Sprotborough Flash with Hull Nats

A day trip doing a circular walk around Sprotborough Flash with Hull Nats. It is warm and sunny, with barely any breeze. We walk counter-clockwise, visiting the woodland and limestone meadows and then going back through the disused railway track and returning by the River Don. The River Don joins the River Went to form Dutch River before draining into the Ouse at Goole, and reaching the Humber. At Sprotborough it is canalised in places, with locks and weirs to control its flow, but the landscape is dominated by the picturesque Don gorge (above), excavated in magnesian limestone and clothed in woodland, which can be seen from various viewpoints along the reserve. The flash, a wetland parallel to the river, was formed due to subsidence after coal mining, and can be watched from three hides and screens.

Long boat moored by the island on the River Don.

Weir

Two Great Tit fledglings sunbating.

A yellow and black longhorn, Rutpela maculata

Magnesium limestone grassland
Conservation grazing by Hebridean sheep is used by YWT to control succession of woodland in patches of meadow surrounded by woodland. The richness of plants is astounding, Hull Nats recorded 198 species of plants in our walk today. In the patch of meadow 4 species of orchid were in bloom, including large numbers of Twayblade and Pyramidal Orchids. Not only plants, insects are plentiful and a swarm of hidundines and swifts feed over our heads. Two Buzzards chased by a Hobby are also around.

Common Spotted Orchid.

Twayblade.

Bee Orchid.

Pyramidal Orchid.

Centaury.

Small Skipper.

Andrew photographing a Twayblade.

Lunch break by the meadow.

Damsels and Dragons
We watch eight Odonata species on the wing, including hundreds of Common Blue Damseflies in the River Don, Large Red, Blue-tailed and Azure damselflies and Banded Demoiselles; also several Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser ovipositing and Emperor patrolling the river. Four species of damselflies were mating.

Azure Damselfly.

Blue-tailed damselflies mating.

Banded Demoiselle on a pond.

Andrew and Helen photographing damselflies.

Mating Large Red Damselflies.

Common blue damselfly.

Mating Banded demoiselles, with attending Blue-tailed damselfly.

A cluster of Pyramidal Orchids.

Photographing orchids.

6 spot burnet moth.

Scorpion fly, Panorpa sp.

A tunnel under the disused railway track that borders the reserve.

A dead Hedgehog on the path. Victim of a Badger?

Hoof fungus, Fomes fomentarius, the largest I've even seen

The Flash

We make use of the hide and watch the birds using the flash. There are plenty of Gadwall, some with grown ducklings, two Grey Herons and a Cormorant. Coots with young and a few Black-headed gulls.

The flash and woods.

A drake Mandarin in the river moulting into eclipse plumage.

Ringlet.

Great Heron.

A wonderful, diverse reserve, which I shall revisit.

Yorkshire Arboretum

A cold, sunny day for my first visit to this large site, with the promise of some Hawfinches, which have been resident in the area since their irruption last October. The Hawfinches did not disappoint, about a dozen flew over before we left the visitor centre and they show a few more times about the place, mostly atop trees, but also one feeding on the ground, with a mixed flock of Greenfinches, Redwings, Brambling and Chaffinches. Finches are indeed plentiful in the site, particularly Greenfinches and Chaffinches, probably taking advantage of the abundance of tree seeds on the ground. Two Buzzards called, soaring above the trees.
The arboretum occupies 120 acres on the grounds of the Castle Howard Estate, and is now managed as a charity together with Kew Gardens and comprise over a large collection of trees from several regions of the world, many mature, which started growing since the late 1970s. The trees are well labelled, with a card attached to a branch in the tree. The grounds also have ancient trees, especially oaks. Some of them are now kitted with owl nests on the top. The landscape is undulating and with wooded areas and extensive meadows, allowing for expansive views. Some areas are quite wet and there are ponds and a lake recently restored. There are two marked walks on the map provided at the visitor centre.
The visitor centre has a small shop and a cafe and there is outdoor sitting space right next to well topped bird feeders. Something to take into account is that dogs are allowed on site, on leads nearer the visitor centre.
 I will definitely visit again, even if the Hawfiches leave.

Jackdaw. Many pairs investigating the holes in the old oaks.

Rook.

Winter Aconite.

This and the following two photos are the usual, distant treetop views of the retiring Hawfinches.

Goat willow buds.

Fungus.

Ancient oak with owl box.

A Hawfinch feeding on the ground.

Tame Chaffinch by the visitor centre.

Mash Tit.

Sunbathing Kestrel.

Another ancient oak.

River Hull. Stage 15. Snakeholm Pastures and Wansford

A balmy, calm day with sunny spells, I start the stage at Wansford. I have a foray around the village, and walk along Nafferton Beck, one of the tributaries of the river Hull. A couple of Grey Wagtails fly off, one of them singing from a roof. On the lake at Mill Farm, a large flock of Wigeon takes off. There are also Little Grebes, Little Egrets, Cormorants and Greylag. I return to the bridge over the river Hull (called West Beck here) and enter Snakeholme Pastures, a small YWT nature reserve comprising a couple of fields by the river Hull. A Kestrel flies ahead of me.

 The river has clear water over the chalk, with a lot of marginal vegetation and plenty of aquatic vegetation and occasional willows and elder on the banks. The flow of water is faster than downstream and the river crosses 5 m altitude contour line in this stage and the banks don't appear to have been artificially embanked, although dredging has taken place until recently. In a deep pool with a gravelly bottom I watch a group of Grayling, lazily swimming in the current. Later I see a large Brown Trout on the edge of the stream.

I surprise a Barn Owl sitting on a large hole of a dead tree, but I am too slow to take a photo before it flies away. The river meanders and so do I following it, trying to stay close to it. A Kingfisher calls coming downstream and turns swiftly over as it spots me. 

As noon approaches, the sunny spells become longer and I heard the mewing of some Buzzards that have started soaring. Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws fly up to ride the rising air with some gulls too.

As the temperature also rises, many adult Caddis fly and there are active Common Darters, with a mating pair. Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals and Small Whites are on the wing.

 Snakeholm Pastures joins Copper Hall and Skerne Wetlands in a large protected area lining the east side of the river. There is evidence of some work to improve the river margins, reducing erosion, but the section in the farm with Galloway cattle is almost bare in the river bank.

 On the way back a couple of Jays fly into an oak in a small copse by the path. I saw a total of 55 birds during the stage. Altogether, a beautiful, wildlife-rich stretch of river.

Nafferton Beck at Mill Farm.

The lake at Mill Farm.

The entrance of Snakeholme Meadows.

View of Wansford Bridge over the River Hull.

A wobbly bridge over the river.

A group of Grayling

And my best shot of one of the Grayling showing the large, colourful dorsal fin.

I sneaked close to this Brown Trout, which was swimming close to the bank.

Common Darter.

Mute Swan flyover

An impressive Ash tree on Copper Hall farm.

Little Egret

Caddis Fly.

More information

Snakeholm Pastures. YWT website here.

Skerne Wetlands. YWT website here.

Interview with Jon Traill, the site manager of Skerne Wetlands.