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WFV, Warton Crag, 26th July 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 26th Jul 2011, 12:01am
Carline ThistleCarline ThistleLunch On The CragLunch On The CragToday we returned to a favourite BEES haunt – Warton Crag. A limestone hill overlooking Morecambe Bay with 360° views to Morecambe, Blackpool, the Forest of Bowland, Ingleborough, Silverdale, Arnside Knot, the Lakes, Grange and beyond, this is a special place, so it was not surprising that the minibus was full by the time we left our final pickup point in Keighley. It was Tuesday, so the rain which had fallen on the Bradford area during the early morning had cleared to beautiful sunshine by the time we arrived at Warton. A short 20 minute ( or 40 minutes for the botanists) climb from the bottom car park (our minibus won’t go under the barrier at the main quarry car park) was enough to persuade our ageing limbs that it was time for lunch. We ate surrounded by swathes of limestone flowers – wild thyme, rock rose, ladies’ bedstraw, eyebright, red valerian and lots more, and this is the overiding impression of Warton Crag for the botanists - just lots and lots af lovely wild flowers. For the ornitholigists amongst us the day was disappointing. A couple of ravens floated by, swifts and swallows hawked but not in any numbers, we heard a yaffle but any significant sighting proved to be elusive. Musk MallowMusk Mallow However, most ornithologists tend also to be interested in anything that flies, be it planes, moths or butterfiles and so attention was focused on the latter two. Micro moths are difficult to photograph but there were lots on the wing John managed a couple of lovely shots (see Gallery). We did identify 14 butterflies including grayling and a few large fritilleries too flighty to name. The flower count is still going on as we go to press, but the highlights of the day were perhaps ploughmans’ spikenard and pale toadflax. Four and a half hours passed in no time and before we knew it was time to clamber aboard the minibus once again and head southwards after another lovely BEES venture.

Stuart

WFV, Healey Dell Nature Reserve, 19th July 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Fri, 22nd Jul 2011, 12:02am

Viaduct ArchViaduct ArchThis week's trip was to the relatively local destination of the Healey Dell Nature Reserve in Rochdale. On arrival, the nearly full minibus was welcomed by the ranger, Richard. We were invited in to the rangers' office where we could make use of the facilities and were kindly provided with a hot drink before we enjoyed a very informative slideshow visual tour of the reserve. Following lunch Richard led us on a guided walk around the reserve pointing out the features of interest and patiently letting us stop and botanise as we wished. Healey Dell is a steep sided woodland carved out by the River Spodden and there is much archaelogocical interest due to past association with the textile trade. Key archaeological features include the stone rubbing mill where local stone was rubbed, polished and finished. Th'Owd Mill I'th Thrutch consists of twin bridges which were the site of a Broad Leaved HelleborineBroad Leaved Helleborinefulling mill in the 17th century. A disused railway line over a 100 foot viaduct affords fine views of the reserve. The setting with several waterfalls was very beautiful. It was a quiet day with regard to birds - only about 15 were recorded including jays. Dragonflies and damselflies were not evident in the largely dry but cool conditions. However, there was much to see from a botanical perspective. ChicoryChicoryThe most notable find was broad-leaved helleborine in flower. Numerous common spotted orchids were evident and many had grown very tall. Other interesting finds included dusky cranesbill and a large stand of chicory. 165 plants were recorded 115 of them in flower. 12 ferns/horsetails were noted. 4 butterflies were recorded including small skipper. Although the conditions were cool, it stayed mostly dry with just slight drizzle shortly before we were due to leave, but we had enjoyed a lovely day and we were very grateful to Richard for giving us so much of his time and sharing his knowledge of the reserve.

Sue

WFV North Walney Island 12 July 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 13th Jul 2011, 12:01am
Walney GeraniumWalney GeraniumWe felt we were a fortunate group of people to experience such good weather for our extended day out visiting North Walney Island. The weather kept fine all day (we had seen some threatening rain clouds on our journey) warm and not windy as predicted. This good fortune spread into the evening when we were able to enjoy spectacular red skies, in particular a view of Ingleborough bathed in a warm red glow, on our return journey. The island is a habitat consisting of shingle, sand dunes, willow scrub, lakes and grassland (also salt marsh which was not visited) was full of flora and insect life. Our group 15 in number plus 2 travelling by car (Lorna and Andrew) divided into several small groups taking things at their own pace. Grayling on Sea HollyGrayling on Sea HollyThe most intrepid duo of the party made for the more northerly dune system reporting back that they had walked 5 miles and seen the Walney geranium in good numbers, marsh helleborine but not the dune or green flowered orchid. The majority of the party combed the more southerly dunes for the special plants. There was lots to see and identify. On the shingle banks were sea kale, sea sandwort and yellow horned poppy. In the dunes and margins we saw seaside centaury, thyme, harebells, sea holly, sea spurge, sea bindweed, rose of rugosa, sea rocket, cat's ear, rest harrow, heartease pansy, bird's foot trefoil, biting stonecrop, lady's bedstraw, eyebright, harestail clover, yellow rattle, toadflax, early marsh orchid and parsley water dropwort. Tiger MothTiger MothThe dune slacks were comparitively dry and not that productive. In the wetland surrounding the lagoons we saw loosetrife, marsh woundwort, water crowfoot and numerous small frogs ( the pools are the breeding grounds for the natterjack toad). In the grassland area we enjoyed banks of bloody cranesbill and on the small patches of acid heath ling and bell heather. Young StonechatYoung StonechatWe did not get as far as the eastern shore to take in the plants of the salt marsh. Several butterflies were on the wing. Of special interest was the grayling butterfly with its superb camouflage when still. Other butterflies seen were the gatekeeper and red admiral. The bird life was more limited however we obtained a good view of a flock of young stonechats and an adult male. Other birds were meadow pipit, oystercatcher and blackheaded gull. The meal at the Gilpin Bridge hotel satisfied all appetites and tastes! We returned to Bradford tired but stimulated as a result of an inspiring day out in the field. Thanks go to Brian (and his helpers) for being prepared to take on this one despite the distance involved and for doing those two reckies.

Margaret

WFV, Bramham Park 5th July 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 6th Jul 2011, 12:02am
The HouseThe HouseOur trip today was to Bramham Park gardens and estate, home to the Lane Fox family. The current owner Nicholas Lane Fox is a successful investment manager and entrepreneur. Bramham was established by his ancestor Robert Benson whose father gained wealth as a lawyer. The layout of the park in a formal French garden design and house was completed in 1710. Our attention on arrival was drawn almost immediately to a red kite circling overhead. We were told by our host Judy that a couple had built a nest and raised chicks on the estate. We were invited to explore the landscaped gardens at our leisure. The gardens are laid out in a formal design with architectural features at intersections including the T pond, Gothic Temple, Obelisk ponds and cascades, Open Temple, Four Faces statue and Chapel. These features could be seen at the end of the long rides which sometimes when bordered by tall beech hedges these were called allées. The gardens are situated on the famous belt of magnesian limestone. Our particular interest focused on the meadows in between the rides which had been traditionally managed for over 300 years. They contained a profusion of plants and insects. These areas were a sea of knapweed coming into bloom and orchids common spotted and twayblade just past their best. Fragrant OrchidFragrant Orchid(Broad leaved helleborine was present on the margins of the woodland and fragrant orchid was seen by Donald and Stuart near the Obelisk in Black Fen.)Four Spotted ChaserFour Spotted Chaser Other hay meadow plants included lady's bedstraw, fairy flax,and St John's wort. Many plants were in seed including yellowrattle and cowslips. Giant bellflower, woundwort and willow herb were seen on the woodland margins. On the lawns we found squinancywort, rock rose and eyebright. 125 species were identified and recorded by Alice. Butterfly species included an abundance of ringlet also meadow brown, large skipper, tortoiseshell and red admiral. Dragonfly species included emperor and brown hawker (I am looking forward to viewing Sue's pics in the Gallery). A small number of us ( now known as the elite group !) took the half mile walk to the area known as Black Fen. It was an intergral part of Bramham's landscape from the beginning. Orginally an area of peat bog and badly drained land unsuitable for farming it was planted as a woodland. It contains the Obelisk, a monument created in 1760s as a memorial to Robert Benson who died in his 30s. This is a wildlife area and arboretum containing some exotic trees. On our return we observed the White Horse of Kilburn in the distance. Fourteen people attended this outing. We were lucky to have the benefit of a warm and sunny day.

Margaret

WFV, Foxglove Covert Nature Reserve, 28th June 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Tue, 28th Jun 2011, 12:01am
Two storey hideTwo storey hideToday we headed up the A1 to Catterick Garrison where Foxglove Covert Nature Reserve is located at Cambrai Barracks. A full minibus left Bradford full of expectation of a varied day out and hoping maybe to catch a sighting of a uniformed Major or two! As is often the case for us on our Tuesday outings, the weather took up as we headed North and the heat of the previous day had dispersed. Having reported to the entry gate and been given the security code for the gate to the reserve, we drove through the barracks and were welcomed at the field centre by Anne, our guide for the day. We were offered tea and whilst we marvelled at the facilities at the centre Anne gave us an introduction to the reserve, expaining that the site had first been a bird-ringing centre (now one of the top bird-ringing centres in the UK) before gradually being developed as a nature reserve through cooperation with the Army, Richmondshire District Council and Natural England. A recent grant from Natural England had funded new access-for-all paths, bird hides and further development of the impressive field centre. We were taken on a tour of part of the reserve before lunch and then although free to do our own things afterwards, Anne did in fact stay with us and most of the party followed her again in the afternoon. The habitats of the 100 acres at Foxglove Covert are varied, covering woodland, wetland, moorland, scrub and raised fen and the variety of flora and fauna diverse - over 2000 species having been recorded. Large SkipperLarge SkipperWe didn’t quite reach that number in the time that we were Dark Green FritillaryDark Green Fritillarythere, but nevertheless recorded an impressive number of plant species, 25 birds (including a woodcock disturbed by Sue which tried to distract her from its nest), 8 butterfiles, various moths, damsel and dragonflies, and two red deer. After re-gathering at the field centre we were again offered tea before we headed off happily back down the A1, vowing to return again next year. The reserve is truly impressive – Gillian described it as a 4-star plus reserve. It would probably have received a 5-star rating had the guide (50p) been up-to-date with recent path alterations ! The facilities are wonderful with lovely toilets, kitchen and study centre and we were made to feel very welcome. The reserve is holding an Open Day on Saturday 23rd July but individuals are welcome on any day during opening hours (although drivers need some form of identification). Check out the website at http://www.foxglovecovert.org.uk – you’ll even find a photo of the BEES group who visited today.

Stuart

WFV, Wharram Percy and Wharram Quarry, 21st June 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Fri, 24th Jun 2011, 12:01am
PondPond13 travelled on the minibus wondering whether we were going to be lucky or unlucky with the weather and whether we had brought the right clothing. The weather was decidedly uncertain as we headed to the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy in the Yorkshire Wolds and there were several showers as we travelled, some of them heavy. However, the scenery en route was beautiful, especially the vast expanses of poppies some of them intermingled with bright yellow rape.Bee OrchidBee Orchid After a welcome stop at a cafe to use the facilities and have a cuppa we continued on to our destination meeting up with 4 people who had come by car. The views of the Wolds were splendid. We headed along the path through fields full of wild flowers to the village of Wharram Percy. The plan had been to walk down fairly quickly and to botanise on the return leg, but it became apparent that this was never going to happen! 18th century farm cottages, the ruins of a medieval church and a recreated fish pond were the main points of interest at Wharram Percy. The cottages were snuggled into the hillside in such an idyllic setting. It is believed that families had to leave the village in the late 15th century as it was turned over to pasture for sheep.We had lunch by the church and then made a circuit of the pond before returning to the bus. 114 plants in flower were seen including dropwort. Today's trip was more about the botany than the birds, but we did see linnets and also a yellowhammer in full song. From Wharram Percy we drove just a short distance to Wharram Quarry, a chalk quarry managed by the Yorkshire wildlife trust. Now disused, the quarry has a flat floor and steep cliff faces with scooped out hollows.Scorpion FlyScorpion Fly In the short time we had available to us we recorded 57 plants in flower. Bordered Sallow MothBordered Sallow MothThe highlights were the common spotted and bee orchids, and also broom rape, probably thistle broomrape. Clustered bellflower was also seen. Throughout the day we spotted several butterflies including common blue and small heath which were abundant at the quarry. Also, a marbled white and ringlet butterflies were seen as well as an uncommon moth - a bordered sallow, the first recording on this site for 12 years. As we returned to the bus, the weather was really closing in. Most of us managed to avoid the heavy downpour but a couple did get a good soaking.

Sue

WFV, Sherburn Willows and Skipwith Common, 14th June 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 15th Jun 2011, 12:02am
Amongst the DaisiesAmongst the DaisiesWe welcomed back some old members whom we hadn’t seen Bee OrchidBee Orchid for a while as well as a couple of new faces who added an international flavour to this week’s full minibus group as we headed out East for a trip to Sherburn and Skipwith. It was the group’s first visit to Sherburn Willows, a YWT reserve on the Magnesian limestone where we enjoyed a pre-prandial walk along the banks and in the ‘marshy’ area (at present almost dry) before having lunch in lovely sunshine. We had to leave too early but before we did enjoyed a variety of limestone plants, including common spotted orchid, southern marsh orchid, bee orchid and purple milk-vetch. The illusive sainfoin remained so! The marsh area provided common meadow rue, meadowsweet and various sedges. We then moved on to Skipwith Common, a National Nature Reserve and SSI which is based on an old RAF airfield and is 50% woodland and 50% lowland heath with a rich flora and fauna.Whitethroat In Full SongWhitethroat In Full Song Piri Piri BurrPiri Piri BurrThe plants included piri piri burr allegedly introduced by New Zealand aircrew who used the base during the Second World War and which is now abundant. The site is too large to allow full exploration in the time available to us so perhaps another visit will allow us to see the great crested newts, common lizards, grass snakes and adders which inhabit the reserve. In the day we recorded 118 flowering plants, 20 birds including yellowhammer and a calling tawny owl, ten butterfiles including brimstone, ringlet and small heath and cinnabar and six-spot burnet moths.

Stuart

WFV, Lower Winskill Farm, Stainforth, 7th June 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 8th Jun 2011, 12:02am
Learning About The Lime KilnLearning About The Lime KilnToday’s BEES outing had a different feel as we visited Lower Winskill Farm at Stainforth where we were led on a tour of the farm by Tom Lord, the farmer who is also a local historian and achaeologist. A full minibus parked in the car park in Stainforth at about 750ft above sea level and we walked up the lane and through fields on limestone to Lower Winskill Farm at just under 1000ft whilst Tom showed us a lime kiln and told us about the history of the farm and area and how the farm operates today – to a large extent by not actually farming but by preserving pastures and meadows in a traditional way. Smearsett Scar and Ingleborough with head!Smearsett Scar and Ingleborough with head! Farm buildings have been cleverly converted into classrooms, workplaces and galleries in which we were able to escape the rain which arrived at lunchtime. We had time then to look at the very imaginative gallery which has been created for a forthcoming ‘Open Studios’ event when resident sculptor Sarah Smith and artist Margaret Uttley will display their works. Some of Sarah's work is also exhibited outside in the fields around the farm. The warning on the BEES programme - ‘because of the elevation warm and waterproof clothing is needed, even in June’ – was very timely as the rain continued to fall and the wind continued to blow as we continued our tour after lunch. A decision to abandon the high ground and seek more sheltered pastures came before the rain passed over and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to the minibus in Stainforth in much brighter weather. Chimney SweeperChimney Sweeper The sunshine encouraged winged creatures to fly and we saw many small heath butterflies and chimneysweeper moths. John’s joining the group has added another dimension to our combined knowledge and he was able to identify two northern brown argus butterflies – the first of the year at Lower Winskill. Numerous plants and ferns were seen including moonwort and even a few bluebells still flowered at the high altitude. The high Dales do not hold a great variety of birds and we only recorded about a dozen, which included the locally common wheatear and meadow pipit, but we did enjoy superb views to Ingleborough and Penyghent and beyond. We returned to the minibus enthused by what we had seen and been told but with a slight hint of sadness that farms such as Lower Winskill are no longer agriculturally viable but have to rely on subsidies in order to preserve the traditional landscape.

Stuart

WFV North Cave & Calley Heath 24th May 2011

Submitted by beesadmin on Wed, 25th May 2011, 12:03am

Our visit to North Cave and Calley Heath was very much enjoyed by a small group of 9 people. North Cave is a favourite reserve and it has developed tremendously since our first visit. It has attracted a wide range of birds who have settled and bred there. We were able to view the new developments which include the creation of an extensive lowland grassland area which will attract waders such as snipe and lapwing also new species such as wigeon and curlew. A visitors centre will shortly be opening.

The party completed a circular tour of the reserve, initially calling in at the East Hide then moving to the Turret Hide. We viewed a bonanza of birding activity. It was lovely to see the birds with their young broods moving around the lakes in convoy. Numerous species had bred including avocets, lapwing, shellduck, mallard, gadwall and greylag geese.Other birds seen were little grebe, red shank, ringed plover, reed bunting, swifts and swallows not forgetting the black swan - a total of 43 species for the day.

The botanists were equally pleased with their findings. Conditions were somewhat dry however 73 plant species were recorded for North Cave including fiddle neck, storksbill. weld and celery leaved buttercup amongst many more species.Although conditions were windy and somewhat dull 6 species of butterfly were seen including common blue, green veined white, speckled wood, orange tip, small skipper and meadow brown.

We moved onto Calley Heath to consider the special flora of a recently restored lowland heath(a nationally scarce habitat).The YWT volunteer group has been recently involved in conservation work including hedgelaying and scrub clearance. A flock of hebridean sheep have been introduced to eat the harder grasses of an enclosed field thus encouraging the more interesting plants including common storksbill, sheep sorrel and common centaury.The rarities shepherd's cress and heath cudweed were not seen athough their location was pointed out to us by John from the YWT who we met on our return to the entrance gate.

The weather had been kind to us although windy it was nevertheless a fine day with some sunshine. It had been a full if pleasantly tiring day .

There should be lots of pics from Janet, Stuart and Margaret.

Margaret

WFV North Cave Wetlands & Calley Heath 24th May 2011

Submitted by Wildlife Field… on Wed, 25th May 2011, 12:02am
North Cave Reedbed LakeNorth Cave Reedbed LakeOur visit to North Cave and Calley Heath was very much enjoyed by a small group of 9 people. North Cave is a favourite reserve and it has developed tremendously since our first visit. It has attracted a wide range of birds who have settled and bred there. We were able to view the new developments which include the creation of an extensive lowland grassland area which will attract waders such as snipe and lapwing also new species such as wigeon and curlew. A visitors centre will shortly be opening. The party completed a circular tour of the reserve, initially calling in at the East Hide then moving to the Turret Hide. We viewed a bonanza of birding activity. It was lovely to see the birds with their young broods moving around the lakes in convoy. Numerous species had bred including avocets, lapwing, shelduck, mallard, gadwall and greylag geese. Other birds seen were little grebe, red shank, ringed plover, reed bunting, swifts and swallows not forgetting the black swan - a total of 43 species for the day. Spear ThistleSpear ThistleThe botanists were equally pleased with their findings. Conditions were somewhat dry however 73 plant species were recorded for North Cave including fiddle neck, storksbill, weld and celery leaved buttercup amongst many more species. Although conditions were windy and somewhat dull 6 species of butterfly were seen including common blue, green veined white, speckled wood, orange tip, small skipper and meadow brown. We moved onto Calley Heath to consider the special flora of a recently restored lowland heath (a nationally scarce habitat).Hebridean Sheep On The MoveHebridean Sheep On The Move The YWT volunteer group has been recently involved in conservation work including hedgelaying and scrub clearance. A flock of hebridean sheep have been introduced to eat the harder grasses of an enclosed field thus encouraging the more interesting plants including common storksbill, sheep sorrel and common centaury.The rarities shepherd's cress and heath cudweed were not seen athough their location was pointed out to us by John from the YWT who we met on our return to the entrance gate. The weather had been kind to us although windy it was nevertheless a fine day with some sunshine. It had been a full if pleasantly tiring day . There should be lots of pics from Janet, Stuart and Margaret.

Margaret

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