Elliker Field is finally completed

Posted on 19/02/2015 by committee

After delays in obtaining grants and installing the fencing, on Saturday 14th Feb 2015, twenty eight young and old attended the family work party to complete the fencing and hedging in Elliker field so that the field can finally be stocked with cows and sheep.

These animals will do their job of “conservation grazing” which is beneficial to many wild flowers, invertebrates and ground nesting birds by eating last year’s thick grassy sward.

Planting saplings in Elliker field

Dexter cows in Elliker field

The animals will stay on the reserve untill late March when the Spring flowers start to appear.

Enthusiasm was not in short supply…. Frank Shire’s field was similarly treated by the youngsters planting a new hedge along the north-eastern edge of this reserve.

Hedge planting in Frank Shire’s

A well earned rest!

Further information can be obtained at… http://www.grazinganimalsproject.org.uk/what_is_conservation_grazing.html

Coppicing in Ox Close

Posted on 14/02/2015 by committee

Feeding tunnels under the bark of a dead Elm made by the Elm Bark Scolytus beetle

Half of Ox Close Wood was clear felled prior to its acquisition by the Trust in 1992.
Much of the natural regeneration has been by Elm trees. These trees are now of an age where they are becoming susceptible to Dutch Elm Disease which is a fungus carried by the Elm Bark Beetle. Evidence of the beetle, in the form of their larval feeding galleries, can readily be found under the bark of dead Elms.
A walk round the wood now reveals that many of the Elm trees are beginning to show signs of the disease in the form of dead and dying leaves and branches. In order to combat the disease, this winter, in the South West corner of the wood, the Trust has been coppicing many of the elms including some that seem healthy to prevent the disease from killing the trees. Trees alongside footpaths will also be felled to remove any danger from falling branches. Coppicing in this way extends the life of trees and further benefits wild flowers and insects by opening up the canopy allowing sunlight to reach the ground.

The area will be surrounded by a tall deer fence to prevent deer from eating the tasty young shoots that will grow from the coppiced stools.

Part of the coppiced area in Ox Close with the posts for deer fencing being knocked into the ground

Part of the coppiced area in Ox Close with posts for the deer fence being knocked into the ground.

The Elm is important locally as it is the foodplant of the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly which is an uncommon butterfly ranked 24th most widespread of Yorkshire’s 36 breeding butterfly species. Ox Close has a healthy population of this butterfly which is seen flying around the tops of the trees during July.

Winter Work Party January 2015

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Posted on 02/02/2015 by committee

Local Volunteers joined together in Elliker Field to clear scrub and continue erecting the stock proof fencing in preparation for conservation grazing with Trust member’s rare breed Soay and Hebridean sheep.

Successful Mammal Trapping

Posted on 15/10/2014 by committee

Over the weekend of the 3rd, 4th and 5th October the Trust hosted a small-mammal trapping session by the Yorkshire Mammal Group. As with last October’s weekend, the target species were Water Shrew and Harvest Mouse. 50 traps were laid during each evening of the 3rd and 4th October in grassy areas alongside East Keswick Beck upstream of the East Keswick Marsh. All the traps were checked on the mornings of 4th and 5th October and although neither of the target species was trapped the total number of mammals caught was surprisingly good.

Over the two nights, 29 Wood Mice, 18 Bank Voles, 5 Field Voles and 3 Common Shrews were caught. After being weighed and sexed, all animals were safely returned, unharmed, to their point of capture.

A Field Vole just before release

A mouse is safely returned home

To see the Harvest Mouse that was caught last year, please scan down to view the post from October 2013.

Summer Events

Posted on 17/09/2014 by committee

During the summer the Trust held and took part in a number of events…..

Mini Beast afternoon with Teresa and Robert Marshall and the Pre School Toddler Group and families

Bardsey School years 5 and 6 visit the Ellikers and Keswick Marsh as part of their investigations on “Going Green”.

Trust outing to Grass Wood nr. Grassington led by Bruce Brown of the Grass Wood Volunteer Group.

Trust outing to Grass Wood near Grassington led by Bruce Brown of the Grass Wood Volunteer Group.

Leeds Naturalists have a guided visit to the Ellikers and Keswick Marsh.

Jeanette Richardson from Natural England visits the Trust to oversee the Higher Level Stewardship agreement.

Hedgehog Talk

Posted on 25/05/2014 by committee

On Wednesday 21st May Teresa Marshall and her husband Robert gave an interesting and enlightening talk on Hedgehogs. They brought along a live animal for us to look at and there were photographic displays of their Hedgehog “Hogspital” and of the development of hedgehogs from hedgehoglet to adult.

Hedgehogs numbers are in serious decline; down 35% in the last ten years. Although we see many hedgehogs squashed on the road, one of their biggest dangers is man with his strimmers, sprays and slug pellets. But the main reason for their decline is habitat loss and one of the best ways we can help hedgehogs is to leave wild areas in our gardens.

Robert and Teresa will be back in East Keswick on the 13th July when they will lead a Minibeast Event in the Elliker field where we hope to identify as many creepy crawlies as possible and to which everyone is invited.

Recent Activities

Posted on 11/03/2014 by committee

A lot has been happening over the last two weeks;

More work has been done to Ellikers; including boundary fencing and inserting entrance gateposts.

Work begins improving the entrance to The Ellikers

Ben as part of Leeds Grammar School's curriculum, volunteering to help installing entrance gateposts in the Ellikers.

Ben, from Leeds Grammar School volunteering as part of the school’s curriculum, helping to install entrance gateposts in the Ellikers.

7th March. Members of the Friday work group attended a First Aid Course given by the St. John’s Ambulance.

Andy practising ressuscitation on his dummy.

Andy practicing resuscitation on his dummy.

The Friday work group enjoying lunch during the First Aid Course.

2nd March. Winter Work Party and Children’s Event. All the children helped to make a “Bug Hotel” for insects to find shelter, especially for hibernation. Constructed around a frame of old pallets, it used recycled materials, such as old bricks and tiles, and vegetable matter such as rotting wood and hollow plant stems. Everyone can help by setting aside a corner of the garden so that a small pile of such materials can be left for wildlife. About 50 people attended the event organised for the Pre School Toddler Group and families.

Starting the construction of the Bug Hotel.

The Bug Hotel completed.

Living on the Verge

Posted on 10/03/2014 by committee

Having finally received the licence from Leeds City Council to “cultivate” our roadside verges, we decided, at short notice, to cut a small section of the grass verge along Moor Lane.

An important part of this management strategy is to remove all the cuttings. If left, the cuttings would rot down and fertilise the soil which encourages the more vigorous grasses to grow which swamps any wild flower growth. Denuding the soil of nutrients favours the growth of the colourful wild flowers that used to be a part of our countryside landscape.

Cutting and raking the long, dead grasses along Moor Lane.

Even though few cars were encountered, safety is a priority with roadside signs and fluorescent jackets.

Winter Bird Survey 23rd February 2014

Posted on 26/02/2014 by committee

Last Sunday we held this year’s winter bird survey. The weather was a mild 10°C but very blustery which kept the birds sheltered out of the way. The total on the day was 40 species; far short of one year’s impressive 55 species.

Nothing of special note was seen. Tree Creepers and Bullfinches can be relied upon in the Marsh, in the old cricket field we had good views of a lovely group of colourful Yellow Hammers and it was unusual to hear a Tawny Owl calling in the middle of the day!

The poor state of hedgerows for wildlife was noticeable, as was the lack of farmland birds; perhaps because of the windy conditions.

Birdsong was heard again as we re-entered village showing that it is still necessary to continue to feed our garden birds at this time of year as there is little food for them in the countryside.