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WFV, Adwick Washlands & Old Moor RSPB Reserve, 6th October 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 7th Oct 2015, 6:02pm

Willow SculptureWillow SculptureThe Bees good luck has returned! What a relief! We enjoyed warm temperatures, clear skies, sunny intervals and good light for our outing to Adwick Washlands and Old Moor Reserve today. Adwick Washlands was a new venture and provided some navigational challenges but also for John and Sue a birding triumph.!

The Washlands are an area of wetland with several large lakes situated in the flood plain of the River Dearne. It is managed by the RSPB and is attractive to ducks, geese and waders. We crossed paths with several "twitchers"returning from a spot of a rare North American vagrant- the Pectoral Sandpiper. Both John and Sue were smitten and went in hot pursuit. They were given considerable help by other birders who had telescopes trained on the little brown job feeding in the company of two Ruff.RuffRuff The remainder of the party of 10 enjoyed watching a large group of Goldfinch flying between the reeds and the nearby trees before following a route on top of a bund (with excellent views) back to the car park.

The remainder of the day we spent at the Old Moor Reserve, enjoying birds, butterflies, dragonflies, flowers and shrubs in fruit and the cafe.The bird count was 50, plants in flower or fruit 77, (Old Moor), dragonflies 4, butterflies 5. There were good numbers of Teal, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Mute Swans and Heron. A Kingfisher was seen on a perch. The most interesting hide was the Wath Ings hide where a large flock of Golden Plover and Lapwing had gathered. I was looking forward to seeing the "goldies" in flight following a disturbance by a bird of prey however they stood stationary throughout.my visit. Several Green sandpipers were seen. A Great White Egret (rare in the UK) was seen fishing from the Fieldpool East hide.

Mute SwanMute Swan There are several dragonfly ponds and species seen included Common Darter,Common and Migrant Hawker and Common Blue Damsel Fly. Butterflies included a White at Adwick, Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Holly Blue.The hedgerows were dripping with berries and fruit. There was a superabundance of seed heads of flowers such as Figwort and Knapweed. No doubt these will be stripped as the forthcoming winter descends but what a supply of grub for the birds!

Tuesday was a pleasant day out with a lot of interest for our group. Thank you for your company and support.

Margaret.

See more photos from today's trip here.

WFV,Ripley Castle Grounds, 22nd September 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 22nd Sep 2015, 9:31pm
Ripley CastleRipley CastleOur day out at Ripley Castle turned out much better than expected. Following a cloudy start we experienced periods of warm sunshine. There had been downpours of rain elsewhere. Our group of 12 followed a variety of options. Brian and Jean enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the gardens followed by lunch, tea and ice cream! Helen opted for an historical tour of the castle. Marilyn and Lorna explored the kitchen garden and herbaceous borders. The majority of the party enjoyed a circular walk around the lake taking in some superb vistas of the lake and castle and views of a herd of Fallow deer but more especially views of the ancient trees - FungusFungusOak and Sweet Chestnut for which the park is famed. Some extraordinary photos of fungi and other species were taken by Sue.

All seemed quiet on the avian scene with 16 records. A family of Goldcrest had evoked delight prior to our walk. Other birds seen included Greylag Geese on the lake and grassland, Heron in the trees, House martins around the castle and a Red Kite overhead.

Alice recorded 6 fern species and 108 plant species, of which 94 had flowers and the rest were in fruitRed AdmiralRed AdmiralThe special plants included Nodding Bur Marigold, Common Skullcap, Marsh Woundwort, Water Pepper and Fairy Foxglove growing on the walls below the castle. The herbaceous borders of the walled garden were a riot of floral colour and also the venue of 5 species of butterfly dancing among the flowers when the sun shone. They included Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma and Speckled Wood. The kitchen garden contained an interesting variety of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, knot garden and wild flower meadow. September is a delightful month and it was our good fortune with the weather that allowed us to enjoy our visit to the full.

Margaret

WFV, Blacktoft Sands RSPB Reserve, 8th September 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Sat, 12th Sep 2015, 6:50pm
Leaving Bradford in the mist and heading towards the East coast isn’t usually aBlack Tailed GodwitBlack Tailed Godwit prelude to a fine day out but that’s where we were going as we set off on our trip to Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve. Surprise, surprise, it grew brighter as we drove along and the weather continued to improve throughout the day and by lunchtime the sun had broken through and we enjoyed a fine afternoon.

It’s been a good year at Blacktoft, England’s largest area of tidal reedbed, with breeding avocets, bearded tits, bitterns and marsh harriers and the UK’s rarest breeding bird of prey - Montagu’s harrier, so there was plenty to look forward to. Recent high tides had resulted in the water levels on the reserve being unusually high which are not the conditions which attract many waders and this time of year is not the best for duck spotting as most are in eclipse, so we saw rather a lot of brown ducks and only a few waders. However, once we got our eyes in we were able to distinguish most of the ducks and we were pleased to see snipe, lapwing, redshank, curlew, little egret and perhaps the day’s highlight, black-tailed godwits as well as a skulking water rail. From time to time throughout the day a hunting marsh harrier would spook the ducks and a kestrel hovered over the reeds. A total of 30 bird species was recorded including tree sparrows which are attracted to the feeders on the approach to the cosy (log fire) visitor centre.

HoverflyHoverfly The botanists were especially interested in seeing the marsh sow-thistle, a species found on only a few sites in Britain. When Joan first recorded this plant at Blacktoft in 1998, there were just six plants on the reserve. It has spread so much during the intervening period that counting is now done by clump rather than by individual plant – a spectacular success story. In all 74 species of plants were noted either in flower or fruit by our eagle-eyed recorders. Small TortoiseshellSmall Tortoiseshell As the day warmed up butterflies started to appear; first of all, as usual, a speckled wood which was followed by peacock, small tortoiseshell and small and green-veined white. Dragonflies were also about in the form of common darter and migrant hawker and John also recorded silver Y and angle shades moths as well as a buff ermine moth caterpillar.

So our time passed surprisingly quickly and we returned to Bradford a happy bunch in time to miss the rush hour traffic thanks to our drivers for the day, Sue and Robert.

Stuart

WFV, Rodley Nature Reserve, 25th August 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Fri, 28th Aug 2015, 12:17pm

The LagoonThe Lagoon

At last a nice day in August; although a bit breezy, we had plenty of sunshine throughout the day for another of our visits to this local reserve.  It is only open to the public on Wednesdays and weekends but they make an exception for our group for which we are very grateful.

Only 5 travelled on the mini-bus including our driver Julia. Several cancellations had reduced our number, this included Joan, one of our key botanists, who had sustained a gardening injury. Many members had however made their way there by their own steam plus Julia's mum and dad who were visiting from their home in London.  Our leader for the day was Graham who had arranged to take us around parts of the reserve not normally open to the public; The Willow Path & The Fish Pass.

A total of 31 birds were recorded including Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite and Reed Bunting. Dragonflies seen were Brown/Southern and Migrant Hawkers, Common Darters, Blue-tailed and Common Blue Damselfys.Brown HawkerBrown Hawker The hawkers and darters were all seen on the very first pond as you enter through the gate to the dragonfly pools. Brown H, Southern H & the darters were all seen oviposting.

Butterflies seen: Green-veined and Small Whites, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Common Blue. Overall numbers were low due to the cool breezy conditions, only warm when the sun came out.  Only 2 moths spotted; Udea lutealis and Agriphila tristella.

The ponds are a delight for botanists with an array of aquatic plants; White and Fringed Water Lilies, Flowering Rush, Water Plantain, Purple Loosestrife, Bogbean, Water Mint plus many others.ChicoryChicory On the wildflower bank; Crown Vetch, Viper's Bugloss, Marjoram and trefoils and this is where most of the butterflies were to be found.

Lunch was taken in a variety of places but for those of us who chose to frequent the Visitor Centre thanks go to June and Marilyn for making the drinks.

During our walk around the Willow Path Graham pointed out an amazing honeycomb. I had certainly never seen anything like it. By the time we exitted the path Graham realised that he had lost most of his flock and had to go back to round them up.  He had clearly failed his 'Shepherding exam'!  After lunch we were shown the Fish Pass and we then walked from there behind the lagoon and Sand Martin Wall and came out by the Lagoon Hide, where earlier in the year I had been fortunate to see a Cettis Warbler.

A most enjoyable visit.

John Gavaghan 

 

WFV, Water's Edge Country Park, 18th August 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 19th Aug 2015, 11:56am
Washout (View from the Visitor Centre)Washout (View from the Visitor Centre)Another very wet day; after Malham we thought it wouldn't happen again but it did. It rained continuously throughout the day. The only consolation was that it had also rained back in Bradford. We were a party of 10 setting off from the Unitarian church and were joined by Robert, Linda and Edie. Fortunately Water's Edge has a superb visitor centre which acted as our base for two sorties, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We were joined by local botanists Angela and Stuart also Sarah, Alice's friend.

Our morning walk took us along the foreshore of the Humber estuary with the Humber Bridge towering to our left. The skies were grey and the Humber a murky brown. The plants of the foreshore included Sea Aster, Wild Carrot, Mugwort, Henbit Dead-nettle and Wild Mignonette.The birds included Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin. The rain was lashing down before us and we gravitated to the trees where we found shelter. The main party marched back to the visitors' centre whilst the botanists (a hardy bunch) stuck true to their mission of recording shrubs and flora. Along the path sides we found Guelder Rose, Dogwood, Bristly Ox-tongue, Fleabane, Black Mustard and Great Lettuce.

The two options for the afternoon were to remain at the centre (the preferred choice of six of the party) or to complete a walk in the woodland.The remainder of the party joined Angela and Stuart on this walk.We found several plants of interest growing on rough ground in front of the visitors' centre including Viper's Bugloss, Haresfoot Clover, Hoary plantain, Golden Melilot and Lady's Bedstraw. In the woodland we found Canadian Fleabane and Hedgerow Cranesbill. We emerged near the path we had taken in the morning where we found a good stand of Ploughman's Spikenard , followed by Gipsywort, Watermint and Purple Loosetrife by the lake. Stuart took us to view a patch of Centaury in seed growing on sandy soil. Despite the poor weather conditions a total of 120 plants were recorded. The bird count was 14 and included Greylag Geese, Mute Swans, Gadwall, Little Grebe and Coot in good numbers.

Our spirits were high and good humour prevailed. Thank go to our leaders Angela, Stuart and Margaret; to our drivers Sue and Robert and to Alice for her assistance throughout the day.

Margaret

WFV, Malham Tarn, 4th August 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 5th Aug 2015, 8:39pm
By Malham TarnBy Malham Tarn

The last two visits to this site were both cut short due to terrible weather. We surely couldn’t be unlucky a third time?  Oh yes we could!   The driving rain began the moment we stepped out of the minibus. It had been fine when we set off and when we made our toilet stop in Malham: but there is something about the tarn & BEES. 

All seats on the bus were full and four had travelled using their own transport.  Before they had gone a few hundred yards; Robert, Linda, grandchild Eden and Marilyn were so wet and cold they turned back to the shelter of the bus. The remainder hurried towards and past the tarn hoping to seek some shelter within the trees. Botanising would have to wait till the way back.  Half the group reached the bird-hide where we stayed to eat our lunches to the sound of the rain beating on the metal roof.  Only a few Mallards could be positively identified in the gloom. There may have been other birds out there but who knew or cared?

The other half meanwhile had fared much better. They had called into the Field Study Centre where some kindly soul had offered them hot drinks and Coconut cakes.  Luxury!

WheatearWheatearThe decision was taken by the leader Alice that we would not go onto the boardwalk, which had been our main objective as it was still raining. Many of the party myself included were very wet.

On the return leg we met up with the lucky cake-eaters (Joan, Janet, Phillip, Veronica, Lorna and Margaret) who were all rather too smug for my liking. ButterwortButterwort The rain mainly eased so we were able to record plants alongside the path; a total of 80 in flower excl. Grasses and sedges. These included Common Spotted, Northern Marsh and Early Marsh Orchids and possibly some hybrids. Also Grass of Parnassus, Birds Eye, Lousewort and Bog Asphodel were seen. The rain quickly returned however.

The only bird of note was Yellow Wagtail seen by Sally and Stuart who had detoured towards the Trenhouse Farm area which is a renowned site for this now scarce migrant.

The plan had been to call into the farm cafe at Airton but a number of the group simply wanted to be home as soon as possible so that was that. Perhaps next year it will be 4th time lucky?  Watch this space.

 

John Gavaghan 

WFV, Ledston Luck and Roach Lime Hills, East Leeds, 28th July

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Sun, 2nd Aug 2015, 4:24pm
The Sun Peeps ThroughThe Sun Peeps Through 

On this week's trip the bus met up at Kippax Leisure Centre with Margaret and Marilyn who had travelled by car and Kate Phillips who works for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Kate was our leader for the day and we followed her to our first site, Ledston Luck. This former coal mine is now a nature reserve that includes meadow, pond and woodland. Kate spoke to us about the history of the reserve and how it is now managed and we were then free to explore as we wished. The weather forecast was poor and we had experienced heavy rain on our journey.Pyramidal OrchidPyramidal Orchid It was cool and showery but we saw more than we expected given the conditions. Butterflies spotted included meadow brown, gatekeeper and ringlet. Common darters and blue tailed damselflies were seen. There was a vast number of orchids including pyramidal, southern marsh and common spotted. 109 plants in flower were recorded including yellow-wort and centaury.

As we were wandering back to the bus, Margaret became unwell. Although she did rally, it was felt inadvisable for her to continue and she went home with Marilyn. After having lunch in the car park, Kate took us to our second site of the day: Roach Lime Hills. This is a privately owned calcareous grassland. Spiny RestharrowSpiny RestharrowThe interest here was largely botanical. 82 plants in flower were noted including clustered bellflower, small scabious, field scabious, greater knapweed and my favourite, the spiny restharrow which many in the group had never seen before. The rain continued to threaten and the sun tried largely unsuccessfully to break through the cloud. 

Bird sightings numbered about 10. A pair of blackcaps was seen in the afternoon and buzzard and kestrel were seen in flight. 

It was nice to have Robert's wife and granddaughter on the trip. Many thanks to Margaret for organising the day and to Kate for giving us her time.

Sue

WFV Hutton Roof Crags, Cumbria WT site & NNR 21st July 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 22nd Jul 2015, 11:20am
Limestone PavementLimestone PavementFourteen of us enjoyed a splendid day out on Hutton Roof Crags, a limestone outcrop which towers above the M 6 motorway. Initial worries about the weather, finding a parking space and meeting up with Margaret's friend Maureen were soon dissipated. We were led into the delightful woodland of hazel and oak by Julia. The Bees conservation volunteers have been involved in tasks on Hutton Roof over several years giving welcome assistance to Cumbria Wildlife Trust in maintaining and creating habitats in which the special plants and butterflies can thrive. We stopped for lunch in an open glade which allowed us to view the many species of plant and butterfly present. Occasionally a butterfly took to the wing but as it was cloudy many were resting on their favourite plant. All seemed to be in pristine condition.. Common Cow-wheatCommon Cow-wheat The blues stood out as shining jewels. 7 butterfly species were seen including Ringlet (in good numbers), Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Small and Large Skipper and Grayling. John was able to capture a Northern Brown Argus to demonstrate how its diminutive size helped to distinguish it from the Common Blue. The flora of the glade was an interesting variety including Cow Wheat, Common Spotted Orchid, Betony, Rock Rose, Bird's Foot Trefoil and an interesting Lady's Mantle. A further exploration of the sloping grassland and limestone pavement yielded Carline Thistle, the leaves of Lily of the Valley, Juniper (a nationally rare and threatened shrub) and delightful Dropwort.

We continued along the woodland path to the clearing where Julia and her band had been working. A considerable number of trees had been felled to create a large open habitat. It was here that we saw a Fritillary butterfly- was it Dark Green or High Brown ? The group was undecided. We emerged at an outcrop of classic limestone pavement with its deep grikes from which ferns( Hart's Tongue, Maidenhair Spleenwort), sedges( Flea sedge) and flora were emerging. Once we got our eye in we could see that the pavement was littered with individual spikes of the national rarity, the Dark Red Helleborine. The specimens were very fresh looking, we had timed our visit well. Other favorites seen were Wall Lettuce, Traveller's Joy, and Ploughman's Spikenard ( identified by Joan but not yet in flower) and finally Angular Solomon's Seal ( mission accomplished for John).Northern Brown ArgusNorthern Brown Argus Please consult Joan and Alice for the full list of 140 flowers recorded. Donald's bird count was limited to 8 including a Raven -its loud, abrupt, echoing cronk cronk call being heard. Also a delightful wren made a fleeting appearance on the top of a wood pile. As the walk was quite demanding of concentration and physical effort we returned to the minibus tired but satisfied souls, nothing that a long soak in the bath and a glass of wine couldn't put right for the next day. Our sincere thanks go to Julia for both leading and driving also Sue and Robert and everybody for taking part in a lovely day out.

Margaret

WFV, Scargill House, Upper Wharfedale, 14th July 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Sat, 18th Jul 2015, 10:50am

View To KettlewellView To Kettlewell

Two years since our last interesting visit to Scargill House  we returned with the botanists looking forward to an array of limestone-loving plants whilst the ornithologists were especially on the lookout for pied flycatcher and redstart.

Scargill is a Christian retreat set in a 90-acre estate which comprises meadow, woodland,  limestone terracing and a walled garden. The drizzle which greeted our late arrival, caused by roadworks on the A65, had cleared by the time we had enjoyed the tea and biscuits offered by Scargill House whilst Hugh Firman, our guide for the day,  briefly outlined the day’s programme.

A blackcap’s song accompanied the first part of our walk and butterflies were on the wing as we walked slowly through the meadow and then started to climb through the woodlands to the limestone terracing but it was after 1.30 before we reached our lunch stop with extensive views over the Wharfe valley. By this time the sun was shining and lots of chimneysweeper moths were flitting about together with numerous ringlet butterflies.  Northern Brown ArgusNorthern Brown ArgusThe occasional northern brown argus butterflies caused some identification problems to the uninitiated due to their being very similar to the female common blue.  John, of course, was on hand to correct any misidentification.

Helped by Hugh’s friends, Joan and Philip from Todmorden, Joan and Alice recorded 159 plants in flower whilst 19 birds species were seen or heard and 12 butterflies and 5 day-flying moths were seen.  Highlights from the botanists’ list were mountain mellick, northern bedstraw and common spotted orchid whilst surprisingly dewberry and aspen were not on the plant list for the site and so were added to the record.  LotsBloody CranesbillBloody Cranesbill of rock roses decorated the limestone terraces together with wild strawberry which provided a dessert for some.  The ornithologists searched in vain for a pied flycatcher or redstart but we did see a tree pipit and three raptors. (Hugh did see a redstart and a red-legged partridge two minutes after our departure).

The day was rounded off with tea and cakes back at Scargill before we headed back to Bradford very satisfied with our day’s outing.

Unfortunately our delayed arrival meant that we didn’t have time to fully explore the walled garden but we vowed to do that when next we return to this delightful spot.

 

Thanks go to Margaret for organising the day and to our driver for the day, Robert.  

Stuart

WFV, Extended Day Out - Sheffield Sites, 7th July 2015

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Fri, 10th Jul 2015, 8:20pm
Looking At The LakeLooking At The Lake

Despite the weather forecasts to the contrary, we enjoyed warm sunshine for much of the day, although we did have to put up with a strong breeze, particularly at site 2 which was more exposed.  Apart from one brief shower whilst visiting site no. 1 it remained dry throughout. We were therefore lucky enough to see plenty of butterflies at all 3 sites.

We began at Blackburn Meadows, nr Rotherham after first calling in at Magna for the obligatory toilet stop. We were treated to the sight of several fresh Small Tortoiseshells on the extensive brambles by the parking area. A leisurely stroll around this compact reserve also revealed Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Whites, Gatekeeper and Large Skipper.

Goat's RueGoat's RueMy abiding memory of the site will be the Goat’s Rue, one of our most attractive wildflower - introductions.  This plant was growing in abundance all over the site. As we were about to leave we were treated to the spectacle of a heron being repeatedly mobbed by an agitated Lapwing.

Our next port of call was Centenary Riverside, a reclaimed spoil heap. This was confirmed by the array of spectacular garden escapes. We were unable to ID these however, as they were not wildflowers! We did though record Common Centaury, Yellow-wort and Lady’s Bedstraw.  The sun was now out and we all chose a rock to sit on to eat our lunches, apart from Robert who decided to lie in the long grass and enjoy the warmth; he didn’t move from his resting spot until we were ready to leave!  This is not a tranquil site as there is incessant banging and clanging from the surrounding heavy industry plus a nearby rail line.

Additional Lepidoptera seen were Comma, Red Admiral, Green-veined White, Small Heath and Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet.   The upper pond was an ideal place to observe dragonflies and on the wing that day were Emperors, Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers, Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed damselflies and Banded Demoiselles. Vera got over excited and somehow managed to hurl her plant book into the water. Four Spotted Chaser and ExuviaFour Spotted Chaser and ExuviaI held Julia’s hand as she leant over to retrieve the floating item. It came out of the water oddly not too worse for wear.  We had been watching a 4 spot chaser continuing to return to an isolated, dessicated reed and Julia saw an exuviae part way down the stem.She thought here was an ideal photo opportunity so went off to locate our top photographer.  Within minutes she returned with Sue and after several failed attempts the shot was in the bag. Well done Sue and Julia.

We had to drive through various districts of Sheffield (via Magna again) in order to reach our final site of the day ‘Carr House Meadows’.  We arrived at this steep-sided area of unimproved meadows at 16:15.Large SkipperLarge Skipper The sun was still shining and Meadow Browns were frequent, also a few Silver Y moths. The grassland was full of clovers, Yellow Rattle and Ox-eye daisies plus a few Common-spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids.  Five of the group later descended towards Morehall Reservoir. This was largely empty of birds apart from a couple of Grebes and one Cormorant.  A delightful spot however.

Shortly after 6pm we set off for our evening meal at the Sovereign at Shepley; a Vintage Inns establishment. By this time it was pouring down but too late to have spoiled our day.  The food was very good.

 

Thanks go to Julia who not only planned the whole day but also did all the driving.


John Gavaghan