We will be checking the bat boxes at Keldy only and not doing Cropton until the autumn. Bring suitable footwear. We will be following similar guidelines as last year regarding the wearing of gloves and FFP3 masks. I will have these available for any East or North Yorkshire bat group members. Anyone who has recently had covid, or has been in contact with someone who has, must provide a negative test result. Please contact Nick Gibbons if you are interested in attending.
Message from John Hume:-
My ad-hoc field outings will be on 7th May to Riccaldale to see the bluebells and other spring flowers (weather permitting). Meeting at 10am on the roadside verge just before Pockley village SE63506 85476. It will be a 5.5 mile walk so everyone needs to be reasonably fit! Just one uphill section. This can go on the website and out via email. Future excursions after this will be posted on the SFN WhatsApp group only, with maybe only 24-48 hours notice as they will be dependent on weather, how I am feeling and whether I can think of somewhere to go. Please contact John on 07717 220152.
A talk by Rob Stark
An initial point survey of the YWT Filey Dams site to see what bats are using the site. Meet at the Filey Dams car park. Contact Nick Gibbons if you are interested.
Meet Arboretum carpark ( SE706697). The arboretum is 50 ha of varied habitat including ancient woodland, parkland with specimen trees, meadows, wetlands and open water. There are over 700 trees in the collection, all labelled and of known provenance, giving excellent opportunities for studying insect-plant interactions. Preliminary recording shows a rich insect fauna. Contact Alastair Fitter for further details.
A chance to revisit 3 of the quarries in Dalby Forest looking for plants and invertebrates. Meet at Bickley Gate car park at 10.00am where we will try and do car shares to reduce the number in the Forest. Bring a packed lunch and suitable footwear and tick protection. Contact Nick Gibbons if you have any queries.
A chance to walk along the beach at Hunmanby gap and explore the cliff plant life and also look for fossils etc. Meet at the Hunmanby gap car park at 1.00 when tide should be ebbing. Wear suitable footwear and bring a snack for a good hike!
A look for butterflies and insects on the reserve, in particular looking for White-letter hairstreak on the Elms. Meet at the reserve (TA 0116 7913) and park on the grass just inside the entrance to the village hall rather than in the road please.
A chance to learn a bit about wood pasture with Sam Newton and to find out about White-clawed crayfish and the plan to create a haven for them from YWT project officer Vanessa Barlow. The evening will consist of a walk round the farm with our two guides followed by a pot luck supper at Rock House, so bring something that you can share around of the edible variety. There is a number of chairs but if you have a collapsible chair please bring one.
The walk will include some uneven terrain, boggy areas and a steep slope to climb, so please come prepared and make sure you bring suitable footwear. The site is also good for bats so as it gets dark we should be able to identify a few species while we have supper. Make sure you bring suitable footwear for the farm walk.
Meeting place Grid Ref SE923893. The approach to ‘Rock House’ is signed at the bottom of the lane and is the second entrance on the bend, the first being Troutsdale Lodge. Please come up the track and park. There is limited parking space so if you are able it would be good to car share.
A second chance to look for butterflies and insects on the reserve, in particular looking for White-letter hairstreak on the Elms. Meet at the reserve and park on the grass just inside the entrance rather than in the road please.