Nature Walks during Lock Down pt1.

There's not a lot I can add to what we know, or rather don't know about the Coronavirus pandemic except maybe to say that for some of us, me included, this forced retreat into our respective bubbles has restored our enjoyment of the simpler things in life - for all those fond of saying 'stop the world, I want to get off', now is your time!

Oh and one other thing, surely I can't be the only one that mutters an inward groan every time the phrase 'we are living in unprecendented times' is spewed out? Its word pollution. Why not 'unheard of ', unique, un-rivalled or 'without parallel' to mix it up a bit?

Back to nature, benefiting a bit now that we've temporarily stopped using our machines so much, and I sense that millions of people are 'seeing' more, maybe because there's not much else to do; I'm no different, I find myself observing more and savouring the sights and sounds of the daily exercise routine. Never straying far (not allowed😣) from my new house in Pocklington I've been busy discovering previously unexplored sites around and about the Yorkshire Wolds.

Millington Wood, 13/03/20

Pre-lockdown days (remember them?) a couple of my mates dropped by to wish me well in the house and we popped into Millington Wood. A gem of a place, I remember quite vividly running recklessly down the steep slopes with my kids many years ago. An altogether more sedate experience this time around but still, we did it from top to bottom and were rewarded by flock of 30 or so Bramblings downed by a brief squally shower and some magnificent views of local raptors.

Looking on, Rob and Mark, Millington Wood, 13/03/20

Red Kite, Millington Patures, 13/03/20

Common Buzzard, Millington Patures, 13/03/20

Earlier in the month I visited Brayton Barff, a local woodland near Selby that I'd heard some good things about. It was ok, few too many dog walkers for my liking and nothing out of the ordinary in terms of birdlife, but I was impressed by some of the ancient trees there and being the highest point around for many a mile the view from the top was equally impressive.

Thorpe Willoughby from the top of Brayton Barff

Veteran oak tree, Brayton Barff, 06/03/20

Robin, Brayton Barff. 06/03/20

Selby cathedral from Brayton Barff, 06/03/20

Drax power station from Brayton Barff, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

In the shadow of Drax power station, nearby YWT nature reserve Barlow Common is always worth a pop in and even though I found little else but the scenery to photograph the late afternoon sun was shining and there was not a soul to be seen, just the way I like it!

Again, not many interesting birds - Green & Great Spotted Woodpecker, Teal and a flock of Fieldfares passing through the highlights.

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Barlow Common, 06/03/20

Drax power station from Barlow Common

Arnecliff Wood, 20/03/20

Another place I've wanted to visit for ages but never got around to it is Arnecliff & Park Hole Woods, a SSSI site near Glaisdale and it was certainly worth the trip. A proper ancient woodland and one that I'll be itching to revisit when all this is over. It was just fit to burst into life when I was there mid March with the first Chiffchaffs singing away and I can only dream about how it might look now!

Wild Daffodils, Arnecliff Wood, 20/03/20

Arnecliff Wood, 20/03/20

Valley side & railway bridge, Arnecliffe Wood, 20/03/20

I saw a daytime flying largish bat, possibly a Noctule, fluttering around in a sheltered glade and as I climbed along the edge of the ravine a big dark shape descended into the valley below, bigger than a pheasant, I have no idea what it was but immediately wondered if it might be one of the famed Eagle Owls that are rumoured to breed somewhere in the North Yorks moors. I'll almost certainly never know.

3 Willow Tits, Nuthatch, Curlew plus a Dipper and a Grey Wagtail on the River Esk were my other memorable sightings on the day.

Park Hole Wood and Glaisdale Side

Dipper, River Esk, Glaisdale, 20/03/20

And then we had 'lock down' and my rovings limited to within a few miles of Pocklington but I haven't felt particularly restricted, I have the Yorkshire Wolds and several other good sites within cycling or a short drive away and I've made full use of my daily exercise!

Newborn Lambs, Nunburnholme Wold, 26/03/20

One such stroll, near Nunburnholme brought me my first decent pics of Chiffchaff along with some very photogenic new born lambs.

Chiffchaff, Nunburnholme Wold, 26/03/20

Bratt Wood, Warter and Londesborough are all within striking distance from Pocklington and of course the Pocklington Canal is an easy and often productive walk. I've seen the usual but always welcome spring flowers emerge and bloom, Brown Hares, Curlews bubbling away and hopefully looking to breed, and of course the weather has been splendid, the light perfect and the skies clear and blue - all good for wildlife and of course taking photographs ...

Curlews, Pocklington Canal, 24/03/20

Wood Anemones, Bratt Wood, 28/03/20

Weir at Londesborough, 26/03/20

Pocklington Canal, Bielby Arm, 27/03/20

Primroses, Bratt Wood, 28/03/20

Dog Violets, Bratt Wood, 28/03/20

Marsh Marigolds, dew pond, Burnby Wold, 27/03/20

This was a surprise find and a first for me in the Wolds, Redshank, 2 of them on a flooded area just outside of Warter.

Redshank, Warter, 26/03/20

Yellowhammer, outskirts of Pocklington, 28/03/20

Wheldrake Ings is now officially closed to the public but shortly beforehand I popped in there looking for Sand Martins. I didn't see any, in fact the place still felt quite wintery with lots of Wigeon, Teal and Pintail still around. Best birds by far were a big flock of Black Tailed Godwits out of the back of Swantail Hide. They pass through here every year and used to breed, maybe the odd pair still do, but I've never seen as many as this here. I counted 117! I'm reasonably confident and hopeful that nature reserves like Wheldrake will be among the first places to re-open - mid summer? Here's hoping.

Black Tailed Godwits, Wheldrake Ings, 25/03/20

Pintail, Wheldrake Ings, 25/03/20

And that my friends is that for now, I've been on so many solitary walks and taken so many pictures over the past few weeks I couldn't fit them all in to one - part 2 of lock down Stay safe everyone😄💚

Nature walks during Lock Down part 2

And so it goes on and still we wait and wonder when life can return to some kind of normality. We all hope and pray that our loved ones remain well and most of all, we want a vaccine, but that's a way off and so for now, here in the UK, its pretty much as you were. I continue to exercise my right to daily walks, I've bought a bike, bit slack around the 1 hour advice but I keep my distance and keep myself to myself, I'm a gang of one and apart from missing seeing my kids, friends and missing work, quite content.

April started on a real high note for me. Once a week I pop round to drop off provisions for my mum and more often than not call in to nearby Strensall Common for a walk and a look see. On one such occasion, quite by chance I lifted the bins to what I first thought was a crow flapping across the common near to the firing ranges - it was only a ringtail Hen Harrier!

I literally dropped my binocs in favour of the camera and although it was always flying away managed a couple of creditable pics given that my hands were probably shaking! My second HH record for Strensall and one of only a handful of Yorkshire sightings. I followed it of course but the bird was well gone but what a great bird to have and so lucky to have been there at that exact moment.

Got this Fox in my sights as I was trailing around looking for the HH again, no doubt enjoying the relative lack of people on the common.

Stonechat, Strensall Common, 16/04/20

Also on Strensall Common recently I've flushed Woodlark from a couple of locations where I've not seen them before (again maybe due to lack of disturbance), at least 2 pairs of Curlew and more Stonechats than ever before. No Wheatears though which has been disappointing since they've been seen at several locations around York.

Leys Wood & Grimston Brow, 06/04/20

Its been a pleasurable challenge picking out nearby destinations on the map that I've either been to before and want to revisit or have never been to. Birdsall Brow, Grimston Brow and Duggleby Wold in the Yorkshire Wolds all come under the latter and all great places to escape from the madding crowd!

Cinqefoil Hill, Duggleby Wold, 13/04/20

Looking north towards Malton from the top of Birdsall Brow, 20/04/20

Looking north west towards Norton & Malton from Duggleby Wold high top, 13/04/20

Parched earth nr Pocklington Canal, 23/04/20

 This time of year I'd normally be abroad in Spain and I'm missing it but what with the weather being so, well ... continental, sometimes its possible to imagine that your in a different country ...

Stensall Common, 21/04/20

Foggathorpe, 18/04/20

Dream on boyo, foreign travel the way I like to do it is out for the foreseeable!

Pocklington Wood, 19/04/20

Good job I have so many easily accessible wild places on my doorstep. Pocklington Woods for example, a mere 10 minute cycle ride away, isn't 'foreign looking' at all, its quintessential old english woodland with as good a Bluebell display as anywhere around here.

Bluebells, Pocklington Wood, 19/04/20

Wild Garlic, Pocklington Wood, 19/04/20

Plenty more of the usual spring wild flowers blooming on the road side verges of course and more butterflies than usual maybe?

Lesser Celandines, Strensall, 16/04/20

Orange Tip, Strensall, 16/04/20

Wood Anemones, Howsham, 03/04/20

Peacock, Mowthorpe, 07/04/20

Ladies Mantle (Cuckoo flower), 10/04/20

Comma, Hovingham, 08/04/20

Forget me nots, Birdsall, 10/04/20

Stitchwort, Howsham, 22/04/20

The most spectacular wild flowers I've seen recently are these Snakes Head Fritillaries, 4 or 5 of them growing in a paddock adjacent to the Pocklington Canal near Bielby. Probably not that wild though - rare in the UK and a favoured garden plant, gorgeous all the same!

Snakes Head Fritillary, Pocklington Canal, 17/04/20

Speaking of gardens, you wouldn't want this many Mares Tails in your borders, never seen so many in my life!

Mares Tails, Foggathorpe, 18/04/20

If you've scrolled down this far well done you, not sure I would have done - one fine day I'll get the hang of short snappy up to date posts, but plainly this is not that day as I've hardly mentioned birds and its Spring goddammit!

To be fair, although I've seen plenty, I haven't got that lucky with the camera apart from that magnificent Hen Harrier. Had my first Sand Martins, Swallows and House Martins during the first week of April - all memorable in their own way but no pics. First Willow Warbler on the 10th, first Cuckoo on the 21st no pic, and so on; not that I'm complaining, these are not times to be complaining about anything in my view, no its just the way it goes sometimes. Had more luck with late winter birds - Fieldfares were passing through and doing theire usual thing of massing in tree tops before flying north

Fieldfares, Jefrey Bog, 05/04/20

Fieldfares passing through and heading north, Duggleby Wold, 13/04/20

I had a very late one (Fieldfare) fly over me 'chagh chaghing' away in a brilliant blue sky near Howsham on the 22nd. The pic isn't worth posting but at more or less the same time one of  Mr Fieldfare's close relatives, common as he is seemed to be saying 'this is how to sing my friend' ...just had to be snapped!

Blackbird singing from on high, Howsham, 22/04/20

Reed Bunting, Foggathorpe, 18/04/20

On my walk around Foggathorpe and whilst next to one of the old fishing ponds there I was curious as to what was causing bits of Bullrush fluff to be floating about on such a still day. Turned out to be a  Reed Bunting pecking away at the mast heads and gathering the stuff - for nest building or food? I suspect the former.

Reed Bunting, Foggathorpe, 18/04/20

Whimbrel calling, Pocklington Canal, 23/04/20

 For keen birders, the annual observation of Whimbrel (for the not so keen think small Curlew) as they pass through the Lower Derwent Valley on their way north to breed will no doubt be less observed, but here is at least one for the record. Over the Pocklington Canal near Storwood lock..

Whimbrel,  Pocklington Canal, 23/04/20

Boxing Hares, Thornton Ings, 10/04/20

 Still awaiting my first Swift of the year and fully expect it to be from my garden or around the church steeple here in Pock, till then, stay safe folks and I leave you with some boxing Hares and a few other random pics ...

Boxing Hares, Thornton Ings, 10/04/20

Curlew, Melbourne, 01/04/20

Grey Wagtail, Mowthorpe, 07/04/20

Sheriff Hutton castle from Mowthorpe, 07/04/20

Melbourne arm, Pocklington Canal, 10/04/20

Norton from Birdsall Brow, 20/04/20

Exmoor Ponies on Skipwith Common, 24/04/20

Strensall Common, 21/04/20