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rsPB Geltsdale Nature reserve

explore Moor Teaching support Pack

Discover WilDlife page

Welcome to the Reserve 2

Planning your Visit 3

Activities Map 4

Pre-visit Activities 5

Around the Reserve 6

Discover Wildlife

• Bird-watching 7

• Stream-dipping 9

• Bug-sweeping 11

Follow-up Activities 13

Teaching Supports

• Games 14-16

• Trails Map 17

• Risk Assessments 18-21

Contents

Welcome to RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve

Welcome to the RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve.

We want you and your students to get as much as possible out of your visit, so this pack is designed to help you prepare beforehand, explore and learn while you’re here, and build on the experience when you’re back in the classroom. Above all, we want everyone to enjoy the day and go home feeling not only that they’ve had a fun and rewarding time, but also that they want to go on discovering wildlife.

First, some background. RSPB Geltsdale is: • Situated in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and an internationally important breeding area for upland birds.

• Steeped in history: over the centuries, it’s been a royal hunting forest, a mining and quarrying area, and the preserve of red grouse and hill sheep.

• A working farm with a unique mosaic of habitats – meadow, wetland, moor, and woodland.

• Important for a wide range of wildlife, especially wading birds, black grouse, and birds of prey, providing abundant food, shelter and nest sites.

• A very beautiful environment in which adults and children alike can explore freely, stretching their minds as well as their legs.

In your pack, we hope you’ll find all you need to ensure your group’s day at the Reserve is a success, including information on how to book a visit, how to get here, what you can expect to see on the day, suggestions for activities before and after your visit, and health and safety provisions. But if there’s anything we haven’t covered, or you need more information, please visit our website www.rspb.org.uk/geltsdale, or give us a call, on 016977 46717.

2

Planning your Visit

Reproduced from the digital Ordnance Survey map by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. RSPB license 10002178

facilitiesThe RSPB Geltsdale Information Centre is located at Stagsike Cottages and will be your group’s base for the day. At the Centre, you’ll find:

• Parking for pre-arranged mini-buses • Toilet facilities (with disabled access)

• Picnic tables

• Space inside if the weather is too cold or wet

Please ensure you take all left-overs and litter with you when you leave.

Mobile phone coverage is generally good at Geltsdale, except in the main RSPB Visitor Car Park, before entering the Reserve, where reception can be poor.

HoW to bookWhen you’ve decided you’d like to bring a group to RSPB Geltsdale, please give us a call (016977 46717) or send us an e-mail (northernengland@rspb.org.uk) to arrange a date and tell us your requirements. We’ll need to know:

• Your preferred date and time for your visit

• The number of children and adults in your group (the ideal group size is around 15 students)

• What equipment you’d like to borrow from us in advance (eg binoculars) or use on the day (eg stream dipping equipment) and how many of each

• Any special needs your group may have

HoW to get HereFrom the A69, outside Brampton, take the A689 Alston road. In Hallbankgate, look out for the brown RSPB sign and take the road which forks right, past the ‘Belted Will’ pub which will be on your right. Follow this road through the village and turn sharp right at the top of the hill, where the road narrows and is signposted ‘rsPb geltsdale’. Continue up the hill and past some houses. Just before the main RSPB Visitor Car Park, go through the gate on your left (closing it behind you, please), and follow the track for approximately 1 mile. The information centre at Stagsike Cottages is visible from the track after about half a mile.

The track is unsuitable for large coaches, but you may wish to contact one of the following companies to arrange a mini-bus:

N.k. brown (16- and 33-seater minibuses): 07720 773 105 or 01228 670 827

cumbria community transport (16-seater minibus): 01228 633 642

We recommend you check when booking your transport that the driver will be familiar with the route to the reserve.

WHat to WearThe Reserve is in very open country, and much of the day will be spent out-doors, so everyone should come prepared for breezy, upland conditions. We strongly advise: • Warm layers (eg fleece, woolly jumper, long sleeves and trousers) • Waterproof outer layer (eg anorak, raincoat, cagoule) • Wellies for stream-dipping* and/or boots, sturdy trainers for other activities • Spare pair of socks • Sun-hat or a woolly hat (depending on the weather)

We also recommend that teachers or other accompanying adults bring: • Towel • One complete change of child’s clothes • First aid kit • Sunscreen*We have spare pairs of wellies in various children’s sizes and 18 pairs of waterproof trousers in case of need.

Belted Will pub

Visitor Car Park

Stagsike Cottages

a69

a689HAllBANkGATe

3

Activities Map

IDeAl lOCATIONS FOR:

Bird-watching

Stream-dipping

Bug-sweeping

StagSike CottageSstaff and pre-arranged parking

interpretationinformation

sTAGsiKe MeAdowswetland neSting area

reStriCted aCCeSS

Access Track

toilet

4

stonechat

spider

froghopper

grass

Pre-visit activities to do at school

rougH grass stream

algae

caddisfly larva

food chains at rsPb geltsdale

WetlaND

peregrine

curlew

earthwormmayfly nymph

dipper

soil

curriculum liNks

The following activities would link in well with Science topics, such as habitats, food chains, or adaptation. They could also be used across the curriculum in literacy, Art, Maths, or Design and Technology.

activities• Download a short film called ‘Discover Widlife’, showing children on a visit to RSPB Geltsdale:

www.rspb.org.uk/exploremoor

• For a great introduction to the wildlife of RSPB Geltsdale, play the ‘Habitat’ and ‘fiND Your flock’ games described on pages 14, 15 and 16. • Borrow binoculars, wooden birds and charts from the reserve, for the children to practice using binoculars and identifying birds by their markings, colours and features.

To arrange loan call: 016977 46717 • Have a go at bird-watching in the school grounds or a nearby park.

• Try mini-beast hunting and/or pond-dipping in or near your school grounds. Pupils could then compare the creatures they find with those at the Reserve.

For further information on RSPB activities, please contact the education Officer: northernengland@rspb.org.uk

5

black grouse

Around the Reserve

While the main objective of your day at RSPB Geltsdale will be discovering birds, bugs and water-beasties, there are lots of other things in and around the reserve which contribute to making it a special place for wildlife.

On the slopes, we’ve planted thousands of native British trees (birch, hazel, hawthorn and oak) which, in time, will re-establish scrub-woodland, providing food and shelter for birds and small animals. If you’re very lucky, you may spot a black grouse.

Much of the higher ground is ‘blanket bog’ - deep layers of peat, formed over time by Sphagnum mosses. The surface layer is interspersed with tufts of heather and the bobbing white heads of cotton grass – all typical of upland moor, and home to skylarks, meadow pipits, and a number of wading birds, such as curlew and golden plover.

On the way up to Stagsike Cottages, you’ll probably see some of our blue-grey cattle. Their sturdy build and thick coats make them well-suited to wind and rain. Cattle and sheep-grazing help to create varied habitats, suited to different birds.

blue-grey cattle

skylark

black grouse

6

lense

wheel

body

eye pieces

strap

lense

Bird-watchingobjective Use binoculars to watch wetland birds in their natural habitat.

WHeN to visit •These birds arrive in March when you can see them displaying

•Females sit on nests in April

•Chicks may be seen May to late June

resources NeeDeD All the equipment needed can be booked in advance for collection at the Information Centre, ready for you to use (call 016977 46717 to book). We can provide up to 18 pairs of binoculars and identification keys

Please return all borrowed equipment to the centre when you leave.

HoW to Do itDemonstrate to your group how to use the binoculars:

1. Put the strap around your neck so that if you lose grip of the binoculars you won’t drop them, as the lenses are easily damaged. 2. Holding onto the binoculars with both hands, raise them to your eyes and swivel the main body until the eyepieces are the right distance apart for your eyes and you should see one image (which may be blurry).

3. To focus, find a point in the distance, e.g. one of the pools, or a tree. Rotate the wheel on top of the binoculars, until you can see clearly. The wheel turns both ways.

4. Now practice focussing on objects at different distances.

Binoculars

tiPs•The children can rest their arms on the wall to steady their binoculars and conceal themselves.

• Start by scanning the pools and the bank, then look at the tree tops, fence line/walls and finally the skyline. • If there’s any bird you are unsure of, look at its size, shape, bill, colour, patterns and movement. Make some notes or sketches if you can. Then use one of the bird guides in the Information Centre to help you identify what you have seen.

7

Bird-watching

lAPWING

• Long crest and striking green-black plumage

• Tumbling display flight with ducking and diving

• Scrapes small hollow in the ground to lay its eggs

• Eggs are camouflaged against predators

• Gets its other name – ‘pee- wit’ – from its display call

CURleW

• Very long down-curved bill, used for probing for insects and worms that are beyond the reach of other birds

• Sad, bubbling call – ‘curlee, curlee, curlee’

• Nests on the moor in the long grass

SNIPe• Uses its very long, straight bill to probe for insects and worms

• Flies in a zig-zag line when disturbed

• Call sounds like a squeaky bike wheel – ‘chippa, chippa’

• Displays by tumbling out of the sky, making a drumming noise with its tail feathers

OYSTeR CATCHeR• Nests on bare ground

• In summer, uses its long, orange bill to probe in soil for invertebrates • In winter, goes to the coast and uses its bill’s blunt tip to break into shells • Shrill, piping call

ReDSHANk

• Orange-red legs and bill

• Uses straight bill with flexible tip for collecting invertebrates, not probing

• In flight, white flashes visible on edges of wings

• Call has two notes – ‘tew-tew’

CANADA GOOSe

• Long black neck and head

• White chin patch and chest

• Loud, honking call

• Introduced from North America

size guiDeBird silhouettes are compared

in size to a robin

8

objective Discover what creatures live in a moorland stream.

WHeN to visitThe best time of year for water-beasties is May to July, but there are creatures in the stream all year round.

resources NeeDeDAll the equipment needed can be booked in advance for collection at the Information Centre, ready for you to use (call 016977 46717 to book)We can provide up to 7 of each of the following:

• Dipping net• Viewing tray• Magnifying glass• Identification keys• Clipboard and pen

We also have some spare pairs of wellies, in children’s sizes, and 18 pairs of waterproof trousers, in various sizes. If you need these, please ring the bell at the Information Centre and a member of RSPB staff will be happy to help.

Please return all borrowed equipment and wellies to the centre when you leave.

WHere to Do itFollow the path down to the stream, cross over the bridge and you can set up the equipment along the bank, as marked on the map (see page 4).

tiPs• Ask children to fill the viewing trays with water before getting into the stream.

• emphasize the importance of rapid transfer from stream to tray, because aquatic creatures need water to breathe.

• explain that some creatures are almost invisible, so the net must be emptied very thoroughly.

• Two keys are supplied, for use with different age-groups

9

Stream-dippingHoW to Do itFill the viewing tray with water, then demonstrate stream-dipping to your group:

1. Stand in the stream, facing the bridge, with the net directly in front of your feet.

2. Gently disturb the stones and silt with your feet, catching any creatures in the net. 3. Quickly turn the net upside down into the viewing tray, highlighting to the children that these creatures need to be in water to breathe. Wash the net thoroughly, including the corners.

4. Using the magnifying glass and one of the keys attached to the clipboard, identify the creatures in the tray.

6. At the end of the session, adults carry the trays back to the stream and carefully empty the contents into the water, holding the tray close to the surface of the stream.

Dippers love caddisfly larva and sometimes walk underwater to catch them

Stream-dippingMAYFlY NYMPH• ‘Nymph’ is the first stage after hatching from an egg

• Only found in very clean water, with lots of oxygen

• Flat body helps movement in fast- flowing water, use hooks on their legs to cling onto rocks

• Adult mayflies only live for a day – just enough time to lay their eggs in water, but not to eat!

BeeTle lARVA• ‘Larva’ is the stage between the egg and the pupa

• Beetle larvae have big appetites

• Cast their skin as they grow

• Hard, sometimes dark heads, and distinctly visible mouth- parts

FReSHWATeR SHRIMP• Belongs to a family called ‘crustaceans’

• Brownish yellow in colour

• Prefers flowing water

• Feeds on tiny pieces of debris and small creatures

• Sides of body are flat

• Long antennae on head

PHANTOM MIDGe lARVA• Also called ‘glassworm’

• Hatch by the thousand in summer, from eggs laid on the surface of still water

• Use hairs in mouth to filter food from water and sediment

• Eat other larvae

• Phantom midges don’t bite!

CADDISFlY lARVACASeD AND UNCASeD• Sometimes called ‘sedge fly’

• Makes case for itself from grains of silt or plant fragments

• Growing larva sheds skin and case, then builds another case

• Carries case with it for camouflage, protection and living in while changing into adult caddisfly

WORMS• Bristle worms have tiny hairs on segments, to help movement

• Live in mud

• 2mm to 75mm long

• Flatworms have flattened, jelly-like bodies

• Live under rocks and pebbles

• Can re-grow if injured

BROOk lAMPReY• Up to 15cms long and easily confused with an eel, has a sucker disc with mouth in the middle rather than jaws

• Has a line of 7 respiratory holes behind the eye

• Buries itself in mud and only emerges in spring to spawn, then dies

STONe lOACH• Up to 10cms, with slender, mottled, brown/buff body

• Mouth has 6 barbels, (look like whiskers) used to detect invertebrate prey

• Lives amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowing water

STONeFlY NYMPH• So called because they are found under stones, in fast- flowing streams

• Stonefly nymphs have 2 tails and no gills along their body, unlike mayfly nymphs

• Spend between 1 and 3 years under water until they reach the adult stage

nymph

turns into mayfly

turns into stonefly

nymph

10

objective Discover who lives on the grassy slopes.

WHeN to visitlate May to September are the best months for bugs.

resources NeeDeDAll the equipment needed can be booked in advance for collection at the Information Centre, ready for you to use (call 016977 46717 to book). We have 7 of each of the following:

• Sweep nets• Bug viewers• Magnified pots• Brushes (to transfer bugs into pots)• Identification keys

Please return all borrowed equipment to the centre when you leave.

WHere to Do itSee map on page 4

tiPsThere are thousands of different species of bugs in the Uk, so the ID chart lists some of the interesting ones you’re more likely to see on your visit.

Spiders, flies and other easily recognisable bugs are not included, but there are many different types of these on the Reserve.

If you want to identify a bug, you could take a photo or make some notes then research it back at school.

A useful website is: www.britishbugs.org.uk

Bug-sweepingHoW to Do itDemonstrate to your group how to use the nets and transfer the bugs into the viewers:

1. Walk slowly forwards, gently sweeping the net back and forth through the long grass. 2. look inside to see what you’ve caught by resting the bottom of the net on the grass to stop it blowing around.

3. Take your bug viewer and brush, and gently transfer any bugs you’d like to have a closer look at into the viewer or pot using the brush. (It will be easier for the children to work in pairs/small groups with one holding the net, and another putting the bugs in the viewer).

4. look at the ID chart and see if you can work out what you have found.

cariNg for Your caPtives• emphasize to the children that these bugs are very delicate.

• Always use the brush rather than fingers to gently coax them in and out of the viewers, as they can easily be crushed.

• Remind the children not to run when they have bugs in their viewers, so the bugs don’t get a headache!

• Remember to release your bugs roughly where you found them and ensure there are no bugs left in the nets.

11

Please Do Not caPture or HaNDle memy wings are very delicate

Bug-sweepingFROGHOPPeR AND NYMPH• Gets its name from the way it jumps from leaf to leaf

• Can be various colours, including red, black and brown

• Nymphs cling to plant stems and suck sap. This creates a protective foam known as cuckoo spit

SCORPION FlY• Black and yellow body, with reddish brown head and tail

• Male’s tail curves up at end, like a scorpion, but doesn’t sting

• Transparent wings have dark patches

• Downward curving ‘beak’ and large eyes

• Eats dead insects, sometimes taken from spiders’ webs

CRANeFlY• Very common, especially in summer

• Often called ‘Daddy Long- Legs’

• Birds, especially rooks, like to eat them

• Larvae (called ‘leather-jackets’) can damage plants by eating roots and stems

HOVeRFlY• Looks like a small bee or wasp • Hovers in one place then suddenly zooms off

• Important for pollination

• Feeds mainly on nectar and pollen, also eats greenfly and blackfly (aphids)

• DOESN’T STING

WeeVIl• Recognized by their distinctive long snout or beak

• Antennae are L-shaped, usually attached part way along their snout

• Mouthparts are adapted for boring into plants

• Nearly 600 British species

DOCk leAF BeeTle• Green dock leaf beetle feeds on wild docks and sorrel

• Females develop enlarged abdomens when pregnant, so their hard wing cases cannot close properly

• Eggs are laid in clumps on the underside of leaves

GRASS BUG• Feeds on developing grass seeds, causing seed heads to shrivel and prematurely whiten

• Males are always fully-winged, females usually partly-winged

• Legs and antennae are covered in long dark hairs

• Come in a variety of colours and patterns

GRASSHOPPeR• Jumps using a springy mechanism in its knees

• “Sings” by rubbing hind legs against front wings or by rubbing wings together

• Five eyes and no ears but hears with an organ called a ‘tympanum’

• White blood

SMAll HeATH BUTTeRFlY• Small, yellow-orange

• Flies close to the ground

• Perches with wings closed

• Underside of forewing has eyespot at tip

• Hindwing banded with brown, grey and cream

nymph

pregnant female

12

Follow-up activities

You could follow up the visit to RSPB Geltsdale by linking it in with other subjects, for example:

literacYWriting poems, stories, accounts of the visit linked to the wildlife and landscape.

art aND DesigN / ictCreating artwork based around the wildlife they’ve seen, designing a poster, postcard or leaflet about the reserve.

matHsCount and record the number of different species they find at the reserve, then, in school, work out percentages, produce charts etc.

DesigN aND tecHNologYDesign and make a bird feeder or nestbox for the birds in the school grounds or design and make homes for insects e.g. a mini-beast hotel or homes for bees. For downloadable resources go to: www.rspb.org.uk/birdsatschool citizeNsHiPChildren could improve their school grounds for wildlife, by putting in wildlife-friendly plants as a source of food and shelter, creating a pond or making homes or feeders for wildlife, as above.

If you would like further guidance on how to develop your school grounds for wildlife you can obtain a copy of our Discover Birds at School booklet by e-mailing: education@rspb.org.uk

rsPb Projects aND activities

Discover birDs at scHoolFor fun ideas and downloadable resources that will help you and your class make the most of your school grounds and discover more birds go to: www.rspb.org.uk/birdsatschool

big scHools’ birDWatcHBe part of the world’s biggest birdwatch. Run every year in January and February, Big Schools’ Birdwatch is a free activity for schools throughout the Uk.

We provide all you need to take part, along with free supporting resources to suit all ages. For more information visit: www.rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch WilDlife actioN aWarDs This award scheme for children helps them discover wildlife and do practical things to help. It’s easy and fun to do. To find out more, visit:www.rspb.org.uk//learn

The Wildlife Action Awards booklet costs £3 and is available by calling 01243 263619 or by e-mailing: educationresources@rspb.org.uk

rsPb WilDlife exPlorers scHool clubsIf you would like to set up a lunchtime or after-school environment club we can supply everything you need to get started. For further details contact the RSPB education Department on 01767 680551.

Postcards, created by children following their visit to RSPB Geltsdale

13

Habitat game

Wetlands are often destroyed when they are drained to plant crops or keep livestock, or to make way for new roads or houses. Others are converted into recreational water facilities, such as boating lakes. This game demonstrates the importance of wetlands to the wildlife that depends on them. It can be played before, during or after your visit.

suggesteD outcomes

Students understand that:

• Creatures are adapted to live in particular types of habitat and need them to survive

• If a habitat is destroyed, the wildlife that depends on it will be lost

grouP size

10 or more

resources NeeDeD

Plastic hoops to represent the habitats. If you want to play this game at the reserve, these can be put in the Information Centre ready for you to use.

iNstructioNs

1. Place the hoops on the ground around your playground or the garden of the visitor centre. Make sure they are at least 5 metres apart.

2. explain that each hoop represents a wetland habitat and that the children are all birds which use that habitat eg. a lapwing see photo on page 16

3. Whenever you say ‘fly’, the children all fly to another wetland habitat on migration.

4. Do this a few times. Then remove one of the hoops. explain that this wetland has been drained, eg to make way for a housing development. Any child who can’t fit into a hoop goes to bird heaven (a pre-designated area), as there is only enough food to support a certain number of birds in any habitat. keep playing and remove other hoops until there is one left. If you destroy the final wetland all the birds will have died.

5. Have a follow-up discussion with the group to see what they have learnt from the game. emphasize the need for conserving wetlands and other habitats. See if the children can think of any other examples of habitats that have been destroyed locally or around the world.

aPProximate leNgtH of activitY

15 minutes

tiPs

• If you want to play the game at school you could use mats, sheets of material or rope to represent the habitats.

• You could also make picture cards of each of the birds. Images of curlew, lapwing and snipe can be found on page 16. Redshank and other wetland birds can be downloaded from the RSPB website for use in school:

www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name

14

Find your flock game

Bird-watching before or during your visit to the reserve introduces your students to bird-identification, showing them how to recognise different birds by their flight, plumage, beak etc.. This game builds on that introduction, by making students aware that, even when they can’t see a bird, they may be able to identify it if they can hear it. It also teaches them that bird-calls are a ‘language’ used by birds to communicate among themselves.

suggesteD outcomes

Students: • expand their knowledge of the birds on the RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve

• learn that birds can be identified by their call

• Understand that birds use different calls to communicate a variety of messages to each other

grouP size

12 or more

resources NeeDeD

‘Find Your Flock’ cards (see page 16)

iNstructioNs

1. Make an equal number of copies of each bird card, so that you have as many cards in total as there are students in your group.

2. explain to the children that all birds have their own calls which they use to communicate with each other.

3. Show them the card for each of the birds that live on the RSPB Geltsdale Reserve. Demonstrate each of the birds calls as shown on the cards and ask the children to repeat the call back to you.

4. Test them by holding up different cards until they can remember the call of each bird.

5. Randomly give one card, face down, to each child, and ask them to keep the identity of their bird secret.

6. On your signal, each student will make the call of the bird on their card and they must try to find all the birds making the same call as themselves, and fly around together in a ‘flock.’

7. Collect in the cards, mix them up, and repeat steps 5 and 6.

aPProximate leNgtH of activitY

10 minutes

tiPs

To listen to audio-recordings of bird-calls before playing the game, go to www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name and find the birds you want to hear in the alphabetical index.

Birds use different calls to communicate different things, so you may need to listen very carefully for the call given on the game-card.

15

curlew - ‘curlee’ black grouse - ‘PsHH-PsHH’

snipe - ‘cHiPPa-cHiPPa’ lapwing - ‘Pee-Wit’

16

Moorland trailSAllow 3 hoursGairs viewpoint (8 kms)Bruthwaite viewpoint (4 kms) longer walks out to the moorland Please do keep to trails and footpaths to enjoy wildlife without causing disturbance

StagSike trail Allow 1 - 2 hours (4.5 kms) fairly level, mostly on good tracks around farmland and bottom of Bruthwaite woodland. some muddy patches. Allow for a break at stagsike cottages, and time to enjoy the woodland edges between stagsike and Howgill

Bruthwiate trailAllow 2 - 3 hours (3 kms) steep and rough ground among the newly planted woodland - add 1 hour to stagsike Trail

Reproduced from the digital Ordnance Survey map by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. ©Crown Copyright.

All rights reserved. RSPB license 10002178

Visitor Car Park

Stagsike Cottages

17

18

19

RSPB Geltsdale Site Risk Assessment

20

21

Design and production by Visual Imprint ltd. Photos copyright of rspb-images.com Illustrations copyright Visual Imprint ltd.

This pack has been created by Julie Willenbruch, RSPB Community Outreach Officer,funded by Natural england through Access to Nature,

as part of the Big lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.

The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing - help us keep it that way.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: england and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654

curlew