White Ash Special School with artist Gosha Gibek and Prospects Foundation’s Sonja Bottomer have created beautiful artwork that shows the things you might see or hear through the seasons along the Hyndburn Greenway.
The new art work in place on the Accrington bound platform at Church & Oswaldtwistle station – photo © Caroline Holden
The artwork was created by the pupils walking the greenway and doing activities along the way with Sonja, and then collated and created by Gosha.
We hope this will encourage you to walk the Hyndburn Greenway, and here’s some things to look out for and do on your walk.
Things you may come across or hear along the greenway at different times of year:
IN THE SPRING
The dawn chorus is at its loudest in late spring, when the birds are finding mates and defending their territories. Listen out for birds along the greenway.
+ Blackbird – Blackbirds are the first to start the dawn chorus in the morning. They have a deep, tuneful song.
+ Chiffchaff – Chiffchaffs start singing from early March which when they arrive to the UK from their wintering grounds in southern Europe and Africa. They sing a distinctive two-tone “chiffchaff chiffchaff” sound.
+ Song Thrush – Song thrushes are here all year round, but start to sing more in spring. They repeat the same short tune 3 or 4 times, then move on to another tune. This makes it sound like there’s lots of different birds even though there’s not!
+ Wren – Wrens are some of the smallest birds, but have a very loud song. The best way to identify their song is by very fast ‘machine-gun’ type sections in the song, making it sound as though they are singing so fast that all the sounds blur into one.
Listen to the songs of these, and other birds, on the RSPB website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/identifying-birds/bird-song-identifier
You can download the scavenger hunt by clicking on the image above or by using this link: Scavenger Hunt there are other downloadable activity sheets on this page as well Church & Oswaldtwistle to Accrington & Beyond
Look out for new shoots on trees and bushes. One of the earliest is the dog rose on the bridge over Lonsdale Street see https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/16017/rosa-canina-(s)/details
Smell the crocuses and daffodils at the planters at Accrington or Church and Oswaldtwistle stations. Look out for the first dandelions on the greenway, especially in the meadow section. They usually first appear in mid-March and are a great source of nectar for early pollinators. Each dandelion seed head can contain up to 400 seeds!
Activity
Spring is a time when nature wakes up. Tune into this and make a sound map. Pick a spot and take time to listen to the sounds around you. Draw yourself in the middle of a piece of paper, and every time you hear a sound, draw this on the paper around you. It could be a symbol showing what made the sound or a shape showing the sound itself. Draw the sounds itself!
Example of a sound map
IN THE SUMMER
Listen out for the buzzing of bees in the meadow and around flowers. Look out for different colours on the walk. Try to find as many shades and tones as possible. This could be different trees, flowers, barks, or birds! Look up while walking along the path. Try to notice different leaf shapes and colours. Feel the different textures – are they soft or smooth? Look at a leaf and see what’s been living on it. Are there any caterpillar holes? Or any slime trails from slugs?
Look out for wildflowers along the greenway:
+ Cow parsley is tall with clusters of white flowers. Their leaves look a bit like carrot leaves.
+ Nettles have white flowers, which provide important nectar for pollinators. Their leaves also provide food for the caterpillars of peacock, red admiral, and comma butterflies.
+ Vetch has tendrils of small oval leaves and delicate pinky-purple flowers. It is a member of the pea family and grows on grassland and verges.
+ Garlic mustard grows tall with a bunch of white flowers at the top and smooth nettle-shaped leaves. The leaves and flowers taste of garlic and can be used in salads. Please remember to pick above dog height, and always less than a third of what’s there!
Activity
Look out for butterflies and other insects in the meadow area. This used to be a railway wagon depot but is now a haven for wildlife and people. Follow this link for tips on butterfly spotting and seasonal spotter sheets to identify any butterflies you see! https://butterfly-conservation.org/discover-and-learn/activities-and-resources/how-to-spot-butterflies
Beetle on a hazel leaf
Summer on the Greenway
IN THE AUTUMN
Look out for hazelnuts forming on the hazel trees on the edges of the path near Accrington Station. These are eaten by squirrels and mice. If you get there before the wildlife, though, you could forage a few yourself! Look out for changes in the colours of the leaves. Trees reabsorb the starches and other goodness from the leaves before they fall, causing them to change colour. Look out for spider webs covered in water droplets on leaves and twigs as the days get colder.
Activity
Collect fallen leaves to use in crafts. Make a leaf rubbing with a pencil or crayon, or leaf print with paint. Pressed leaves look pretty on cards, and preserve the colours of autumn.
Walking from Church and Oswaldtwistle station to Accrington along the greenway during autumn.
IN THE WINTER
As the night draws in Look out for As the nights draw in, take time to notice the evening chorus of birds. Listen out for overwintering birds such as:
+ Magpies make a noisy chattering noise. Listen to their call here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/magpie.
+ Robins are fiercely territorial so they sing all year round to protect their path. If you often see one in a particular part of the greenway, it’s probably the same one! Listen to their call here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/robin
+ Jackdaws with their sharp ‘ Jack, Jack’ call as they find somewhere to roost. Listen to their call here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/jackdaw
In late winter, look out for hazel catkins on the edges of the path near Accrington Station. They are long, yellow, dangling structures that release pollen and the male flowers of the trees. If you look closely at a bud on the same tree, you might also be able to spot a tiny red hazel flower- these are only 2mm wide and are pollinated by wind, not insects.
Take time to feel the bark on the trees, and notice their different colours and textures. The silver birch trees lining the path near Accrington station have white papery bark, while willow trees on the meadow have rougher, grey-brown bark with diamond shapes.
Activity
Winter is also a good time to spot birds as the trees are bare. Make a simple bird feeder out of a pinecone and seeds, hang it up along the greenway, and see which birds are attracted to it. This also helps the birds out in the winter, as there is less food for them to eat. On a cold night, some small songbirds can lose up to a third of their body weight!
Winter along the Greenway
https://www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/kate-sheard/family-activity-how-make-pine-cone-bird-feeder
Take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which can also be done in local parks and open spaces. They provide a free garden bird ID guide and recording sheet. Submitting your findings to the RSPB means that you are contributing to a nationwide survey of how birds are faring in the UK. https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch
