On three occasions this week I met a botanist working in the upper dale, he told me that he had been commissioned by the National Park to carry out surveys of specific sites in the meadows and pastures around Thwaite and Angram. He went on to explain that this involved marking out two metre squares and identifying in each, individual plant species and their numbers within. The results would in turn be compared with previous surveys to establish  plant sustainability.

You may have seen these meadows at their very best during two to three weeks in June when they are ablaze with colour before the grass species grow through and the flowers set their seed. These are very important areas where farming practices are strictly controlled. No chemical fertilisers are allowed and the protected meadows cannot be mown until flowering species have seeded.

I always feel a little sad as this spectacle of colours begin to fade. It is such a joyous spring event and always gives you an enormous lift and anticipation for a good summer of walking and wildlife experiences in this especially unique area.

 

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Well June is up on us again it doesn't seem anything like a year since I wrote those entries above, what is interesting however is the stark contrast in the weather its absolutely freezing and although some birds have already nested and have brought off their brood many will have perished in the wet and cold of mid May. Not so the ducks, we seem to be overrun with ducklings, the pastures and beck are full of them, there's one family of thirteen but not all will survive. Must be something to do with Jack Ned putting out a bucket of wheat in the beck every single day, winter and summer. Strange really this old dalesman was a keeper on the Gunnerside estate in his working days and although he still has his guns they haven't seen outside the cabinet in years. I notice that he also has and RSPB sticker on his car windscreen and yesterday he asked me to lift a sack of peanuts from the boot of his car. I've never seen so many feeders in a garden! Reformed ? I think so to a point, he asked if I had a metal detector last week. When he saw my puzzled look he explained that the moles in his top field had buried the traps he'd set, and the sheep had knocked over his marker sticks. Looking for a hand full of mole traps in an eight acre meadow is like looking for a needle in an haystack, he has everyone of them now though, but it took him all week to find them.

Talking of hay the first signs of the spring flowers are showing in the meadows  and its 'CURLEW TIME' their calling is a real tonic to the ears and your eyes can feast on Milkmaids, Sorrell, Buttercup, Plantains and Clover, I can see from my cottage door that the uppermost field on Kisdon fell is covered with bluebells again  and  midway between Thwaite and Keld on the Pennine Way there are drifts of wild primroses. The Chelsea sponsors stump up thousands each year to reproduce such a sight and guess what? its here for free. Isn't life great, I just love Spring.  

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Well this field of blue bells has turned up yet another gem this evening. On Sunday last I noticed a Roe deer hind bounding about the field to and fro and up to the stone walls and back again. There were walkers on the Pennine Way path nearby and although they hadn't noticed her she was certainly aware of them. I couldn't believe that she didn't seem to want to hurdle the wall I know it posses no problem for her and these Roe's are normally further round Kisdon Hill and higher up the fell side. Tonight I know why she's been reluctant to move away. For the last two or three hours as dusk approached I've been watching her and her new offspring safely tucked away in the cover of the sedges some thirty metres from her. The give away was that she needed to graze on the new meadow grasses and her fawn needed it's last feed as nightfall approached and this was how I picked up on her new offspring. She's a very attentive mother as well, for earlier a big cock pheasant came ambling down through the blue bells and grasses straight on course for a rendezvous with the little one and mum was having none of that either.

So what's its name then? well its... Caprelous Capsebus but most of us who cut our teeth on Disney would settle for plain old Bambi. What a softie!!! I shall be out early tomorrow morning to check out if our new family is still there, I suspect they won't be moving very far over the next few days.

 

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The Swaledale marathon was held yesterday on a blistering hot day but thankfully there was a cool breeze and the check points and feeding stations had litres and litres of water and juice to hydrate the 400 competitors taking part.

After weeks and weeks of training this was my first real opportunity to put to the test the skills I have been learning as a probationary Mountain Rescue Team member and also time to get to know other team members. A sort of chance to bond with colleagues because teams were strategically posted around the 27 mile course so should assistance be required, then travelling time to casualties would be minimal and assistance could be given quickly. It was the second half of the day when our team of three received a call to attend a casualty in Gunnerside Gill which turned out to nasty but not life threatening and resulted in the casualty being airlifted out by the Northern Air Ambulance.

A small team of three is just about enough to respond and initially assess the situation and provide casualty support, first aid and communications while  appropriate back up arrives. No time therefore to seek reassurance of your newly found skills with your buddy, you have to get on with it and like clock work the casualty was assessed made comfortable and after an amazing landing in the steep side gill the helicopter whisked her away to hospital for treatment.

Time after therefore to take stock and without really being aware of it whatever your skill level and knowledge, it is how the process meshes together like well oiled cogs with everyone purposely getting on with their part of the operation. This was to rescue a person who shares the love of the outdoors and the sport it provides but on this occasion required the help of like minded people, for of course pursuits of this kind are not without some risk.