WILDLIFE 16

wildlife

ST. BEES HEAD RSPB NATURE RESERVE contains the only cli -nesting seabirds in Northwest England, to which thousands of birds return each spring to lay their eggs and hatch their chicks before returning to the seas where they spend three-quarters of their lives. Most numerous are the guillemots, the northern equivalent of the penguin; over 5,000 crowd on to the open ledges where they jostle for the best position to lay their single egg. Their close relative the razorbill is represented by only a few hundred birds, preferring the privacy of nooks and crannies in the cli s. This is the only place in England where black guillemots nest, and you would be unlucky not to see one in their favourite spot - Fleswick Bay. In summer they are easily identi ed by the big white wing patch on the otherwise black body, and close views reveal their bright crimson legs and gapes. Among the fulmars and various gulls, about 1600 pairs of kittiwakes build their precarious nests of mud and grass on the most meagre foundations on the cli face, and the interest is not limited to seabirds. Those typical occupants of many Lakeland crags, peregrine, raven and wheatear, seem unconcerned that their seem unconcerned that their homes overlook the Irish Sea rather than screes and sheep walks Many thanks to Dr. Ian Mcandrew and Doug Sim (St. Bees Parish Council Chairman) for information and photos. Log on to www.rspb.org.uk/st_bees_head .qZH5WIalMzoEimvEVIlbP2jT QgPxlD6NIj7b03KcgCW74&sig=AOD64_3C2a7X02DnA-Nixk6tDWCe2jkE-g&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjxpbWO7NDlAhXJbMAKHa3aCBUQ0Qx6BAgOEAE&adurl=https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/st-bees-head%3Fchannel%3Dpaidsearch%26%26gclid%3DCj0KCQiAtf_tBRDtARIsAIbAKe0TWdU0Vm-g8Dz1tXB5Oqkf72qqREda15QG1VPSYtekx3IjQBgcT1saAjKJEALw_wcB

The magnificentThe maginificent Holme Cultram Abbey stands on the Solway Plain in Abbeytown midway between Wigton and Silloth

Founded on Scottish territory since 1157 the abbey was founded in 1150 by Prince Henry son of the Scottish King David !st. The monastery buildings originally situated south of the church suffered several times under attacks from Scotland. In 1538 it was drafted by the Crown and the church became a parish church. In 1600 the Fourth Tower collapsed and an end wall was erected at the east end of the knave.

After a fire in the year 1604 the three east yokes of the originallly nine-yoke long house were abandoned, the side ships were broken off and the roof lowered. the rest of the church fragment was restored in the years 1883 and 1913, and a connection to two monastries located west of the church was established. The church was heavily damaged by fire in 2006 with reconstruction in progress. The roof was reconstructed in 2008 and dates back to 1730 and contains medieval beams.