Monthly Archives: May 2018

Photo No 3

By Katy Barke

Imagine standing in one of the wildest landscapes in England, looking up the valley and seeing Scots pine and native woodland stretching into the distance along a meandering burn. Black grouse forage below and golden eagles soar above…

This is the future we see for the land along the Scaup Burn at Kielderhead, stretching up to the Whitelee Nature Reserve and on towards the border.

I’m really excited to tell you all about a new project that we’re running in partnership with the Forestry Commission and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund – the Kielderhead Wildwood. This is the first step of an ambitious vision to restore an area of native upland woodland about 5 miles northeast of Kielder village, along the Scaup Burn. As one of the most remote places in Britain, it is the ideal location for such a project.

Much of our upland woodland has been lost due to land-use change over millennia. Pollen analysis show that thousands of years ago a diverse woodland was supported in the area. The vision of Kielderhead Wildwood is to bring all this back, restoring natural processes and rebuilding a diverse and healthy ecosystem that will help with carbon storage and water quality. Over the next 5 years, my colleagues and our amazing volunteers will be planting tree species that we know used to be here. These include alder, birch, elm and willow, as well as Scots pine, of which a few ancient remnant trees are believed to have survived. By using local seed stock and giving nature a helping hand we will increase biodiversity and build a really resilient ecosystem. As the woodland matures, it will provide a home for declining, red-list upland bird species such as dunnock, mistle thrush, song thrush, tree pipit, woodcock and black grouse.Photo No 1

For me, this is an exciting opportunity to restore a habitat that was lost long ago because of human induced changes in the landscape. Visiting the site provides a wonderful sense of wildness and remoteness with the only sounds those of birdsong carried on the breeze and the trickling burn nearby. You can visit the site by walking out from Kielder Castle, but it’s quite a challenging hike. If you’d like to visit, keep your eyes on our website to see of any future guided visits, or better still take part in the project by volunteering and help to plant some of those trees yourself!

201609 Alder Sept 2016This is just the start of our long term vision at Kielderhead Wildwood and I can’t wait to visit again in 20 years time to see the huge impact this project will have had on both the landscape and wildlife that can be found there. Kielder is an exciting place to work because of the sheer scale of the place. Home to the biggest man-made lake in northern Europe, the largest working forest in England and Europe’s largest expanse of protected night sky, Kielder truly is a spectacular place.

 Katy Barke is Kielder Living Landscape Manager, Northumberland Wildlife Trust

Osprey watch blogI am Ellie Kent and it’s my first season here as the Osprey Watch Assistant at Kielder. I’ll be the first to admit I have a great job and everything has kicked off to a cracking start! Even the weather and the midges have been on their best behaviour (don’t worry- I have been warned this won’t last).

Not only do I get to spend all day outside in the sunshine (most days) watching oyster catchers, chaffinches and swallows skipping around Kielder Waterside, but I get to meet people from all over the country and the world as well.

I get to work with a fantastic group of volunteers who have given me an encyclopaedia of osprey knowledge and facts, handy Osprey Watch tips (such as how not to break the cupboard locks…) and the odd biscuit and coffee to keep my tummy and hands warm – even though I swear it has been sunny.

And not to mention the 4 entertaining osprey pairs (soon to be parents), which I can watch all day in the cosy cabin, newly furnished with fancy bench cushions.

Of course, being the ‘newbie’ something ridiculous had to happen. It turned out that ‘handy Osprey Watch tips’ from the volunteers didn’t necessarily nestle in my brain and a cupboard lock was accidentally broken, meaning we lost access to the necessary equipment.

There is no problem that a litter picker and a little motivation (biscuits) can’t solve. I don’t want to say I saved the day, but if that bag hadn’t been there to hold up the lid I could have easily lost an arm…

All in all I have had a great introduction to my new job and a wonderful start to the 2018 season of Osprey Watch. The visitors are happy, the ospreys are laying eggs, the volunteers are spreading wisdom and I’m in a cupboard eating biscuits.

We have visitors who journey over land and sea to see us, visitors who have stumbled across us after a lunch at the pub, real wildlife wise-guys and eager nature novices. We welcome all at Osprey Watch and we’d love you to come visit this season.