Travels round
TOWNELEY
by Amy Blackburn
What does Burnley’s most loved park have to offer visitors? Local nature lover Graham Gavaghan has been walking and working amongst Burnley’s wildlife since the late 70s. A natural history enthusiast from a young age, Graham joined the Towneley Junior Naturalists club at age 9, and then began his professional career as an apprentice gardener on leaving school. Since then he has not stepped too far out of his beloved Towneley Park, where he has been a park ranger for the last 18 years. The 180 hectare park, which Graham describes as ‘a truly wonderful place for wildlife’, is home to a plethora of different birds, bees, butterflies, deer, and much more. Can you tell us some of your favourite things about working at Towneley? “Some of the best days I’ve had in the park were when I’ve found something new. We’ve found two new species of birds in the park just this year. I love sharing this knowledge with people, showing them things that have always been there, they’ve just never seen them. When they do see something, it’s a great buzz, to know you’ve amazed them with nature, because I’ve not seen anything that people couldn’t see themselves if they spent the time looking. I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve worked up here, I’ve seen some wonderful things.” What wildlife can a visitor expect to see on a typical visit to Towneley? “Towneley has something for everyone, it really does. The park has every kind of habitat, woodland, moorland, wetland and open-field, and it is because of this variety that we have the large and diverse amount of species that we do. I couldn’t begin to list everything you could see, but there are at least 20 different species of butterflies, bumblebees, deer, lapwings, grey partridges, peregrine falcons, sandpipers… at last count I’d personally recorded 101 different species in the park. The park has always been very well used, but it’s not had an adverse effect on what you can see here.” 60
Are there any particular trails round the park that are good for viewing wildlife and nature? “The small holdings woodland that we started planting in 1999 has a fantastic nature trail through it. It’s less than a mile long, but has been designed in a way that makes it accessible to all, and the paths are suitable for trampers, which are available up at the hall. The flowers, fauna and flora that can be seen on this short walk are staggering. In the last ten years the amount of wildlife that has found its home there has almost matched the rest of the park. I’d recommend visitors to keep their eyes peeled for the Towneley orchids too, we have 4 species now in the park, and they’re beautiful.” Is there a best time to visit Towneley Park? “The park changes dramatically over the seasons, and I couldn’t pick a favourite! The spring flower display is beautiful, and the fabulous bluebell woodlands near Barwise are well worth visiting during this time. By autumn the colours in the park are superb, and winter really shows off our dramatic scenery. The views over the open moorlands are spectacular, and there is a higher chance of seeing a lot of our common woodland species during this time too. To see thousands of Graham’s fantastic photos search for ‘naturalhistoryman’ on Flickr.