Capernwray - Woodland across from Havelock House 18th May 2010

0930hrs - 1100hrs. Ran Sandra to Capernwray Hall for her weekly swim, in the most pleasant of surroundings whilst listening to beautiful piped low volumed classical music. I left the car at Capernwray and walked up the hill, to the woodland (mainly of mature pine) which lies opposite Havelock House.

The woodland floor was in part covered in a thick carpet of bluebells -see photo (yet another fabulous - Bluebell Wood - there everywhere around these parts!!! - I love them...). Also the ferns are growing very well. Wood Sorrell is really thick on the ground towards the South West corner of the woodland.

There is a overwhelming buzzing which is there from the moment you enter this woodland, in fact I had the same yesterday whilst at Warton. Its quite pleasant and I think its the sounds of swarms of hoverflies or something like them. And above this sound, I can hear in the distance, a Garden Warbler and also a Willow Warbler.

But for today I am going to call this wood, "The Forever Calling Blackbird Wood", because thats exactly how it was. In that throughout my walk on that well trodden footpath which encircled these woods, I could hear the pleasant call of the Blackbird.

I would not be suprised to learn that Redpolls could breeding here, in these pines woods, or if not here, they will be just up the road in Lords Lot. I heard them and have seen them again today, and have done on many occasions recently....

1300hrs - 1500hrs. Walked along the road by the side of Green Dragon Farm on Tarn Lane, up towards the small wood at Cinderbarrow closeby the Model Railway, then down the lane which leads over Hilderstone Moss, past Hilderstone Farm and eventually joining on at Moss Lane, and then going under the railway, and the aqueduct which carries the canal, into School Lane, and back into Burton.

Whilst going along Hilderstone, we came upon a sign at the side of the Lane indicating that closeby was a ancient Quaker Burial Site (see photo)...

During the walk I had three Garden Warblers singing, one Blackcap singing, one Whitethroat singing, plus several Willow Warblers. Two Ravens past overhead, and three Buzzards where soaring above us, occasionally being mobbed by nearby Rooks seemed to belong to a nearby rookery. I would have thought the Buzzards where of Leighton stock...

PHOTOS TO BE INCLUDED SHORTLY.