Читать книгу Cycling in the Lake District. Week-long tours and day rides онлайн

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When riding along quieter lanes, you may occasionally find your presence has disturbed a large bird of prey from its perch and catch sight of it silently moving through the tree canopy above. Most likely, it is a common buzzard. Despite being much smaller than the golden eagle, it is still a formidable predator, dropping down on rabbits and small mammals, which they nearly always kill on the ground. You may also see them hovering high in the sky and hear their plaintive mewing call, especially in spring when they are displaying to potential mates. In recent years, their numbers have exploded and they now thrive in areas where they were once a rarity.

When it comes to mammals, there is one very special species you should look out for – the red squirrel. Ever since Victorians released the North American grey squirrel into the wild in 1876, the red squirrel has been on the retreat. However, they still have a foothold in the woodlands in the northern parts of the Lake District and you may see one if you look for the road signs warning drivers of their presence. Contrary to popular belief, squirrels do not hibernate, as they need to eat all year round to survive, so look out for them right through the year. You may also see signs asking people to report sightings of any grey squirrels, which are increasing in numbers around the periphery of the national park. Conservation bodies are taking a number of steps to protect and promote the population of red squirrels. These include providing special feeders that only the reds can access and putting squirrel ladders across busy roads so they can safely move from one area of woodland to another. Beatrix Potter, creator of Squirrel Nutkin, would surely approve.