If you go down to the woods today...

Thanks to ranger Martin for this gorgeous picture of his dog Zak among the bluebells at Deerpark. He tells us that May is a great time to admire this fabulous sight and that there's a carpet of blue all the way down to Looe six miles away. Could there be a more beautiful walk?

Geese a-laying

Canada Geese are a common enough sight (and their honking a familiar noise!) throughout the British countryside, although, as their name suggests, they are native to North America. Around this time of year, Canada Geese in their second year of life will have found themselves a mate. In common with swans and many species of penguins, these animals are monogamous and will stay together throughout their lives.

The female lays somewhere between three and eight eggs, which she will incubate for three to four weeks. During this nesting time she loses her flight feathers, which re-grow in time to accompany her goslings on their maiden flight. The male remains close by.

Adult geese are very protective of their young, and can often be seen bookending their goslings in a line. Woe betide any nosy dog, human or other creature that stumbles too close; geese will stand erect, spread their wings and hiss wildly at anything they find threatening. Best to take several steps back as a goose has a nasty peck!

These pictures were taken by Martin, ranger at Deerpark, who is happy to explain more about Canada Geese and their behaviour.

A Spring In My Step

Chris, ranger at the Keldy and Cropton sites in North Yorkshire, has always loved spring with its overwhelming sense of new beginnings. Here he talks about the changes taking place in the Yorkshire forests:

Spring must be my favourite time of year; seeing new life emerging is truly heartening. This time of re-birth was vigorously celebrated by ancient religions, particularly at the Spring Equinox when the day and night is of equal length. The longer days and warmer temperatures also signal to the wildlife that it is time to creep out of their holes and hollows and start their annual cycle of life yet again.

The earliest indicator of spring is of course the snowdrop, but these hardy little flowers can survive through frost and snow so do not always indicate the weather is getting any warmer. It is only when we see the first bud burst on the trees that we know spring is truly here.

The larch is one of my favourite trees, not only for its summer fullness of soft green needles, but also for the open airiness of a larch forest in winter. This allows light through so spring flowers will often flourish here. I could go on with a list of trees that are presently busy budding (such as the sharp black buds of ash and the large sticky buds on the mighty oak) but enough of the flora, here’s what the fauna has to offer us...

Few things are more exciting than discovering frog-spawn! Who would believe these gelatinous gatherings are the springboard of so much life? And it’s not just the frog-sprawn that’s started to emerge. I’ve also spotted the first peacock butterflies, those mad March hares playing wildly and a number birds starting to nest.

Yes, this is undoubtedly my favourite time of year, and it’s one which never gets boring. So keep your eyes peeled for the little things and let them put a spring in your step.

Strathyre’s New Outdoor Group Shelter

Here’s another blog from Nikki and Will up in Strathyre. Here they say goodbye to an old friend (Strathyre’s loss is Cropton’s gain) and explain how their new ranger station was constructed and how it will be used in their popular ‘Dusk Watch’ and ‘Young Explorers’ sessions.

As one of her last tasks at Strathyre before moving on to adventures new at the Forest Holidays site at Cropton, Debbie kindly opened our brand new group shelter. We celebrated with a BBQ in the fire pit! We would just like to thank Debbie for all her support with our new activities and wish her the very best for when she starts at Cropton on 18th April. Be sure to visit her there!

Will constructed the shelter with a hazel and alder wood frame and a spruce thatch. The design follows the ‘lean-to’ style den demonstrated on his Forest Survival sessions. Similar to an ancient round house, people would gather and warm themselves around a fire and enjoy communal food and festivities. This shelter has a larger hole in the top, but it’s still cosy!

We will be using this as our new ranger station amongst the trees in a hidden section of the site. It will also feature in our new version of Dusk Watch where we talk ‘bats, owls and spooky tales’! We will finish around the fire with marshmallows for the spooky tales and the odd forest spell!

Later this year we will also be using the shelter for our new Young Explorers session - ‘Arts and Rafts’ - where we will be building amongst other things mini bug hotels, wands, pendants, faerie houses and rafts which can be put to test on the nearby loch. Can anyone better Will’s raft, Wilson, we wonder?

It’s all happening here thanks to this gorgeous weather. We’ve had roe and red deer sightings, rabbits are everywhere, toads, catkins, coltsfoot, lesser celandine and much more has been spotted. All are celebrating new life as the days become longer than night after the recent Spring Equinox. We’re looking forward to having so much to talk about, eat and use on our walks. We’re also keeping an eye out for that first house martin or swallow to arrive back to the cabin eaves! It shouldn’t be long now…