After two previous attempts which were ‘rained off’, PBKA members eventually managed to visit Gosling Sike on 4th September. Named after a small tributary of the River Eden, Gosling Sike is an organic working farm and the site of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s northern office. The land was transferred to Cumbria Wildlife Trust in 2012 by Sue Aglionby. Its development as a wetland wildlife sanctuary has taken place over recent years.
The evening was calm and balmy and it was a pleasure to see bees, dragonflies and other insects flying around the pond and in and out the dense wetland vegetation surrounding it. Adam McGinley the Site Warden described the stages of its development and their surprise at how quickly the insects discovered the site and how many species in fairly large quantities now inhabit it.
During a walk in the nearby coppiced area we were fortunate to encounter the ‘Hedgehog Specialist’, one of the hardworking volunteers who takes a particular interest in monitoring and caring for the hedgehog population which has gradually expanded to at least 10 of them in recent months. He described the hazards that hedgehogs face, particularly when they are fed the wrong type of food by well meaning members of the public. Unexpectedly ‘kitten biscuits’ were particularly recommended, while birdseed and commercially produced ‘hedgehog food’ should be avoided as they contain ingredients that hedgehogs cannot digest.
A quick look at the abundant vegetable plots that are tended by volunteers, was followed by a visit to the facilities that are available for volunteers to make resources such as bird and bat boxes which are then sold to raise funds. Another interesting facility were the purpose built seed sheds which are kept at ambient temperatures to preserve seeds for storage and replanting . This initiative is managed in collaboration with Kew Gardens which is the ‘seed bank’ for seeds from all over the world and is designed to preserve their genetic strains for future generations.
The visit concluded with a walk through the poly tunnels where seed plugs were being grown to transfer to areas across Cumbria where the plants need to be replaced.
We were all impressed with the wide range of activities that Cumbria Wildlife Trust are undertaking on this site to help nature continue to survive and thrive in increasingly challenging circumstances.