Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Denaby Ings

Denaby Ings is an example of marshland of a type thought to have been, at one time, characteristic of the Dearne Valley. About a quarter of the water area is covered by a marsh of reed sweet-grass. Along the riverbank there are many crack willows and a long, narrow, mixed woodland has developed on an old railway embankment. This includes beech, birch, lime, sycamore, alder, rowan and ash, as well as a thicket of hawthorn and blackthorn.

The 40 hectare reserve supports a wealth of wild flowers and plant galls. The marsh attracts birds such as great crested grebe, mallard, pochard and tufted duck. Shoveler also regularly visit, as do reed and sedge warblers. Spring and late summer sees a small number of common and black terns on passage. A wide variety of woodland birds can be seen. The insect life is particularly outstanding since the discovery of the beetle Acrotrichis henrici in 1966 added the species to the British list. Another exciting find was the tachnid fly Rhacochlaena toxoneura, not previously known north of Cambridge. Many other species have a restricted distribution in Britain, and the butterflies and moths of the reserve are well recorded.

The YWT reserves of Sprotbrough Flash and Maltby Low Common are in close proximity to Denaby Ings. 

Reserve Management

• Cattle graze the marsh and, with sheep, the meadows and pastures.
• The water level is lowered in the autumn to suit waders on passage and raised for the rest of the year for wildfowl. 

Facilities

• Car park 
• Permissive footpaths
• Refreshments – Pastures Lodge pub, Denaby and Cadeby Inn, Cadeby
• Two viewing hides

Downloads

A printable PDF giving information on the reserve and a map of the site can be downloaded by clicking here.

An article, written by Field Officer Nabil Abbas, which appeared in the Winter 08/09 issue of our magazine can be downloaded by clicking here.