Friends of Hagg Wood
Being able to walk and take exercise in pleasant natural surroundings with plenty of fresh air and ample space between people has been shown to be very important for people’s physical and mental health, not least in these challenging times. Our Community Woodland of Hagg Wood provides such a valuable local natural environment that we need to protect and cherish. It is a very great pity that access to it has been blocked along the main footpath from Intake Lane for over a year now, causing considerable inconvenience to many local people. This has also had the counter-productive effect of causing some people to decide to drive and park at the end of Intake Lane in order to make their walk more manageable, though with Dunnington Parish Council now tackling this problem in a sensible way. If only we lived in more enlightened times when all local residents could easily access our local Community Woodland.
The Autumn colours have shown the beauties of Nature which can be enjoyed within it. We look forward to Spring when numerous wild flowers can add to this beauty, and to a happier future when our Conservation Working Parties can be resumed. As soon as we safely can, we will also plan our regular trips to beautiful destinations and meetings with interesting talks. We always welcome new members, including young people wanting to protect and enhance our local environment for everyone’s better future. Please visit our website www.fohw.org.uk for further details of how to join us.
If you have not already been in touch with us about the disruptive path blockage from Intake Lane, please do get in touch via our website https://haggwood.wordpress.
Hassacarr Nature Reserve
The past year has been a challenging one for the Dunnington Conservation Group due to Covid restrictions; however a small group of dedicated volunteers has managed to carry out essential work to keep the reserve open to the public and for the benefit of wildlife.
This is the first year we have not had any groups of children and naturalists visiting the reserve. We had to cancel the York Ornithological Club, Dunnington Brownies and Cubs; since we started in 1993 we have had around 5,000 children at the reserve enjoying activities such as pond dipping, mini-beasts, learning about identifying wild flowers and other wildlife as well as participating in arts and crafts.
With the restrictions in place we noticed an increase in numbers of dog walkers as well as young families who seemed genuinely interested in wildlife. Their interest meant we have had to keep topping up our leaflet holders.
Breeding bird numbers were down this year; this may have been down to the increased footfall or the very dry spring. For the first time we had a pair of Spotted flycatchers nesting but unfortunately they chose to build a nest close to the boardwalk, the busiest part of the reserve (groups meeting and some people letting their dogs in the water despite the request to keep dogs on lead). This resulted in the birds abandoning the nest. Vandalism was mainly limited to the life belt, provided as a life saver, being thrown into the pond during the school holidays. On a more positive note our Tawny owls raised two young; blackcap, chiffchaff, song thrush and long tailed tit were successful; and we recorded our 21st species from the Odonata genus - a hairy dragonfly.
Other interesting wildlife recorded throughout the year included: little egret catching and eating a broad bodied chaser, a female; mallard eating a great crested newt; and a socially distanced fox and grey cat staring at one another. Kingfisher was regularly seen as were kestrel, sparrowhawk and barn owl. Butterflies had a good year as we had sightings of most of the 23 species recorded at the reserve.
Now that winter is here as you take your daily exercise around the village and reserve look out for winter thrushes such as redwing, fieldfare, blackbirds and song thrushes feeding on berries, as well as siskin and redpoll feasting on alder and silver birch seeds. Along the ditches look for water vole, snipe, little egret or the blue flash of a kingfisher.
Stay safe, stay local and respect our endangered wildlife by keeping all dogs on a lead whenwalking alongside hedgerows and our nature reserve.
Terry - voluntary warden
Our Wildlife Community – Holly & Ivy
Many associate holly and ivy with the Christmas carol bearing their name, but did you know that they’re both fantastic plants for wildlife?
Their flowers are pollinator-friendly. In early summer, holly “bears a blossom as white as lily flow’r” and through autumn, clusters of yellow-green ivy flowers provide an essential pre-hibernation food boost when fewer plants are flowering. Indeed, Common Ivy is rated as a ‘Super Plant’ by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s Flower Finder. Check out the chart produced by the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (shown below this article). Apparently, it can take 10 years to reach the flowering stage, so be patient if you don’t have flowers yet and please leave any flowers you have.
Then there is the berry bounty. Holly “bears a berry as red as any blood” – beloved by endangered mistle thrushes with a side order of mistletoe. Only female holly has berries and they usually need male plants for pollination – however, there is at least one self-fertile female available (Ilex aquifolium ‘J.C. van Tol’). As for ivy, their black berries are a nutritious food for various birds through late winter, including red-listed redwings and fieldfares.
As evergreens, both holly and ivy provide year-round shelter. In our garden, the larger leaves of Persian Ivy give great cover – we have them growing over fences with crossing batons so the gaps behind the ivy are large enough for small birds to nest. According to The Woodland Trust, ivy doesn’t harm healthy trees and supports at least 50 species, including ivy bees and the golden hoverfly. As groundcover, ivy reduces the effect of ground frost and so helps wildlife forage for food when Jack Frost bites. Also, the leaf litter of holly is used by hibernating hedgehogs.
Lastly they are both foodplants for the caterpillars of moths and butterflies, including small, silvery-blue Holly Blue butterflies: the first generation dines on holly in the spring and the second brood munches ivy in the summer. At the moment they are over-wintering as tiny chrysalides. Their emergence in the spring is something to look forward to.
Alex & Mum
2nd Tuesday Rides from Dunnington
The small group of cyclists go out on the 2nd Tuesday of the month leaving the Cross Keys at 10.30am for a ride of about 10miles.
The November ride was cancelled due to lockdown. Weather and restrictions permitting we hope to get a ride on Tuesday 8th December.
Meet at the Cross Keys at 10-30 hopefully we will be able to stop for a drink and snack.
However due to the ever changing situation probably best to bring a drink & snack with you.
Helmets and bright coloured jackets are recommended and please bring a spare inner tube with you in case of puncture. Please come and join us. Any queries to Margaret Eastwood 07791 599661.