Wednesday,Apnl23,2014


• -: |)3^delighted by tHe blue skie^klPdfeii^*’ ^ . 'liVh^pydpleAwho.are featured;inthis%*jKL ;■■.- ^Jatest^eaitidnpfRural Life hayejobsaJ^I


■


- Jone way.br a n o t h e r . ' ' v* '-•^wTake farmerStewahipmbert-pur ? | regular, columnist-who has been^y ^ : r Tbusy lambing this rponthi.We know*


, T 7-


■■■HEREpre p. few sights'; 1 sthat can't be beaten: -


ftMorecajnbe Bay'shnsets’^ ‘;% Trp ug h of BowlandoH’9


..


: |he won!t bealaleto; resist mentioning .--Hpj/? >gall those cut'dwoollyarriyalsinjTis?colun^n:; i


■v/^c^^ed^but'Ws.thoughtwe^d'lilretol!^ ^see^em forpurselves too"^


; - J&itSo our reporter-Joyce Bishoppulled on ss • ‘5 her boots and headed .for the hillstbeyoncls;*;


;^.'^j^ld3ys|johsdale.to get a'flaw^lpflife'on^ sthe farm.iRead.about herexpenence'bnes/%


' S5;:We also.caught up^vyith' Rachel Miller/J&v. v|who works with\much more elusive t animal-the red ^uirol;.R!achel&ol&?0^ Ssometime out to.tell us about herworkg:^


v £andabput the challenges of conserving ty-fisi >;.thisi pretty native mammal.-Tum to page's^ '16 to read our feature."


’'‘.’•'-S'


- And, moving'on to ah even smaller creature’/we have some good news to *V"'-':


v,impart regarding our butterfly-population; ;• > many species are' pn the increase - ; Ity- r . according to a report fronrfthe annual UK ; Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Butterfly y- ’ ’: ,■expert Martin Wairi'talks about his passion ■ . for these beautiful insects on page 7.-:n We would to hearfrom you; whether you '


• i.wantto comment on any of our features, - wor suggest one of your own; Do get in ’ ~ ; touch.' In the meantime; sit back and enjoy;' . w .


- NICOLA ADAM, Editor Contents


Vet coliini-H .........-...•................. Farming column .................


.5 .6


U tte rlyb utt erfly. ■................................. J. 7 Avocet arrivals..... ..:............................... .-...11 Protecting the red squirrel........................ 16 Gardening.................... Country Trails ..................... Property...;............ .......... What’s On...:........................


18 19 21 22


Cover -’V picture:'.


• Stewart Lambert:?*■ by Daniel Martino-;


• W X - i


*yij v ^ f r j j


\ y O - . J \ v NEW LIFE: Rural Life's Joyce Bishop with one of the new lambs at Kitridding Farm COMPETITION


Editor, Nicola Adam: nicola.adam@jpress.co.uk


Reporter, Joyce Bishop:


: Tel: 077922 19671 (office hours only).- Email: joyce.bishop@lep.co.uk


Advertising, Garry Darton: Tel:07803 506008...-


1 Tel: 07803 506161' - Email: sarah.turner@jpress.co.uk v - T


Customer Sales team:' Tel: 01772 838089 -* -- *" **:


- .


■ Email: garry.darton@jpress:co;uk'*I‘V Sarah Turner:


-i ; . ~n


Win a summer hanging basket OAKTREES Nurseries in Bolton by ,


-


Bowland has kindly donated a prize for this month s Rural Lifb competition — a - -* beautiful summer hanging basket. • - basket, similar.to-the one pictured/ made from a contemporary rattan, will ';


. be filled with a selection of summer- flowering plants such as fuchsia, trailing ' petunia and verbena. Oaktrees owner


; Phil Gook said: "It will provide a colourful ' a


and long-lasting display in the comind weeks."


- All you need to do to be in with a


. chance of winning is answer the following' ' questions: r r •


_ a - 1 Twitter: @RuralLifeNW - -


- « ^ ' '


t t i -»Par» *?.f1' .Give theViames of twdof the plants * E k2 9ht'featUr4 i-ntheP ^ e hanging A - . f ?M?s58


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" T t y , ' r ^ s * ■


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«' an a.utumn.eyehing; acrobatic ^ g f


i swallowsabbve a wildflower r3i?lf mpadowt^ and spring lambs'


J'u'st the righttime o f f Ss;year ^).get your fill of them; '1


I ^feWhile'.some farms started the^'-? "gfpMsjnessjof lambing weeks agop-


' - - _ * ' 1 . .*!■ U‘ ,ty*T v -


| i


V . t


.lthe sheep’at Kitfidding Farm, hear® ^Kirkby Lonsdale, didn't produce v *


J«the woolly goods until earlierthlsT ^month. ^ ^ y for the Lambert family, who live;


‘‘ Ithere, that meant a particularly'^ jhectic couple ofweeks, checking?


sp'on expectant ewes in the fields/T” =5? assisting fmums' with more thahf e


. 7 two offspring, and hand-rearing /gthe inevitable selection of weak ^


./:■ and orphaned offspring.- • •; “ y


; .'«.v-With around .400 sheep due to*3 ^'deliver during that small window*:;?


^'oftime/f ife bathe farm took on H |j,i- new intensity.. . .


But farmer and Rural Life


-^columnist Stewart Lambert was y 'f ''.more than happy to share the -'f^l - lamBing experience with us, warts;': 7 ...... -


..and all!, , $ T ’~’. He was just a'few days into T „ j


:k lambing when we visited -T Kitridding Farmland there were ^already a few^ozen lambs Gambling around the fields looking’s '& like^they. had_been there all theirdf '-.lives.;''- . ‘ - -


7 -


S-.'severaljrriore youngsters joined i/a .«:jtheir.ranks, and the ups and ■


During the course of the day/Vs ■ V'


^down of lambing became all too '/;.apparent; the fragile, the stillborn,{ T the rejected -r and; of course, the® ■ successes. -


- 1


‘. One hot topic of conversation ?Jft -w^was the set of quads, born to oneyi a of the sheep at a relative's farm. iA Just a week after our visit the - S:


: £ Lambert family had their own seG| of quads, all of them healthy; a .f,-; . 3,


■ real success story.


Tum to pages .12&13 for ourS.-^ .lambing feature. ..- -


-T


With ever increasing energy bills and extreme weather conditions leaving property vulnerable to damp problems i t . is vital to explore any necessary measures that will improve energy efficiency thus - ■ reducing energy bills. Energy Esprit aim to reduce heat loss up to 29% by providing an innovative 3 coat masonry silicone based spray that will stop rain penetration prolonging the life expectancy of brick and mortar as well as eradicating damp issues.


: 3.What is the name of the owner of. v.^


Oaktrees Nurseries?/ vYou can either answer through the.»5^s


Rural Life Facebook page at www. /-.'.'.jg facebooJ<.com7rurajlifenw, or send your,^; answers, on a postcard or the back of . n a sealed envelope, to Garry Darton, . n Hanging.Basket Competition, d o , Lancashire Evening Post/Oliver's Plaw^ Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9ZA.


i


;r The“closing date for entries is Thursday^, May 8,2014. Normal LEP competition roles apply. Entrants must be aged 18 prjjj over and the judges' decision will be firetyl


. _ ‘S-t0 Gongratulatiohsto our winnerof last-.^ I


month's competition for a David Austin .-Af I rose, also from Oaktrees Nurseries: Mrs J|L| Clareyfrom Barrow. ’


- jy-‘j - , - 1 energy esprit CANOEexped 2 r- m ■ - - .......Vj^ - ,s>.


: canoaand Kayak shop -7 Unit^4, Creamery Industrial Estate, KenlisRd.BaPnacre- ..............- . TJrSqpashire PR3JGD • PhoneK)1995601011 - ^wyvw.tam^ckoUd9ors.c».uk7


A T ’


REDUCING ENERGY BILLS


\ .\’t • r p 7 1* ■ \ 7 4 0 j j


, many fewer sightings of our native red squirrel,


C


v For the first time in its 36- year history, the Big Garden


- Birdwatch asked participants to tell the RSPB about some


■ of the other wildlife visiting their gardens.


: And while more than half


(51 per cent) of those taking part in Lancashire see frogs in their gardens on a regular basis, only a fraction ever


spot the endangered red squirrel.


, According to the national -


results, grey squirrels came out on top overall, with 72


, per cent of people seeing them in their gardens at least once a month. In Lancashire, more than 60 per cent of participants see a grey


squirrel in their gardens regularly. At the other end of the


scale, the grey's native relative, the red squirrel, was one of the least-seen garden visitors, with 96 per cent of participants in Lancashire reporting they never see one in their gardens.


- Less than a third of survey participants in the county see hedgehogs in their gardens regularly, reflecting - the serious decline of this creature nationally.


gardens . '• s-1, y & fc -Z - * '•/-. When it comes to toads,'


nationally only 28 per cent of people see them monthly, but, in Lancashire; a quarter of people report never • : seeing one in their own gardens. Almost half a million


people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, and most of them supplied extra - information on the other


garden wildlife they see. The RSPB hopes to use it to build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for all types of wildlife, and - tailor its advice so people can help their wild visitors find a home. Many garden favourites were among the creatures


-shown to be in serious ” ..trouble, including starlings


and hedgehogs, as well as some butterflies and ladybirds. All are in danger of further decline unless more • is done to provide better habitats. . Last year, 25 wildlife


organisations, including the RSPB, released the State of Nature report, revealing 60 per cent of ; . -the wildlife species studied


have declined over recent decades. Daniel Hayhow, RSPB conservation scientist, said: "The State of Nature . report showed that we need more information across many species groups, so widening the Big Garden Birdwatch's scope to include other animals made perfect sense.. "In a few years' time we'll


. f . 7 f«r


be able to compare how the distribution of garden wildlife may have changed. "Hopefully, the fact that


more people are helping to give'nature a home in their gardens and outside' spaces will mean we see improvements rather than declines.". ® Fighting to save the red squirrel: Page 16


, ,r


*be a regular sight in ’ ^many gardens, but a recent survey reveals


. OMMON frogs might l


:


Squirrels a regular visitor to


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