Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, 2010

Summer Outing: Saturday 3 July 2010    

                Thirty-five members and friends turned up at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, Doncaster for this year’s summer outing, one of the two major events in the Yorkshire Branch’s calendar. However, this year the absence of Branch inserts in Biologist contributed to limited publicity amongst our 583 Yorkshire-based members, only 56% of whom have proffered an email address, and thus severely reducing the numbers attending this year. Notwithstanding this, the weather was perfect and the three volunteer guides from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Allan and Sue Parker, Derek Bateson and Ken Woolley, led parties around the various habitats in this magnificent urban Reserve. An introductory talk about the Reserve and its management was given by the Reserve Officer Tim Baker.

The three guides each had their own areas of specialist interest, including insects, birds and flowers. The feedback from participants was extremely positive, with special comments on the informative and friendly guides. The guides informed us that their website is updated daily with sitings and photographs of wildlife at Potteric Carr (www.potteric-carr.org.uk), allowing  for people to keep updated after their visit.

Developed over waste agricultural land on the former South Yorkshire coalfield and intersected by several railway lines, this flagship reserve of the YWT boasts 200 hectares of wetland and other habitats where a wide variety of birds and wildfowl can be observed at close quarters. In the winter months bitterns are now regularly sighted but on the occasion of our visit we were treated to great crested grebe, white egret, ruddy duck and godwit in addition to the many common species on the open water and amongst the reed beds. On land we found the area crawling with young toads and enlivened by a variety of impressive dragonflies and damselfies.

The introduction of ballast from the nearby Magnesian Limestone has ensured an extensive area suitable for a rich assemblage of calicole plant species, including common century (Centaurium erythraea), yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), white bryony (Bryonia dioica) and meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense). Gems amongst the plants discovered today included a single specimen of the broad leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine), southern marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa), skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata) and a large colony of water soldier (Stratiotes aloides) in flower. Despite the dry weather, several fungi were also observed, including Jews Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae). Dragonflies and damselflies were of particular interest to the children in the group, with many of the adults learning for the first time how to distinguish between the two. The many hides provided excellent viewing points over large areas of marsh and lakes, also providing a convenient point for the guides to talk to their group as a whole.

Over lunch members were able to meet together, renew old acquaintances and chat amongst themselves. In the afternoon all were free to explore other areas of the Reserve not seen during the morning or to revisit sites of particular interest.

Nigel Mussett , Claire Keel.