SHY inhabitants of Otley Chevin are being celebrated with the launch of a new circular walk and a poem.

Few people see or hear the woodcocks which nest on the ground of the forest park’s steep woodland slopes.But now visitors will get the chance to learn more about this elusive bird thanks to a circular Woodcook Walk and accompanying poem. The project is the work of Otley Town Council’s Poet, Matthew Hedley Stoppard, the Friends of Chevin Forest Park and Leeds City Council’s Parks and Countryside service.

Matthew said: "This was a great and irresistible chance to celebrate an icon among the cast of the town’s wild creatures. When I think of Otley, I first think of its greenspaces and natural world, and the Woodcock is very much a figurehead of that. With the help of local nature conservationist Richard Marsh’s expertise, I was proud to produce a poem, that can be enjoyed on an interactive platform, detailing the Woodcock’s quirks and attributes, and also highlight the precarious situation of wildlife during this climate and biodiversity emergency.”

Penny Redwood, the Chair of Friends of Chevin Forest, said: "The Woodcock is the symbol you see on signs across the Chevin and was chosen because it represents the balance between nature and people on the same piece of land. Because they nest on the ground they are easily disturbed by dogs off leads and bikes leaving the paths.

"We know there used to be Woodcock on the Danefield side of the Chevin because there is a famous painting by Turner showing someone shooting them there, but today we do not know how many pairs still breed on our much-loved wooded slopes. It is great they still nest near the White House, and this poem helps more people learn about them and hopefully respect the need to keep some parts of the Chevin undisturbed.”

Local sculptor Shane Green created a stone carving of a Woodcock which can be seen on part of the route, which starts at the bottom of Johnny Lane and goes up to the White House and then back down the tarmac track.

To hear the poem visit tinyurl.com/otleywoodcock or download the free Echoes interactive sound walks App. When using the App there are four locations where the words of the poem will come to life, alternatively there is also a downloadable version of the poem and a fact sheet for more information about the wildlife featured in the poem as well as how the poem was formed and structured.

The Woodcock Walk, which is a mixture of wildlife and art with a message, would not have been possible without Otley Town Council including the project in their Town Poet scheme and Leeds City Council’s Outer North West Community Committee for funding the sculpture. Visitors are being told to look out for some Woodcock Walks next year when the male Woodcock are roding.