News Update – May 2024

May is a wonderful time to visit the wood and also see the continuing improvements that reward the efforts of so many people who volunteer for our work parties or financially support our group. To walk through on a sunny spring day and see the wood anemones and primrose in bloom and the sight of a bumper bluebell display really lifts the spirits.

One of the most joyful experiences in Hagg Wood in May is the dawn chorus, although it has been building up over a longer period. If you get a bright sunny morning in late January, you might hear the Song Thrush or Great Tit warming up for the big show, joining Robins who sing all year. Like many species, they need time to get into their rhythm, with their song building in quality and intensity as Spring fully kicks in. By mid-March lots of our resident birds are in full song and in mid-April, the riot of sound is in full effect as millions of migrant birds pour back in from Africa to their summer homes. In early May the chorus is at its peak, but it can be heard in some form into early summer.

Why do so many birds sing at dawn? Birdsong has been shown to carry 20 times further at dawn, making all that effort to attract a mate much more worthwhile. For the males, it is also a reminder to their rivals that they have survived the night and are in fine fettle, with the strength, skills and stamina to sing. Many summer visitors arrive at night, increasing the competition, so the birds already here sing their hearts out first thing to let the new arrivals know who’s boss. 

Our next conservation working parties are on Saturdays 4th May, 22nd June and 6th July from 10am to 1pm, so do get in touch if you would like to join us via our contact page  https://haggwood.wordpress.com/contact/

On Thursday 30th May at 3pm in the Reading Room, Ewan Downey will give an illustrated presentation on “The White Rose Forest project and Rewilding”. Details of our AGM in May, which is only open to FHW members, will also be sent to our members.

On Saturday June 1st there will be a party at Dunnington Sports Club from 2.30-4.30 pm with the Dunnington Community Choir and a local folk group to celebrate the public right of way re-opening. Further details are available on our website http://www.fohw.org.uk.

Cycle Ride to Burnby Hall Gardens Thursday 2nd May 2024

A chance for some healthy exercise and fresh air.  Join us on a a cycle ride on Thursday 2nd May to  view the Tulip displays at Burnby Hall Gardens, Pocklington.  Entry fees to the garden are Adults £8.30, Seniors £7.30, Children £5.70.  Burnby Hall & RHS members are free.  Bring a packed lunch or refreshments can be purchased at the Lilypad Café.

The route will be along Route 66 to Stamford Bridge and through Fangfoss.

The ride will start in Intake Lane opposite the children’s play park at 10.30 am. 

Helmets and bright clothing are recommended. Please bring a spare inner tube in case of a puncture.

News Update – April 2024

In the New Year our monthly working parties in Hagg Wood have continued with renewed vigour. We would like to thank the new members who have joined us within the last few months. Our next conservation working parties are on Saturdays 6th April and 4th May between 10am to 1pm, so do get in touch if you would like to join us, for these or our other activities, via our website www.fohw.org.uk  or https://haggwood.wordpress.com/contact/.  

Recent working parties have focused on clearing rhododendrons and brash from Barbara’s Glade in the north of the wood, so that sunlight is now increasingly able to penetrate the more open woodland floor. The area is becoming very attractive and biodiverse. We are looking forward to bigger populations of butterflies and other insects, and there promises to be a wonderful profusion of foxgloves later this year. Some areas of the Glade are marshy and are ideal habitat for frogs.

Access to green spaces is an important objective of the Government’s  Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 and for which Britain’s extensive public footpath network provides a very valuable resource. However, a recent BBC investigation has found 32,000 points at which public footpaths in England and Wales are blocked to the public. The new Environmental Land Management scheme in which landowners receive public money for the public goods they provide could help to resolve this problem. The Open Spaces Society, of which we are members, has launched a new initiative to support this goal.

Our Spring programme starts with an illustrated talk on York’s precious colony of Tansy Beetles by Dr Geoff Oxford in the Reading Room on Thursday 4th April at 7.30pm, which is open to members and interested non-members. On Sunday 21st April we will visit the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s North Cave Wetlands Nature Reserve, for plenty of birdlife and fresh air. From quarries and lorries to avocets and bitterns, the ongoing transformation of this working sand and gravel quarry into a shining example of a 21st-century wetland is truly extraordinary. This 56 hectare site is of regional importance to birdlife. We are meeting at 9.30am at the Reading Room car park, with lifts available. Bring a packed lunch and binoculars if you have them.

News Update – March 2024

On 14th January,  20 members of Friends of Hagg Wood enjoyed a delicious  New Year lunch at Dunnington Sports Club, 10 of whom had previously worked up a good appetite with a  walk which included some of the paths within and leading to  the wood.

A couple of trees and large branches in Hagg Wood have fallen during the recent storms but the damage has been relatively minor.  Some of the paths have become rather muddy after the heavy rain in December and January, but with appropriate footwear it is still a place to enjoy a walk particularly on the occasional sunny day.

The snowdrops are putting on a good show again this year especially close to the notice board at the Intake Lane entrance to the wood.  There are also the first green shoots of the bluebells appearing, in preparation for their flowers in late April and May. The brambles in the bluebell area have increased as we haven’t been able to use brushcutters to help control them for the last two or three years, but we are hoping this situation will be resolved later in the year.

At our recent work parties we have been able to thin out some of the smaller silver birch trees which thrive in the Millenium area, where the children from Dunnington primary school planted oak trees in the year 2000. If all the silver birch were left to increase in size, the oak trees would struggle to thrive as they would be deprived of space and light. The felled silver birches were then cut up into smaller pieces to make habitat piles and provide dead hedging for the benefit of small mammals and  birds.

On Thursday April 4th Geoff Oxford will be giving a presentation in the Reading Room, at 7.30 on the Tansy Beetle.  On 21st April we are planning to visit  North Cave Wetlands  Nature Reserve  which is owned and run by Yorkshire Water and is generally excellent for bird watching. All are welcome to these events.

Our next work parties in the wood will be on Saturdays 2nd March, 6th April and 4th May from 10am until 1 pm but of course volunteers are welcome to finish earlier. If you haven’t volunteered before at our work parties, then please get in touch with David on davidmays10@gmail.com for further details.

News Update – February 2024

Autumn was warmer and wetter than average with huge levels of rainfall, especially in October. A short cold snap early in December was followed by a long spell of wet, mild, windy weather, punctuated by storms with strange names chosen by the British, Irish and Dutch Met Offices. Although Christmas Day was the mildest since 1997 it was declared a white Christmas by our Met Office because a single snowflake fell somewhere in Scotland. Not quite what Bing Crosby had in mind!

Once again one of our local bird groups reported some unusual butterfly (honorary birds) sightings with both Brimstone and Comma butterflies seen in gardens. Many birdwatchers have enjoyed sightings of Waxwings in the York area. These beautiful Scandinavian visitors will often stay in one place for several days whilst they polish off the supply of red berries.

The unseasonal sightings, plus the continued mild weather and extensive recent flooding, are more sobering indicators of climate change. The National Trust has published a report on the state of nature in the U.K. which highlights many of the problems this presents for our wildlife. For instance, the warm autumn weather is affecting the rutting behaviour of red deer. The mating ritual normally begins in September, but warm weather is delaying it further into the winter. As a result calves are born later in the year, in summer rather than spring, potentially giving them less time to grow and put on the weight and fat needed to survive the winter.

The Friends spring programme commences with an illustrated talk on York’s precious colony of Tansy Beetles by Dr Geoff Oxford in the Reading Room on Thursday 4th April at 7.30pm, which is open to members and interested non-members.

On Sunday 21st April we will visit the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s North Cave Wetlands Nature Reserve, for plenty of birdlife and fresh air. From quarries and lorries to avocets and bitterns, the ongoing transformation of this working sand and gravel quarry into a shining example of a 21st-century wetland is truly extraordinary. This 56 hectare site is of regional importance to birdlife.

Forthcoming working parties in the Wood are on Saturdays 17th February, 2nd March and 6th April, from 10am until 1.00pm  

For further details of our activities get in touch via https://haggwood.wordpress.com/contact/

News Update – January 2024

The Friends of Hagg Wood wish you a joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2024. Of course the association of Christmas with holly, ivy and fir trees brings woodland greenery into our homes at this time of year. By now we will have surpassed the winter solstice and the sun will be heading north again. Ironically, although in each 24 hour period there is increasing daylight time, the evenings continue to become darker earlier in the day, well into January. With New Year resolutions, Spring is on the way and a walk in the countryside, these are all things which can lift our spirits at this time of year.

The Friends continue their programme of events and activities. Our recent meeting on Yorkshire’s Butterflies was well-attended and its bountiful illustrations brought some of the joys of Spring and Summer into the Reading Room on a cold winter day. We are looking forward to similar natural joys at the illustrated talk on York’s precious colony of Tansy Beetles by Dr Geoff Oxford in the Reading Room on Thursday 4th April at 7.30pm, which is open to members and interested non-members. On Sunday 21st April we will be visiting the North Cave Wetlands Nature Reserve of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, for plenty of birdlife and fresh air. If you are not a member and wish to join, please get in touch via our website https://haggwood.wordpress.com/contact/

 A report by Stephen Moorhouse entitled The Historic Landscape of Dunnington, Grimston and Ianulfestorpe has been prepared for the Friends of Hagg Wood. Stephen is a landscape historian and this well-prepared booklet is the result of his own research and provides a valuable historical perspective on Dunnington and surrounding medieval townships. This publication is available and free to members, or by getting in touch via the above website.

Working parties in the Wood are on Saturdays, every month for up to 3 hours from 10am until 1pm, although a shorter working period would also be appreciated. Dates for our forthcoming working parties are 20th January, 17th February, 2nd March and 6th April.  If you would like to join us, again get in touch via our above website.

On 14th January we are having our annual New Year lunch at the Dunnington Sports Club at 12.30pm for 1pm. Prior to this, weather permitting, we will be meeting outside the children’s playground on Intake Lane for an optional walk through the Wood starting at 11.15am.  For further details, please email poulter20@yahoo.co.uk .