Visit NIDDERDALE

A special place for wildlife
A special place for wildlife
A special place for
wildlife
The AONB is home to many rare species
of plants and animals and it is the mixture
of habitats such as heather moorland,
grassland, rivers and reservoirs, flowerrich
meadows and geological sites that
make it such a special place. It is an
important breeding ground for many birds,
including grouse, curlew and lapwing
- which nest on the ground - as well as
home to many other species such as deer,
adder, dragonflies and butterflies.
Curlew © VisitEngland/NYMNPA/Colin Carter
THE SPECIAL HABITAT OF GREENHOW
The Carboniferous limestone outcrop that lies
beneath Greenhow and the surrounding area creates
a very special and unique habitat.
On the acid moorland you can always see heather
and bilberry, as well as tormentil with its fourpetalled
yellow flowers, the shorter blue spikes of
heath milkwort and the dense flower spikes of heath
speedwell. In the damper patches you may find
northern marsh orchid and, if you are lucky, the
insectivorous butterwort with its sticky leaves and violet
like flower.
The thin, well drained soils on the limestone outcrops
and mining spoil heaps are ideal for many beautiful
small plants such as the mountain pansy. In spring
there are plenty of cowslips and meadow saxifrage,
while in early summer you can see early purple,
twayblade, fragrant and frog orchids.
Spring sandwort (also known as leadwort) grows near
the old lead mines as does the slightly taller fairy flax
with its larger leaves. Bird’s-foot trefoil abounds and is
the larval food plant for the common blue butterfly.
Later in the summer harebells, thyme, small scabious
and the felwort (a member of the
gentian family) can be found on the
stony soil.
During early spring, birdsong
increases with the arrival of waders
Bird’s-foot trefoil
from the lowlands and the coast.
Lapwing, curlew and snipe breed
on Greenhow and their song and
display flights can be seen and
heard throughout spring. The small,
streaky brown meadow pipit is
known to breed on the moors and Scabious © EM
is characterised by its parachuting
display flight. The less common
wheatear with its distinctive white
rump doesn’t fly very far when
disturbed and the song of the
skylark can sometimes be heard.
Short-eared owls can also be seen
around Greenhow. The owl hunts in the daylight and
can sometimes be spotted quartering low over rough
pasture looking for small mammals.
Snipe © Margaret Holland
Lapwing
One of the most distinctive birds
to breed in the AONB in the
summer months is the Lapwing.
Sometimes called Peewit because
of its strained weet or ee-wit call,
it is the only species with a wispy
crest, broad wings and a black
and white appearance. Both male
and females have a crest, and
beautiful dark green and purple
iridescent backs. Its flight pattern
is a unique ‘flappy’ wingbeat
that shows alternating white and
dark plumage, sometimes turning
abruptly in a flamboyant display.
Adder
Adders can be found in areas of
rough, open countryside and on
the woodland edge. The best time
to see them is in early spring when
they emerge from their hibernation
dens and they are often seen
around Scar House and Angram
Reservoirs. They are venomous -
the only venomous snake native
to Britain - but will only use their
venom as a last means of defence,
usually if caught or trodden on. A
bite is likely to make you poorly
so if you see one please be careful
and leave it alone!
Grouse
The heather moorland of the
AONB is home to the red grouse
which has a plump body, a short
tail and a slightly hook-tipped bill.
It is a reddish-brown colour, with
its legs and feet covered in pale
feathers. Male red grouse have
a bright red stripe above their
eye, which is very obvious in the
breeding season. Females don’t
have this red eye stripe and are a
little paler in colour. They have
a distinctive call and fly fast and
low above the heather. They feed
mainly on the shoots, seeds and
flowers of the heather.
Dragonflies
Dragonflies and Damselflies can be
found in the summer months near
still water, such as ponds, especially
on hot summer days. This amazing
group of beautifully coloured
creatures has been on Earth for
300 million years, since the time of
the dinosaurs. Today’s dragonflies
are much smaller than their distant
relatives who had a wingspan
of 70 cm! Contrary to folklore
dragonflies cannot sting and will
not bite. However, some species are
inquisitive and may approach you
closely. Species you may see in the
AONB include Common Hawker,
Common Darter, Black Darter and
the Common Blue Damselfly.
Deer
If you are out and about early in
the morning or at dusk, you may be
lucky enough to see a roe deer. One
of our two native species (the other
is the red deer), roe are relatively
small, standing 60-75cm at the
shoulder, and in the summer months
are a chestnut red-brown colour
with a white rump patch. Only the
males (bucks) have antlers which
they shed and re-grow in the winter.
The females (does) become pregnant
during the rut in July/August and
the kids are born in May and June.
Twins are common and the new
born kids lie among bracken or
long grass with the doe returning to
suckle them several times a day.
Curlew
Another distinctive summer visitor
is the curlew with its long downcurved
bill and plaintive call,
a repeated “cur-lew”. Its song is
described as beginning slowly and
accelerating into a “rich, ecstatic,
bubbling trill”. It has a strong and
steady gull-like flight pattern and
may often be seen gliding down
to the ground as it calls. Curlews
nest in upland fields in the spring
and summer months, returning to
shorelines for the winter.
© VisitEngland/NYMNPA/
Mike Nicholas
36
© Leanne Fox © AONB Volunteers
www.nidderdaleaonb.org.uk Visit Nidderdale AONB 2016 37