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JOURNAL
Guest Blog by Andrew Hill - Autumn Bird Migration at KFP
As early as it may seem, the end of July is the start of the autumn bird migration. The Common Swift, which is a frequent summer visitor to KFP, generally starts its 7,000 mile journey back to Southern Africa by the end of July. Swallows and House Martins, who have been enjoying our new ponds this summer, stayed on until mid-September. Our Swallows have had a good summer, with young birds being much in evidence throughout July and August. Common Swift House Martin A wide r
Geoff Freeston
Oct 22
Quiz Night 2026
Thank you to everyone who supported this year's Quiz Night, either by participating or volunteering, which raised the fantastic sum of over £1300 for a new water collection system. Our site manager Geoff explains why this is needed: "In February this year we had our first phase of tree planting - many people volunteered to help us plant more than a thousand trees, shrubs and hedge plants. At the time it was very wet and muddy so the plants established well. Then this summer h
Alison Organ
Oct 21
Another Thursday at KFP
Thursday is our regular volunteer day at KFP and there is always a lot going on but today was busier than usual. It began with the collection of a car load of useful timber, metal and tools donated by a neighbour followed by a meeting with Andrew our wonderful bird recorder - watch out for an update shortly. It continued with the arrival of 10 of our wonderful volunteers who soon set to work. Chris & Ken were putting finishing touches to the toilet block :- Tony & Richard we
Geoff Freeston
Oct 8
Knaresborough Forest Day 2026!
We were thrilled that so many people braved the hot weather (for the second year running!) to join us to celebrate returning the land to community ownership. After a welcome by Shan Oakes, Mayor of Knaresborough and KFP team member, we were delighted that Ben Skinner, our former Chair, opened the event with a rousing rendering of his Ballad of Long Lands Common, telling the tale of where we have come from and where we are going. During the afternoon we were treated to music b
Alison Organ
Aug 27
Son et Lumière event by Knaresborough Museum Association
We were thrilled that Knaresborough Museum Association chose the subject of the ancient Knaresborough Forest to create not only a very informative exhibition at Knaresborough Heritage Centre but also a wonderful film shown at their recent Son et Lumière event at Knaresborough House. It maps the history of the Forest and also looks to the future, emphasizing the importance of protecting our local green spaces - a topic very close to our hearts! The film features paintings by o
Alison Organ
Aug 17
Guest Blog by Lou Turnbull
A Natural Dye Garden & Flax Patch By Lou Turnbull We have been trialling an exciting project at The Garth this year on a revived chicken run which has been transformed into a natural dye garden. I have been photographing the process since April when the dye beds were first built and young plants were transplanted from my own small dye garden at home. It has been wonderful to see the plants spring to life and grow so abundantly. Right now in mid-summer, the garden is in full b
Geoff Freeston
Jul 21
Community help for 'schoolroom'
We received a generous offer of help to furnish our 'schoolroom' at the Garth, a secure room we will be able to use when welcoming groups to Knaresborough Forest Park. A supporter who is a member of Knaresborough Quilters, Sue Hadley, offered to make cushions for the wooden benches. She was also given the materials free of charge by the Cone Exchange in Harrogate. When it came to stuffing the cushions, we were able to use sheep's wool which had also been donated by a local fa
Alison Organ
Jul 6
Summer update of birds at KFP
As we are now into July, it seems a good time to share some news about some of the birds that can be seen around KFP during the summer. First of the summer visitors to arrive in the spring are the warblers, of which the Chiffchaff and Blackcaps are the most common and are breeding widely at KFP. The Blackcap has a rich ‘fluting’ song that has earned it the name of the ‘Northern Nightingale’. The Common Whitethroat is another warbler seen at KFP and appears to be more widesp
Geoff Freeston
Jul 3
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