Yesterday the Lancashire Wildlife Trust's Full Staff Meeting took place at Brockholes, to finish the day all our staff and visitors present were treated to an absolutely spectacular starling murmuration ✨ 🖤
Today is
#NationalRobinDay
! The cold winter months can be tough for not just the robin, but all small birds, as food can become scarce. Even something as simple as putting a bird feeder in your garden can really help. Credit: Ken Hayes & Peter Towers
@NationalRobin
Over the last few nights Brockholes has seen some of the most incredible October starling murmurations since opening! Hundreds of birds have been whirling and swirling over the water before dancing over our floating visitor village.
(📸 Kathie Wilson)
The starling display yesterday afternoon was one of the best we have ever seen 😍 Right over
#Brockholes
beautiful visitor village at dusk.
Could you have a guess at how many
#starlings
you think are murmurating in this clip? Our guess is about 20,000?
(🎥 Alice Singleton)
We did it! Or rather, you did it! Thanks to your votes we are
@BBCNWT
’s 'Building of the Decade' in
#Lancashire
! 🎉
But the hard work isn't over... you can now vote for us to be the overall winner in the grand final! 👉 (📸 Kirsten Platt)
Happy Lancashire Day! 🌹
Why not mark this wonderful day that celebrates all that is great in our fabulous county by coming down to what we think is one of Lancashire's greatest places to visit, Brockholes!
#LancashireDay
@VisitLancashire
Learn more:
🦅 Hen harrier spotted at Brockholes - The first reserve record since 2012 🦅
As the weather gets colder these amazing birds of prey move down from their highland homes to lowland and coastal areas.
Learn more here:
(📷 Paul Lambert)
New life on the reserve 💚🦌 Spring and summer is a magical time at Brockholes which produces awesome scenes like this everyday.
Learn more here:
(📸 Catherine Ingham)
No this isn't a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds! This a magical starling murmuration taking place at Brockholes, which leaves us reeling with delight, rather than offering a fright 🤯
Sit back, relax and be transfixed by this natural scene captured by Ruth Phillips.
We can’t believe it! We're up for
@BBCNWT
’s ‘People’s Choice Building of the Decade Award’! 🎉🎉 Our floating Visitor Village has been shortlisted for innovative design and eco-credentials.
Love
#Brockholes
? Vote for us here!
#Lancashire
#bbcnwtonight
A natural oasis on the edge of Preston City Centre 🍃 💫
A previously industrial site, Brockholes has transformed into a wildlife haven in a remarkably short period of time. If you haven't visited our magical reserve before, why not join us this Easter:
How much action can you pack into one photo!? 😲
Huge thanks to Pat Aitchison for capturing this image - as staff we cannot always get out onto the reserve as much as we would like but seeing photos like this make us so proud of the work we do to help the wonderful wildlife 💚
Super sighting at Brockholes! 🔭 😍
White winged black tern first spotted Mark Baldwin of our catering team on Number One Pit this afternoon. This marvellous bird is a scarce visitor to our shores.
Take a look at the fantastic image captured by Dave below.
(📸 Dave Bickerton)
It looks like Brockhole's favourite visitor put on quite the show earlier this week... 💙 💚
Andrew captured this amazing image of a resplendent kingfisher perched in the free flowing Ribble beside the reserve.
(📸 Andrew Clutterbuck)
Juvenile purple heron spotted over Meadow Lake! 💜 🔭
Take a look at these images of this amazing bird soaring above the reserve. Did you manage to spot the purple heron?
(📸 Northwest Hermit)
Great news! Brockholes Visitor Village will be back open as normal from tomorrow (Wednesday 24 November) 🎉
Thank you for your patience and support while we cleared up the aftermath of last nights vandalism.
Happy
#Lancashireday
!
@Lancswildlife
has been working on developing Brockholes for nearly 25 years - it has seen the land develop from a huge quarrying site into the vibrant
#lancashire
-based nature reserve that it is today 🌳 Photo Credit 📸 : David Gaskell & Ken Hayes
Brockholes from above ✈️ 😮
After
@BBCNWT
's visit last week the production team shared this fabulous footage with us. Created for cutaway shots this marvellous video highlights the amazing diversity of habitat present and unrivalled beauty of the reserve.
(📸
@BBCNWT
)
It's hard to believe that Brockholes has been open for more than a decade, and we feel like proud parents seeing how it has grown!
In nature terms the reserve is still incredibly young, however we have already had some mightly impressive wildlife visitors!
Today we are opening the Visitor Village as a trial to test our new systems. Toilets will be open and light refreshments available from Kitchen as well as items from our shop. Please be patient with us as we test this new way of working.
Please read 👉🏼
We are really enjoying seeing your wildlife encounters on your daily walks! Marketing Officer, Alice spotted this adorable family on her walk yesterday 🐤 They can't have been more than a few days old 💚
Don't miss Prince William:
#APlanetforUsAll
tonight at 9pm on
@ITV
🌍 With a star turn from our own Tim Burrows!
Prince William joined Tim at a school in Liverpool as the children started a campaign to improve their local area for wildlife 🐞🐜🐝🕷️
Brockholes hit the big time yesterday!
As a result of our starling murmurations being captured on film, in the last 24 hours the reserve has featured on Sky News, BBC Breakfast, Northwest Tonight and a number of other national publications.
Learn more:
Meet the incredible Kevin, the reigning monarch of the skies at Brockholes Nature Reserve! 🦅 👑
This remarkable creature has chosen our reserve as his majestic domain, captivating us with his grace and allure on a daily basis.
(📸 Dave Bennion)
Our resident celebrity Kevin the kestrel is taking our breath away in this stunning photograph captured by Peter Ashworth 🤯
Our precious reserve is brimming with wildlife which is just waiting to be discovered, learn more here:
The wonderful
@LancsPolice
Tac Ops team took these stunning photographs while working on a case yesterday evening. We thank them so much for reminding us how beautiful our nature reserve is, and for keeping our wonderful county safe 💙
#Brockholes
#StayHomeStaySafe
👀 BITTERN AT BROCKHOLES 👀
A Bittern was sighted yesterday by John Beattie skulking amongst the reedbeds of Meadow Lake 😍 This sighting of a relatively rare bird is wonderful news for the reserve.
Learn more about bitterns here:
(📸 John Beattie)
It is otterly fantastic to see these majestic creatures making a comeback in The Ribble!
Despite once being pushed to the brink by habitat destruction, otters have since made a remarkable comeback, and are regularly sighted in and around Brockholes.
(📸 Stephen Whittle)
Roll up roll up... 🤹 🎪
A juggling jay showing off one of its party tricks at Brockholes! Jays are famous for searching out acorns in woodlands and parks, often storing them for the winter ahead. However, they also have many more tricks up their sleeve 🤣
(📸 Leslie Price)
It's back! The elusive belted kingfisher has been sighted by Eddie Williamson near the Tunbrook Inlet on the Redscar Bend of the Ribble, seventeen days after its initial sighting.
Find out more here:
(📸 Eddie Williamson)
Super sighting at Brockholes! 🔭 😍
Tony captured this amazing shot of a spoonbill on Number One Pit Island this afternoon. Once absent from our shores this rare bird can now be seen infrequently across England.
Learn more here:
(📸 Tony Disley)
Did you know that walking in nature is proven to benefit your physical and mental
#wellbeing
?
Why not use
#NationalWalkingMonth
as an excuse to take a mindful stroll?
#Brockholes
is the perfect spot, filled with stunning green spaces and wildlife 🦆🌲 (📸 David Gaskell)
❤️ Show your love for Brockholes! ❤️
Brockholes has been nominated as one of the North's favourite wildlife destinations in the BBC Wildlife Magazine.
You can help us win and support our natural oasis by casting your vote here 👉
While the world seems quite uncertain right now, what we can be certain of is how happy our lovely little calf is to be outside! Look at Uma go 😍
(🎥 Tom Irvine)
⭐ Happy birthday Brockholes ⭐🎂🥳
The magical, floating reserve turns 10 today, and what a whirlwind it’s been! From wildlife firsts and royal visits, to wedding days and floods - it has been an incredible decade and we cannot wait for the next 10!
A natural oasis on the edge of Preston City Centre 💫
A previously industrial site, Brockholes has transformed into a wildlife haven in a remarkably short period of time. If you haven't visited our magical reserve before, why not join us this summer:
Exciting news! A very rare bird has been heard on the reserve for the first time!
The Savi's warbler has a soft song that sounds a little like a grasshopper - watch patiently and you may spot the warm brown bird clinging to a reed.
(📸 Brian Lancastle 🔉 Bill Aspin)
This morning we received the sad news that the osprey which was visiting the areas around Brockholes has died following an incident with a heavy goods vehicle.
Brockholes May Sightings Blog 📝 🦋
With warmer weather around we have seen the return of some of our more seasonal wildlife, much to our delight! Read our full blog here and discover some of our May highlights:
(📸 Linda Illston)
Did you catch us on ITV news last night? 👀
The ITV crew were on site yesterday broadcasting a live weather report full of beautiful cutaways of Brockholes. We absolutely love this aerial footage they got, showcasing the full scale of our 250-acre reserve 💚
This Remembrance Day, and always; at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them 🌹
Here's a beautiful throwback to a poppy made by our wonderful Nature Tots last year. ❤️
A natural oasis on the edge of Preston City Centre 🍃 💫
A former sand and gravel quarry Brockholes has been transformed by our amazing team into a natural haven for both people and wildlife. Why not pay us a visit and learn all about our amazing site:
Fill up your bird feeders and pop the kettle on... the
@Natures_Voice
#BigGardenBirdwatch
starts today! 🐦 Are you taking part?
Here are some common garden birds to look out for.
We're certified Excellent! 🎉🎉🎉
#TripAdvisor
has awarded us a 2018 Certificate of Excellence based on our consistently great reviews! Thank you so much for your kind words - we're dedicated to helping you experience truly special nature moments, whatever your age 😊
More sumptuous shots of the amazing white-winged black tern!
This feathered phenoms visit to Brockholes may have been short lived, however it certainly resulted in a great deal of excitement among staff and visitors alike.
(📸 Scott Pollard)
Rare bird sighting at Brockholes! 🤯 🔭
Dave Bennion captured this amazing shot of a marsh tit in Boilton Wood, on the 17th January. This is only the second reserve record of this marvellous bird - well done Dave!
(📸 Dave Bennion)
💚 AN OSPREY HAS LANDED 💚
@Lancswildlife
@WildlifeTrusts
We were super excited yesterday to see an
#Osprey
land on our Osprey platform, and fish in the lakes at
#Brockholes
.
Many visitors managed to capture the moment - see below 👇🏼
(📸 Ian McGill)
The results of our February photo competition are in! Last month's theme was 'Winter birds' and our judges certainly had a tough time choosing between all the fantastic entries. However, after much deliberation, the results are:
🥇 Les Price
🥈 Russel Finney
🥉 Ben Harrott
A natural oasis on the edge of Preston City Centre 🍃 💫
A previously industrial site, Brockholes has transformed into a wildlife haven in a remarkably short period of time. If you haven't visited our magical reserve before, why not join us for a wild adventure this Half Term.
An incredible osprey just couldn't resist taking a peek at our nesting platform! 🦅✨
Despite nesting season being over, the increasing number of sightings in the area fills us with hope and optimism for the future! 🤞
(📸 Ilse's Imagery)
A birds eye view! 🦅 👀
Take a look at these amazing drone shots captured by the ITV News Team when they paid us a visit last week. These fabulous images illustrate the amazing diversity of habitat present and unrivalled beauty of the reserve.
(📸 ITV News Team)
Did you know Brockholes is 250-acres big? All full of wonderful wetlands, woodlands, reedbeds, wildlife, bird life, fungi...it's a haven for the natural world 💚
Plan your visit today 👉🏼
It's two years ago since our regular visitor, Trevor, captured these incredible photos of young stoats playing on the boardwalk. Trevor described this as "an encounter never to be forgotten".
Find your nature moments at Brockholes - you never know what's around the corner 😍
⭐ RECENTLY SPOTTED ⭐
We've had an abundance of wonderful species at Brockholes recently, but this one really took us by surprise! Does anyone know what it could be?
😉
You've got a friend in me 💚 👭
Friends come in all shapes and sizes at Brockholes! We love the fact that the reserve is a meeting place for individuals from all walks of life to immerse themselves in the natural world.
Learn more:
(📸 Leslie Price)
Otterly awesome scenes at Brockholes! 🦦
These marvellous creatures were observed frolicking in Meadow lake yesterday morning. Thanks for sharing Bill!
(📹Bill Aspin)
Noble, imposing and incredibly photogenic! 📸 🦌
This standout shot of a resplendant roe deer demonstrates the startling beauty of this regular Brockholes visitor.
(📸 Lynnie Lou)
Did you know...Brown
#Hares
do not use burrows like their close relatives the rabbit.
They live above ground and will make small depressions in the ground which they use for cover. 🐰
(📸 Ian McGill)
*EXCITING NEWS!* From Wednesday 8th July our car park and play area will be open 7 days a week, 6am-9pm. More news on the Visitor Village to follow later this week. See you soon!
#WelcomeBack
#MissedYou
Did you know...An adult wren weighs about the same as a £1 coin. They are the lightest birds found in Britain the exception of the firecrest and goldcrest.
(📸 Ken Hayes)
Brockholes osprey watch 🔭 🦅
Earlier this week an osprey was sighted fishing in Meadow Lake, including entry into the water very close to the Visitor Village. This magical sight was a joy to behold, and Bill managed to capture this amazing action shot.
(📸 Bill Aspin)
A majestic osprey was spotted earlier this week soaring high above Brockholes.
Grab your binoculars and head down to the reserve for a chance to witness these incredible birds as they migrate to Africa over the coming months. It's a sight you don't want to miss!
(📸 Phil Hill)
Otters catching an early breakfast! 💚
Jeanie managed to capture these amazing images of two otters frolicking in the Ribble beside Brockholes, and catching an eel for breakfast.
Learn more about otters here:
(📸 Jeanie Lazenby)
Shoot for the moon - even if you miss it, you will land among the stars - Ani DiFranco🌠
A stupendous starling murmuration backlit by magical moonlight over Brockholes - what more could you possibly ask for? 🌑
(📸 Stephen Melling)
Super sighting at Brockholes! 🔭💛
Yellowhammer spotted by Andrew Spencer at Brockholes beside the motorway path. This marvellous bird is a relatively scarce visitor to our reserve, with only ten previous records, as a result we were delighted with this surprise sighting.
Last Friday The River Ribble burst its banks and flooded Brockholes entrance road 💧
In spite of the minor inconvenience for staff and visitors, this occurence demonstrates the vitally important role Brockholes plays as a flood plain.
(📸 Lindsay Griffiths)
Brockholes resident superstar continues to captivate! 👑
Kevin is regularly spotted soaring high in the sky above the reserve, however Martin managed to capture him striking a pose for the camera in this wonderful image. Learn more:
(📸 Martin England)