Issue 31
Autumn 2008
Group News cont’d
This is a new group that will meet at St Robert's Centre, 3pm-
There will be five lectures in this first taster course: 23rd November 08, 25th January 09, 22nd February 09, 22nd March 09 and 26th April 09. We have l5 members already and the cost will be in the region of £2 to £2.50 per person per lecture to cover the hall. We would ask potential members to pay by cheque on the 23rd November for the five sessions. The exact amount will be determined by the number of members signed up for the course and we will know that at the first lecture. Anyone wishing to attend these lectures should email OR
Keep Fit continues with Sandra who has taken over from Jane. We meet on Tuesday afternoons during the term from 2pm to 3.00pm for a warm up, aerobic session, cool down and relaxation. We are comfortably able to fit in new members during the term at any time. Come and join us and feel good! Contact email:
Val Cooke
The Mah-
The 24 bus service from Harrogate reaches Hampsthwaite in time for the 2 pm start and returns fifteen minutes after the 4 pm finish.
Members are having difficulty sourcing Mah-
Chris Rush
The group has suffered from the weather this year and the last two meetings have
been conducted in pouring rain. On a very wet morning in September Brian Wood led
fifteen hardy naturalists round Farnham HDNS Nature Reserve. The group went straight
to the bird hide to gain some respite from the downpour. In spite of the rain quite
a few birds were seen including Dabchicks, Cormorants, Gadwells and Snipe. When the
weather had cleared the group went off for a short walk and learnt something of the
geology of the area and the old route of the River Nidd. The autumn display of Yellow-
Lunchtime saw the group taking a break at the Royal Oak at Staveley for lunch. Well fortified the group then went to the Staveley YWT nature reserve. Here they saw Great Crested Grebe, Pochard, Black Swan and a beautiful green dragonfly. There were a few late flowering plants such as Red Campion, Red Bartsia, Fleabane and the last of the uncommon Marsh Hellebore.
The October meet was greeted with a day of torrential rain. The venue was Bolton Abbey Woods. Mist and rain greeted the seven intrepid naturalists who turned up for the start at Barden Bridge. After a brief discussion it was decided to make the most of the afternoon with a walk to the Cavendish Pavilion and back along the River Wharfe. It was not a day for hanging about examining plants and watching birds. However Dippers were seen on the river and there were plenty of mosses, liverworts, ferns and fungi but it was not a day to stop and investigate. Cavendish Pavilion was closed but the staff took pity on us and after tea and biscuits outside, a very wet group returned to their cars and made for home to dry out and warm up.
The November 11th meeting will be a talk on ‘Wild Life in Antarctica’ and is indoors so the weather will not interfere. However, it will probably be a fine sunny day.
Would members please note the venue of the meeting is:
Fairfax House, Fairfax Avenue.
By Car – Knaresborough Road, turn south at Halfords onto Stanhope Drive, then immediately right and follow the road to the bottom.
Walking – take the footpath alongside Halfords and follow to the bottom of Fairfax Avenue.
Ian Wallace