Past and Present

Last updated March, 2011.

Newsletter – Spring – 2011

Editor - Jackie Kirk

Chairperson’s Natter

By the time you receive this in March I need to say, "I hope you are enjoying wildlife watching in 2011, individually or at our Group meetings, rather than "Wishing you a Happy New Year" for doing the same.

This is because the new combined Lapwings magazine with Natural World is changing delivery time. Instead of the January mailing, and won't our band of faithful distributors be glad not to do their rounds then, but in March, (also July and September).

We started 2011 with twelve of us on a bird walk in Cleethorpes Country Park. The weather was kind to us and a few even saw the blue flash of a kingfisher by the drain. Two days later we welcomed back Phil and Gwen Phillips.

They are "sweeties". Both at nearly ninety years of age, they gave us a splendid illustrated presentation on "British Orchids". Phil had digitised all the pictures shown that evening (around one hundred) since their visit in January 2010.

I would be interested to receive any recollections from long established and especially founder members of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Group of the L.W.T. as to how, when, and who were the initial members.

I can be contacted online via my email address which is given under Committee on www.grimsbywildlife.co.uk or by phone or address as the Group contact on "Lapwings"/Countryside Events contact on the inside back cover. Thank you for your continuing support

Jennie Redpath.

It is with great sadness that we notify you that our secretary, Jackie Kirk's husband, died on the 24th January this year. It was so sad that he had to suffer so painfully with cancer. Dave was a very willing helper at the Trust meetings, dealing mainly with the refreshments in a very efficient and cheerful way. We do offer Jackie our heartfelt sympathies. Jackie would like to thank all those who sent good wishes to both her and Dave during his illness and the many sympathy cards she received after his passing.

Mark Tyszka

Thanks go to Mark for the many years that he looked after Roxton Wood R.N.R. (Roadside Nature Reserve) as its Wayside Warden on behalf of the Trust

Also thanks to Mick Binnion, who has temporarily agreed to take on this responsibility.

Tetney News

The guided walks around the Blow Wells prove popular as usual. In September, wildflowers were seen, including herb robert, hogweed, hedge parsley, water mint and water violet.

Some of the group were fortunate to see a buzzard flying quite low over the reserve. There were few butterflies seen but plenty of the small dragonflies, common darters. Swallows and house martins flew overhead and greenfinches were seen in a willow bush. After an enjoyable walk many of the visitors took advantage of the light refreshments served at the church by Eileen Jukes and Sally Marshall.

In November, it was a fine Saturday morning and prior to the visit, one of the wardens, Barry Whitehead, had kindly cut a temporary diversion to the Visitors' route to avoid a fallen branch from a tall willow tree. This had split two nights earlier blocking the path.

Although few birds were seen it was interesting to note a good number of plants still in flower; with the white flowers of hogweed, white deadnettle, yarrow and bramble, red/purple flowers of creeping thistle, lesser knapweed, herb robert and red clover, and the yellows of dandelion and ragwort. The reserve looked beautiful with many trees in their autumn colours, and the enjoyable walk was much appreciated by all.

In October, the Wildlife Watch and R.S.P.B. Explorers met on Cleethorpes beach.

The new North of England R.S.P.B. Youth Officer, Jennie Bailey, came along to see the group in action. After using hand nets to find life in shallow water, the group moved out towards the wrecks.

Leader Barry Whitehead demonstrated digging for lugworms and managed to show the fascinated children a lugworm.

On reaching the wrecks, brown shrimps, common prawns and three types of flat fish (flounder, plaice and brill), as well as several sand eels and some gobies were found.

Congratulations to Chris Hill on receiving her R.S.P.B. silver award for over five years service with the group.

The next outing for the two gro ups was to Hubbard’s Hills in November. As well as the usual leaders, Clifford and Eileen Jukes, Mary Orphanoudakis and Chris Hill there was a new helper, Jan Dring.

Richard Marsh of Hubbard’s Hills farm, met the group by the café to lead them to his private wood. The children were given a sheet with named outlines of common tree leaves on and asked to find as many as possible. They were also asked to look for different fruits and seeds as they explored the woodland paths.

Richard showed them a huge burdock plant, demonstrating its hooked 'sticky' burs. Afterwards the group returned to the café where Mary and Jan checked the leaf collections and Mary talked to the children about the various fruits they had collected.

Jan then showed them how to make an insect home for their gardens from readily available twigs, and Clifford showed them a wasps' nest which had been built inside a bird’s nest box in the summer and explained how the wasps lived in it.

Finally the group moved down to the stream to watch the behaviour of mallard and moorhen and compare the plumage of the black-headed gulls. Richard was thanked for all he had done to help make the morning so successful and enjoyable.

No walks were held round the Blow Wells in December and January and the Wildlife Watch visit to Donna Nook in December had to be cancelled due to the arctic weather. They had an indoor meeting on 22nd January, but that was poorly attended, with only five children there. However, those who attended thoroughly enjoyed dissecting owl pellets.

For information on future Tetney Blow Wells walks and Wildlife Watch/R.S.P.B. Explorers events please contact Clifford Jukes.

People’s Park walk

People’s Park in urban Grimsby not far from the town centre was given
in 1883 by Edward, Lord Heneage, and designed by William Barron.

This information occurs on a board near the ‘Pavilion’, which includes the Ranger’s office, café and toilets. A grand restoration of the Park took place two years ago and now the Green Flag (an environmental award) flies from its flagpole.

So on an unpromising rainy Sunday afternoon, twenty or so folk led by Mark Tyszka as guide came to see the Park’s wildlife and of course mainly the trees, there being around six hundred of them.

But first Mark got us to have a look at the grand panorama edged by a double avenue of ttrees, mainly limes, some of the original planting. We then moved off, and under Mark’s guidance, started measuring tree girths with the aid of a tape measure before converting this into their ages.

Next a measuring stick was brought out and with the aid of simple geometry several tall trees' heights were calculated. Some of us were given the task of collecting as many different fallen leaves from trees within the park. Besides the limes, oaks and poplars are pretty common, but one surprise is that Lincolnshire’s most populous tree, the ash, is not well represented. Some trees in the park are native but there are quite a lot of imports.

Mark named the following as we walked by – blue atlas cedar, lucombe oak (rare and evergreen), copper beeches, purple plums, kanzan amongst other cherries, horse and red chestnuts; other less common trees - the austrian pine, silver lime, indian bean and tulip trees.

Galls, fungi and plants for insects and butterflies also featured on our walk but there is so much more, as Mark commented, to this urban green area that we could easily do several more trails in future. We do thank Mark for a most informative and fascinating couple of hours even on a wet afternoon.

Jennie Redpath

Picture Round Up

High Tide on the Shoreline, September 2010

It rained on my way to meet up at the Fitties car park, but by the time I got there it had stopped. It was quite blustery as ten of us met with Ray Hume for our walk.

We first looked across the lake and could see lots of swallows flying around and on the water there were mallard, shelduck, great black backed gull and a swan. On the other side we could see little egrets, once a rare sight in these parts.

The wind dropped, we walked off to the side along the path and pied wagtail, linnets and ringed plover were spotted. We heard redshank and greenshank calling as we walked along and as we looked out we could see a cormorant.

We arrived at a patch of bushes and swallows and house martins were flying quite close. In the blackthorn and elderberry bushes were reed bunting. Ray told us that someone had seen a common rose finch at these bushes but we didn't spot one that day!

One of our group spotted a big 'cloud' of knott and then a big flock of tern. Geese flew over and a discussion took place as to what sort they were. It was thought that they were barnacle geese probably on their way back to The Boating Lake.

As we looked out over the river there was a flock of golden plover and Ray pointed out the distinctive call of the yellow wagtail. By that time the tide had started to recede and there were two cormorants seen. Ray said it was a good spot to see wheatear but we didn't manage to see any.

We walked along past The Yacht Club and took a path down through the bungalows. On trees there, we saw house sparrows, which Ray said are in decline, and we heard and saw a robin. In a fir tree there was a goldfinch and we stayed a while to hear and watch the birds flying in and out of the bushes.

We crossed over the road and stood on the bridge and a great spotted woodpecker flew over. A swift was spotted and Ray told us that they are not often seen in September. One of the bungalows had a dunnock sitting on the fence and blue tits flew back and forth. As we walked at the back of the bungalows the trees there had magpie and crow in them.

Ray said he could hear long-tailed tits, which were eventually spotted by Julie and Sue in the trees. We finished our walk almost back where we started and watched lots of long-tailed tits, blue tits and great tits all sitting on a telephone wire. We all thanked Ray for his bird knowledge and a great walk.

Jackie Kirk

Snow

What a winter! Did you get snowed in? I’m a 'townie' and I had around two feet of snow to clear from my driveway. I cleared a path through to the bird feeders and birdbath to keep our feathered friends supplied. I’m sure you all did too.

It was with regret that our Christmas Quiz had to be cancelled. This was of course due to the atrocious weather. It will hopefully be held next Christmas, weather permitting! We have some great walks coming up to the end of July, as you will see on the Events Page.

As always, I am looking forward to our annual walk round Bradley and Dixon Woods. I missed Mark’s walk round People’s Park last year, so I am also looking forward to Cherry Blossom time. There will be two walks round the Blow Wells and we are hoping to get more than six people interested to go round Elms Conservation Farm at Swaby for the tour to go ahead. Our bird and flower walks with Ray Hume and Mick Binnion are always popular so I hope you will be able to attend some or all of them.

Jackie Kirk

Accounts of previous years' events have been transferred to:

NOTE:Although telephone numbers of committe members are included in the hard copy of our Newsletter, I am not including them on this website. It is an open site and I don't want anyone to be subjected to nuisance calls from some of the more dubious web-surfers who might chance upon the site.

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