February brought with it a hint of spring and our wonderful Wildwatch team were out to spot all the tell-tale signs. Week on week the changing season was a source of pleasure and delight as our team were able to observe the buds emerging on trees, cherry blossom out in its delicately dazzling display, shoots […]
Even though this January was the coldest the UK has seen in 10 years, our brilliant Wildwatch team were undeterred by the chilly conditions and still spent lots of time at St Nicks, observing and recording as much wildlife as they could find. Below are some of the team’s highlights for the month. Gorse shieldbugs […]
Wildlife at St Nicks has been flourishing this spring. Wildwatch volunteers would normally be meeting every week to record – and enjoy – this. Alas, this is impossible right now. However, several Wildwatchers have been able to visit individually and share their sightings with us all. And of course staff members continue to do essential […]
New life sprung forth this March at St Nicks – as always. Despite inevitable difficulties, the Wildwatch team was still able to enjoy some great wildlife sightings. Wildwatch groups met as usual on the Wednesday mornings of the 4th and 11th of March – seventeen of us on the latter date. (What a long time ago this […]
Highlights Winter birds disappoint, but many new invertebrates found and nine shieldbug species liven up the reserve. Plus a botanical oddity, plenty of fungi and galls. Weather A mixed bag. The wet Autumn’s heaviest rain fell on non-Wildwatch days. September walks were mainly cloudy following overnight rain. October, November and December brought us a […]
Highlights Golden swimmer in Tang Hall Beck, butterflies in November, a galling season and a big “charm”! Weather Autumn weather for Wildwatchers included two completely sunny calm mornings, but was otherwise mostly dull and cloudy with a few sunny spells. There was little or no rain on our walks, and windy days were rare. These […]
Highlights The flowers that bloom in the spring (tra-la!).. the year’s first butterflies appear, and the Harlequinade begins.. mewing in the air and creeping in the garden! Weather Temperatures started to creep up during the month, starting with a cool 4C on the 1st and reaching 11C later on subsequent Wildwatch Wednesdays. There were some […]
In the Spring and Summer, members of the Tit family – Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Coal Tit – pair up to breed at St Nicks. Some of them occupy the numerous nest boxes scattered around the reserve. But, in the Autumn and Winter months (October through to February) members of this bird […]
Highlights Late summer, early spring for plants.. several scarce St Nicks birds seen.. edible or deadly poisonous – we didn’t dare test.. Weather Generally mild (10 – 13C) and cloudy, with some sunshine on some days. But on 26th and 27th, the floods came, due to the problems with the Foss Flood Barrier. Large areas of the […]
Highlights A secretive dweller in the Pond – and CCTV catches a “first” for St Nicks! Weather A dull and drizzly start to the first Wildwatch of the year, but it got colder and clearer later in the month. There was a scattering of snow on the 14th. Birds We searched unsuccessfully for the Water […]