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Page 14


Rural Life ^ Eat


The ■-■jj ; ‘V-c


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■S im %J - yf\ lesfplaces'fdr’dihing - alfresco ^ v pim evenmgs. / : > :


L e;^erience,isweIllbiown as a plant and garden centre,


r rV E Bam at Sc J I award-wiiming snooping


' gift mop, coffee bar and or- chard garden -;but this Spring i t : ' has even more to offer its visi­


tors. Known for cream scones, un-,.


advertisement feature ,BamatScorton,the - or inside.


March, 2009 Bookings for the Bowland


' " Head chef Simon Dixon ( fo r - . ■ inerly of the Bowers Brasserie), : rises the fireshest local ingredi- : ents to tempt the tastebuds. - The Bowland Chargrillis


i open Fridays Saturday and Sim- day from 5pm to 9pm. On Sun-


■ ' days there is a Sunday lunch, :


Chargrill are not necessary (exi cept for parties of six and over)." The Bam coffee bar, gift


; shop and garden centre are ; open everyday throughout the r : year. The business has received


rave jreviews and won numer­ ous awards since it opened. • For more information about The Bam visit the business’s :


t<isiW^.plantsandgifts.co.uk or l^'^jm[g^l524^3533 or eniailtf , ; ;2 : ^ e s@ p I ^ ^M g jg sm u k / ‘


March, 2009


Grimsaigh birdwatcher and author DAVID HINDL£ outlines some spectacular seasonal birding scenes which can be spied in the Wyre coast and countryside.


Time it right to see the waders


Vant^ point Fluke Hall car paik, P i lG i^


Grid reference: SD 389500. THIS area gives excellent bird­ watching, however the tidal section - of the walk is tide-dependent, fea­ turing an unforgettable spectacle of tens of thousands of mixed waders gathering to roost as the tide dis­ places them from the inter-tidal area. When the tide is out they feed on


the invertebrates which occur in abundance, which means that the waders congregate at high tide on any exposed sand bank, salt marsh . orbeach. It is imperative to get the timing


right and visit at the recommended . times and state of the tide. Tidal timing and heights are avail­


able in most local papers, tide tables can be purchased from fishing shops. 'Hie predictions and heights most


readily available are those for Liver­ pool and they arc similar to those on the Lune estuary and are used in this walk. The tidal heights suitable to get the best birdwatching are those above 8.5m. These occur around the middle of the day.


Park in the small car park at Fluke


Hall, preferably two hours before high tide and walk on top of the sea wall to the left, towards Knott End. DONOTGOONTOTHE INTER-TIDAL AREA. The fields behind the sea wall


hold migrants in spring and autumn such as wheatear, meadow pipits, skylarks, linnets and twite.


.1 'VI r . Large flocks of lapwing and, at


times, golden plover and curlew, occur on these fields and some will have originated in Bowland. In winter huge flocks of pink-foot­


ed geese occur at times. They an­ nounce their presence usually be­ fore you spot them, especially if they have been disturbed. On the sea­ ward side of the sea wall, depending on the wetness of the sand, small flocks of redshank and dunlin may be feeding. In some winters a small flock of


snow buntings winter along the em­ bankment. Check with binoculars regularly towards Knott End to watch for the wader flocks starting to assemble, which will show as a massed flock against the quickly moving tide line. Walk down until you are opposite


the first substantial flock. The distance you have to walk will depend on eventual tide height, weather conditions and of course the time you set out and how much there is to see on the way out. Once you have


BoVvIand Grill ' Friday 5.00pm|i9;6b^


a t S co r to n


Specialists in hardy and herbacious perennials, over 1,000 varieties alb grown in our.own nursery. Two acre garden, herbacious borders,; largei; • coffee shop and homemade cakes:^“


m


-Saturday 5.00pm - 9pm c


N o w ; F ;U l ! y i L iG e r i s & I nrS. i t ’b ; -


reached the flocks, the best plan is to slow­ ly walk back, keeping up with the waders, which are being slowly forced towards you by the incoming tide. Enjoy the spectacle of the massed


throngs, especially thrilling when they take to flight, twisting and turn­ ing like animated smoke. Observe how the long-legged bar­


Pfte sole '-'.-StollT)' KDing and district, a great place for birdwatchets p i n i n g ! ^ Moss \


tailed godwit and curlew stand fur­ ther out in the water and next is a great pack of oystcrcatchers with smaller numbers of grey plover and redshank with somewhat shorted legs, but closest are the vast throngs of knot dunlin and smaller numbers of ringed plover and sanderling, all with shorter legs and often many still feeding. Numbers do of course vary de­


Holiday home on the edge of The Lakes


T 'T 71THthecredit % /W crunch biting, more.


- .V T-: people are expect- : ed to look closer to home for holidays this year.


■ Beautiful countryside is only a short drive from Lan­ caster, but for those wanting more than just a day trip, Lakeland Leisure Village, just north of Carnforth, is .


. ideally situated, with the M6 nearby. , Owned by Milnthorpe


■ millionaire John Morphet’s , Pure Leisure Group, the vil- . lage, built on a former quar-,


. ly, has 170 timber lodges ; , around a central lake - a fig- ure which will rise to 280 fol-- lowing the completion of a ‘ final phase of buildingwork.. . Tlic lodges are available in different specifications and


By ROB DEVEY


sizes on a buy to let basis, with prices starting at : £85,000. My partner Becky and I


arrived on a wet Saturday af­ ternoon and were glad of our. lodge’s home comforts. It comprised a lounge with


a comfortable sofa and free- view television leading open-: plan to a kitchenette includ­ ing a cooker, fridge and breakfast table.,. ’Tliere were two bed- : ■


■


rooms, including our double • and a bathroom. , Tliosc deterred from ; ,


heading out by inclement - weather, or who are looking for a more relaxing break . can count on a ‘home from home’ feel.


And on brighter days,


guests can relax on the bal­ cony at the front of the lodge. Becky took the opportuni­


ty to enjoy a manicure at the beauty salon within the Pure Leisure Club complex, which also boasts a 15 metre pool and a steam room. : - The lodges are available • for hire on a self-catering . basis, but you can choose as ’ we did to pop into the Mediterranean style Water’s Edge restaurant for dinner. - The restaurant fuses rustic


: charm with elegance - and • the food and service were ex- cellent too. I started with ; succulent Morecambe Bay ■ shrimps accompanied by , ,


- bread, which was followed , ? by Thai spiced fishcakes with


Atermide rice and a plum sauce. I couldn’t resist an apple


and plum crumble with cus­ tard for dessert. Becky en­


joyed a bowl of Kalamata olives with sunblushed toma­ toes and warm crusty bread, then linguine with tomatoes, tuna, onions and capers with a hint of chilli. After a comfortable night,


we worked off some of those calorics the following morn­ ing at the well-equipped gym. To say we arc not sea-


■ soned ^m-goers would be an understatement, but I pleaded ignorance with the friendly staff, and one of them, Kenny, showed us the,


’ ropes.. As my legs began to run


away with me on one exer­ cise machine I actually began to enjoy myself and finished with a swim in the pool. We relumed to Lancaster


having loosened our limbs without so much as ventur­ ing outside to explore the surrounding Arnside and Silverdale Area of Natural ■ Beauty of further afield to visit the nearby Lake Dis-. trict. •


• While we might have done so in drier conditions, the on-site facilities mean the site offers the best of both ■ worlds whatever the weath­ er.


Further details are avail­


able atwww.lakelandleisure-. vilIage.co.uk or on 01524 781453.


Rob and Becky enjoy their meal


pending on the season. August to early September can be very good for variety, especially as many adult birds are still m the bright breeding plumage. Remarkably, many of these


waders have travelled from as far away as Arctic Canada, Greenland and Siberia. In many species the first birds to arrive back are the females for they leave the male in charge of theyoung. The sanderling though is unique


for the female lays two clutches, one of which she incubates the other the male tends! Birds are not always: able to breed successfully each year in the high Arctic so the sanderling makes good use of those years when conditions are suitable. The largest numbers of waders occur from mid October on­ ward, mainly because many knot, which


inter-tidal areas of the Lune cstuaty as a stop­ ping off pointto refuel on the superabundant bi­ valves and sand hoppers. Where the waders roost at high


David Hindle


tide will depend on the eventual height of the tide, and also on the level of disturbance, both human and avian. On tides below nine metres, they


usually roost on the exposed sand to the south of Fluke Hall car park. On higher tides they flight to the large =,. salt marsh upstream of the car park, best viewed by telescope from the sea wall at Fluke Hall. With the turn of the tide the


------ - .<25 ■ Snowbunting


moult along the North Sea coast, move to the west coast after com­ pleting their moult. Many species start to move out in


late February with oystercatchers being the first to leave. April and May sees numbers of passage ringed plover, dunlin and sanderling, many in full summer plumage. The latter has been shown to


make the journey non-stop from Britain to Greenland, while some other species use Iceland as a refu­ elling halt. Indeed many of the birds atthistimeofyear have wintered further south in Southern Europe or West Africa and they are using the


waders become more settled and rest over the high tide until the sands are exposed again and they can resume feeding. However the most breath-taking spectacle occurs when a peregrine or merlin ‘beats up’ the wader flock, causing them to twist and turn in superb unison. Despite the tens of thou-


sands of potential prey, it is amaz-


■ ing how often the predators miss! But if and when they catch, they reg­ ularly fly to the salt marsh or sea wall to pluck the unfortunate victim and peace returns to the flock, although if the attacks are sustained for any period many waders, especially the smaller ones, will flight away across the estuary to find refuge. Returning to the car park it is well


worth looking over the hedge into the usually arable field. In winter this generally supports a mixed flock of greenfinch, chaffinch, linnet, twfle and tree sparrow, and both grey- and red-legged partridge arc regulars. • Tliis article is adapted from Bird-- watching Walks in Bowland buy David Hindle and John Wilson, (Pub: Palatine Books) Price £7.95.


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