Unique guided wildlife and nature experiences in the South Lakes and Morecambe Bay area.
Pineapplew**d 🍍
I love this overlooked little w**d, I’ve noticed quite a lot of it this year. It really does smell of pineapple and I can’t resist picking a head to crush and sniff on a walk.
Apparently it’s also a good insect repellent so some may be finding its way into my midge infested garden 😀
Don't get caught out like this green tiger beetle!
Sign up to our next Nature Conservation Experience at Sandscale Haws. This beautiful sand dune nature reserve has a whole lot to offer. Rare bugs and butterflies, beautiful wildflowers, a cacophony of birds and a stunning beach 🐝 🦋 🌼 🐦 ⛱
Join myself and the National Trust rangers to explore this site of natural wonders. Price includes picnic lunch and unique opportunity to learn about what happens behind the scenes on the reserve and help with some vital conservation work.
Booking via NaturesGems website - next adventure is on the 9th August.
Finally it feels like butterfly days have arrived 🌞 🦋
There's still a few days left of the - a great excuse to get outside and enjoy the sunshine (if you needed one!).
All you need is 15 minutes to sit in one spot and see how many butterflies you can count. Check out for details on how to get involved.
Doesn’t time fly 🪽
I can’t believe it’s almost August!
This last month I’ve been busy in various lovely locations supervising film crews. One of the many interesting jobs I get to do.
This work usually involves lots of standing around in beautiful places, helping make sure they stay beautiful - protecting ground flora, birds, bats and buildings it’s a really interesting experience.
The best thing about it is the wide variety of people I meet working in the film and tv industry who don’t normally work in the outdoors. We have some great conversations learning about each other’s work and I get to share random facts about nature which are always met with keen interest. Hopefully some of the crew leave with new inspiration to explore the outdoors and look out for nature in their day to day lives.
For now it’s back to a slower pace of consultancy work and nature tours, and a bit of garden taming ( though not too much 😄)
Post filming day wildflower walk to ease my mind 🌺
Dreaming of sunnier days ☀️ 🐝 🌺 🦋
There's still time to book on our Nature Conservation Day next Friday at Sandscale Haws.
Come join myself and the National Trust rangers to explore beyond the beach and the boardwalks.
Discover a world of wildlife wonders on this fabulous nature reserve. We'll take our time to explore the flora and fauna in and around the dunes as well as helping out with some vegetation surveys which help inform the management of the site.
It's the 40th anniversary of the National Trust's care for this site so there's a whole load of history here too.
A tasty picnic lunch amongst the dunes is also included 😋
Booking via NaturesGems website, numbers limited. (Suitable for 10 years and above)
Wild days!
(No I’m not taking about the election 😉)
This week I’ve been working in Northumberland - a bit of a shock to the system after a very sunny holiday week in France. I spent 4 days on a hill side in full winter gear, welcome to July 😀
Thank goodness I found this beautiful little campsite - a peaceful place to retreat at the end of the day. Paul & Gillian were very considerate hosts and have made a really welcoming eco-camping spot here, complete with views, tasty local treats and alpacas for company.
Love it when I find another green minded small business 💚
Fancy a day out exploring some of the most beautiful coastline in the North West?
Come along and join one of our Nature Conservation days at Sandscale Haws this summer 💚
Running on the 12th July, 9th August and 13th September these days are a unique opportunity to join a NaturesGems guided tour and help out with some real conservation work.
You'll get chance to explore the sand dune habitats, home to a wide variety of wildflowers, birds and invertebrates, with your expert nature guide before joining the National Trust rangers to learn more about the work they do and help out with a task on site 🌳🐦🌼🦋🐸
Visit NaturesGems website to book on - in July we'll be helping the Rangers do some wildflower surveys, August and September will be helping with vegetation management.
If you're not sure it's for you then drop me a message and I can answer any questions you have.
Another fabulous half day tour at Sizergh.
Sunshine, flowers, birds and butterflies 🦋 🌸 🌳 🐦
There are more dates in the diary for July and August if you fancy joining us for a fun and informative morning out 💚
It’s all going to seed 🌿
Grasses are so much more interesting than you might think!
The grasses are at their best at the moment - though maybe not if you have hay fever! I love the variety of shapes, colours and textures of the grass seeds.
There are so many species and different evolved techniques for seed dispersal.
Take a closer look next time you’re passing a patch of long grass 💚
Beautiful walk out on Whitbarrow Scar today despite the rain 💚
Lovely morning exploring the Sizergh Estate with the Walters family.
We traveled through limestone grasslands exploring tales of ants and orchids, wandered through ancient woodlands fluttering with butterflies and damselflies, and ate a hearty lunch in the company of buzzards, egrets and little grebes down on the wetland 🌳 🐦 🌸 🦋
Only a few small rain clouds and mostly sun ☀️
Another grand tour exploring the natural wonders around Morecambe Bay 💚
Beautiful morning for a recce at the Sizergh Estate for a private nature experience on Saturday.
The Sizergh Estate is owned and managed by and has a mosaic of special habitats from limestone grassland to ancient woodland and a thriving wetland. You also get great views out to Morecambe Bay and up into the Lake District fells on a clear day.
It’s one of my favourite places to take tours as it’s variety of habitats and wildlife is often a big surprise to visitors.
My next public tour at Sizergh is on the 19th June so come join me to explore the hidden gems of this historical estate 🌳 🐦 🌸 🦋
Happy World Environment Day 🌎
Hope you’ve managed to spend some time in nature today and appreciate the world around you - if not there’s still time so get out there!
These oxeye daisies are in their prime in the fields behind our house 💚
Is there anything better than the heady scent of the elderflower in blossom?
I can’t get enough of it, I think I’m addicted 😀 I can’t walk past one without taking a sniff 🌸
Lovely afternoon spent in the garden of enjoying their delicious afternoon tea (lots of locally sourced produce) and the company of great friends.
A real treat 💚
Another beautiful day for a NaturesGems tour ☀️ 💚
This morning we had an amble around Gaitbarrows National Nature Reserve in Silverdale. Testing our bird song id skills, marvelling at the other-worldly limestone pavement, mesmerised by industrious wood ants and being distracted by butterflies 🐦 🌸 🦋
Top moments of the day - the stunning display of birdseye primrose next to Haweswater and the glimpse of an egg carrying stoat!
Lovely afternoon bog trotting 💚
Love the variety of consultancy work I get involved in - last week supervising a huge film crew, this week exploring the views and solutions around protected sites.
Two tours booked in for the next week which I’m also really looking forward to 🐦 🌳 🌸 🦋
Birthday blooms and butterflies 🦋 🌸 💚
A bit of a different day but special in its own way. The sun shone and I was in a beautiful place, what more can you ask.
☀️
Beautiful lunch stop Wellington Monument on the long drive down to Devon for some exciting work this week 🎥 🤫
Superb day at Sandscale Haws for our first Nature Conservation day ☀️💚🐸
Beautiful morning exploring the flora, birds and insect life on the dunes followed by an afternoon foray with Ranger Darren surveying for natterjack toads - looks like they’re having a great year so far, lots of wriggly tadpoles!
Thanks again to for a tasty lunch and for lending Darren’s time and toad expertise 🐸
Time for a relax in the garden 🍹
Have a great nature filled weekend 🌳 🐦 🌸 🐝 🦋
It’s butterfly season 🦋 💚
Spotted this green-veined white on my walk yesterday. In truth I’ve not seen many butterflies yet this year, the odd comma and peacock out of hibernation, and a few orange tips in the limited sunshine we’ve had.
Did you know the Morecambe Bay area is home to 34 of the 59 species of butterfly in the UK ?! 🦋
Here’s hoping for a good butterfly season this year 🤞
No surprises my favourite colour is green 💚
I love the multiple fresh colours of the new growth at this time of year. Elm and beech particularly stand out but I love the contrast of the multiple shades of green in the woodlands right now 🌳 💚
Slightly damp but fun day on our Nature Through a Lens workshop today.
Thanks to for more top tips and creative tools 📷
Thanks to for the beautiful venue 💚
Top quote of the day ‘a walk will never be the same again’ 😀
Kendal
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 1pm |
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Pre course bird watching @therewildingcommunity - fieldfare, curlew, egret, skylark, dunlin and all the usual suspects 🐦 Now to get stuck in to a day of business growth ideas with @growingclubuk 💚 #connectwithnature #birdwatching #smallbusinessowner #getoutside
Morecambe Bay is host to over 1/4 million birds each year, many of which will pass through Leighton Moss. A few notes from my visit this morning, a nice bit of relaxed bird watching. I did see the otters, no Osprey but a kind fellow birdwatcher let me see a distant Hobby through their scope 🦅 🦋 🐝 🦦 Also bumped into some old NT colleagues which was lovely to see their friendly faces 💚 #nature #birdwatching #lovenature #rspb #morecambebay #lancashire #connectwithnature #natureguide #birds #butterfly #wildisles #naturephotography #ecoescapes #greentourism
A little collection from my woodland wander this evening. I love foraging in the undergrowth for the discarded evidence of life, seeking out the slight change in form or colour on the woodland floor that leads to a discovery of treasure. Photos show some ash keys, a broken eggshell, some wild cherries, some nibbles hazelnuts, an empty snail shell and a couple of black feathers. #nature #naturediscovery #natureguide #naturewalk #greentourism #woodland #naturephotography #thelittledetails #takeacloserlook #connectwithnature #mindfulmoments
How amazing is this hummingbird hawk moth 💚 Spotted feeding on my neighbour’s jasmine. #nature #moth #natureguide #naturalwonders #wildlife #natureisamazing #allabouttheinsects #insects #invertebrates #wildisles #springwatch
Chatting with @ginnykopp about our upcoming Nature Through a Lens workshops - check out our live recording to find out more. Next date is the 10th May - next Wednesday 10-2. Booking via NaturesGems website (link in bio) #nature #ConnectWithNature #NaturePhotography #MorecambeBay
Absolutely buzzing in the meadow this evening - the scabious and knapweed positively thrumming with bees 🐝 💚
It’s Competition time - we’ll be down at Kendal Torchlight tomorrow in Abbot Hall Park - pop by and see us for chance to win a Half Day Nature Experience! #competitiontime #connectwithnature #naturediscovery
Testing, testing, 123.... Today I've been out checking out one of the stunning sites we'll be using for NaturesGems tours - the fairytale Gaitbarrows National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England. Check out my cheesy video below 🎥 (sound on!)
Well my plans have gone a bit to pot this last week - I've been sucked into website building and tweaking and generally being a busy 🐝 Looking forward to sharing the website with you next week.... there I've said it now so it must happen! Meanwhile here is a little snippet of birdsong I recorded on Arnside Knott the other day for you and me both to chill out to, enjoy 🐦 If you're feeling clever let me know how many different species of bird you think you can hear...... #birdsong #wellbeing #connectwithnature #soundsofspring #naturesgems #busybee #morecambebay
