Latest news with #YorkshireWildlifeTrust
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Spurn Lighthouse in need of volunteer with 'head for heights'
Nature lovers with "a head for heights" are being sought to volunteer at a remote lighthouse with vistas out over the North Wildlife Trust (YWT) said it was looking for 10 keepers to work at the 128ft-high (39m), Grade II listed lighthouse at Spurn National Nature successful candidates would serve as "a beacon of knowledge" to visitors at weekends and during school holidays, by sharing the area's history through storytelling, the trust six-storey Victorian lighthouse at Spurn Point was built in the 1890s but ceased operating in 1985. It was fully restored by 2016 and is now a tourist attraction. In a YWT promotional video, Lin Sunderland, who is a lighthouse volunteer, said: "To be inside a lighthouse is going back in time, they save so many lives."Other duties also include opening and setting up the lighthouse, as well as welcoming trust said it was looking for 10 more individuals to join its 10-strong volunteering team. Those interested need to have a "good level of physical fitness" to take on the role due to the building's "several flights of narrow stairs".Spurn Point attracts thousands of visitors each year with the lighthouse being a "unique historical structure and one of the key highlights" of nature reserve, the trust said. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
21-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
East Yorkshire nature reserve records its first breeding bitterns
One of the UK's rarest birds has bred on a nature reserve near Hull for the first time in its Wildlife Trust (YWT) said a juvenile bittern was spotted at North Cave wetlands last week, marking the first time the species had ever bred on its which make a distinctive booming call, were once extinct in the UK but returned in the 20th reserve manager Tony Martin said it was "heartening" to see that the trust's "careful management of these wild spaces is having huge benefits for Yorkshire's wildlife." Bitterns are very difficult to see and often move through reeds at the water's edge whilst looking for fish, the RSPB their secrecy, the species are also Britain's loudest bird due to the sound that males make in the said that the breeding of bitterns in Yorkshire still remained "very rare", with "roughly 20 breeding pairs last on record", which "can have up to six eggs".Earlier this month, the RSPB said four boomers had been heard at East Yorkshire's RSPB Blacktoft Sands, as well as other places throughout the country. A national annual bittern survey announced in March showed 283 booming males were recorded in the latest results from the RSPB and Natural Martin said: "We have had overwintering bitterns at North Cave wetlands for a number of years, but bitterns need two healthy reedbed areas to breed successfully, as they use one for nesting and another for feeding. "These sightings are the latest success at one of our flagship reserves."Since 2001, North Cave wetlands has expanded from 99 acres (40 hectares) to 350 acres (140 hectares), in partnership with construction company Breedon included planting over 30,000 reed plugs to create habitat which will grow into the mature reedbeds bitterns prefer to live trust said it hoped that visitors would be able to spot more juvenile sightings in the days and weeks ahead. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Rust fungus used to tackle invasive Himalayan balsam in Yorkshire trial
A trial to tackle the invasive Himalayan balsam plant using a fungal infection has shown "early success".Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) said the plant, which has a native range in India and Pakistan, is one of the UK's "most pervasive and iconic invasive species".The trial, at locations in West and North Yorkshire, is using a pathological rust fungus also found in the Himalayas to tackle the plant's said plants previously had to be manually removed to control the spread, which is a very labour-intensive process. The organisation, which leads the Yorkshire Invasive Species Forum, said the weed was "instantly recognisable" from its tall stems and pink flowers, and it is often found down riverbanks, road and rail plant causes riverbank erosion and grows up to 9.8 ft (3 m) high, smothering other native plant species nearby, the YWT said. Rust fungus was released in summer 2024 in Hertfordshire by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and in West Defra funding has also seen a "successful" release at Wheldrake Ings nature reserve near York, the trust said. The National Trust, which runs Hardcastle Crags, Hebden Bridge, said it was "delighted" that rust fungus was "thriving" Holdsworth, National Trust countryside manager, said early results had been "very encouraging"."We're excited to monitor how the fungus continues to suppress balsam growth in the coming seasons," she Baxendale, YWT project officer, said the charity had spent around 700 hours across two months in 2025 manually removing it."We spend a lot of time managing Himalayan balsam infestations both on and off our reserves," he said. "It's a difficult task given its sheer quantity and how hard it is to reach."The rust fungus survived the Yorkshire winter, YWT said, and in spring it "naturally reinfected" this year's Himalayan balsam Baxendale said it was "a truly exciting and game-changing opportunity for managing this highly invasive and destructive species". Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Yorkshire's best wildflower meadows to visit this summer
Amy Cooper of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust suggests Yorkshire's best wildflower meadows to visit this summer JULY is the peak of summertime glory. Warm summer days are punctuated by the hum of insects; our butterflies and moths fluttering their way through our grassy green spaces and bees buzzing in search of nectar. Birds dance their way through gloriously blue skies, and many of our mammals emerge to bask in the summer sun. Yorkshire's meadows and grasslands come alive in summer too. Orchids burst into being in a riot of sculptural colour, bellflowers, plantain and field scabious turn their faces to the skies, and globeflowers spread out across fields in a sunny spectacle. Hoards of butterflies and moths flutter in amongst the stems, as skylarks sing their hearts out overhead. Rich in variety, grassland meadows, hay meadows and floodplain meadows have unique wildlife that relies upon subtly different habitat to survive. The recent State of Yorkshire's Nature report also found that meadows formed on limestone and wetland landscapes are key wildlife habitats in Yorkshire. These protect our most important Yorkshire Stronghold Species, those found in few or no other place, and give a home to many Species of Conservation Concern. Wildflower meadows are often found on areas of poor soil, usually those which have never been ploughed or had fertiliser added. Many of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's spectacular wildflower reserves have steep valley sides, impractical for ploughing or agriculture, and are carefully managed through conservation grazing with enigmatic Highland cattle or Hebridean sheep. Tragically, the UK has lost 97% of wildflower meadows in the last 90 years, as farming practices have changed and towns and villages have expanded to swallow up flower-rich fields. Thankfully, many farmers, conservation charities and communities work hard to maintain and restore these now rare and precious species-rich habitats for wildlife. Recommended reading: Enjoy the sounds, scents and sights of summer around York Weekend walk: Keep cool on this short riverside walk with amazing views Weekend walk: Pleasant moor and woodland walk with surprise folly to discover Seek out and ramble through pastel-coloured fields this summer and see what butterflies, moths, beetles and birds you can spot. Here are Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's top wildflower meadow reserves to visit this summer: North Yorkshire: Ingleborough's gorgeous wildflower displays are at their peak at Ashes Pasture, Ashes Shaw and Bellfield's Pasture, with everything from small white orchids and ragged robin to fields of yellow globeflowers and sweet-smelling wild thyme. Some of our rarest wildflowers can be spotted here, including purple saxifrage and Yorkshire sandwort. In the Vale of York, visit Staveley nature reserve's expansive wildflower meadows – often bright yellow in the summer. It's the perfect backdrop to the friendly visiting barn owl often spotted on-site. You may also spot orchids and daisies around the wetland pools, accompanied by blue butterflies and jewel-like damselflies. East Yorkshire: Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit and nearby Wharram Quarry are fantastic examples of the amazing habitat old quarries can provide for wildlife. Butterflies including the distinctive marbled whites flutter every which way and make these reserves the perfect special experience for those willing to tarry a while in the sheltered valley and enjoy some warm weather in the heart of the Wolds. Pyramidal, twayblade and common spotted-orchids bloom and stand to attention, along with common and greater knapweed, field scabious, harebell and lady's bedstraw, all in harmonious contrast to the white of the bedrock. If you do visit a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust meadow, please leave the plants as you've found them, and just take photos to remember your visit (and don't forgot to share them with us!) Alternatively, you can buy a set of our beautiful Ingleborough wildflower pin badges that directly support our conservation work restoring meadows up at Ingleborough in the Dales:
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Oysters reintroduced into Humber as new technique trialled
Oysters are to be released into the Humber Estuary in a technique described as a UK first. The method, known as remote setting, has involved growing the shellfish by placing oyster larvae in a tank filled with scallop will now be moved into the estuary and scientists will evaluate how it compares with the traditional method of directly placing individual juvenile and adult oysters on to the is part of a Wilder Humber project which aims to reintroduce 500,000 native European flat oysters to the estuary over five years. The estuary was once home to a thriving oyster reef that was so large it was listed as a hazard to shipping, Wilder Humber overfishing, disease and a reduction in water quality led to a van der Schatte Olivier, marine programme manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said the project would bring back a lost species and demonstrate how innovation, collaboration, and nature-based solutions could tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. During the first phase of the project, the larvae was attached to the shells and transferred to an oyster nursey at Spurn Point to to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, 18% of the larvae survived compared with a 10% survival rate of oysters placed directly on the seabed. Laura Welton, native oyster restoration officer at the trust, said remote setting could transform how native oyster populations are restored, reducing transportation stress and increasing their chances of said: "Trialling this alongside the traditional method gives us vital insights into how to scale up restoration more efficiently and effectively. "This experiment is a key step toward restoring thriving oyster reefs in the Humber, across the UK, and beyond." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
