Natural History in Barnsley
Whitwell Moor above Stocksbridge is the place for our field visit this coming Saturday morning, April 12th.
We will be looking for the wildlife on this former grouse moor, including lapwings and curlews.
With the end of management of this site, it is becoming better for wildlife. The views are fantastic too!
We will be meeting for 10.00am at the west end of Long Lane.
Map ref SK 244979. What3Words ///seaweed.pinging.workroom.
On Wednesday 22nd January, we can look forward to a talk on ‘Costa Rica by bike’ by Graham Shepherd, followed by our AGM: 7pm at Worsbrough Common Community Centre, Warren Quarry Lane, S70 4ND.
Wednesday, 18th December is our Nats Christmas Social when our members can enjoy a natural history quiz, music and time to get together and chat. If any of you has something of natural history interest to show and tell us about, there will be time for this too.
Worsbrough Common Community Centre, 7pm, Wednesday 18 December
Due to the extreme wind conditions and incessant rain, the field visit to Ingbirchworth Reservoir on Saturday 7 December has been cancelled.
Our next field visit is on Saturday January 11 for winter birds at Adwick Washlands.
Asian Hornet. Photo: Creative Commons (BY 2.0 UK) -Jean Haxaire
Our Barnsley Nats talk on Wednesday 20th November had Gordon Madden, secretary of Barnsley Beekeepers Association and a Barnsley Nats member, gave an illustrated presentation on ‘Bees, beekeeping and the Asian Hornet’.
Gordon had brought along various items of beekeeping equipment and his talk provoked a lot of interesting discussion.
A special meeting was held on Saturday 16 November at the Library@the Lightbox. Barnsley Nats hosted the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union (YNU) Annual General Meeting and naturalists gathered from most of the areas of Yorkshire.
As part of the event a Blue Plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Barnsley opposite Barnsley Town Hall.
The photograph shows the Mayor, Mayoress and Young Mayor together with Linda Burgess, Chair of Barnsley Civic Trust, and Jeff Lunn, President of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union.
The blue plaque commemorates Thomas Lister, Quaker, Poet and Naturalist, who was Barnsley Postmaster on the site from 1839 to 1870. As well as being President of Barnsley Naturalist and Scientific Society for 20 years, he was a prominent member of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. Thomas Lister attended the first YNU AGM held in Barnsley in 1884, 140 years ago! A good reason for welcoming the YNU back!
Before the blue plaque unveiling Peter Roberts gave a presentation covering highlights of the history of Barnsley Nats and the story of Thomas Lister: his bird reports in the Barnsley Chronicle and the stories of the Barnsley Nats’ Museum have been celebrated in Eldon Street Heritage Action Zone, not least by Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, and his band LYR.
In the afternoon, Jeff Lunn, 2024 YNU President, gave a stunning presentation with the title: ‘A Sense of Place, A Sense of Purpose’, covering his life in conservation and full of anecdote, humour and interest.
Wortley Hall parkland is the place for our fungi field visit on Saturday morning, 9th November. We are meeting at 10.00am. Leader Doug Brown
To park in the Wortley Hall grounds – follow the road in, turn right just before you get to the Hall and drive up and park on the right – Grid reference: SK31199953. ///witless.mingles.realm. Car-share if possible.
The grassland at Wortley Hall is particularly good for fungi. As well as fungi we will be looking at anything else we spot in these autumnal days.
Interested in attracting butterflies and other pollinators to your garden? Hedgehogs and other wildlife too? Then this talk by Will Tomson was for you!
Will Tomson, a professional gardener and garden designer, gave an illustrated talk –Gardening for Wildlife– on Wednesday 23rd October. It was very interesting and informative, and provoked a great deal of discussion and question.
Claypit and woodland at Stairfoot former brickworks.
A small group of Barnsley Nats visited the area of the former Stairfoot Brickworks on Saturday 12 October.
Our next Barnsley Nats field visit is on Saturday 7th September for a morning’s look at the hedges and meadows on public footpaths up from Netherwood Country Park. Leader Catherine Artindale.
When Catherine did her recce, there were lots of insects on the wild flowers; let’s see whether they are still there!
We are meeting in the Netherwood Country Park car park [not tarmac] for 10.00am. The grid reference for the car park is SE 3956 0404. The What Three Words location is ///organisms.prickly.crossing —look out for them! The postcode S73 8AU takes you to the general area.
This coming Saturday, 18 May, Yorkshire Naturalists Union has its annual field excursion to South Yorkshire; Barnsley Nats and other affiliated societies are invited. Last year Barnsley Nats joined them on a visit to Potteric Carr and the year before to Brockadale. They were splendid visits which we all enjoyed.
This year Barnsley Nats are invited to join the YNU in a visit to Anston Stones Wood off the A57 Worksop Road. It’s a species-rich area of mixed woodland, a SSSI, where Anston Brook cuts through a Magnesian Limestone gorge.
The flora is characteristic of limestone woodlands some of which should be in flower at the time of our visit. The reserve also includes areas of ungrazed grassland managed by mowing annually in September.
There are several well-made paths, with steps leading from the upper meadows and woodland to the stream side, making a round walk of around 4km. The organisers will lead a walk around this suggested route for those who wish to join this.
Meet at 10.30 in the car park of North Anston Parish Hall, Ryton Rd, North Anston S25 4DL. What3 words: ///apart.animals.measuring. Grid Ref: SK521842.
Leave the M1 at J31 and take the A57 east. At traffic lights in Anston, turn left to North Anston and Dinnington. The turn off to the car park is signed ‘Parish Hall’ and is opposite the school in North Anston. The toilets will be open from 9.45am! Bring something to have for lunch.
We will return to Anston Parish Hall at 4pm to hear about what everyone has recorded. Tea and coffee will be available.
Our first evening field visit this year is a walk along Silkstone Waggonway to look for and hear migratory birds and spot any spring flowers. Our leader is Ron Marshall. The venue has changed from the programme!
We are meeting for 7pm on Wednesday 24th April at Pot House Hamlet, Silkstone, S75 4JU; SE292057; ///ripples.attitudes.rigs. It’s well signposted from the A628.
As the daylight fades we may look for bats on the way back to our cars; finishing before it gets really dark!
Tony Hindley, former President, Secretary and a Honorary Life Member of Barnsley Nats, has recently died. His funeral – ‘a celebration of a life well-lived’ was held in a packed Cawthorne All Saints Church on Tuesday 2nd April 2024.
Tony was a longstanding member of the Society, joining as a young man; he stepped down as secretary when he was 80 but carried on coming to meetings —the dapper gentleman at the back— until he became too frail. He made a surprise appearance with his wife Cynthia at the Christmas Social in 2022 .
Annefie and I saw him just before this last Christmas, full of stories of Barnsley Nats over the years. As a young teacher in Barnsley he taught a number of pupils who became members of Barnsley Nats.
Tony Hindley (on right) at the Barnsley Naturalist & Scientific Society 150th Anniversary in 2017
In 2017 he joined the 150th anniversary celebrations of Barnsley Nats. In 1958 he was photographed as a 30 year old at a presentation to Ralph Atkinson on Ralph’s 21 years as secretary.
Our thoughts are with Cynthia, friends and family.
Peter Roberts
Our next indoor meeting is on Wednesday 20 March: Chris Tomson is giving a talk on Wildflower Meadows.
There are fewer traditional meadows today, affecting the numbers and diversity of insects and other wildlife. Chris has worked for many years with farmers on nature-friendly farming and we are looking forward to an informative and interesting presentation.
Wednesday 20 March, 7pm, at Worsbrough Common Community Centre, Warren Quarry Lane, Barnsley S70 4ND. Everyone welcome.
This will be our last indoor meeting until the Autumn; we look forward to seeing you there. During the summer we have our regular programme of field visits.
This Saturday’s field visit will start by looking at the mosses on the walls near Monk Bretton Priory. Depending on the ground conditions, we will continue to the less managed part of the Barnsley Main former colliery site, looking at pioneering vegetation and wildlife. If you have a hand lens, do bring it. Our leader is Mark Dudley.
Meet at 10am, Saturday 9th March, at the public car park opposite the Mill of the Black Monks on Grange Lane, between Stairfoot roundabout and Cundy Cross. Grid reference: SE372064. What3words ///moss.breed.brains.