Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

WE have all heard the nursery rhyme "Here we go gathering nuts in May."

This is daft because you gather nuts in autumn. Actually the rhyme should read "Here we go gathering knots in May," as a knot is a bunch of flowers.

Hazel nuts are not so important these days but in the old days, when 99 per cent of people lived in the countryside, gathering them was very important. All nuts are a valuable source of protein and if carefully dried and stored they can last throughout the winter and beyond.

The bottling of fruit was also an important part of country people's work for late summer, as was jam-making.

Bramble is the most common of the hedgerow fruits and it makes wonderful jam, jelly and a rich, red and very potent wine.

Anybody who has ever tried crab apples knows how sour they are but try making an apple pie with them.

Instead of sweetening it with sugar, why not use honey?

It is wonderful when served with ice cream or cream.

If you want to spoil yourself, add both!

This week I had couple of days which provided a real contrast.

Firstly, I went to Leighton Moss, near Silverside.

You don't need a car to get there because the RSPB reserve is close to the railway station.

I saw a flock of hawfinches and a flock of reed warblers looking as if they were getting ready to begin their migration.

These little birds can increase their weight from 16 grams to 28 grams and become so fat they they can't close their eyes!

After a flight of around 5,000 miles to Africa their weight is back to normal.

I wonder what health farms would say about people who could go from 10 to 20 stones and back again in a month.

It just goes to show that bird biology is nothing like ours.

On the following day I walked through Brierfield Woods and migration was also in full swing, with spotted flycatchers apparently on the move after a successful breeding season.

Although the pheasant was mainly introduced to Britain in the 19th century in order to be shot, the attractive species has now become part of the natural environment.

They are resident in Brierfield and in every woodland in Lancashire.

Although Brierfield Woods is close to the M65, most of the traffic noise is usually masked by the weir of an old mill and the natural sounds of the countryside.

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