to about 60cm (2ft) in length and include perch, sticklebacks and minnows in their diet; the smallest are less than half that size and are more likely to feed on insects, crustacea and plankton.
The char is quite similar in appearance and behaviour, though it is commonest in deep, rocky lakes such as Wastwater, Ennerdale Water and Buttermere, and in mountain tarns such as Goat's Water high in the Coniston Fells, where it was introduced by man. Potted char is a celebrated Cumbrian delicacy. Of the fish which are more likely to be encountered in the reedy silty lakes the perch and pike are the most important.
The perch, with its pink fins and dark stripes, generally feeds on small animals and plankton and is numerous in lakes such as Esthwaite Water, while the pike is a more voracious carnivore, eating trout, char and perch.
Not surprisingly the largest pike are big, occasionally weighing 30lb or more. Amongst the smaller fish are minnows, which usually congregate at lake edges, both in lowland lakes and in corrie tarns such as Grisedale Tarn, stone loach and bullheads, which are common in the becks, sticklebacks and eels, which are very widespread.
The schelly is found only in two lakes, Ullswater and Haweswater, and one tarn, Red Tarn high on the eastern flanks of Helvellyn. It grows to about 35cm (14in) in length, feeds on plankton and is silvery in colour. Though it is quite common in Ullswater it is not often seen and is rarely netted by fishermen.
The Cumberland vendace
The Cumberland vendace, which is from the same family as the schelly, lives only in Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. It is a pale silver colour underneath, but blue grey above, and grows only to about 20cm (8in). Again, although it is numerous, it is comparatively rarely seen. Even less likely to be seen is a small freshwater shrimp, mysis relicta, a glacial relict found only in Ennerdale Water.
The range and variety of natural habitats in the Lake District is impressively large, and as a consequence the flora and fauna they support is also considerable. Inevitably it is under threat, and not just from the weight of visitor numbers and the illegal activities of a few who specialise in activities such as robbing nesting sites. The conservation of the plant and animal life of the district is therefore a matter of very proper concern.
A great deal has been achieved, partly through statutory means with the designation of the most important and most vulnerable sites, and partly through the education of visitors and cooperation from interest groups such as rock climbers increasingly aware of the need to avoid disturbing nesting birds on the crags and boating enthusiasts, whose activities on the lakes sometimes have to be curbed in order to allow wildlife to survive. The zoning of Bassenthwaite Lake is a good example of the scope for coexistence.
The Lake District combines old with new, quite beautifully, and whether you want to learn about relic fish, take a boat trip across Windermere or visit the Beatrix Potter Attraction, everything is within easy reach of your hotel or guesthouse. With so many things to see and do in the Lake District, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to attractions and accommodation.
Buzzards, whose soaring flight is quite commonly witnessed by fell walkers nowadays, became virtually extinct in the nineteenth century but survived in the Lake District because safe nesting sites could be found high in the crags. Merlin, preying on smaller birds, and kestrels and per'egrine, nesting in the highest and most remote crags, are also present.
Amongst the smaller birds on the fell sides the meadow pipit and wheatear are commonest in summer, though skylarks, pied wagtails and ring ouzels are sighted frequently. Another common visitor to be seen flitting in and out of the bracken is the attractive yellowhammer.
A bird characteristic of the high ridges is the dotterel, which feeds on flies and mountain spiders and beetles, and breeds only rarely in the Lake District, at 700m (2,300ft) or ‘more on the bouldery, barren summit slopes of the high fells. The moorlands are home to the yellow plover and hen harrier.
Lake District things to see with the kids
If you are planning to stay in the Lake District and see the wildlife at close range, there are plenty of natural parks and open countryside where you can go. Wherever you decide to stay, the Lake District fens will be closeby, and the range of accommodation in Windermere and Bowness is wide and varied. If you are a first-time visitor to the Lake District, the best place to base yourself is probably Bowness with its great choice of attractions and hotels.
In the Lake District's coniferous woodlands only the tits and gold crests thrive, but in the oak woods, which are lighter and have more abundant vegetation at lower levels, there is much more variety. The wood warbler, with its instantly recognisable song, the brown tailed redstart, the tree pipit, the woodcock in limestone country and the pied flycatcher, quite rare in Britain but numerous in certain dales, especially in the south of the district, join the commonest woodland bird of all, the chaffinch. The lakes and rivers support a quite different bird population, notably the dipper, wren and grey wagtail in the lower valleys, and the common sandpiper and yellow wagtail near the lake shores.
The lowland lakes support species such as the mallard, tufted duck and especially the merganser and also, in winter, the whooper swan. Upland lakes and tarns support fewer birds, though there are nesting pairs of the great crested grebe on Esthwaite Water and Blelham Tarn.
Along the Cumbrian coast there are some migrant waders such as the greenshank, spotted redshank and godwits, and there are colonies of gulls, particularly at the reserve at Drigg Dunes near Ravenglass and (outside the National Park) at Walney Island, where there are eiders and lesser black backed gulls. At Drigg, the Ravenglass Gullery and Nature Reserve (access by permit only) has a substantial colony of great blockheaded gulls.
Butterflies and Moths
Though the fells of the Lake District are not particularly rich in butterflies or day flying moths, the peripheral limestone hills and the Cumbrian coast support a much wider variety, and there are occasional gems in the Lake District proper. The best is perhaps the mountain ringlet, dark brown with orange markings, which feeds on matgrass and occurs only in the Lake District and a small area in the Scottish Highlands.
It is only likely to be seen during sunny spells in June and July, and even then only above 55Om (l,800ft); amongst the most likely places for sightings are Red Screes and the Langdale fells. The only other butterfly breeding in the high fell country is the small heath, which is common throughout Britain. At lower levels the meadow brown, green veined white and common blue are relatively numerous and easily spotted. The commonest moth in mountain country is the yellow and black wood tiger, though the grey mountain carpet and the red carpet may also be seen.
At lower altitudes the commonest wood¬land moths are nocturnal and there are few moths likely to be spotted. The limestone hills in the southern Lake District, and especially those around Under barrow (where there are patches of limestone pavement on the top of Under barrow Scar) and Witherslack, are home to a much wider range of species.
Four fritillaries (the high brown, pearl bordered, small pearl bordered and the scarce dark green) can be seen, together with the northern brown Argus and the northern brown, the last named at its southern limit in Britain.
The darting grayling, dark brown and rather large, can be seen here and also in the coastal sand dunes of Furness.The most interesting of the many moths is the fast flying least minor, which occurs only here and in a small part of western Ireland. More widely distributed is the six spot burnet, a red and black moth likely to be sighted both in the limestone hills and in the coastal strip. The emperor moth and northern eggar are both to be seen in the heather moorland.
Lake District wildlife
Though the commonest mammal in the Lake District is the field vole, which thrives in all habitats from the deepest valley to the bleakest mountain top, the mammals most likely to be seen by the casual visitor are the rabbits and, perhaps surprisingly, deer. The red deer, the largest of the mammals, is concentrated in Grizedale Forest, where the Forestry Commission controls its destiny, and Martindale. In the latter location the preservation of the species has been achieved first by the area's medieval designation as a deer park and more recently by virtually excluding visitors from the remote eastern fells where it thrives.
It can, however, sometimes be spotted roaming more widely in the fells east of Ullswater. Roe deer are more widespread and can be encountered in any of the woodlands or in the adjacent bracken or heather.
The Lake District is one of the last refuges of the red squirrel its grey cousin, thankfully, has only rarely been noted making incursions and followers of woodland walks, notably in the coniferous plantations of Furness, will often be rewarded with a sighting. Other mammals which are often seen include the badger, very common and best seen in the woods at twilight, foxes, shrews and water voles.
Foxes can often be seen (or heard) on the fell sides, though they are more at home in the rocky crevices in crags or scree. A number of mammals have, sadly, become much less common, including the dormouse, otter, pine marten (which may exist amongst the conifers, as in Grizedale Forest, or even above the tree line) and mountain hare. Finally, mention should be made of the bat, six species of which survive in the Lake District the pipistrelle, longeared, natterer's, noctule, whiskered and doubleton's.
Reptiles in the Lake District
Though few of them will be apparent to the casual observer and one or two would be repellent if they were! ten of the twele reptiles and amphibians native to Britain are present in the Lake District.
Two snakes (the grass snake and the adder or northern viper), a lizard and a slow worm comprise the reptiles, while amphibians are represented by three newts, two toads and a frog.
The grass snake, which can be either brown or green but has a black bordered yellow or white collar, has the distinction of being the larger of the two Lakeland snakes. It is aquatic, often gathering its food supply underwater, and can also climb vegetation.
The adder, recognisable from the zigzag markings along its back, is rare and despite its reputation is unlikely to attack unless provoked. The other Lake District reptiles are the common lizard and the slow worm, a smooth and legless lizard rather similar to a snake, which often falls prey to hedgehogs and adders.
The three newts, in descending order of size, are the warty or great crested newt, the common newt and the palmate newt, which is the most numerous in the district. The common toad is also present in the Lake District in very considerable numbers, whilst the natter jack or running toad a poor swimmer which, whilst it is comparatively rare, can often be found in burrows in the sand dunes along the west Cumberland coast and the common frog, which can be found throughout the district from the dale bottoms almost to the mountain tops, complete the roll call of amphibians.
Fish and relic fish in the Lake District
The commonest fish in the Lake District is probably the trout, which is in nearly all the lakes and in the becks and rivers. The only other fish which inhabits both the rich, silty, reed-fringed lakes of the agri-cultural lowlands and also the rocky and less food rich upland lakes and tarns is the char, though the perch is also widespread. There are also two fish found only in the Lake District the schelly and the Cumberland vendace.
The trout include brown trout, characteristic of the lakes and becks, and sea trout and indeed salmon, which migrate up the rivers to spawn. The biggest, usually found in the major lakes, grow to about 60cm (2ft) in length and include perch, sticklebacks and minnows in their diet; the smallest are less than half that size and are more likely to feed on insects, crustacea and plankton.
The char is quite similar in appearance and behaviour, though it is commonest in deep, rocky lakes such as Wastwater, Ennerdale Water and Buttermere, and in mountain tarns such as Goat's Water high in the Coniston Fells, where it was introduced by man. Potted char is a celebrated Cumbrian delicacy. Of the fish which are more likely to be encountered in the reedy silty lakes the perch and pike are the most important.
The perch, with its pink fins and dark stripes, generally feeds on small animals and plankton and is numerous in lakes such as Esthwaite Water, while the pike is a more voracious carnivore, eating trout, char and perch.
Not surprisingly the largest pike are big, occasionally weighing 30lb or more. Amongst the smaller fish are minnows, which usually congregate at lake edges, both in lowland lakes and in corrie tarns such as Grisedale Tarn, stone loach and bullheads, which are common in the becks, sticklebacks and eels, which are very widespread.
The schelly is found only in two lakes, Ullswater and Haweswater, and one tarn, Red Tarn high on the eastern flanks of Helvellyn. It grows to about 35cm (14in) in length, feeds on plankton and is silvery in colour. Though it is quite common in Ullswater it is not often seen and is rarely netted by fishermen.
The Cumberland vendace
The Cumberland vendace, which is from the same family as the schelly, lives only in Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. It is a pale silver colour underneath, but blue grey above, and grows only to about 20cm (8in). Again, although it is numerous, it is comparatively rarely seen. Even less likely to be seen is a small freshwater shrimp, mysis relicta, a glacial relict found only in Ennerdale Water.
The range and variety of natural habitats in the Lake District is impressively large, and as a consequence the flora and fauna they support is also considerable. Inevitably it is under threat, and not just from the weight of visitor numbers and the illegal activities of a few who specialise in activities such as robbing nesting sites. The conservation of the plant and animal life of the district is therefore a matter of very proper concern.
A great deal has been achieved, partly through statutory means with the designation of the most important and most vulnerable sites, and partly through the education of visitors and cooperation from interest groups such as rock climbers increasingly aware of the need to avoid disturbing nesting birds on the crags and boating enthusiasts, whose activities on the lakes sometimes have to be curbed in order to allow wildlife to survive. The zoning of Bassenthwaite Lake is a good example of the scope for coexistence.
The Lake District combines old with new, quite beautifully, and whether you want to learn about relic fish, take a boat trip across Windermere or visit the Beatrix Potter Attraction, everything is within easy reach of your hotel or guesthouse. With so many things to see and do in the Lake District, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to attractions and accommodation.
posted by Windermere Boutique Hotels | 07:10
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