Burton Bushes bluebells

Bluebell season is on its best now and the closest bluebell wood to us is the Burton Bushes, next to Beverley Westwood. Large thrifts of them carpeted the woodland floor amongst gnarled oaks and hollies, while the Wood Anemones were well past their best. Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and a Mistle Thrush sung and we briefly spotted a treecreeper. We also walked on the west side of the Westwood too, around the golf course. A Skylark sung high in the sky, and mixed flocks of Rooks and Crows fed on the grass.

A view towards the south with the Black Mill in the background

Bluebells and the Burton Bushes.

Rooks and Crows amongst the buttercups

Noon fly, Mesembrina meridiana

Male Pied wagtail

Puff ball

A beautiful old oak with fresh foliage

Nomada flava on Hawkbit

Young rabbits

A sleepy rabbit

Rabbits feeding by a hedge

Male Blackbird singing

Hawthorn

Birds list

1. Blackbird
2. Blackcap
3. Blue Tit
4. Carrion Crow    
5. Chaffinch
6. Chiffchaff
7. Goldfinch
8. Great Tit
9. House Sparrow    
10. Kestrel   
11. Long-tailed Tit    
12. Magpie    
13. Mistle Thrush
14. Pied Wagtail
15. Robin
16. Rook    
17. Skylark    
18. Starling    
19. Swallow
20. Treecreeper
21. Woodpigeon    
22. Wren 

Nut Wood & Wauldby Scrogs

Woods now cover less than 3% of East Yorkshire. They are tiny specs on a blanket of arable land. A few Woodland Trust woods try to preserve this dwindling resource. Amongst these is Nut Wood, a little ancient semi-natural woodland, parts of which date to the 13th century. I have always visited it in the autumn, but it is known locally as Bluebell Wood and the display of wild flowers in spring is worth a visit. Flora includes Lords & Ladies, Wood Anemones, Wild Garlic and Dog's Mercury. Amongst the trees there is Ash, Sycamore, Oak, Beech, Spruce and coppiced Hazel, and it is surrounded by hedgerows with Hawthorn and Elder. The northern section was planted more recently. There are remarkably big old stumps scattered in the wood, but the size of the living trees is no match for them. Today we went in search of hazel nuts nibbled by rodents. There is a Dormice survey going on at the moment, although, unfortunately, dormice are extinct in East Yorkshire so we knew we were unlikely to find signs of them. There were lots of hazel shells left over by Grey Squirrels, and possibly some by Wood Mouse. We saw a number of fungi as well.
For more info check the Woodland Trust management plan for this site.

A clump of fungi at the base of an Ash

Fungus

A general view from the access point next to the road

For a 5 mile walk in the area see Walking the Riding.

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