Showing posts with label YWT reserves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YWT reserves. Show all posts

Sunday 26 April 2020

Nature Walks during Lock Down pt1.


There's not a lot I can add to what we know, or rather don't know about the Coronavirus pandemic except maybe to say that for some of us, me included, this forced retreat into our respective bubbles has restored our enjoyment of the simpler things in life - for all those fond of saying 'stop the world, I want to get off', now is your time!

Oh and one other thing, surely I can't be the only one that mutters an inward groan every time the phrase 'we are living in unprecendented times' is spewed out? Its word pollution. Why not 'unheard of ', unique, un-rivalled or 'without parallel' to mix it up a bit?

Back to nature, benefiting a bit now that we've temporarily stopped using our machines so much, and I sense that millions of people are 'seeing' more, maybe because there's not much else to do; I'm no different, I find myself observing more and savouring the sights and sounds of the daily exercise routine. Never straying far (not allowed😣) from my new house in Pocklington I've been busy discovering previously unexplored sites around and about the Yorkshire Wolds.

Millington Wood, 13/03/20
Pre-lockdown days (remember them?) a couple of my mates dropped by to wish me well in the house and we popped into Millington Wood. A gem of a place, I remember quite vividly running recklessly down the steep slopes with my kids many years ago. An altogether more sedate experience this time around but still, we did it from top to bottom and were rewarded by flock of 30 or so Bramblings downed by a brief squally shower and some magnificent views of local raptors.

Looking on, Rob and Mark, Millington Wood, 13/03/20

Red Kite, Millington Patures, 13/03/20

Common Buzzard, Millington Patures, 13/03/20


Earlier in the month I visited Brayton Barff, a local woodland near Selby that I'd heard some good things about. It was ok, few too many dog walkers for my liking and nothing out of the ordinary in terms of birdlife, but I was impressed by some of the ancient trees there and being the highest point around for many a mile the view from the top was equally impressive.

Thorpe Willoughby from the top of Brayton Barff
Veteran oak tree, Brayton Barff, 06/03/20

Robin, Brayton Barff. 06/03/20



Selby cathedral from Brayton Barff, 06/03/20
Drax power station from Brayton Barff, 06/03/20



Barlow Common, 06/03/20
In the shadow of Drax power station, nearby YWT nature reserve Barlow Common is always worth a pop in and even though I found little else but the scenery to photograph the late afternoon sun was shining and there was not a soul to be seen, just the way I like it!

Again, not many interesting birds - Green & Great Spotted Woodpecker, Teal and a flock of Fieldfares passing through the highlights.


Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20


Drax power station from Barlow Common

Arnecliff Wood, 20/03/20
Another place I've wanted to visit for ages but never got around to it is Arnecliff & Park Hole Woods, a SSSI site near Glaisdale and it was certainly worth the trip. A proper ancient woodland and one that I'll be itching to revisit when all this is over. It was just fit to burst into life when I was there mid March with the first Chiffchaffs singing away and I can only dream about how it might look now!







Wild Daffodils, Arnecliff Wood, 20/03/20

Arnecliff Wood, 20/03/20
Valley side & railway bridge, Arnecliffe Wood, 20/03/20
I saw a daytime flying largish bat, possibly a Noctule, fluttering around in a sheltered glade and as I climbed along the edge of the ravine a big dark shape descended into the valley below, bigger than a pheasant, I have no idea what it was but immediately wondered if it might be one of the famed Eagle Owls that are rumoured to breed somewhere in the North Yorks moors. I'll almost certainly never know.

3 Willow Tits, Nuthatch, Curlew plus a Dipper and a Grey Wagtail on the River Esk were my other memorable sightings on the day.


Park Hole Wood and Glaisdale Side

Dipper, River Esk, Glaisdale, 20/03/20

And then we had 'lock down' and my rovings limited to within a few miles of Pocklington but I haven't felt particularly restricted, I have the Yorkshire Wolds and several other good sites within cycling or a short drive away and I've made full use of my daily exercise!

Newborn Lambs, Nunburnholme Wold, 26/03/20
One such stroll, near Nunburnholme brought me my first decent pics of Chiffchaff along with some very photogenic new born lambs.







Chiffchaff, Nunburnholme Wold, 26/03/20
Bratt Wood, Warter and Londesborough are all within striking distance from Pocklington and of course the Pocklington Canal is an easy and often productive walk. I've seen the usual but always welcome spring flowers emerge and bloom, Brown Hares, Curlews bubbling away and hopefully looking to breed, and of course the weather has been splendid, the light perfect and the skies clear and blue - all good for wildlife and of course taking photographs ...
Curlews, Pocklington Canal, 24/03/20

Wood Anemones, Bratt Wood, 28/03/20

Weir at Londesborough, 26/03/20
Pocklington Canal, Bielby Arm, 27/03/20
Primroses, Bratt Wood, 28/03/20

Dog Violets, Bratt Wood, 28/03/20

Marsh Marigolds, dew pond, Burnby Wold, 27/03/20

This was a surprise find and a first for me in the Wolds, Redshank, 2 of them on a flooded area just outside of Warter.

Redshank, Warter, 26/03/20

Yellowhammer, outskirts of Pocklington, 28/03/20

Wheldrake Ings is now officially closed to the public but shortly beforehand I popped in there looking for Sand Martins. I didn't see any, in fact the place still felt quite wintery with lots of Wigeon, Teal and Pintail still around. Best birds by far were a big flock of Black Tailed Godwits out of the back of Swantail Hide. They pass through here every year and used to breed, maybe the odd pair still do, but I've never seen as many as this here. I counted 117! I'm reasonably confident and hopeful that nature reserves like Wheldrake will be among the first places to re-open - mid summer? Here's hoping.



Black Tailed Godwits, Wheldrake Ings, 25/03/20
Pintail, Wheldrake Ings, 25/03/20

And that my friends is that for now, I've been on so many solitary walks and taken so many pictures over the past few weeks I couldn't fit them all in to one - part 2 of lock down Stay safe everyone😄💚




Monday 2 March 2020

Springtime floods, Scottish views and rarities in Yorkshire.

Spring is almost sprung and its great to hear birdsong in the morning and at dusk again but really only one place to start - the flooding! York copped it mid Feb but just about avoided major hardship due to its flood barriers on the Ouse and the Foss but further downstream parts of Snaith and Cawood were submerged. The most extreme flooding I've seen has been across the floodplains of the Lower Derwent Valley  - where its supposed to flood but still quite a sight.

Flood water  from river Derwent at Bubwith, near Selby, North Yorks
Bubwith Ings in flood, 27/02/20

Flood water  from river Derwent at Bubwith, near Selby, North Yorks
Bubwith Ings in flood, 27/02/20


North Duffield, 27/02/20
All around me at the moment I see birds coming into full breeding plumage and getting on with it and on the few occasions the weather has allowed me to work I've seen lots of spring like activity at Askham Bog - excitable Great Spotted Woodpeckers, resplendent singing Nuthatch and a cracking pair of Sparrowhawks displaying over the bog.
Sparrowhawk, Askham Bog, 26/02/20

Nuthatch bird at Askham Bog, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve, York, UK
Nuthatch, Askham Bog, 08/02/20
Willow Tit bird at Askham Bog, YWT reserve, York, UK
Willow Tit, Askham Bog, 26/02/20

As I write, the future of Askham Bog is being threatened with a decision on whether to go ahead with a proposed new housing development on nearby land imminent. I hope the powers that be see sense otherwise sights like these may become even rarer than they have become since a nearby park and ride nudged up against its boundaries.

screenshot of YorkshiresWildlife.com website
Coming along nicely (Woodland Trust page)
When its not been raining or blowing a hoolie I've been  out and about taking location pics for my new website (nearly there 😊, another month or so and I'll unleash!) - mainly forests and other woodland areas, some I've never really explored before and find it kind of satisfying in a geekish sort of way to mark their presence on the site's maps as well as my own mind map!


woodland glade in Eastmoor and Riccaldale forest, forestry commission, near Helmsley, UK
Eastmoor & Riccaldale Forest, 12/02/20

bare winter trees in Raincliffe Woods near Scarborough, UK
Raincliffe Woods, 22/01/20
Allerthorpe woods, forestry commission, near Pocklington, east yorks, uk
Allerthorpe Woods, 25/01/20
Sands Wood, nr York, 20/02/20
New Covert & Park Wood, 29/01/20

Birch Wood, YWT nature reserve, near helmsley, bilsdale, uk
Birch Wood, 12/02/20
Pretty confidant I heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at that last one, Birch Wood YWT reserve near Helmsley (repeat visit definitely on the cards) and opposite New Covert & Park Woods near Melbourne I had a small group of the White Fronted Geese that have wandering about the Lower Derwent Valley

Lesser White Fronted Geese in amonst Greylags, near Melbourne, east yorkshire
 White Fronted Geese in with Greylags, nr Melbourne, LDV.



Sand banks at Solway Firth near Gretna, dumfries and galloway, scotland
Solway Firth, nr Gretna, 03/02/20

At the beginning of February I went up to Argyll & Bute in Scotland for a short break with good mate Rob to stay in one of the log cabins he gets for half price. Great weather for all 4 days we were up there and although we didn't exactly rack up the bird species (barely topped 50) there were a few highlights, the scenery uplifting, the air clean and always good to chill out with a few music evenings. We stopped off at the Solway Firth on the way up and probably saw more birds there than in the whole of Scotland - big flocks of Dunlin, Oystercatchers and Wigeon. 

sand banks on Solway Firth, near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Sand banks on the Solway Firth, 03/02/20

flock of Dunlin catching the light on the solway firth near gretna, scotland
Dunlin flock, Solway Firth, 03/02/20
Once arrived, unpacked, fed and watered, this was the view that awaited us from the log cabin the next morning!
Loch Long from Ardgarten forest holidays log cabin
Loch Long from Ardgarten forest lodges, 04/02/20

We saw a Sea Otter in that very same loch but it didn't show again for a picture, unlike this splendid male Eider Duck
Male Eider duck on loch Long
Eider Duck, Loch Long, 06/02/20
The bright sunny days showed off the local scenery in all its Scottish splendour ...

Loch Long and Inverary Castle, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Loch Long and Inverary Castle,  04/02/20

Loch Restil, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Loch Restil, 04/02/20
Hooded Crow bird on shores of Loch Long, Scotland
Hooded Crow, Loch Long, 04/02/20
Like I said, the birds were in short supply but we did have a brief sighting of a Golden Eagle over RSPB Loch Lomand. Plenty of Hooded Crows around though and had to marvel at their intelect on more than one occasion .. saw them repeatedly tossing mussel shells up in the air and letting them drop to smash open their contents.

On the way back, on yet another gloriously sunny day, and driving down alongside Loch Lomand a mist came rolling down from the high tops and descended  over the loch - no doubt a common enough happening for the locals but to us spectacular enough to stop the car and take some pics ...






Mist rolling down onto Loch Lomand, Scotland
Mist rolling in, Loch Lomand, 07/02/20







Mist rolling down onto Loch Lomand, Scotland
Mist rolling in, Loch Lomand, 07/02/20

Rough Legged Buzzard bird, Stainforth, south yorkshire, uk
Rough Legged Buzzard, Stainforth, 30/01/20
Earlier in the year I decided to 'twitch' a couple of rarities that had been hanging around Yorkshire for a while - the Lesser Yellowlegs, an american wader, at Nosterfield and the Rough Legged Buzzard, a near arctic hawk, at Stainforth. Both had their appeal and since they'd both been around for a while most birders had already seen them and moved on, in fact I was the only birder on top of that slag heap at Stainforth taking pic after pic of the buzzard!

Lesser Yelowlegs, wading bird, rare, Nosterfield, north yorks, uk
Lesser Yellowlegs, Nosterfield, 29/01/20

Rough Legged Buzzard bird, Stainforth, south yorkshire, uk
Rough Legged Buzzard, Stainforth, 30/01/20

Lesser Yelowlegs, wading bird, rare, Nosterfield, north yorks, uk
Lesser Yellowlegs, Nosterfield, 29/01/20
The light was just perfect that day at Nosterfield and looking back at my pics makes me realise how important good light is when you don't own a £10k lens!

Oystercatcher bird, nosterfield, north yorks, uk
Oystercatcher, Nosterfield, 29/01/20

Wigeon duck, pair of, close up at Nosterfield, north yorks, uk
Wigeon, Nosterfield, 29/01/20

Sparrowhawk perched on a mound at Nosterfield Quarry, north yorks, uk
Sparrowhawk, Nosterfield, 29/01/20

Yellow Flag Iris stems poking through the water at Askham Bog nature reserve, near York, uk
Yellow Flag Iris stems poking through, Askham Bog, 23/02/20
Well its not exactly blooming out there yet, a few crocus, celandines and daffodills is about all the flowers I've seen but give it a few weeks and it'll all start kicking off and the woodland floors will be awash with anemones and the first of our summer birds will be returning - there's already been been Chiffchaff seen in Yorkshire (they get earlier every year!). Here's a few more of my pics from the last month or so .....

Male Goosander, Elmfield Terr. brickyard pond, York
Male Goosander, Elmfield Terr. brickyard pond, York, 01/02/20

Grey Heron over Loch Fyne, Argyll & Bute
Grey Heron over Loch Fyne, Argyll & Bute, 04/02/20

Short Eared Owl over Thorne Moors, south yorkshire
Short Eared Owl over Thorne Moors, 19/02/20

Brightly coloured Goldfinch bird in a tree
Goldfinch, Elmfield Terr. York, 20/02/20

Common Kestrel perched on sapling protector, Bubwith Ings, near Selby, uk
Kestrel, Bubwith Ings, 27/02/20

brightly cloured mosses and lichens on rock face, Glenbranter, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Lichens & Mosses, Glenbranter, Argyll & Bute, 04/02/20

Starlings coming in to roost over Aughton church, nr Selby, uk
Starlings coming in to roost over Aughton church, 18/02/20