Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

A DRIVE of around one-and-a-half hours from East Lancashire takes us into the heart of the Lake District.

And perhaps it gives us a glimpse of the benefits to be gained from ridding out area of industrial pollution.

The natural history of the Lake District is spectacular, whether you are looking for rarities or great sweeps of common flowers.

You should make use of the month of May by heading for the hills around Thirlmere.

Here North West Water has set up an observation area overlooking the nest of a pair of golden eagles.

The species is now quite common in the highland of Scotland but this pair are the only breeding eagles in England.

Their aerial gymnastics are a joy to see.

The areas around Martindale and on the coastal strip between Grange-over-Sands and Haverthwaite are the haunts of the red deer.

The red deer are seen at their best in September and October. I was, however, walking in woodlands close to the Haverthwaite to Lakeside Steam Railway and on the banks of the River Leven when I saw a wonderful sight.

A roe deer buck was drinking and a slight breeze was blowing from the direction of the deer towards me.

The buck could not, therefore, pickup my scent.

The roe's breeding season is in the late spring.

It lives in family groups and not in herds.

The female is known as the hind.

The old Celtic word for a stream is a burn -- hence we have our own "Hyndburn."

For many years following the Industrial Revolution, the idea of a deer sipping clean water from the streams of East Lancashire was ridiculous.

Nowadays, however, we have lots of well though-out schemes for tree-planting and North West water, the Environment Agency and others have tackled water pollution head-on.

The roe deer is now becoming common in the Hyndburn area and very welcome it is.

At one time the Cliviger gorge was famous for its golden eagles so we still have some way to go before we have beaten the effects of the Industrial revolution.