Editor Jackie Kirk. Webmistress Sue Mitchell

Part 1

Looking for Migrants in the Country Park.

On a fine spring morning in mid-April, fourteen of us met up with leader Ray Hume. We wanted to see if our summer-feathered friends were back after the winter from foreign parts. This time no one saw the kingfisher streak by, but those warblers were in evidence; some by sound only, so we relied on leader Ray for song recognition.
A single swallow was spied, but no martins. A sparrowhawk in flight was looking for a meal – so songbirds beware!
We did have one disappointment. A 'rarity' turned out to be a black-headed gull without it’s full plumage – ah well.
Ray explained that the varied habitat made the Country Park such a great place to come to watch birds. Certainly my abiding memory of that morning was the wonderful songs of the many linnets and skylarks. More walks are planned for later in the year so do come and join us on them.

Jennie Redpath.

The Way Through the Woods with Mick Binnion ~ Saturday 30^th April 2011

On a sunny but breezy afternoon, 22 people took part in the Annual Walk around Bradley and Dixon Woods. A further three people joined the group just as we were setting off once again to discover what the Woods had in store for us. A beautiful brimstone butterfly flitting amongst the elder and buckthorn was the first to be seen. A red-tailed bumble-bee had emerged from hibernation and was busy looking for a suitable burrow in which to build a nest and form a new colony. Bluebells, wood anemones, interlaced with greater stitchwort carpeted the woodland. Early purple orchids with their spotted leaves were among the flowers seen around the edge of Bradley Wood as well as in Dixon Wood.
Mick’s knowledge was endless, pointing out leaves of the wood avens, the yellow flowers not yet open, against the leaves of the water avens whose flowers are pale salmon in colour. Birdsong accompanied us on our tour around the ancient woodland. The instantly recognisable rich melodic song of the blackbird was heard and others included blackcap, robin, chaffinch, green finch, whitethroat, blue tit, great tit and chiffchaff - that tells everyone its name!
I remembered seeing a bird feeding table in Bradley Wood so I brought a little packet of wild bird seed with me, sprinkled it on the table, and sure enough it attracted a female chaffinch, robin and a great tit.
But if you were to go to the Woods and sit very quietly, Mick informed me that a nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker and treecreeper, could all be seen very easily, as they had all put in an appearance before we had all turned up, eager to begin the guided walk.
We all thanked Mick for sharing his vast knowledge, and I for one, hope this lovely Walk around our ancient woodland is repeated again next Spring.

Julie Harrison.

Part two of a walk in People’s Park with Mark Tyszka

On a rather unpromising Saturday afternoon weather-wise, ten of us were led by Mark in this wonderful facility given to the people of Grimsby nearly 130 years ago for their enjoyment and recreation and therefore ours also. We started by looking at the newly created alpine bed just in front of the pavilion. Most of these we recognized as British wildflowers.
Mark pointed out the wonderful views each way, and as we looked at various tree varieties, he told us that of the six hundred or so trees in the Park, there are around two hundred different species with some fairly uncommon ones like the gingko, Japanese elm, silver-leaved lime and plantier’s poplar. A pink double flowering hawthorn next to a bright yellow laburnum on the lake island made a great picture for the eye and the camera. Some of the group measured a chestnut’s girth at five feet from the ground. The 141 inches, Mark said, converted roughly into that number of years’ growth.
A different type of measurement was carried out on a felled Corsican pine; that of counting the ‘rings’ of growth – this time 128; again a rough guide to how long since the tree was planted, we know that the trees were planted before the park was opened in 1883.
Mark showed us two of the hundreds of species of holly and as we examined them he pointed out which were male and which were female. He told us that only the female bears berries. We looked at the magnificent monument to Alderman Henry Smethhurst, which was erected by his friends. We saw the numerous details on the monument and Mark reminded us that he was once a mayor of Grimsby and set up a local fish factory, which has since closed.
We admired the views from the refurbished gazebo but were unable to go into the floral hall as it was closed. Fortunately the rain held off and after observing a bumble-bee burrowing and beetle holes in a dead stump. Most of us thanked Mark for an excellent afternoon and made for a cuppa in the pavilion’s café.

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Measuring a tree
in People’s Park

Jennie Redpath
and
Jackie Kirk.