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Eleven members and one guest arrived at Hazel Heads, Hawnby on a hot sunny afternoon.

After a short walk along the road we passed through two uncut grass fields at Blowgill down to the upper River Rye. The heat meant that there were very few birds or butterflies seen as we crossed grazed fields to Greens Wood where we had first glimpses of a pair of Redstarts. Various pale white grass moths and individual butterflies were seen but overall was a pleasant walk out of the blazing sun.

On reaching the old farmstead of Brewster Hill a larch tree with many holes in the bark on one side was seen. As bark on the other side of the tree was missing and there were no holes it would appear that they were caused by some species of Bark beetle.

Trunk of dead larch with holes

Detail of holes in larch trunk

Our slow meander took us back down towards the Rye when we watched a pair of Redstarts visiting a hole in an old wall.

The walk back through the conifer plantation was uneventful but all enjoyed a pleasant if hot walk.

Speckled wood butterfly Pararge aegeria

Carder bumblebee Bombus pascuorum

Plants

Although we didn’t see anything particularly unusual there was a good variety of plants, with 99 species identified. Some of the ferns and grasses had us scratching our heads and I think we all learned something new, or at least appreciated the difficulties certain plant groups can throw up (for instance with the ferns it is important to check the arrangement and shape of the spore cases on the underside of the leaves).

99 spp.

Bird list

Redstart, Wren, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Buzzard, Siskin and Swallow.

Spiders

Pardosa Amentata, Tetragnatha extensa

Harvestman

Milopus mario