Andrew Hutchinson who has been observing Adders for a number of years has kindly agreed to take us to see the emerging spring adults.

Meet at Stape village Hall at 9am Sunday 8th April where will meet with our leader Andrew Hutchinson and then drive to locations in Cropton Forest.

Please call Rob Stark 07737 400962 if you need a lift or to arrange car pooling. There are spare seats so don’t be shy!

Andrew knows some sites that are at the road side so our less mobile members can be accommodated – please do come if you want to. A few sites are off the track but obviously people can sit out any that they feel are too much.

Andrew will be out all day and we are welcome to stay with him or members can just come for the morning if they wish. Bring packed lunch if staying all day.

Good shoes or boots advisable.

We will only cancel for heavy rain or fog. If in doubt call Rob Stark on 07737 400962 after 7.30pm Saturday or check the website.

See you then.

Talk by Graeme skinner to be followed by a field trip in late March. Date to be finalised.

There are proposals to open up the Ravenscar tunnel to cyclists and walkers. There is little information on bat usage at this site apart from winter hibernation surveys carried out over he last few years. To date a single bat was recorded in 2016 is the only positive. There is a second hand record of the tunnel having a ‘significant’ roost present but this is based on bats seen in the area and may have little to do with the tunnel. This is the first of three visits to determine if there is any use of the site by bats during the breeding season. We shall look at bats in the tunnel and, if sufficient people  also look at what bats are using the surrounding area.

Meeting point will be on the road adjacent to the NT visitor centre at Ravenscar

Contact for this event is Nick Gibbons tel 07790 113025.

Meet at 10.00am in the car park above Rosedale Chimney. Bring a packed lunch.

Leader Ian Glaves.

Meet in the Green Gate car park which is at the western end of Lady Edith’s Drive just before it joins the Ayton to Hackness road.

We will walk into the woods towards the old sawmill. The path can be muddy after rain so please come in good shoes.

Dawn chorus is at its peak at this time of year and we expect to hear a good range of common woodland species.

Meet 10am at lay by at Jugger Howe SE945003

The walk is on reasonably good tracks for the first part but will then move onto stone steps and slightly rougher ground. Bring pack up and binoculars!

There are proposals to open up the Ravenscar tunnel to cyclists and walkers. There is little information on bat usage at this site apart from winter hibernation surveys carried out over he last few years. To date a single bat was recorded in 2016 is the only positive. There is a second hand record of the tunnel having a ‘significant’ roost present but this is based on bats seen in the area and may have little to do with the tunnel. This is the second of three visits to determine if there is any use of the site by bats during the breeding season. We shall look at bats in the tunnel and, if sufficient people  also look at what bats are using the surrounding area.

Meeting point will be on the road adjacent to the NT visitor centre at Ravenscar

Contact for this event is Nick Gibbons tel 07790 113025.

A walk in the National Trust woodland with Zoe Frank of the National Trust.

Meet in Hayburn Wyke Car Park.

This a event organised by Wendy English of Whitby Nats.

Last year, a bat roost was disturbed by building work on the drive of Airy Hill Manor. The area is heavily used by bats for foraging.  To date the only bats detected are pipistrelles, but the roost in a tree implies there’s probably other species in the area.  Residents in an apartment in the main building also suggest there could be a pipistrelle roost above their flat.

We have agreed to come to help Whitby to help do a thorough survey of the Manor grounds, hopefully to locate any roosts, and to identify which species are in the area.  The manor grounds are adjacent to the area that Paul Armstrong of Airy Hill Primary School is managing as a nature reserve.  Paul has agreed that that area can also be monitored.

Wendy has a super bat recording equipment c/o the Sirius Foundation grant, and managed to acquire a 2nd bat detector. We also have bat recording equipment and a couple of spare detectors.  We would like about half a dozen people to help with the survey stationed in different points in the grounds, looking out for bats with the aid of a detector.  Don’t worry if you haven’t used a bat detector before – this is your chance to have a go, and you won’t be expected to identify the bats you see/hear.  With enough people, we should be able to work in pairs.

We are going to do the survey on 22nd May, as Paul will be at the school that night putting out small mammal traps.  Sunset that night is 21.13.  The survey will start around 9pm, and continue for at least 1.5 hours.