Wortley Hall parkland was the place for our field visit this Saturday morning, 14th October. With a total of 14 members from Barnsley Nats and Friends of Wortley Hall Gardens, the weather was typical for Autumn with blue skies and sunshine with a north westerly wind making to feel cold in the shade, at eight degrees!
We did a circuit of the gardens, admired the ancient oak tree and the fossilized tree stump, and found most of the fungi on the grass lawns.
This site appears locally important for fungi and deserves further visits.
Whitwell Moor, near Stocksbridge, is an area of former Grouse Moorland with heather and grassland areas and a beech plantation at its southern end. Eleven of us, led by Doug Brown and Chris Tomson, visited Whitwell Moor on the morning of Tuesday 3rd October. We gathered in the rain at the western end of Long Lane.
There’s a plantation at one end of the moor, and owing to the weather we first went there, finding Russula, Bolete, and Amanita species. Porcelain fungi being one of the prize species.
As the weather improved we headed towards the open moorland around the trig point where the terrain is acid grassland. We thought that this area might be good for waxcap species but we found other species.
The party then headed back along the ridge, looking at an ancient stone wall a site that made millstones in the plantation.
The moor is part of the Broomhead Estate and is no longer managed for grouse shooting. We were keen to have to see any changes due to the natural progression of the moor since management was withdrawn.
The moor was no longer a mosaic of new and old heather. Scrub and some trees had taken hold; Birch and Bracken were spreading. Rewilding?
Finally better weather brought out butterflies including Red Admiral.
Our next field visit takes place on the evening of Wednesday, 20th September. We will be watching bats on Elsecar reservoir and nearby. We will bring some bat detectors! Leader Doug Brown.
Meet at the car park at 6.45 pm on Wentworth Road near Elsecar Heritage Centre and opposite Elsecar Park. Grid Ref SK 38449976. What 3 words: ///aunts.wanted.cuddled. Nearby post code: S74 8EP
On Saturday 9th September, our field visit is to Rabbit Ings, near Royston; meeting at 10:00 am in the car park off Lund Hill Lane S71 4BB What3words: ///extreme.seemingly.grid. Grid reference: SE375117
Rabbit Ings is a country park located on the former colliery yard and spoil heap of the Monkton Colliery and then the Royston Drift Mine, which closed in 1989. The renovated 64-hectare site, situated near Royston, has a range of habitats including grassland, woodland, ponds and wetland areas. It can be a hotspot for dragonflies. Leader Michele Winder.
Doug Brown, one of our members, goes out on a regular basis to do a glowworm count on a transect of the TPT near Thurgoland. This Wednesday night, for our planned field visit, several other Barnsley Nats members went along too. We had a count of around 70 glowworms a-glowing; quite difficult to see but an impressive number these days.
Doug also set up a moth trap at the side of the trail for while we are counting the glowworms. And the following morning we assembled at Doug and Jill’s to see the moths collected on the TPT.
Friday 28 July, 9pm: Mothing at Carlton Marsh Nature Reserve
Cliff Gorman has been in touch to invite interested Nats members to an evening ‘mothing’ at Carlton Marsh on Friday evening —if it’s not raining at 9pm!
Tuesday 1 August, ‘Yorkshire Day’: Dragonflies at Netherwood Country Park
Alistair McLean is leading a field visit at Netherwood Country Park for Dragonflies starting at 11am. It’s a joint venture of Sorby Natural History Society, the British Dragonfly Society and Sheffield Museums.
We visited the country park and its ponds a few months back —before the dragonfly season so now there will be more to see. The car park is off Bradbury Balk Lane, grid reference: SE 3956 0404. What Three Words : ///gateway.enveloped.bugs !!
Our Barnsley Nats field visit —on Wednesday evening, 26 July— to Wombwell Ings, one of the Dearne Valley wetlands sites managed by the RSPB; Ron Marshall leading our walk. A drink at the Old Moor Tavern after, for those who wish.
Meeting for 7pm near the junction of Everill Gate Lane and Pontefract Roadn near the Old Moor Tavern. Parking at the roadside along Pontefract Road. Grid Reference: SE419029. What Three Words: ///astounded.climate.starch or ///history.otter.chucked
Yesterday’s field visit: Eight intrepid Barnsley Nats members braved the weather yesterday at Wombwell Ings; the highlights included the kingfisher darting along the Dearne, Egrets on the Ings –and of course the company; after our walk we retired, somewhat soaked, to the Old Moor Tavern.
Our field visit this Saturday morning was to the Denby Delf nature reserve, managed by the Garganey Trust, near Upper Denby, just over the Barnsley border from Ingbirchworth and Gunthwaite.
It’s made up of meadows, heathland, acid grassland, scrub and woodland in old quarry workings. The reserve has spectacular views over to Emley Moor and down the Dearne Valley. https://garganeytrust.org.uk/reserves/denby-delf/
The meadow was unmown and there were still orchids, just going over. There were lots of speckled wood, meadow brown and ringlet butterflies. Birds included yellowhammer, skylark, and meadow pipit; plants common spotted orchid, yellow rattle, tormentil etc. And much more. A brilliant site and well worth coming again!
Our next Wednesday evening field visit (21 June) is a welcome return to Boylin’s, the area near Strafford industrial park. It’s off the road (Gilroyd Lane) between Gilroyd and Stainborough.
It’s a general nature walk in an area with a stream (Stainborough Dike), reedbeds ( Strafford Mine Water Treatment Plant), grassland and woodland. So looking for plants, birds, butterflies and other invertebrates. It’s part of the Falthwaite and Lowe Wood local wildlife site. The Dove Valley Trail (TPT) skirts the site.
Meeting: We are meeting for 7pm at the Strafford industrial estate car park: SE324041. The selected ‘what three words’ location is ///launch.water.beast !
We have a species count of 103, many of which we see regularly. There will be more to add to the list when we get the insects species from one of our members. Birds that we saw ot heard include wren, reed warbler anf young bluetits. Insects were a snout-nosed moth, clearwing (possibably lunar hornet moth) nurseyweb spider and bishop’s mitre shieldbug. Plants included enchanters nightshde, crosswort, goats rue, everlasting pea and yarrow (flowers are just opening). Galls midge, Dasineura acrophilia, gall on ash; two mite galls, Eriophyes inangulis and E. laevis on alder; wasp gall, Andricus curvatur, on oak sessile
Our next field visit is to Phoenix Park near Thurnscoe. It’s a general nature ramble on a restored colliery site, now managed by The Land Trust. Grasses, wildflowers, hopefully insects if warm enough, birds and woodland.
We’ll meet as usual at 10am and stay until around 1.00pm.
Meet at the main car park for Phoenix Park on Barrowfield Road, Thurnscoe. Three words: //save.prepared.perfected [!!] Grid Reference: SE461052. There are brown signs to Phoenix Park from the A635 roundabout junction with the B609.
A joint field visit with South Yorkshire British Naturalists’ Association.
Our field visit on Wednesday 24 May was to Netherwood Country Park and Nature Reserve, at the side of the river Dove, between Wombwell and Darfield.
As well as the river and large ponds, there are open grassy areas, scrub and a bit of woodland. Not much in flower yet but it was good to identify what was there, as well as other wildlife.
We managed 13 birds including Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler. The young of the Greylag and Canada geese were a delight!
Our nine insect species included Red & Black Froghopper, the Soldier beetle: Cantharis rustica, Redheaded Cardinal beetle, and 7 spot and 14 spot ladybirds as well as Early bumblebee, Red tail bumblebee and Common carder bee.
Of particular interest were the Oak Current Gall, the gall wasp of which creates oak spangle galls in a later stage; and a spiral gall on some fantastic Black Poplar trees.
On our field visit on Saturday 13 May to New Hall Farm, between Ardsley and Darfield, David and Helen Rhodes showed us their approach to arable farming which aims to encourage wildlife whilst ensuring their farm is viable; they maintain hedgerows and hay meadows, and have a variety of features that support birds, insects and other wildlife. It was a really interesting visit. More later.
Our Saturday 22nd April field visit to Adwick washlands, was led by Linda Graham in association with Colin and Linda’s birdwatching group. It’s a familiar area of farmed fields transformed into wetlands, wet grassland and marshes; a rich site for breeding waders including Avocets.
A total of 56 bird species were seen, the highlights included Lapwing chicks, many Avocets on eggs, a Spotted Redshank, 2 Bar Tailed Godwits, a Sandwich Tern, a House Martin, 2 Sedge Warblers, a Reed Warbler and a Kingfisher.
Stuart Foster is giving an illustrated talk on the fascinating True Bugson Wednesday evening, 22nd March, 7pm at Barnsley Town Hall. It’s a chance to find out how to identify the different species and the habitats where they are found.
All welcome: just ring the bell at the Experience Barnsley door
