Blog

Whilst in Trench Meadows yesterday evening we saw many blue coloured froghoppers. There were two different shades - an tourquoise green and ones with darker blue wings and a turquoise head. Have a look at the links below - they identify both types as the green froghopper Cicadella viridis

http://ispot.org.uk/node/58711?nav=latest_obs_thumbnail_grid

and

http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/search.php?name=%28search%20text%29&…

The betony and greater burnet were in full flower a the first few of devil's bit scabious were just coming into flower. There are many hundreds which promise to make a great display in the next few weeks.

Later on Ian Butterfield lead a bat walk. We walked along the canal and river and identified, with the help of the bat detector, pipistrelle, noctule and daubentons.

High Brown FritillaryA party of 14 set out on the Bees trip to Silverdale and the Gait Barrows NNR. We were uncertain as to what the weather would have in store for us, experiencing a mix of dark clouds and sunshine on the journey. However conditions turned out to be fine if not sunny and much to our relief several butterfly species were seen on the wing. It was a prolific day for wildlife. We started on the limestone trail and left it after lunch to explore the moonscape limestone pavement, returning to the trail and then onward through pasture and hay meadows to the board walk and fen of Hawes Water. We returned along the same route taking up again with the limestone trail for our return to the bus. We had a brief tea /bird watching stop at our favourite RSPB reserve Leighton Moss.

Ploughman's SpikenardIn the woodland we saw : herb paris, hemp agrimony as well as agrimony, St John's wort, spring sandwort, creeping cinquefoil, rock rose, betony, golden rod, enchanters nightshade, dewberry, travellers joy, spindle, harts tongue and hard shield fern, mountain melick to name but a few. On the limestone pavement growing in the grykes were: wall rue, maidenhair spleenwort, ploughmans spikenard, lily of the valley, herb robert, angular solomans seal and a splendid broad leaved helleborine but alas no dark red helleborine or bloody cranesbill! In the meadows of Hawes Water we saw numerous spikes of fragrant orchid.

The birds seen were limited to 13 species and include a range of tits at Gait Barrows and a marsh harrier at Leighton Moss. Mammals seen included wood mouse, frog and a tiny lizard seen on the board walk.

Butterfly species were numerous although it was not sunny however highbrown fritillary, meadow brown, peacock, comma, red admiral, small copper, speckled wood and ringlet were seen.

For those unfamiliar with Gait Barrows the visit was a sheer delight for those that had visited before it was a treat to be reacquainted with the site. A nice cup of tea,cake or sponge and custard rounded off another enjoyable outing. Thanks to all who helped in making it an enjoyable day out.

Margaret    

Walking Through The MeadowToday's visit was to Town Close Hills Nature Reserve, Kippax, commonly known as Billy Woods. The reserve, which lies on Magnesian Limestone, is managed by Leeds Council through Forest of Leeds and is a designated SSSI.  Special attention is paid to managing the meadows to encourage the growth of lots of different plant species and although we were a bit late for the orchids (although we did find a few late-flowering ones) there was a good varied display of other flowers and we did enjoy the abundant clustered bellflowers, greater knapweed and marjoram in particular amongst the 160 species recorded on the day. Amongst other botanical highlights of the day were wild basil, water figwort and gromwell - a first for the group this year.

Birdlife was once again a bit sparse but we did manage to note 19 species and we did enjoy the songs of yellowhammer and chiffchaff throughout our stay. 

We kept an continual eye on the weather as a band of heavy rain was forecast for later in the day and for this reason we decided to curtail the walk a little to try and avoid the heavy rain.  Fortunately we managed to do this but the day was overcast with light rain showers on and off throughout our visit and umbrellas were continually being put up and down.  Despite the weather conditions there was a reasonable amount of butterfly activity and we did record 10 species including a marbled white which we were very pleasantly surprised to see.

14 members enjoyed today's trip which was organised and led by Eric. 

Stuart

Tees TransporterA group of 13 participated in today's extended trip to Teesmouth which was led by Margaret and Stuart. When we set off, the weather looked very uncertain. We chose to go via the A1 to avoid the traffic heading for the Great Yorkshire Show. As we travelled further north the weather did seem to improve a little with occasional appearances by the sun. In Middlesbrough we headed for the Tees transporter bridge. There had been questions over whether we could go on this bridge with its 3 tonne weight limit. Maybe we should have had a baggage and people weigh in before we set off! We did cross on the transporter without any mishaps, and it was interesting to experience this engineering feat. Our destination, Saltholme RSPB reserve was not far beyond the transporter bridge. We stopped here briefly to use the facilities, before continuing on to Seal Sands. This was a very exposed site, and the windy conditions made it feel very cold. The Teesmouth area has a strange juxtaposition of industrial and wildlife landscapes. Pollution once wiped out the seal colonies here,but they are now back again and we enjoyed several sightings of seals at Greatham Creek and from one of the hides which looks over the mud flats. It was quite difficult to identify some of the more distant birds, as the scope bearer had unfortunately failed to bring the scope, but we did record dunlin, golden plover, avocets, shelduck, curlew and a large flock of knot. Botanical interest included sea lavender, great lettuce, perennial wall rocket and strawberry clover.

Golden PloverFollowing lunch at Seal Sands, we moved on to North Gare, an area of sand dunes and marsh. The botanists went off to botanise, and the rest of us walked along the path through the golf course and then down to the sea. Goldfinch, linnet and skylark were noted, but there weren't many birds to be seen. We continued on to the pier, before returning to the car park. The botanists stayed at North Gare whilst the remainder of the group returned to RSPB Saltholme. We got there at about 3.45, and some made a mad dash for the cafe which closed at 4pm. Just made it. There looked to be plenty to see here, but unfortunately we had little time to explore as the reserve closes at 5pm. The visitor centre is very modern and overlooks one of the lakes, where common tern, sand martin and pied wagtail were seen. It was sad to hear of the tern chicks being predated by the foxes. In the time remaining, most of us took the path to Saltholme Hide where yellow wagtails had been sighted. Initially there was no sign of them, but first a female and then a male perched on the fence posts giving us excellent views.

43 birds were recorded today. With the closure of the RSPB reserve, we set off back to North Gare to collect the botanists. They had seen an abundance of northern marsh orchids, and noted hybrid common spotted/northern marsh orchids, as well as seeing purple milk vetch. In total, 132 plants were recorded in flower/fruit across all sites. Unfortunately, butterflies were largely absent.

From North Gare we drove to Coneythorpe where we had booked our evening meal at the Tiger Inn. The food was superb and it was a lovely end to an enjoyable day out. It was raining heavily when we set off back to Bradford, arriving back at about 10pm. 

Sue 

Marbled White and Burnet MothToday we headed East to the Yorkshire Wolds to visit two YWT Reserves, Kiplingcoats Chalk Pit and North Newbould Becksies.  Kiplingcoates is a botanical SSSI and our visit was timed with the hope of seeing marbled white butterflies for which the site is famous.  We were not disappointed in either the variety and quantity of both plants and butterflies.  We recorded 1734 pyramidal orchids and numerous other flower species, including hawkweed ox-tongue which was one of those rare sightings that BEES make from time to time - a first for the day's leader, Joan Dobson.  It's not often that we can add to Joan's extensive lifetime list!  Other major highlights at Kiplingcotes were basil thyme and red hemp-nettle. 

Despite generally overcast and quite windy conditions for most of the day we were delighted to see scores of marbled white butterflies together with 10 other species of butterfly and six-spot burnet moths which together with other unidentified moths made the total of butterflies and moths greater than the bird count on the day which was surprisingly low at 13 species - the highlight being yellowhammer which sang for us for most of our stay.

Pyramidal OrchidNorth Newbould Becksies is a small wetland site and although Joan had made everyone aware that wellingtons were essential for exploring the site, some had not heeded the warning and got their feet wet!  Here there were common spotted orchids aplenty together with blue water speedwell, water figwort and marsh hawksbeard amongst many other wetland varieties.

A short stop at North Cave Wetlands also afforded a comfort break on the return journey and rounded off another very interesting and enjoyable day for the ten select members who joined today's outing. 

Stuart

Parent Feeding Spotted Flycatcher ChickA group of 14 were on today's trip to Grassington, which was led by Alice. On the drive to the Dales, we were closely watching the weather. There had been thunderstorms overnight, and big black clouds were looming. On arrival at our starting point at the main car park in Grassington, the weather still looked uncertain as were many of us about whether to don waterproofs. We headed down to the bridge across the Upper Linton Falls where we saw grey wagtails, chaffinch, starling and song thrush. Marsh yellow cress was seen on the rocks below, and winter cress was also found here. We continued our walk along the side of the River Wharfe. The highlight at this point was the views we had of common sandpipers and a dipper. The sun was breaking through the clouds, and the weather just continued to improve throughout the day. The scenery was beautiful. We reached the stepping stones across the river that lead to Linton church, but we didn't cross over. Several goosanders were seen perched on a rock on the river and the remains of a crayfish was found on the river bank - maybe one of the alien invader signal crayfish. A boggy area was found by the river path which kept the botanists busy for some time. Club moss, mimulus and lesser water parsnip being recorded. Whilst the botanists were botanising, the birdwatchers were enjoying their own delights having sighted a spotted flycatcher which was feeding chicks in a nearby tree. Wood warblers were also briefly seen, and a song thrush was seen going in and out of a hole in the stone wall. We stood and watched the birds here for quite some time. Soon after this we stopped for lunch on the edge of the river right opposite a sand martin bank. Again, we had views of a parent feeding a chick which was poking its head out of the nest.Grypocoris stysi (miridae family) In the River Wharfe we saw numerous small rainbow trout and minnow and we also saw a bullhead. Large numbers of oyster catchers were both seen and heard.We left the riverside path and followed Hebden Beck towards Hebden village. Unfortunately the little village shop was closed so ice cream was off the menu. We headed for the pub, but that was closed too!! Beyond the village we continued our walk through fields and on walled lanes. The views were wonderful and several small planes and a couple of helicopters intermittently disturbed the peace. Our route also took us through the Grasington Park Estate Meadows, a SSSI where the Grassington isolation hospital once stood. There was an abundance of wild flowers including greater burnet and common spotted orchid, but the highlight here was a vast swathe of melancholy thistle interspersed with other wild flowers. 33 birds and 141 flowering plants/ferns were recorded. Four butterflies were sighted including common blue, small tortoiseshell and red admiral.  We passed through Grassington vilaage and eagerly headed for the information centre at the car park, once more anticipating ice creams, but they didn't sell any! In spite of being denied our ice cream treats, we had enjoyed a fantastic day out.  

Sue 

Northern Marsh Orchid14 travelled in the minibus on today's trip to Semer Water which was led by Andrew and Lorna. We were full of anticipation in the gloriously sunny conditions and with a good forecast for the day ahead. On arrival at our base, Raydale Preserves in the hamlet of Stalling Busk, several of the group enjoyed hot drinks/cream teas. It was clouding over and feeling cooler and some of us were wondering if we'd brought enough clothing! However, the clouds dispersed as quickly as they'd gathered and we once again enjoyed warm sunshine which lasted throughout the walk. Our route took us through several traditional hay meadows, so colourful with the abundant wild flowers and the views were stunning. Wood cranesbill, meadow cranesbill, yellow rattle, betony, bitter vetch and even a bluebell were noted. Surprisingly, we also saw a hawthorn in full bloom today. Numerous chimney sweeper moths were flitting between the flowers. Only three butterflies were recorded today - red admiral, small heath and green-veined white. The path descended quite steeply and passed close to a beck with little waterfalls. Although pretty, this would have been more spectacular were it not for the recent dry spell that we've experienced. A strange sight was that of a bird cherry whose branch ends were all covered in a cocoon, probably the work of ermine moth caterpillars. Some areas were quite boggy and we saw different flowers here such as marsh hawksbeard, northern marsh orchid and ragged robin. The ruined 17th century church was our lunch stop, but it was nearly 2.30pm before we got there. Maybe our hunger was a factor when Joan identified a common spike-rush, and this was processed by some in the group as "common pie crust", Growleris deliciosa. I think that name will stick with our group for a while. Whilst enjoying lunch, curlews were reeling and calling overhead, and then we enjoyed a fly past of 4 oystercatchers with 2 curlews just above them. After lunch we headed for Semer Water, a SSSI nature reserve managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The lake lies in a glaciated limestone valley. Marsh thistle, melancholy thistle, common spotted orchid and mouse-eared hawkweed were among the 133 flowering plants/ferns recorded. A ringed plover was seen on the shore of the lake, we had several good sightings of redstarts and a lapwing was seen with two chicks. At the end of the lake, we turned onto the uphill road back to Stalling Busk. Some of our day's birding highlights were on this road. 

Lapwing in FlightHere the lapwings were quite vociferous as they flew low over our heads suggesting there may have been nests nearby. The alarm call of a redshank alerted us to his presence only about 20 yards away. A skylark, treecreeper, kestrel and meadow pipits were also seen. We got back to base at about 5pm where preserves and hot drinks were purchased, and we spotted a house martin which appeared to be starting some nest building. Today was a feast for both botanists and birdwatchers, 37 species of birds being recorded.     

Sue 

Giant Ichneumon Wasp, Rhyssa persuasoria14 participants were on the minibus for today's outing to Sizergh, where we divided into two equal groups. The more energetic embarked on a walk of about 6 miles to Scout Scar led by Donald. The botanical amblers did a less ambitious walk of about 5 miles(actually 2 short walks) led by Annie. I joined the amblers who initially set off on the North Loop which took in Holeslack and St John's Church, Heslington. Our gentle uphill route took us through open fields and then woodland where we spotted a song thrush on the path. For me one of the highlights was seeing a strange looking insect that I mistook for a dragonfly. I later discovered that it was an Ichneumon wasp (Rhyssa persuasoria), a parasitic species that preys on the larvae of other insects or spiders, especially horntails and wood wasps. A young dunnock was seen hiding in a shrub. We continued uphill past Holeslack farmhouse, a pretty white house now let out by the National Trust. The higher we climbed, the more splendid the views and our lunch stop at St John's Church afforded views towards Morecambe Bay, Whitbarrow and the Langdales. After lunch we explored the churchyard, some of which had been left unmown. We found twayblade here, but we were particularly delighted to find a lesser butterfly orchid. Numerous young birds were seen in the graveyard including great tit and nuthatch.The nuthatches still had very downy plumage. From the church we headed back down to Sizergh, where we picked up our second walk route, the South Loop which took us to Sizergh Fell. We walked along a road for some way where we saw a buzzard being harassed by a crow. We then headed across open fields again. 115 plants in flower/ferns were recorded including creeping cinquefoil, nipplewort, St John's wort, common spotted orchid and greater celandine which we used as herbal medicine. Speckled wood, orange tip and painted lady butterflies were recorded.  Sue

Scout ScarThe rest of the group headed for Scout Scar.  Approaching the bottom of the scar we encountered masses of wild strawberry in fruit which would have filled several bowls had we had time to pick them, but Donald, always with one eye on the clock to ensure a timely return to the minibus, ushered us past!  The limestone outcrop not only gives extensive 360 deg views over Morecambe Bay, the Lakes, the Howgills and even Ingleborough peeping over the far horizon, but is a great habitat for many different species of plants, butterflies and birds.  Amanda had joined this group as she was very keen to spot a dark green fritillary butterfly.  We did see a fritillary amongst the many small heaths that were on the wing, but it was almost certainly a small pearl-bordered.  There was a good variety of birds about - we also saw a buzzard being mobbed by crows but the highlights of our ornithological day were stonechat, tree pipit and redstart amongst the 31 species recorded on the day.  Without Joan's expert presence we were unable to decide whether our butterfly orchids were greater or lesser, but the consensus was greater.  Rock-roses abounded, mainly common but with a few hoary amongst them, and the delicate lemon colour of mouse-ear hawkweed contrasted with the rich blue of milkwort and these, together with other typical limestone plants such as wild thyme, juniper, and the local Lancastrian Whitebeam gave interest throughout our walk.  Stuart

Thistle BroomrapeAfter a recce the previous week had suggested that our original destination of Ripon Loop YWT reserve would not be suitable in wet weather, we changed our plans and instead visited Quarry Moor Nature Reserve near Ripon and Bishop Monkton Railway Cutting, another YWT reserve quite nearby.

Some last minute cancellations resulted in Eric leading a reduced party of 10 people who travelled in the minibus to Ripon.  The highlight of Quarry Moor is Thistle Broomrape, a species found only in Yorkshire in the UK and therefore also known as Yorkshire Broomrape.  We found quite a few examples of this parasitic plant.  Quarry Moor is situated on the magnesian limestone and a good range of limestone flowers was found including bugle and crosswort in abundance, common twayblade, common spotted orchid, yellow rattle and jacob's ladder.  At Bishop Monkton we found white and black bryony, barren and wild strawberry, tutsan and columbine amongst many other plant species seen on the day. A fox was sighted on the path ahead, but soon scampered off when he realised he'd been spotted.

ComfreyThe weather was showery and cloudy all day and we were therefore lucky to see one solitary common blue butterfly which had braved the elements together with a few moths.  Bird activity was not great but we did record 23 different species during the day, including yellowhammer, skylark, oystercatcher, curlew, willow warbler and chiffchaff.

The management of Morrison's in Ripon allowed us to use their car park for the minibus provided that we gave their cafe some trade and most of the party treated themselves to a light lunch there.

We all felt that we had made the most of a poor weather day and returned to Bradford in good spirits.

Stuart