A VERY small Beatrix Potter drawing has sold for nearly £50,000 at an auction in America.

The three-and-three-quarter inches by six inches ink and watercolour had been expected to sell for up to 37,500 at the Sotheby's auction, in New York, but reached £47,438

The miniature, called 'Guinea pigs going to their garden...' was among 193 original illustrations sold by wealthy American couple, Kendra and Allan Daniel. The painting depicts four guinea pigs following a fifth along a path carrying garden tools.

A spokesman for Sotheby's said: "Early in 1893, when she was in her twenties, Beatrix Potter borrowed a number of guinea pigs from her friend, Miss Paget. One, named Mr Chopps, proved to be no problem but another, named Queen Elizabeth, apparently 'took to eating blotting paper, pasteboard, string and other curious substances and expired during the night.  A pair of gardening illustrations date from this time: four guinea pigs following a blue-coated guinea pig and four guinea pigs working under the guidance of the blue-coated guinea pig.

"These were later redrawn in 1922 and used in Potter's book Cecil Parsley's Nursery Rhymes."

TWO thirds of the red kites released in Grizedale Forest last summer have survived the harsh winter.

Wildlife rangers believe that around 20 of the 30 birds released in the Forestry Commission’s three-year re-introduction programme made it through the winter and are still in Cumbria, or nearby counties. Between five and eight of the birds are believed to be living around Grizedale and the Rusland Valley, with another three to five inhabiting the Kirkby Moor area near Ulverston.

Four more Grizedale red kites have been spotted by RSPB experts at feeding stations in Dumfries and Galloway – the furthest known movement is by the bird tagged as number four, which has flown 120km north west into Scotland.

“The birds are doing pretty much exactly as we expected, which is very encouraging,” said Iain Yoxall, Forestry Commission wildlife ranger. “We are more confident that these birds will make it to adults now they have made it through a harsh winter. Sadly we lost a few birds but that is natural and why we have to release the numbers that we did.”

The 30 red kites released from a secret location in Grizedale Forest in August last year had coloured tags on each wing. An orange tag on their left wing shows they are from Grizedale, and blue tags on their right wings indicate that they were released in 2010. Some birds were also fitted with radio transmitters to help with monitoring.

Mr Yoxall, who has been following the birds’ movements around Cumbria, said the help he has received from the public had been invaluable. “I have been radio tracking the birds but sightings from members of the public have been a fantastic help and greatly appreciated. This has been very important because it helps us find the birds and backs up our radio tracking results to give us a more robust picture of their movements. We hope that the public will continue letting us know when and where they make sightings of the red kites.”

This year’s birds will hatch in May and are likely to be released into Grizedale Forest in August. The red kites being introduced into Grizedale are the product of a reintroduction programme that took place in Northamptonshire in the 1980s.

Red kites were almost eradicated from the UK following changes in farming practices and human persecution between the 16th and 19th centuries. But they managed to cling on in Wales, and their numbers recovered slowly thanks to the actions of local conservationists

BBC Radio 1 DJ’s Chris Moyles and Greg James are packing their bags early and taking their shows to Carlisle a week before Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

The pair will broadcast their shows live from Cumbria from Monday (May 9) to Friday (May 13) when they arrive a week ahead of the main event. In addition to their daily shows, Chris, Greg and their teams will be getting out and about in the city and surrounding areas, meeting the residents and celebrating all that Carlisle has to offer.

The pair will immerse themselves in the local community for a whole week, and they also plan to meet the city’s students in a Q&A session during the week.

Chris Moyles says: “The Big Weekend is always the highlight of my year and I'm so excited that we get to go up to Carlisle for a whole week beforehand and settle in before everyone else arrives. I'm hoping the good people of Carlisle are going to show us a good time!''

Greg James adds: “I’m really looking forward to this year’s Big Weekend and to bring my show live from Carlisle. Chris and I will be out and about meeting the locals during the week and I'm hoping we can experience the best of the city!"

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend is the UK's biggest free ticketed festival and 40,000 lucky music fans will be able to enjoy performances across four stages at Carlisle Airfield where the event is taking place – the Main Stage; the In New Music We Trust Stage; the Outdoor Stage and the BBC Introducing Stage. This year’s artists include, Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, The Black Eyed Peas, Tinie Tempah and Ellie Goulding.

A truly multiplatform experience, Radio 1's Big Weekend will be broadcast on Radio 1, with a major interactive presence online and many live performances available to watch on demand. There will be highlights on BBC Three and extended performances can be seen via BBC Red Button on digital TV during the weekend.

A SNOW leopard which featured in a movie starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman is the latest addition to a South Lakeland zoo.

Young male Pavan, one of two leopards who played the part of Stelamaria in The Golden Compass, will be housed in a walk-through enclosure at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis at Hale, near Milnthorpe.

Staff have created a homely feel for their new feline friend with the enclosure designed to look like a Himalayan village with plenty of rocks for him to climb and snooze on.

An acrylic tunnel running through the enclosure will allow visitors to see Pavan in his own habitat in what is thought to be the UK’s first walk-through big cat exhibit.

Assistant manager of Lakeland Wildlife Oasis, Caroline Howard, said: “We’re really excited about Pavan’s arrival - he’s a real celebrity cat! His new home is amazing. You can walk right through his territory while he ranges around you - even above your head!”

Pavan has arrived from UK charity the Cat Survival Trust which helps conserve endangered cats.

Once he has settled in his new environment, zoo staff hope to form a breeding pair by adding a female snow leopard to Pavan’s enclosure.It is not known how many snow leopards are left in the wild but they are now classed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is joining the captive breeding programme which is run by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

A PAIR of ospreys have returned to their nesting site in the Lake District. The birds are back at Bassenthwaite Lake - 10 years after the first male osprey chose the area for a nesting site.The bird, known as No Ring, was the first to nest in the Lakes for 150 years. Experts say he has returned with the female he paired up with for the first time in 2007.

It is hoped the birds will rear an 11th generation of young after two male chicks were produced last year.

Graeme Prest of the Lake District Osprey Project said: "It is wonderful news that the ospreys have returned for another season and have already mated. With a bit of luck, the female will be laying her eggs soon.”

Almost 100 people are part of a volunteer project to provide 24-hour observation on the nest. They also engage with the public about ospreys at the Dodd Wood viewpoint and Whinlatter Visitor Centre.

The public Osprey Viewpoint at Dodd Wood, near Keswick, has been opened and telescopes are being provided to see the birds.

Live images from the nest are also being beamed to a big screen at the nearby Whinlatter visitor centre. The osprey project is managed by a partnership of the Forestry Commission, Lake District National Park Authority and the RSPB.