Day One – Species Spotting

My first visit was to Wheldrake Ings nature reserve. An ‘Ing’ is a meadow, especially a low one by a river or one that regularly floods, and is a word dating back to Old English with its roots in Old Norse. 

The water meadows at Wheldrake form a natural part of the River Derwent’s floodplain and in the past were managed for hay. Today, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) still manages the meadow in the traditional way, cutting for hay in early July after the meadow peaks in late June. The meadow here is so rare that the reserve has international importance. In winter, the flooded meadows attract great numbers of wetland birds. Even on my visit in mid-August we saw a large flock of lapwing, and were lucky enough to witness four curlews flying from the water. 

We were also graced with the presence of a number of dragonflies, including an emperor, a ruddy darter and two downy emeralds. For me though, the highlight of the day was witnessing the ringing of two juvenile blue tits by the visiting bird ringing team, who had been out all morning ringing wild birds.

Above: Watching the bird ringers at work on Wheldrake Ings - they had checked off an impressive 80 birds just that morning.

Walking from Pool Hide, it was a treat to see numerous butterflies, Small White and Speckled Wood for the most part. A herd of goats have also recently been installed at Wheldrake as conservation grazers to manage vegetation growth. 

Day 2 – Hands-on Conservation 

My second day was well spent on a volunteer task day at Barlow Common. As the name suggests, the site was once common land, where people could graze their livestock. Originally low-lying, the land was comprised mainly of marsh and wet woodland. 

However, this changed in the 1940s, as during WWII a massive landfill site was created at Barlow and rubble from the remains of bombed buildings in Hull created a large mound rising out from the otherwise flat landscape. The meadows are unusually rich in limestone for that area and so contain a variety of meadow species. We identified bird’s-foot-trefoil, cowslips and viper’s-bugloss. 

While I was engaged in removing brambles from a path, I was alerted by Matt (the Task Day Leader) to the calling of a sparrowhawk from a nearby tree. It is delightful enough to hear the call of such a magnificent bird of prey, but to actually witness two birds break cover and swoop in close pursuit below the branches is quite rapturous. I also learnt to recognise the piercing click of a wren in communion with its fellows during my time among the brambles.

I was lucky enough to see two Sparrowhawks at Barlow Common...

After lunch it was time to clear all the vegetation off the island in the middle of the  neighbouring pond. The thistles and reeds that grew there had become very tall and were mostly dead, so clearing them creates a new opportunity for species of flowering plants and ferns to colonise the area without being outcompeted. After raking the debris off, we heaped it up to create a habitat and shelter for animals. 

Day 3 - Wild Ingleborough

My favourite day was undoubtedly Wild Ingleborough, well worth the two hour drive from York. On arriving, I was lucky enough to be given a tour by Liz Coates, who manages the Upland Plant nursery. 

The montane plants sown and propagated there include creeping willow, a short species adapted to the harsh conditions at altitude; yellow saxifrage, a rare plant resembling a succulent which grows very high on Ingleborough; and wood cranesbill. I had the privilege of being able to collect and process some seeds from the globeflower grown there, but the most impressive species for me was the spiked speedwell. This has become so scarce that it was necessary to abseil to collect the seeds for the nursery, and it now has the same level of protection as the lady‘s slipper orchid. However, the population there is thriving and the original wild population has doubled.  

I got to help out transferring young betony plants into trays, part of the plan to reintroduce it to the surrounding meadows so that it can establish itself in greater numbers. As betony flowers late, if the meadows are cut for hay to soon the plant won’t have had time to set seed, so part of the project has involved working with farmers and landowners to persuade them to adopt more nature friendly practices, such as cutting meadows later. 

During my time at Colt Park Wood I saw many species in an uncut meadow, including devil‘s bit scabious, their small purple heads a favourite among butterflies. Numerous young peacocks were drinking amidst the sea of purple. 

After visiting nearby Ashes Shaw it was time to depart, and we were treated to magnificent views of the Dales as we drove. I can only imagine how much more splendid this landscape could become when it’s enriched and revitalised to its full potential under the Wild Ingleborough project. 

Day 4 - North Cave Wetlands

For my final day, I joined another task day at North Cave Wetlands. This is perhaps the biggest nature reserve I have ever visited, 56 hectares of land including 6 lakes so far, with plans for more.

The aim of the day was to clear fields that were heavily populated with Ragwort. Ragwort is poisonous to mammals such as horses and cows, meaning its presence in a field used for grazing or hay is hazardous. I used a garden fork to loosen the ragwort‘s roots, pulling out each plant and heaping it at the side of the barn. I learnt it was not a disaster if we missed some plants, as Ragwort is the host plant of the cinnabar moth, a species that has been in decline for the last few years.

After lunch, I was shown the mechanism by which the water level of the different ponds could be controlled using a sump. At the time, island lake was significantly higher than reedbed lake, which needed altering in order to create the right conditions for migrant wading birds. Partially draining island lake would leave freshly exposed mud for the waders to probe about in for food, giving them the best chance of a successful migration south. 

Walking to the sump, we noticed the smashed remains of many freshwater mussel shells, as birds drop them onto the ground in order to get at their contents. The presence of freshwater mussels in the lakes is an excellent sign that the water quality is good. There was also a lot of birdsfoot trefoil on the path, a foodplant of the common blue butterflies, so hopefully they will do well at the wetlands this year.

On the topic of butterflies,we paid a visit to the newly created butterfly glade, mostly still in flower. Once six-foot high brambles, the area had been transformed into a flourishing wildflower patch with much hard work from the volunteers. Annuals such as cornflower and poppies make up much of the flora, but as the glade slowly transforms into a meadow many more species of perennial wildflowers will establish themselves. 

Our last stop was the magnificent Crosslands hide where we discussed the history of the reserve and the exiting new possibilities for expansion. My day at North Cave opened my eyes to the extensive wonders of a reserve that had been right on my doorstep. I very much hope that from now on I will be visiting more often and returning to volunteer there when I get chance.

I don’t believe that I could possibly have found a more enjoyable and informative placement than the one I had with YWT. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the staff and volunteers who went out of their way to welcome me and make my experience interesting, educational and thoroughly enjoyable. I have learnt so much, and had so many meaningful conversations. I wish everyone at the Trust all the best in your mission to create a Yorkshire rich in wildlife for everyone, and I am determined to play a part in helping you achieve this vision too.