This was my first visit to Newbald Becksies, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI citation) and nature reserve managed by the YWT. It is a very small site, just 2 ha. The site is a fen at the base of a chalk slope fen by springs, flushes and streams. Willows, ash and sycamore form a band of semi-natural woodland on the upper, drier levels. The main interest of the site is its special fen flora, with several species that are very scarce in East Yorkshire. However, some of these, including Butterwort, were lost between the late 60s and 80s, coinciding with increases in agricultural fertiliser use.
There are no paths and access is difficult (the main gate was blocked by vegetation and to survey it we had to climb it). Wellies are a must. Despite its small size, it takes us a while to walk through it, with some boggy areas that almost swallowed a couple of us! A central area includes carpets of Bogbean, with a few flowers, and Marsh Valerian flowering and a few rosettes of Marsh Orchids. Common Cottongrass, Sedges, mosses and both water and marsh horsetails are also present. The day was mostly overcast with showers. The northern area had grass dominated and horsetail dominated areas. Despite the weather, we recorded several Orange Tips. Parts of the site appears very overgrown in places and in need of some management. We spend a good couple of hours botanising and insect recording on the site and I make a decent 20 bird species list.
An interpretation board.
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