Park
life  |
Muncaster Castle is set amongst some of the most beautiful landscape in
Britain with the rolling hills of the Lake District surrounding it.
It's
also one of the best places in the UK to see wild Tawny Owls. Ìý | | Muncaster Castle
- bats, butterflies and birds |
The castle evolved
from the original Pele Tower, designed to keep out the marauding Scots.
Its
interior is a treasure house of art and antiques, and it is said to be one of
the most haunted houses in England. The woods surrounding the castle are
crammed with wildflowers and insects which make it a great place for springtime
wildlife watching. Butterflies  Spring
is a good time to see a Muncaster speciality - the unmistakable Orange Tip Butterfly.
These boldly coloured creatures are very easy to spot and emerge in April
at the first sign of good weather - they can be seen up until June, but no later. The
orange tip indicates a male butterfly whilst the females are pure white but both
genders have a distinctive green mottling on the underside of their wings. During
spring these creatures are preoccupied with breeding and looking for mates. Once
mated, the females will look for food which her caterpillars can feed on and will
lay her eggs on cuckoo plant or hedge mustard. Tawny
Owls  Muncaster
is home to the World Owl Trust, and, to help educate the public about the plight
of owls the world over, they keep a collection of birds.
The castle has
a good breeding population of Tawny
Owls which live mainly in its woods. These
brown and cream mottled birds aren't always easy to spot because their colouration
is the perfect camouflage when they are perched in the trees. The owls
hunt at night but if you know where to look in a wood you can find them resting
up during the day. The abbey has a really great way of seeing the adults
without anyone disturbing the birds' nesting boxes - via close circuit TV. The
Owl Centre is also home to Fish Owls, Oriental Bay Owls, and tiny Pygmy Owls as
well as Buzzards, Kestrels and Red Kites. Happy
Heron Hour  The
castle grounds are home to some great wildlife including one of Britain's most
unique birding events - Heron Happy Hour.
Herons have been nesting at Muncaster
for centuries, and a heronry sits just yards away from the walls of the castle
- it's believed to be one of the oldest in the UK. About 10 years ago the
numbers of Herons had fallen to three birds as a result of depleted fish stocks
in the river. So Muncaster devised 'Heron Happy Hour' - the birds are fed
daily at 4.30pm in the afternoon in the hope of attracting more birds. Now
there are 26 adult birds and the heronry is thriving once again. Muncaster's
meadows  Muncaster
is renowned for its amazing spring meadows.
Every year it invites local
school children to trample these wild areas during spring to encourage the growth
of a particular flower - the Yellow Balsam. The flower is the favourite
food of the Netted Carpet Moth, the third rarest in Britain. Encouraging
the growth of food plants by trampling the meadow is one way of protecting the
moth. | 
