Summer has arrived

 June 2024

Following a very successful Open day, with visitors engaging with lots of our partners the reserve has quietened down to let the wildlife get on with breeding. Our breeding bird surveys, conducted by our volunteer team and local birders are coming to an end, having surveyed plots across the reserve four times, each an early start. Results look promising with a whole range of resident and migrant birds breeding on site. One of the more interesting birds is the cuckoo, a rare summer visitor now to the UK, suffering the hardships of habitat loss and persecution on its migration journey. On one day there were four singing males, and there have been lots of sightings by visitors, including a pair mating. We believe their key target species is probably reed warblers and perhaps reed buntings, both of which have good populations. 

One pair of marsh harriers has recently fledged three youngsters, we await the sightings of the other pairs on the reserve. No such luck for the little ringed plover pair, but oystercatchers are now on their second nest and there’s a possibility that a pair of avocets may try to breed too. Other sightings include grasshopper warbler, spoonbill and the first green sandpiper of the year, on 15^th June, an indication that the year is turning!

Green sandpiper by Lee Johnson

With all the breeding going on, habitat management turns to plant propagation in the polytunnel and the new outside wet beds. Over the past two years this venture, run mostly by volunteers has gone from strength to strength, supplying neighbouring landowners with a range of wetland plants. 

The new wetbeds installed at Tophill

This week volunteers have visited areas of Leven Carrs and land adjacent to Wansford Beck to collect important plants and seeds, bringing them back to site where they can be grown on in numbers to then be distributed to other landowners in the wider Hull valley. Whilst visiting Leven Carrs it was great to see that the greater water parsnip, a rare wetland plant, that was planted there a couple of years ago is now doing exceptionally well, thriving in the wetter areas of the site, a real success story for the team.

Other plants that were collected were marsh lousewort and bog bean. Of course once our collection was completed then it is really important to abide by biosecurity so that no invasive species are transferred between site.

If visitors are interested in the polytunnel and its plants then please pop in and find out more, the team are very knowledgeable and happy to chat about their stock. 

Anecdotally, butterflies seem to be in very low numbers across the area this year, so in the next few weeks we will be carrying out several butterfly surveys to monitor the numbers. We can then compare the data to previous years, similarly to our breeding bird data. If visitors spot any butterflies during their visit, we really would appreciate it if you could add your sightings to the sightings log before you leave, that way we can get a better picture of populations in the different areas of the reserve. Similarly if you spot any dragonflies or damselflies please add them to our sightings.

Four spot chaser by Margaret Boyd

Speckled wood by Margaret Boyd

We hope that visitors will enjoy a walk around the reserve with this warm weather, keep a look out also for grass snakes in the water bodies. Please remember that we do not allow dogs at the reserve and the only facility that we have are toilets.

 

Annual Open day - Sunday 9th June

Our annual Open Day is on Sunday 9^th June this year and we are busy making preparations for the day. Admission to the reserve is FREE for this event. The day will start at 10am and finish at 4pm with a whole range of conservation organisations taking part. There are twenty five organisations that will be setting out their stalls and be able to tell visitors all about the work that they do in the area and further afield. Organisations such as Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, East Riding countryside service, In Focus optics and Experience Community highlight the range of information available. See the list below for every stall.

	Organisation / Stalls
1	InFocus Optics
2	Yorkshire Coast Nature
3	Josh Harrison Photography
4	Tophill Low Membership Stand
5	Yorkshire Red Kites
6	TOAST
7	East Riding Hedgehogs
8	Netty’s cake stall
9	Fresh Water Habitats Trust
10	East Yorkshire Rivers Trust
11	Yorkshire Dragonflies
12	East Yorkshire Bat Group
13	Bishop Burton College
14	Natural England
15	Experienced Community
16	YW Education Team
17	YW Biosecurity Team
18	J & J farming
19	East Yorkshire Badger Protection Group
20	Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
21	East Riding of Yorkshire Council Rangers
22	East Riding Archaeology Society
23	RSPCA Wildlife Response
24	SCJ Training
25	British & Irish Scything Society & wood crafts
26	British Trust for Ornithology - ringing / Motus
27	Volunteers – Polytunnel
28	Volunteers – Pond dipping
29	Volunteers – Nature Trail
30	Volunteers – Nest boxes

Activities include guided walks, led by local Ecotourism company Yorkshire Coast Nature, at 10.30am and 2.30pm, as well as pond dipping sessions at the reception pond from 10.30am – 12pm and from 1.30 – 3pm. Throughout the day families can pick up a nature trail pack and follow the trail through a section of the reserve, finding clues along the way, with prizes at the end.

There will be refreshments available in the form of “Stuart’s of Driffield” fish & chip van, hot drinks and homemade cakes. Please bring cash to pay for our cake stall.

We also have our volunteer teams showcasing the work that they get involved in when they come to the reserve, whether it’s once or twice a week or on college placements. It’s a great chance to find out about the “behind the scenes” tasks that take place to maintain the range of habitats that we look after here at Tophill Low to create a reserve with a rich biodiversity. There is an opportunity to purchase nest boxes that have been made by our volunteers and also membership to the reserve can be arranged on the day.

Our polytunnel which is a hive of activity throughout the year, propagating wetland and meadow plants for restocking the reserve and donating plants to other wetland sites in the area, can not only be visited but there will be a selection of plants for sale. These will be in packs of 6 for £5 and we ask that visitors please pay in cash. Our team can tell you all about this exciting venture and how you can come and be a part of it as it enters the next stage with a new wetbed polytunnel soon to be installed, increasing the amount of plants that can be propagated. We are already planning days where volunteers can visit local areas to collect further seeds to increase the variety of plants that we grow.

We really hope that the local community take the opportunity of visiting the reserve on our open day as we showcase the success of this nature reserve and the partnerships that we have developed with other conservation organisations in the wider Hull valley.

Voulnteers at Tophill Low - Our nest box team

 

Nest box team activity update 9/5/2024

With the warming, drier weather the wildlife on site has been showing a lot of activity and the nest box monitoring team have been working to keep up with that pace. The team has continued to work together and welcomed new members to monitor the activity of the small bird nest boxes around the site. By 7^th May, most of the small bird nest boxes have had at least 3 regular visits this season with evidence that breeding activity is well established                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              We have been trying out new methods of less intrusive monitoring by using endoscopic camera surveillance. This has proven very successful as a way of checking for any nesting activity and is much less disruptive if we find a bird sitting on the nest rather than opening the nest boxes, of which 17 adult birds were seen in nest boxes on the last check.

 

     

 

We have taken advantage of the opportunity to form closer links with the team who ring birds on site, meeting up with them on 5^th May, when they were undertaking one of their surveys. This was a great opportunity for sharing information about the nest boxes and ringing procedures. We checked a few boxes together with the endoscope and having found an adult bird on the nest, were all impressed at the outcome when the ring number was checked.  This blue tit had laid 3 eggs at the time of nest box checking 2 weeks earlier and had been rung in the intervening period clearly without too much distress, as there were now 8 eggs visualised when the adult’s ring was being checked.

We have very good news that of the 130 boxes on site, 60% show some nesting activity, 25 have eggs visualised and there were 17 birds on nests as at their last visits, 7 of these had previous eggs visualised. There were also 6 naked chicks seen at the last check.

However, all these nests are providing a plentiful buffet for predators. In April a weasel was identified at nest box (and photographed), and other birds and their nests have been predated by squirrels, stoats and weasels. The stoat found was very quick indeed!

.

Whilst some birds utilise the boxes, others have chosen to find their own accommodation. A pair of woodpeckers have been seen forming their own home and now sitting on the nest. A pair of resourceful coal tits utilised a nest box left outside a building and have raised a brood.

Although it was hoped that the Barn Owls which had been seen around site were going to use the boxes provided, there is no evidence of this. Two have been taken over by Jackdaws, one currently with 5 eggs and monitored by the box camera.

Tawny owls have been seen around the site, but at least one of the tawny boxes is being used by stock doves.

A big thank you for all the hard work that the nest box team is putting in to monitor a range of our woodland breeding birds.

April 2024

Our polytunnel which was installed nearly 18 months ago is now in full production, helping to grow on a multitude of wetland plants for our own reserve here at Tophill Low and further afield. The polytunnel is a hive of activity at the moment, with volunteers pricking out new seedlings, establishing them in larger pots before they are ready to plant our on the reserve. Volunteers are really the key to the success of this project as their hard work and enthusiasm to try and germinate a whole range of plant species has been a real success. They started planting seeds in March, seeds that were collected from the site the previous summer and autumn. These are a mixture of wetland plants like greater water parsnip, bog bean and purple loosestrife. As well as plants such as wild carrot, knapweed, tansy and yarrow. Last year by the summer we had 6,000 plants of 33 varieties. Plants have been spread around on the new mounds overlooking D and O reservoir and in the meadow areas at the entrance to Tophill, providing more biodiversity. Other landowners around the Hull valley area are also benefitting from their knowledge too, as plants are being taken for planting at Dumble Farm and on Leven Carrs, an area owned by Albanwise. Last week staff from RSPB Bempton came to pick up an array of plants to help them establish a new habitat on their reserve. During the week students and staff from Kingsmill school have been planting foxgloves around the nature trail. These have been grown from seed collected on the reserve. A big thanks from the reserve staff for everyone’s hard work. Plants will be on sale at our Open Day which takes place on Sunday 9^th June, from 10am – 4pm. People will also be able to look around the polytunnel and may even be tempted to volunteer and help out! Also, on the Open day we will have a range of local conservation organisations stalls and displays, guided walks, pond dipping and craft activities.

Spring is slow to arrive, and the recent summer arrivals must be feeling the cold. Although we’ve sighted a range of summer migrants, there hasn’t been the number that we would expect for the end of April. The first cuckoo was heard just this morning so we are hoping that it will stay to breed. Last year we probably had three pairs that were successful breeders. Just the one sighting of swift has been noted, and small numbers of swallow and house martins. Sand martins have been on the reserve for a number of weeks and have been making their new nesting tunnels in the sand martin bank which overlooks south marsh west. Our new tern rafts, which were funded by a biodiversity enhancement fund, secured by Natural England, are in place on Watton, in anticipation of the return of common terns to the site. These will hopefully help the growing common tern colony which had five successful breeding pairs last summer. Both Albanwise and Dumble farm have also benefitted from this fund and welcomed the arrival of their own tern rafts, in addition to sand martin banks, let’s hope they too are successful. 

Volunteers have been helping out with our annual breeding bird survey which was reinstated last year following the few years of disruption. Two visits have already been carried out and highlights are the signs of snipe breeding on Hempholme, plenty of activity in nestboxes in the woodland areas and a probable successful breeding pair of marsh tits in the south end of the reserve. By the end of the breeding season we should have a much better idea of which species have had a successful season. When people visit the reserve, please make sure that you note any sightings in the log books on their way out and if you see any signs of birds breeding please note that in the log book too.

Winners of the 2023 Tophill Low photography competition

 Winners announced

The judges have spent the morning deliberating over the many fantastic entries in our annual photography competition, so we are able to announce our winners for each category. Well done to all the winners and to those that have received highly commended. A big thank you to everyone who has taken part this year.

Botanical

Winner - John Lanthorp. 

The judges loved the colours in this entry, not only of the bee orchids but in the diversity of the meadow that they are in. The way the photograph has been framed is very clear and yet shows an idea of movement within the meadow.

Highly Commended - Pat Hogarth for her photograph of some antler fungus, a quirky subject matter showing the patterns in the individual specimens and the pattern of them as a whole.

Highly Commended - Kingsmill student for her photograph of some newly emerged catkins and the detail of a single raindrop that she had noticed and capture.

Kingfisher

Winner - Pat Hoggarth.

The composition of capturing the two birds together that are interacting with each other was the thing that impressed the judges in this category. One of our iconic wildlife species on the reserve, it was great to see some behaviour shots, this being the best one.

Highly Commended - Rose Habberly has taken a nicely composed photograph and the judges liked the bokeh effect which has the subject cleared focused and the surrounding background less so yet still distinguishable.

Highly Commended - Colin Spruce. The judges liked the activity of the shot, the bird is doing something different in displaying its wings and does look quite comical which they liked.

Birdlife

Winner - Colin Spruce

This great photograph of a Tawny owl was chosen as it has been brilliantly framed by the surrounding vegetation, a difficult thing to achieve when most views of Tawny owl are very brief. The photographer has done well to capture this crips image and have the bird looking directly at the lens.

Highly Commended - Pat Hogarth for her photograph of a young blue tit. The judges liked the fact that this was a commoner species yet shows the detail of its plumage in a beautiful composition.

Highly Commended - Pat Hogarth's Cetti's warbler, a difficult species to view let alone photograph showed the beautiful plumage of this very secretive species.

Landscape

Winner - John Lanthorp

John's landscape photograph really caught the judges' eye as it caught the reflections of the fantastic autumn colours in a photograph that has great composition and great symmetry.

Highly Commended - Martin Stevens, this is one of the reserve's volunteers has taken a great view of Hempholme meadow whilst working in that area, capturing the atmosphere of the flooded meadow.

Invertebrate

Winner - Neil Carson

The judges really liked this photograph of a shield bug which appears to have alien like features and captures the imagination, giving the bug energy and a sense of fun whilst focusing in on the delicate features of this special invertebrate. 

Highly Commended - Pat Hogarth. All three photographs that have been awarded "Highly Commended" are of dragonflies. The first shows the different life cycle stages of a four spot chaser as it emerges up the stems of some horsetail. The judges liked this aspect of the photograph.

Highly Commended - Alan Gray's photograph is of a broad bodied chaser and shows great attention to detail of the wings which the judges liked.

Highly Commended - Neil Cason. The clarity of this photograph of a southern hawker impressed the judges, particularly how Neil had shown the detail of the insect's eyes.

Wildfowl 

Winner - Pat Hogarth. 

Pat's photograph of a group of tufted ducks reflects a brief moment in time that we often see as we observe wildlife but very rarely capture. The ducks all seem to be looking at the photographer as if questioning her presence in their world as they appear to be "coming out of the picture". A great composition.

Highly Commended - Dave Ruffles. This photograph of the rare winter visitor, the red necked grebe works very well against a what appears to be a cold, grey background, typical of a winter's day.

Highly Commended - Geraldine Gray's capturing of a pair of Teal in the activity of preening highlights the colourful and delicate plumage of our smallest breeding duck.

Young photographer

All the entries for this category were submitted by the group of students that regularly come to volunteer for their Duke of Edinburgh award to help out with habitat management. They spent the morning looking at different aspects of the vegetation and landscape and capturing the shapes and colours around the reception hide.

The winner and highly commended entries cannot be named as they are students under 18 but congratulations to all of them for their fantastic photos and efforts.

Wading bird

Winner - Colin Spruce.

The judges were really impressed with the composition of Colin's photograph, the colours, the reflections and the fact that it encapsulates the bird's natural behaviour without disturbance.

Highly Commended - Unfortunately these photographs that have been selected by the judges were not named so we are unable to congratulate them, hopefully they will see that they have been successful.

Animal

Winner - Rose Habberley. 

Rose's photograph of a marsh frog crawling up and maybe over the log asks the question "Where is it going? Will it get to the top?" The judges liked the split of the photo, the log, the frog and the vegetation are all given the same amount of space, neither taking over the photo. All these aspects together with the colours were what the judges were taken with.

Highly Commended - Pat Hogarth. Pat has captured a beautiful autumn day in this photograph of two hares in the surrounding field. 

A fantastic display of all this year's entries is open throughout the festive season till 7th January. We are asking for each visitor to vote for their favourite photograph of the whole competition. The winner of this public vote will see their photo on the membership card for the next season 2023/2024 which starts at the beginning of April.

Annual Tophill Low photography competition

Cameras at the ready.....

This Friday, 1st December from 12pm until 12pm on 12th December entries will be welcomed from visitors and members alike to our annual photography competition. This has been reinstated following the many closures and Covid restrictions over the last few years and it's great to be back!

So whether you've taken a brilliant image of a kingfisher, a bee orchid, a marsh frog or the fantastic landscape of the reserve then enter your photos in the competition for a chance of winning a year's annual membership and possibly your photo on the membership card for the year, 2024/2025

There are several categories and with any competition a few rules of entry but all is detailed below. The photographs will be on display in The Holt from Saturday 16th December until 7th January, allowing visitors a chance to view some of the many images that are taken on the reserve throughout the year.  The winners will be announced on 22nd December and the winner of the visitor's choice will be announced on 3rd January and will become the new photo for our membership card for 2024/25.

Please read the details of entry below before you submit your entry to one of the wardens.

Tophill Low Nature Reserve

Wildlife Photography Exhibition 2023

 – Terms of entry

• Any picture entered must have been taken between 01/12/2023 – 12/12/2023. Entry open to all visitors and members and it must be their own work.

• Exhibitors may enter every eligible category if they wish, but entries are limited to 2 images per photographer per category.

• All pictures must have been taken within the Tophill Low recording area (I.e. the Yorkshire Water owned site, Watton Nature Reserve or the Approach road to Angram Farm).

• Photo post processing is permitted.

• Photos can be submitted from 12pm 1^st December and entries close at 12pm on the 12th of December 2023. No early or late entries will be considered. Entries must remain in the exhibition for the duration of the exhibition. The exhibition will start on the 16^th December and run until 7^th January.

• Competition results will be announced at 5pm 22^nd December 2023 via the Tophill Low Nature Reserve blog. Public vote submission will be shared on social media on 3^rd January with the winner being displayed in the Reception Hide and could become the new Tophill Low membership card for 2024/25.

• All pictures must be no larger than A2 (or 420mm X 594mm) including any mount or frame, clearly labelled with your name on the reverse, no images with names on the front will be considered so public voting is fair.

• ‘Best Young Photographer’ category is open to ages 17 years and under. Direction and guidance permitted from an elder – but photographs must be taken by the younger.

• Photos will be displayed and judged by a team assembled at the discretion of the Reserve Warden. It will be the judging panel’s decision and they may refuse entry to images considered not to meet the criteria. The panel’s decision is final.

• The judging panel will not involve any exhibitors in the competition.

• ‘Best in Show’ will be chosen by public vote via public ballot. The ballot starts on 16^th December and closes at 5pm on the 3^rd January 2024. No late votes will be counted. The vote is limited to 3 selections per voter. Your 3 selections can be taken from any category.

• Tophill Low Nature Reserve reserves the right to use the images supplied in the promotion of the site and could be used for the 2024 membership card. Credit will be given to the photographers wherever appropriate.

• A prize of a season’s free membership will be given to the winner in each category. The upcoming membership season start is 1^st April 2024.

Tophill Low Nature Reserve

Wildlife Photography Exhibition 2023 

Categories:

Best Bird Life

Best Kingfisher

Best Animal

Best Wading Bird

Best Landscape

Best Invertebrate

Best Wildfowl

Best Botanical / Fungi

Best Young Photographer

Best in Show (decided by public)

Good luck from the warden team - Richard, Amy & Margaret

Summer at Tophill Low

Although in the birdwatching world the summer months of July & August are often considered quiet months of the ornithological year, here at Tophill Low the sightings log has been full of a whole range of resident and visiting species. In July and August many breeding birds will moult, allowing adult birds to renew all feathers after the damage and deterioration of their plumage caused by the whole process of nesting, breeding, feeding and fledging youngsters. New fledglings will often also moult so that by mid autumn they too have a new set of feathers. This means that in the woodland, visitors will see less of the woodland species, as birds remain hidden, to remain safe. Listen carefully though and you will hear the contact calls between parents and their young, often high pitched with short, sharp notes, keeping the family together and away from danger. 

Blue tit - Maurice Dawson

In the next few months our nest box volunteers will be checking boxes across the reserve to see whether they have been used this season, adding to our data set on breeding birds. Together with this information, earlier in the summer a team of volunteers helped to map the breeding birds on the reserve. This was the first time this had been carried out for several years. Maps of the whole reserve where created, plotting where different species were showing signs of breeding, whether it was birds singing, carrying nesting materials, displaying or feeding young. One highlight to note was the number of black headed gull nests on south marsh, and the number of common tern nests, both up on last year, a real success, especially when colonies of black headed gulls nearby have been severely hit by avian flu this season, in particular the colony at North Cave wetlands.

South Marsh East

Ducks are peculiar in that they moult all their flight feathers; the long, wing feathers; at once. For about a month, they can't fly and are very vulnerable to predators. To provide some protection, particularly for the brightly-coloured males, the moult starts with their bright body feathers. These are replaced by dowdy brown ones, making them look much like females. This eclipse plumage is temporary until the new flight feathers regrow. As in this eclipse plumage all the ducks look like females it can be very difficult to tell them apart; they also hide away a bit more so again the marshes seem quiet of birds. Hence at this time of year these ducks can be overlooked, but a couple of regular visitors managed to spot not just one, but two female blue winged teal, in amongst the ducks on south marsh. These birds were first seen on 23rd August and can still be found this weekend, the middle of September. Distinctive with a large pale blue wing patch, these duck are an autumn visitor from north America where they can be found from Nova Scotia all the way to Texas. A small number are recorded in the UK each year. 

Blue wing teal - Lee Johnson

Kingfishers and marsh harriers are the reserve’s iconic species, with many visitors coming to Tophill just to enjoy great views of these birds. Both species have been successful this year in terms of breeding which means that sightings have been across the reserve for both species. Watching a newly fledged marsh harrier trying to gauge whether a willow branch will take its weight has to be a highlight of watching these birds this summer. As we plan and manage the different habitats across the site each year then it is very rewarding to see how species, that have been targeted in these plans, make use of the reserve. This has been the case for the passage waders that visit the south marshes every year to refuel for their onward journey to their wintering grounds. Work carried out on the ditches that allow the water levels on the south marshes to change have been cleared, vegetation around the edges has been cut back and the valuable mud exposed. A total of twelve green sandpipers were seen in mid August, there have been regular counts of 12 common snipe, lapwings have reached over 200 birds, all good to see. However, all these counts have been surpassed by an unprecedented count of 53 black tailed godwits on site at the end of June. Other species of wader have been greenshank, spotted redshank, ringed plover, dunlin, little stint, ruff, avocet and wood sandpiper. A respectable variety for an inland site and its thanks to all the volunteers and their hard work helping the Tophill Low team manage the reserve. 

Common sandpiper - Maurice Dawson

When visitors find it difficult to locate the birds in the summer months, attention is drawn to the other wildlife on the reserve. Butterflies are perhaps the easiest to identify and a number of butterfly counts were carried out to submit sightings to the national Big Butterfly Count in early summer. Interesting records were marbled white in north scrub grassland, this species has been recorded here for several years, but only in this area. Another was a hummingbird hawkmoth near the office buildings, along the butterfly, buddleia border. A total of 18 species have been recorded. 

Marble White - Margaret Boyd

Dragonflies and damselflies are less recorded although many visitors see them. Their fast and flighty nature makes them a bit more difficult to identify but with some careful watching, especially in areas like the reception pond, a range of species have been noted. One that is relatively new to the reserve, and to this area, as its distribution moves ever northward, is the Willow Emerald damselfly. This has been seen ovipositing into a willow branch just by the reception pond. 

Willow Emerald - Pat Hogart

Marsh frogs seem to have bred successfully with the reception pond full of tadpoles developing nicely into adult frogs. Great crested newts have been seen by people pond dipping this year which is the first time that they have been noted in reception pond. Unfortunately, one met an untimely death in the jaws of a grass snake just recently. Roe deer are often seen on site, otters less often but as is quite normal on the reserve, north marsh is the best location for sightings. A family of young hedgehogs had to be caught and rehomed to a rescue centre after they were spotted trying to fend for themselves around the picnic area a few weeks ago; apparently they all seem to be doing well and have been given the best chance we can. All visitor sightings are so valuable so we would encourage visitors to jot down their records in the sightings log, either in the birders hide at reception or in the log in the reception hut near the car park. With the support of visitors we can continue to log our wildlife and really get a bigger picture of how fantastic the reserve is for local wildlife. A big thank you for your help in this.