After what can seem a long winter, we have hopefully turned a corner and can soon take advantage of warmer days and lighter evenings. Spring brings with it the promise of new life, and in Hagg Wood we are looking forward to a beautiful display of primroses along the banks of the ditches and a carpet of wood anemones and celandines amongst many of the trees, following on from earlier fine displays of snowdrops. The bluebells may be less prominent this year due to invasive bramble which we have been unable to brushcut during the winter. We expect though heightened springtime birdsong making a ramble through Hagg Wood still very rewarding and lifting our spirits. We may even be lucky and hear again the Hagg Wood cuckoo over the next few weeks. The identification of birdsong without its song bird being seen, or difficult to identify even when seen, has now been made easier by a number of apps which can be downloaded on to a mobile phone for use while out walking. When choosing an app, it would be advisable to read the available reviews online. The app can cost about £4 to download but may significantly increase the number of species you can successfully identify from their song.
On Saturday 22nd April we are planning to visit the magnificent display of bluebells in Middleton Wood, Ilkley, with an optional additional walk on the nearby Ilkley Moor after a packed lunch, with our hats to keep us warm. We plan to meet at the Reading Room car park at 9.30am, with scope for a refreshing drink at the end of the walk at one of many attractive local pubs near Ilkley Moor.
On Tuesday 9th May at 3pm in the Reading Room, Alastair Crosby, the Northern Regional Director of the Woodland Trust, will be giving us an illustrated presentation of the work of the WT in Yorkshire.
For further details of our events, and of the Planning Inspector’s recent decisions on the public footpath claims for Hagg Wood which we originally made back in 1997, please see our website www.fohw.org.uk
Friends of Hagg Wood 