Category Archives: #Yorkshire

The Duties of a Gamekeeper; Spring on the Moors

For the Upland Gamekeeper spring is a season of intense activity, a critical time of fast change at the fulcrum between the wild & windy months of winter and the more benign months of summer, when the moors become vibrant with life.

The Moorland Breeze, by Edwin Waugh

OF all the blithesome melody
    that wakes the warm heart’s thrill,
give me the wind that whistles free
    across the moorland hill;
When every blade upon the lea
    is dancing with delight,
and every bush and flower and tree
    is singing in its flight.

The Bowland Nature Recovery Plan: A Vision for a Wilder Landscape, with a Blind Spot for Those Who Keep it Alive

In December 2023, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape (formerly the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) published its Nature Recovery Plan, a 71-page roadmap with the stated aims of reversing biodiversity declines and building climate resilience across 310 square miles of Lancashire and Yorkshire uplands.

Sphagnum Moss, The Bog-builder

Sphagnum moss belongs to the genus Sphagnum, comprising over 30 species in the British Isles, many of which can be very challenging to distinguish.

The Duties of a Gamekeeper: January, the Hard Month

The month of January, in the heart of winter when claws of ice, wind and rain grip the British countryside, can prove hard for those that work outdoors, it is also a pivotal time when decisions must be made and tallies taken, especially for our 3000+ gamekeepers.

Lurking in the Canal; Perch, the Highly Adaptable Piscine Predator

The European perch, Perca fluviatilis, is a highly adaptable predatory freshwater fish native to the British isles. It is found in a wide variety of habitats from ponds and lakes to brooks and rivers but has found a particularly thriving niche in our man-made canals.

The Controversial Practice of Controlled Burning (v2)

Version 2 of an article originally published in 2023, looking at the land management practice known as controlled burning, heather burning or muirburn, updated and amended with latest research, data, policy and regulations

The History of Dunnow Hall

Part of a Collection of Articles looking at the Communities of the Hodder Valley The story of Dunnow Hall begins in the late 11th century, when the Manor of Slaidburn became part of the Lordship of Bowland, a vast Royal Forest and Liberty spanning nearly 300 square miles across the historic borders of Lancashire andContinue reading “The History of Dunnow Hall”