bee orchidA select group of eleven members enjoyed at day at Nosterfield Nature Reserve, near Masham, where we were met and shown round the site by Simon Warwick, director of Lower Ure Conservation Trust, and his wife Jill. Simon gave us a detailed background of the reserve and its geological formation which provides diverse habitats for plants and wildlife. Well over 100 species of flowering plant were recorded including bee and common spotted orchid and the rare but uninspiring mudwort (a first for Joan, and we can't record that very often!) The absence of bird recorder Donald Lightowler and the fact that many ducks were in eclipse resulted in our bird count being lower than we might have hoped for at 26. We did however enjoy the avocets and black-tailed godwits whilst the songs of skylark, chiffchaff, linnet and greenfinch struggled to compete with the raucous black-headed gulls and oystercatchers - and we did get a super close-up view of a curlew which flew over a hedge into our path. Butterflies and damselflies abounded incuding a super comma butterfly of which hopefully Sue will append a photo. (view the gallery)
The weather was again kind to us as we discovered when we returned to Bradford to signs of recent heavy rain - we had endured only a couple of light showers. Another very enjoyable BEES Tuesday.
Stuart