Risby Warren with Hull Nats

My first visit to this Nature Reserve and SSSI in North Lincolnshire, near Scunthorpe. Risby Warren sits on a post-industrial landscape, result of the open cast extraction of iron ore from an almost 12 km long seam running near the surface, N-S just east and north of the town Scunthorpe, and which fed first its iron production and then the steelworks. The ore extraction led to depressions in the land (The Ironstone Gullets) which eventually filled with water and re-vegetated, and are used for leisure, recreation, wildlife conservation and also as land landfill. Iron ore extraction continues in some areas and the continuous extraction has also led to land subsidence and the appearance of sink-holes. Although Risby Warren NR is on the edge of one of the gullets and not far from ore extraction and iron works, the place feels wild,expansive and remote, perched on higher land that contains the largest relic inland sand dune in Britain. The recent heat waves (three and counting!) and very little rain means that the sandy ground is very dry and many plants wilted or bone dry. The abundant Viper's-Bugloss, Wood Sage and Hound's Tongue retain their greenness. As we expected given the historical use as a rabbit warren, Rabbits are plentiful and together with the effect of wind and sand, are keeping the vegetation short. The heather forms short mounds with flower spikes starting to bloom. We planned the meeting this time of year to try and see the elusive Grayling. John a local who has carried out butterfly surveys for many years greets us and leads the way. We leave the botanists behind and we sweep the area in search for the Grayling. The morning started cloudy, but the clouds are parting, the sun burning every time it shines, but it is breezy, a cool NE wind which appears to deter the species. John has to leave and we have had no holy Grayling!

 

The wheat is ready for harvest. The next field was being harvested as we parked by the reserve entrance.

Labirynth Spider.

Roesel's Bush-cricket.

Painted Lady on Viper's Bugloss.

A huge congregation of Jackdaws rose over the warren.

Brown Argus.

Mottled Grasshopper.

A view of the vegetated dunes.

A view of the mobile dune.

We have lunch under the shade of a lone hawthorn and then we join the botanists and explore the dunes together. We end up doing a circular walk and finish the trip with a few additional dragonflies.

Essex Skipper.

Painted Lady on ragwort.

A group of Exmoor ponies emerges from the dunes by a woodland. They make a very picturesque sight, and they add to the rabbits and some sheep in grazing the common to manage scrub encroachment on the heath and acid grassland.

pony.

Small Heath.

Bog-trotting. 5. Thorne Moor and Crowle

Although we had already visited the section of this large lowland peatland belonging to Lincolnshire, Crowle Moor, today we visited the SW Yorkshire section, Thorne Moor proper. We start at Crowle, and walk through North Tram to cross the bridge to Thorne. It is a hot, humid day, and we struggle with the biting insects on the way back. Deer flies and ticks bother us.

Cotton Grass by North Tram

The bridge crossing to the South Yorkshire side of the Humberhead Peatlands.

Odonata

It is a good day for dragonflies and damselflies. I'm impressed by the numerous Emerald Damselflies. Migrant Hawker, Black Darter, Black Tailed Skimmers and Southern Hawkers are present, possibly a Common Hawker over a pond. Some illustrative photos of the records follow.

Emerald.

Southern Hawker.

Black-tailed Skimmer.

Black Darter female.

Male Emerald perched on heather.

Bush-crickets

Like at Crowle, they seem to be present along the rides well inside the reserve. The rough grasses on the side of the rides are different from those on the heathland area, possibly affected by the different soil by the surfaced roads.

Male Roesel's Bush-cricket calling. This one was on the heathland.

And this one basking.

Long-winged Coneheads are also plentiful.

And what about Bog Bush-crickets? We are almost in the central part of the reserve, on the path leading to the observation platform when Sarah hears a male calling (top shot). We manage to spot him, close to the ground and very aware of us, changing its position to hide better in the undergrowth and incredibly well camouflaged. I'm pleased that I manage some photos.

Location of calling male. Mainly heather, bracken and birsh saplings with some purple moorgrass.

Another photo of the calling male.

Just a few minutes later, Sarah spots a female. She is easier to photograph.

Bog Bush-cricket female.

And that's our Bog Bush-cricket haul of the day. We have our lunch at the top of the platform and afterwards explore the area immediately around it, which looks promising, without success. We do some pilot acoustic transects and head back before it gets any hotter. 

Female Meadow Grasshopper.

Butterflies

Peacocks, Red Admirals and a Common Blue make the list for the day.

Red Admiral.

We spot some interesting plants along the way, this is a selection.

Marsh Pennywort.

Royal Fern.

Round-leaved Sundew and Sphagnum moss.

Orchid.

Greater Bladderwort.

Messingham Sand Quarry

My first visit to this fantastic Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve. What was formerly a sand quarry has become a patchwork of lagoons, reed beds, conifer woodland, wet woodland, ponds and heath. There are two hides overlooking the northernmost lagoon and benches with a view scattered around the perimeter path. Just upon arrival, near the car park, there were hundreds of Common, Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies. A Hairy dragonfly hunted atop trees, aggressively charging towards the branches to dislodge insects, but it didn't settle. As I watch the dragonflies, and from the south end of the reserve a Bittern starts booming, and does do intermittently.

 

 I walk around the perimeter path, visiting the hides and taking any possible detour. Birds don't disappoint, with a Spotted Flycatcher (above) on a glade amongst pines, hawking for insects with Chaffinches and Long-tailed tits. When I return to the spot for lunch, it has been joined by hawking Black-headed Gulls over the wood. There is plenty of insects about! There are at least five Garden Warblers singing, and two Cetti's Warblers. In the water, two drake Red-crested Pochards, one Avocet and a common Pochard with ducklings. Also with young the Black-headed gulls and Mute Swans. A Cuckoo calls most of the morning. Then a female calls and I see the male flying over and calling again on a dead tree, where i manage a shot.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Great Crested Grebe with young.

Pochard with young.

Red-crested Pochard.

Black-headed gulls with newly hatched chick.

Cuckoo calling.

Garden Warbler.

Dragonflies and damselflies
The reserve is well known for the abundance of Odonates. Overall I find six species, which is 6 more than I had in my year list at the beginning of the day. I see 3 Hairy dragonflies, but they are hunting and don't stop.

Very abundant Blue-tailed Damselflies.

A couple of Four-spotted chasers.

Red-Tailed and Blue-tailed damselflies.

Azure Damselfly.

Large Red Damselfly.

Common Blue damselfly.

As I check the edge of one of the lagoons, I see the exuvia of a dragonfly, and a damselfly larvae emerging from the water.

Other invertebrates
A wide range of invertebrates around. Including at least 5 Brimstone, with a mating pair, a Speckled Wood and an Orange Tip.

One of several Cinnabar Moths.

Bee Fly, Bombylius major.

This was a new beetle for me. Ontholestes murinus, on a scat, possibly fox, strongly smelling of carrion, with a couple Oiceoptoma thoracica (below).

Cercopis vulnerata.

Brimstone.

Tetragnatha sp.

Nursery web spider, Pisaura mirabilis.

Hornet.

More information
There is a car park, but no other facilities.
A detailed map of the reserve can be found here.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust page for the reserve.