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WFV, Fairburn Ings, 29th November 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 29th Nov 2011, 5:10pm
The day dawned windy and rain was forecast for the afternoon but an almost full minibus left Bradford with hopes that we might be lucky and have a productive day. We were not disappointed as by the time the rain came 15 minutes before we were due to depart we had recorded 47 bird species.Willow Tit, Fairburn Ings: It was a treat to see two willow tits busying themselves with nest-building in a hole in a small tree stump at Fairburn Ings.Willow Tit The plan for the day, to walk on the new riverside path between Lin Dyke hide and the visitor centre, was abandoned due to the muddy state of the path and we took the minibus to Lin Dyke instead and spent an hour there where we found a few curlews in amongst different ducks and geese and got a mesmerisingly fleeting glimpse of a pintail but could not find any long-eared owls - reports of their presence this season have not yet been convincing. We returned to the visitor centre for an alfresco lunch and then the party split up; David walking round the whole reserve, some staying close to the visitor centre and some going as far as the village bay hide where we were able to find another pintail sheltering from the wind. Redwings came and went throughout our visit and kingfisher, goldeneye, green woodpecker, grey partridge (spotted in a field just before the reserve), red-legged partridge and willow tit were perhaps the other highlights of the day. Everyone was under some shelter when we had a very heavy downpour just before we left but the weather cleared and we had a lovely pink sky over the Pennines at sunset as we headed happily back to Bradford.

Stuart

WFV, Temple Newsam, 15th November, 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 15th Nov 2011, 7:50pm
The LakeThe LakeThe minibus met up with several people who had travelled by car for today's outing to Temple Newsam. As our group of 16 gathered in the car park we spotted a kestrel being persistently mobbed by a magpie. Marilyn was our leader for the day and handed out maps of the grounds so people could explore as they wished. For the morning the group stuck together and walked through woodland looking for fungi. The weather was dull and grey but it remained dry. We found a good variety of fungi including shaggy parasol, wood blewitt, stinkhorn and puffballs. There was an extensive cluster of sulphur tuft on a stump alongside a little smoky bracket. The final fungi count was 31.Jelly EarJelly Ear Most of the group had lunch by the lake before splitting off to do different things. Some continued the fungal foray and others chose to look around Temple Newsam House. We were pleasantly surprised when the sun made an appearance and it remained sunny all afternoon. It really brought the autumn colours to life. 25 birds were seen. Apart from a probable but unconfirmed sighting of fieldfare we saw goldfinch, jay, pied wagtail and greater spotted woodpecker. Most ended the day with refreshments in the tea room and a tame little sparrow eagerly cleared up the scone crumbs. A lovely day out.

Sue

WFV, Anglers Country Park, 1st November 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Mon, 7th Nov 2011, 10:51pm
Haw Park WoodHaw Park WoodThirteen members boarded the minibus at the new departure point of the Unitarian Church for today’s annual fungi foray trip. This year the destination was Anglers Country Park where we were joined by Peter who was the greenest of us all, having used his intimate knowledge of local public transport to convey himelf from Huddersfield to Wintersett. We were all greeted with a lovely bright late autumn day as we followed Joan, assisted by Veronica, through the wooded part of Anglers before lunch and into Haw Park Wood afterwards. We had visited this location last year and had been impressed by the variety of fungi and thought that it merited a return. We were not disappointed. A total of 44 fungi were recorded during the day together with 2 slime moulds and 1 dog lichen. Fly Agaric GroupFly Agaric Group The highlight was undoubtedly the vast array of fly agaric seen almost at the end of the day which delighted the entire group - and sent Maddy into raptures! The bird count of 24 would surely have been greater if the fungi hadn’t occupied us to the extent that we didn’t have time to properly survey both lakes. Alice did her usual excellent recording job and managed to log an amazing 33 plants in flower – not bad for November! A solitary Red Admiral gave us a butterfly record and rounded off a very productive day which stretched an hour over its appointed time, resulting in traffic congestion on our journey back and a later than planned return to Bradford. However, everyone agreed that it had been a great day out and it was a happy minibus load that eventually returned home.

Stuart

WFV, Castle Howard Arboretum, 25th October, 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 1st Nov 2011, 9:00pm
Lake ViewLake ViewThere was an air of excitement and anticipation as we set off from Bradford en route for Castle Howard arboretum - Kew in the north of England. 13 people travelled in the minibus and 4 by car. The arboretum is situated in the grounds of Castle Howard stately home and nestles in the Howardian hills NE of York. It contains specimen trees from all over the world collected as seeds and valuable for research and conservation purposes. The weather was overcast but brightened as the day progressed. There was much to interest the group. The beauty of the trees, more especially the colourful acers including the red maple acer, acer rubria and the red oak. The short tree trail was followed by the main party to the Cruck House. Others wandered down the Furniture Makers Walk and around the arboretum lake. The arboretum has some remarkable old oak trees including English and sessile oak, also native whitebeam and elm. Betula ermanii, Erman's BirchBetula ermanii, Erman's BirchThe carved wooden sculptures were of interest. 25 species of bird were recorded by Stuart including the first redwings of the season and a flock of siskins. A sculpture of an osprey was seen on the lake. 12 fungi species including fly agaric and earth star fungi were seen. Of interest was a swarm of ladybirds on a tree bark, also a green shield bug. A toad was spotted. It was an interesting and relaxing day out enhanced by the availability of a cafe offering tea and cakes which the group gravitated towards the end of their visit. We returned to the Italian centre for approximately 6pm.

Margaret

WFV Rodley Nature Reserve, October 18th 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 25th Oct 2011, 8:32pm
PondPondThe minibus had a day off today as about a dozen participants travelled in cars to Rodley Nature Reserve. This local reserve is far from new to our group but is an old favourite. On arrival we were greeted by a heavy shower and strong winds and a rainbow came into view. We headed for shelter in the visitor centre where we enjoyed the warm hospitality of June, our leader for the day alongside Peter and Barbara who are volunteers at Rodley. Whilst we enjoyed a hot drink Peter gave us a talk about recent developments at the reserve and species we should look out for. The visitor centre has been extended since our last visit and is certainly very spacious and comfortable. Our group was then left to explore the reserve at our leisure.SpindleSpindle About 12 species of fungi were seen, most notable being the group of shaggy inkcaps in the meadow. We were pleasantly surprised to find 71 plants in flower. One of the botanical highlights was the beautiful pink spindle fruit. We did have to dodge heavy downpours and gusty winds but we also enjoyed long sunny periods. At least we could shelter in the hides between showers and we had lunch in the warmth of the visitor centre. Birding highlights were a flock of linnets over the crop field, and a water rail seen on the wet grassland from the reedbed hide. Little grebe, great crested grebe, reed bunting, cormorant and gadwall were also seen. In spite of the weather we had a lovely time and we are grateful to June, Peter and Barabara for helping to make this such an enjoyable day.

Sue

Harvest complete

Submitted by julia on Thu, 13th Oct 2011, 11:32am

On Monday, the day after Apple Day, I picked almost all the remaining fruit. I was there so the portable toilet could be collected and thought it was a good opportuntiy to make sure the remaining apples were collected. Some of the Blenhiem Orange and Kidd's Orange Red may have prefered another week on the tree but it felt a good compromise. Now the fruit needs sorting and distributing. If there are any orchard volunteers out there who haven't yet asked for apples please let us know as soon as possible.

I will complete the harvesting log and attach it to the website here.

WFV Saltholme RSPB reserve Tuesday 4th October 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Thu, 6th Oct 2011, 9:07am
Dunlin and Lapwing Feeding n Front of the Saltholme HideDunlin and Lapwing Feeding n Front of the Saltholme Hide 12 of us set off today for a return visit to Saltholme RSPB reserve on Teeside. The group included a new member Marguerite who has joined us on the recommendation of June. The journey was a straightforward one although the distance was quite considerable. Brian was looking forward to the experience of crossing the Tees on the transporter bridge gondala. He was not disappointed. Weather conditions were cool and windy nevertherless fine. The light conditions were especially good and enabled us to see the markings on the birds quite clearly. 35 species were identified by group members (38 by Marguerite). Notable species seen were a variety of geese. They were congregating on the grassland area intermingling with the cattle and lapwings. Greylag, pink footed, barnacle and canada geese were identified. Waders were just starting to come through but not in numbers. The Saltholme hide was the most productive with sightings of dunlin, godwit, lapwing as well as a variety of ducks and geese and a female wheatear.The Transporter Bridge from the ReserveThe Transporter Bridge from the Reserve A variety of birds were seen from the wild life watch point including gadwall, wigeon, teal, coot, moorhen and little grebe. There was a plethera of small birds at the feeders including goldfinch, greenfinch, blue tit and tree sparrow. A flock of starlings took flight above the visitors centre while were were enjoying tea. A hare was seen in the fields. The RSPB have made a considerable effort in making this an informative and comfortable experience for visitors. It is an amazing haven for wildlife when one considers its surroundings - busy roads and industrial complexes. Our return journey went smoothly thanks to Robert's driving skills and the time of our return home around 6pm was a reasonable one. Another enjoyable day out.

Margaret

WFV Littlethorpe Manor & Ripon 20th September 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 21st Sep 2011, 1:18pm

Autumn ColourAutumn Colour14 of us enjoyed our morning visit to the gardens of Littlethorpe Manor which had been arranged for us by Janet who unfortunately was still on jury service - we were, however, ably looked after by Philip. Littlethorpe Manor which is situated on the outskirts of Ripon has 11 acres of grounds and is owned by Mr and Mrs Thackray. We were given a guided tour by Eddie Harland, head gardener (who was responsible for the design and planting of the garden), following tea and cake in the marquee. The gardens were quite stunning! We passed from the Walled Garden divided into sections representing the four seasons with appropriate flowers and sculptures into the Sunken garden consisting of a box parterre and containing interesting fruit trees, medlar and kiwi as well as old roses and herbs. Passing through the front of the house we walked into the drive with an aqualens surrounded by hornbeams. We crossed the lawns admiring a magnificent walnut tree. The vista in front of the house which included a lake with a fountain and an avenue of pollared rubra lime trees which led to a pond and classical pavillion was stunning. Winter GardenWinter GardenThe Winter Garden which we visited is a recent addition with white Himalayan birch, beech hedges and colourful dogwood shrubs. There was so much to see and appreciate. In the afternoon we enjoyed a stroll down a section of the Ripon canal with brief stops at the bird hides which overlooked a large lake. Greylag geese, cormorant ,coot, lapwing and great crested grebe were seen. Late summer flowers were noted by Joan and Alice. A relaxing and enjoyable day was had by all. The day started with some rain but ended in sunshine.

Margaret

Harvesting highlights

Submitted by julia on Mon, 19th Sep 2011, 2:23pm

On Saturday we harvested 44kilos of Bramley's Seedling! and there is still a few more kilos on the tree. If I was to plant an orchard now I would not include Bramley as it is so widley available in the shops, however we were beginners when we conceived Bowling Park Community Orchard and it is silly to regret such a great harvest of wonderful looking fruit, really rosy in colour.

We also made the first picking of the Lord Lambourne - 7Kg., and several other types. Some were left to next visit as we couldn't carry anymore.

If we have surplus to requirements (requests from orchard volunteers and Apple Day cooks) I think we will make the remainder of the crop avialable at Apple Day - we just do not have appropriate storage to make good use of the crop throughout the winter.

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