St Nicks

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) is one of Europe’s smallest birds, equalled only in size by Firecrest. Weighing in at just 6 – 6.5 grams, the weight of a 10p coin, this tiny bird makes some astonishing journeys. Every winter, many thousands make the journey across the North Sea from Scandinavia to spend the winter in the […]

Highlights A 2nd bird record for St Nicks – and the 1st to be photographed, and a long-lingering summer visitor.. two new plant finds.. handsome Fungus Beetles delight! Weather A mainly cloudy month on Wildwatch Wednesdays, but also dry, apart from a few showers on the 18th. But there were sunny intervals on the 18th […]

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is a native tree, but it’s one on its own. It belongs to the Oleaceae, along with the Olive and Lilac, and its only native relation is a form of wild Privet. Two or three Mediterranean and American forms have been introduced as ornamental trees, but you’re unlikely to find them outside […]

Highlights Winter & summer birds overlap; striking autumn colours; shieldbugs still bugging, but butterflies have flown Weather Temperatures were generally in the low teens. The 14th was the only Wednesday with any sunshine, whilst on the 28th, heavy rain curtailed the Wildwatch activity after about an hour. Otherwise, conditions were dry, if a little soggy […]

The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is an occasional visitor to St Nicks, seen more often in the Autumn and Winter months (but see below). This attractive grey and yellow bird is nearly always found near running water, so all the St Nicks sightings have been along the Tang Hall and Osbaldwick Becks. Typically it is […]

Introducing Sam Taylor, who is our new Recycling Coordinator at St Nicks managing our domestic and business waste collection service in York. Kerbside collection makes it easy and convenient to recycle. Plus, today’s new technologies and growing markets are expanding the number of materials we can recycle at the kerb. At St Nicks we currently […]

Highlights Shieldbugs shine while hoverflies put on an autumn show… summer lingers on in the bird world… and autumn turns fruitful Weather Once again, we were blessed with rain-free Wildwatch Wednesdays! We had sun or sunny intervals on most days and temperatures stayed in the mid teens. Invertebrates Butterflies were scarce during September with the […]

As early adopters of renewable energy we are alarmed by the recent government proposals to cut subsidies to the sector by drastically reducing Feed in Tariffs and through other counterproductive measures. It was recently revealed just how much we all effectively subsidise fossil fuels, which have harmful effects on both human health and climate, through […]

If you’re a gardener, the name sums it up: an irredeemable weed that’s more than a bit of a bind if you’ve taken over a plot where it’s well established. The thin but strong, flexible stems twine round any vertical support, potentially strangling other plants, and the deep roots produce rhizomes that enable the plant […]

Highlights Big bird of prey seen.. plentiful “blue streak” sightings.. endangered mammal seen well..new thistle gall…beautiful migrant butterfly arrives, plus an unexpected damselfly and more hoverflies. Weather We were fortunate on all Wildwatch Wednesdays with the weather staying dry. Temperatures ranged from 21C to 24C on the first two Wednesdays, but dropping to 19C to […]