Hi. As a result of a clash of meetings we will cancel this re-arranged event for 2019 and try again in 20120.
Category Archives: Latest News
Hutton Buscel Bat survey – 19th July
We found some interesting bat activity in the centre of the village and also had a recorder failure in Revenge Wood so we will try and get some further information on these areas. Contact Nick Gibbons on 07790 113025. niNicholas.gibbons1223@
Pot luck supper at Throxenby Mere New Date 16th July
Note we are going to try and have another go at the Mere. See calendar for details.
FC bat box checks April 2019
Hi
Thanks to everyone who came and helped check the bat boxes in the forest. The Cropton boxes had a little bit of use from some Noctules but no bats present yet. Otherwise we managed a total of 81 bats. The highlights were 7 Noctules in a box at Pexton east and the several boxes at Keldy Ponds that had clusters of Natterer’s. A few lucky people also bagged their first sighting of a UK beaver in Cropton Forest. Luckily the weather men were a little pessimistic.
It is now moving into the surveying season and there a few surveys already planned on the calendar plus the Pot luck supper at Throxenby Mere to look forward to.
Hope to see some of you at a few of these.
Nick G
Orchid Day on 15th June and Nightjar walk 2nd July
Please note that :-
We have added an Orchid Day to the calendar on 15th June
We may combine the Nightjar and Glow-worm nights on to the night of 25th June depending on a recce of the proposed area.
YNU Conference 2019 Abstracts
The YNU conference this year was all about the use of technology in helping to manage and record wildlife. Below are the abstracts from the various presentations if anyone is interested.
The full presentations are now available on www.ynu.org.uk/conference2019.
Happy reading
Bat survey dates confirmed for 2019
The bat survey dates for Hutton Buscel, Brompton, Deepdale, Low North Camp and Keldy ponds have now all been agreed and details are being posted in the calendar. Anyone interested is asked to contact Nick Gibbons on 07790 113025 or by e-mail.
There may be an additional survey which we will try and fit in near Terrington where an ice house is being repaired and there is interest in what bats are using the site. Information will be posted when we have an agreed date.
Land at Newby
The Coast and Vale Community Action group have been offered a small area of land near the cut at Newby and are wondering what to do with it. SFNS have been asked to comment on the ecological value of the site. We have had an initial meeting with David Stone to provide more background and have done a brief vegetation survey of the site which will be passed on to them when written up. The botanical interest does not appear great but does provide a ‘wild’ area within the town and is part of a nice corridor along the cut through the town. Whilst the land does not quite border the cut anything done there may well affect the overall value of the corridor. The land between this site and the water is probably managed/owned by the Environment Agency and we have advised CAMCA to make contact with them. During the visit Grey wagtail, Dipper and Kingfisher were noted using the waterway and other more common birds such as Blackcap were present on site.
Betton verge survey
We have done a vegetation survey of the verge adjacent to the SSSI. The verge holds a number of species of orchid an also some other nice patches of chalk grassland. The hope is that between the Parish Council and the DoT we can get the site managed better to sustain this valuable habitat.
Ravenscar tunnel bat survey completed
We have now done all three roost visits planned for the tunnel and the results have been written up and passed to Elspeth Ingelby at NYMNP. We found both Myotis and Common pipistrelle bats using the tunnel on the main three visits and a final check of the tunnel found a Brown long-eared bat roosting on the ceiling. The data from the spring/summer visits seems to ask as many questions as it answers and there are indications that the bats may even be using the tunnel as a ‘route through’. Certainly there is no ‘major’ roost present but it is being well used. The winter hibernation visits did not add anything to the single record we have from 2016 of a single bat hibernating there. We will wait and see what proposals come forward for the future of the tunnel but thanks to the help of all the volunteers we now at least have a much better knowledge of its use by bats. Thanks to everyone involved.