Trip Reports

Leader: Andy Woodall, Mid-Yorkshire Fungus Group Our day in Hackfall Woods got off to a promising start, with the morning’s weather being mild and bright. A group of twelve of us set off (one was following) with our fungi books, magnifying glasses and packed lunches...

After a good run through in the minibus, a Merlin was seen flying over a field as we approached Spurn on a bright day with a fresh southerly wind.  A sea-watch first at the Warren produced Arctic Skuas, Gannets, Fulmars, Sandwich and Common Terns and a Brent Goose,...

Nidd Gorge Biodiversity Project 1999 – 2018, Bio-Blitz Day A biodiversity project will be held in Nidd Gorge on Saturday 22 July 2017, comprising a Bio-Blitz day.  This will be an all day event continuing into the evening.  It is being held to improve knowledge and...

Leader: Charlie Philpotts The 8 naturalists were undeterred by the drizzling rain and the poor forecast as we got ready in the car park, at one of the most unlikely places to begin a natural history field trip. Surrounded by derelict mining buildings in a potholed...

Leader: Kevin Walker Group photo (Will Rich) A splendid turnout of 15 enthusiastic botanists assembled at the entrance to the quarry on a fine sunny morning, under the leadership of the Head of Science of the BSBI, Dr Kevin Walker. The disused Duck Street Quarry is a...

Visit led by Charlie Philpotts on Sunday 25th June. Our focus was on orchids, and 13 species (including hybrids), were found, but as we explored, the diversity of other wild flowers growing in these 2 reserves was a delight and our tally, including other wild flowers,...

On Wednesday 29 March Nick Gaunt led a group of 9 other members on a field trip round Hackfall Woods near Grewelthorpe.  The meeting was primarily to introduce members to the study of mosses and liverworts and to take in any other natural history along the way.  We...

Minibus trip to   Hartlepool and Saltholme -  Leader : June Atkinson After a weekend of grim easterly winds off the North Sea, the day dawned warm and spring-like, with a very light breeze and broken cloud. On arriving at Hartlepool Headland, we noticed the sea was...

Wild Goose Chase Nosterfield LNR and Lingham.  Tuesday 10th January 2017 Leader June Atkinson This was the first meeting of the year and 7 members joined Jill Warwick at the car park at Nosterfield. Jill explained that the water level is very low, but this was not...

Fungus and Mosses Foray. Leaders: Nick Gaunt ( mosses and liverworts )  and Andy Woodall  ( fungi ) We assembled in Nidd Walk Car Park and headed off beside the River Nidd towards Glasshouses. The walls along the track had a good selection of mosses and liverworts...

A sellout bus load was greeted by a glorious autumn day for Colin's last field trip as leader. The wind was a light South Easterly, which kept the temperature bearable, unlike parts of Britain which were experiencing thirty degrees, temperatures not seen in September...

A full mini bus set off from Harrogate on this fine day with great hopes of finding Waders. Our first port of call was North Cave which happened to be en route to the main destination. Not only did we get our first dose of birds - including a nicely challenging...

The 2014 Bird Report is ready!  They can be purchased from Jill Warwick (contact details on the HDNS membership card  - Moth Recorder) at £5.00 plus £1.30 p&p. There will also be some to purchase at the next meetings.  Posted ones are on their way....

It was a fine morning as 12 naturalists, having managed to outmanoeuvre the Great Yorkshire Show, set off for East Yorkshire. Whilst negotiating the M62 Colin was casually identifying stock doves, buzzards and other tiny dots on the horizon. Arrived at Thorne village,...

We set off from Harrogate in glorious sunshine, knowing that if the met. office had got it right, we had until lunch time before we hit the deluge coming in from the west. We stopped off at Hellifield Flash where there were Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Lesser...

Nine of us walked down the track from Scotton Banks car park and eastwards through Scotton Banks woodland to the 'Drummerboy Seat' where there is exposed Magnesian Limestone. From there we scrambled down to the bank of the River Nidd where we enjoyed lunch before...

This was an eagerly awaited trip because of the superb habitat along the coast and the promise of Roseate Terns along with thousands of nesting seabirds on Coquet Island. As luck would have it, a pair of Whiskered Terns were lingering at RSPB Saltholme so a quick...

After an operation worthy of the Royal Logistics Corps 10 walkers started from Kettlewell to trek over Great Whernside, back to Scar House. After a quick scan of Gouthwaite Reservoir for a reported Red Phalarope  -  operation Dotterel began.   We summited about...

Our party of thirteen set off from Trinity Church in overcast weather, hoping for a dry day.  In this, however, we were to be disappointed since, shortly after we arrived at the Potteric Carr Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve, the heavens opened and subjected us to a...

A cold and slightly overcast day heralded our minibus trip to Fairburn where we hoped to find some wintering birds. At our first port of call we met up with two more members (so twelve in total) and walked to Charlie’s Hide on Village Bay where we heard that Smew had...

This should be re-titled as , 'Signs of Spring in Ripon'......... A group of eight members, including Leader Colin, set off by car to scour the Ripon area for the target species. We were being guided by Colin's intimate knowledge of the patch he has worked all his...

This was the driest, coldest day of the year so far but the recent deluge was evident in all the fields and on the paths. Setting off from Roecliffe, we walked through a small copse where Colin showed us a huge, active badger sett, unusual in it being on flat ground,...

On arrival Simon Warwick gave us a resume of recent conditions at Nosterfield. High rainfall had increased water levels and this had attracted huge numbers of Teal and Wigeon as well as good numbers of Lapwing and Golden Plover. Due to foggy conditions, we more or...

This is always an eagerly anticipated trip. A full minibus, driven as usual by Colin, set off in good time from Harrogate, leaving behind the mist and fog. The weather at Spurn was cloudy with light south, south easterly wind. The Spurn Bird Observatory Website...

Excellent Turnout for Ian Wallace Commemorative Tree Planting on October 20th 2015 More than 25 people turned out to celebrate the life of Ian Wallace by witnessing the planting by members of Ian’s family of a wild service tree in Seven Bridges Valley, Studley Royal....

We arrived on Redcar seafront and immediately felt at home as we spied the ‘Stray Café’ . A Bettys by the sea, wonderful! But first things first, sea watching. High pressure over the UK was dragging in low cloud and drizzle from the North Sea and reducing the...

We gathered as usual at Trinity Methodist Church and mounted a rather splendid nearly new minibus. Colin Slator, our leader and driver, welcomed us aboard. There was plenty of room for us as our party only numbered eight including Colin, unfortunately Sue Harrison and...

There have been some very good views recently of a juvenile cuckoo being fed by the foster parent. At one point the meadow pipit perched on the cuckoo to feed it.  The  photos below are courtesy of Nidderdale Birders, taken near the carpark at Scar House.

It was a pleasant morning as the six naturalists met up at Quarry Moor car park and distributed themselves into three cars. First stop was the National Park Centre on Sutton Bank where we practised parking-fee avoidance thanks to Will’s inside knowledge. The usually...

Despite the dire forecast of persistent rain, six hardy members met our leader Bob Orange at West Tanfield for the onward journey to Bellflask, which is a working Hanson Heidelberg gravel quarry in process of restoration for wildlife. Luckily for our party the rain...

The forecast was for showers, some thundery with hail, but it was hoped we may escape some of them.  Having arrived at Wykeham, we watched the dramatic westward advance of storm clouds filling in the view over  Fylingdales Moor. We were still hoping to pick out a...

Our first stop was WWT Martin Mere which is known for its collection of global ducks which have been pinioned and afford close range views, which is not how many of us usually get to see ducks! They also run a breeding programme for these species, which was...