26/10/16 - Skerne YWT

Throughout September the team were hard at work cutting the meadow at Thornton Ellers and transporting it as 'green hay' to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s new reserve at Skerne near Driffield, where the chalk streams that form the headwaters of the River Hull rise through the Yorkshire Wolds. Many of these streams are recognised as important habitats and are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The YWT have been working with the Environment Agency and NE to develop a restoration plan to improve the area, with the aim of turning this former 70-acre commercial fish farm into a mosaic of wetland habitats. All being well, as the seed drops out from our green hay (species such as Devils-bit Scabious, Ragged Robin, Marsh Valerian, Water/Corn Mint and Trifid-bur Marigold), it will help develop these fen and wet grassland communities, whilst linking up the site with others in the Hull Valley that we’ve also been helping with – Tophill Low and Leven Carrs. It’s exciting to be involved in such a landscape scale river catchment project – and many thanks as always to our volunteers for the extra help. 

20/10/16 - Amey delivers

The ongoing battle to keep up with willow management on the reserve resumed last month with an army of helpers arriving - including a group from the national organisation – Amey (S&C North Alliance) - whose day to day job usually involves rather different work, such as providing support services to our highways and railways. Amey were then closely followed by a team from the York bird club, so in total, a fantastic number (22 people combined), helped us to finish off the willow clearance on Wheldrake Ings, largely around Pool Hide, Swantail Ings and the reed bed areas. This will help the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust get on top of the management at this key site within our National Nature Reserve. We never fail to be amazed how much groups like Amey can achieve in one day, cutting, dragging and burning scrub with their enthusiasm and drive, thus helping to make the limited budgets and resources of the NNR team and YWT stretch even further, whilst helping the wildlife along the way. Many thanks to all involved – and we look forward to welcoming another group in the new year.