Birds of the forest

Last updated: 2 December 2005

The forest is the other half of a visit, and the birds are part of why people come. Sitka and larch take the plantable slopes; along the burns, oak, birch and alder have been left. The rides are quiet even in high summer. A party fifty yards off is a murmur. What you hear depends on the season and on whether you have stopped talking.

A ride above the burn, October. Crossbills were working the cones that afternoon. Photograph from the centre collection.

Red squirrels are still seen in this forest. Crossbills work the cones. Goldcrest and coal tit keep to the planting. Siskin in the alder. On a still day you may hear a raven. Dipper on the burns, if you give the water a minute. In the open, on a good day, a curlew. Ticks are present in season; ordinary care on the legs is enough. Do not leave the waymarked line for a sighting. The forest is a working forest, and the young trees are the next crop.

A list is kept at the desk. It named forty-two at the last count (November). The card in the gallery names thirty-eight. Both are current. We do not reproduce either here; they change, and they are a paper thing. Reports may be left for the desk. The eastern loop runs through older trees and is a longer outing; the main Green Man Trail is the walk we recommend for a first visit, and it is bird enough. See the forest.