Cyn's Nature Notes: Wildlife in the Yorkshire Wolds

Friday, 25 March 2011

Wildlife in the Yorkshire Wolds

We have been staying in the beautiful Yorkshire wolds where the countryside stretches for mile after mile on either side of the car. Main roads are often narrow and twisting with drifts of daffodils and snowdrops along road edges -- on one stretch of wayside it was banked and covered with one of my favourite flowers: primroses.

There were more pheasants wandering about than I have ever seen anywhere before, fascinatingly there were quite a few black ones, and the number killed on the roads was shocking. Hares were also plentiful, as of course were rabbits. We were woken every morning by birdsong, all of the usual birds but in much more abundance, the surprising thing here was the number of sparrows, as well as house sparrows there were even more tree sparrows with their dark cheek spot, and of course dunnocks, which are often mistakenly known as hedge sparrows. Overhead we saw kestrels and red kites plus great flocks of rooks.

The sea was not too far away and we visited it thrice during our stay. The waves and sea-washed pebbles were a joy, and on one occasion we saw an unusual looking goose tagging along with a pair of mallards on a stretch of grass overlooking the sea.

The trees stood out on road edges and field boundaries, often very ancient and always beautiful and eye-catching. At the base of one I saw some unusual funghi -- it was tiny, brown and looked like little cups. York was not so far away and one afternoon my daughter and I went to the city art gallery there to see David Hockney's tree picture -- it was enormous and made up of fifty canvases. We were both eager to see it, as it had been painted along the Warter road, very close to where my daughter lives. Afterwards, we drove along the said road and found and photographed the house and trees Mr. Hockney has immortalised, although from a different angle.

York was very beautiful to walk through, there were so many ancient buildings. We cut through the museum park, where there were some great ruins and a very friendly squirrel.

On the journey home from York we saw a breathtakingly beautiful sunset, it finished the day perfectly.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.