It has been a cold, damp, and wet start to December on the Barff, with heavy rain showers on and off most days and temperatures struggling to reach double figures. Strong westerly winds blowing at 25mph accompanied by heavy rain showers brought an evening of unsettled weather and power cuts in the village on the first Sunday of the month.

Despite the weather, bird song has been bright and chirpy for most of the time though during the heavy rain the birds do tend to quieten down and seek the protection of the trees and undergrowth. Several Skeins of Geese have flown over the woodland during the beginning of December heading to the reserves of RSPB Fairburn Ings and St Aidens. It has been good to hear the Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush too, there has been a glut of fruit this year so there is much for them to eat.  Grey Squirrels have been far more active, having watched them every day playing on the woodland floor and chasing through the tree canopy. Despite the cooler and wetter weather fungi has continued to develop, Hairy Curtain Crust especially has been covering many of the cut and rotten logs laying alongside the perimeter footpath, with clear circular patterns of fungi forming on the stump ends. 

Storm Bram hit our part of the County on Tuesday 9th December with a ‘yellow’ weather warning issued for Strong winds and heavy rain, fortunately we escaped quite lightly with Southerly winds just reaching 25mph at one stage during the day though the rain was quite persistent and with the ground already waterlogged the tracks around the Barff were very muddy and slippery.

It was good to see that ‘Yorkshire Water authority’ has finally lifted the ‘Hosepipe Ban’ and we are no longer categorised as being in a ‘Drought situation’, due to the above average rainfall we have endured over the past ten weeks. The hosepipe ban was introduced back in July some five months ago after our reservoir capacity dropped to just 30% following the driest spring on record. Today the reservoir level has risen to just over 90% capacity and will no doubt rise higher once all the current standing water has drained away. 

The rain in the woodland continued throughout the second and third weeks of December, making the ground very wet and waterlogged, It has not been uncommon for North Yorkshire to have several days when we had over 20mm of rain fall in a twenty four hour period which has resulted in the River Ouse flooding parts of York and the River Derwent bursting its banks and covering the Bubwith wetlands, where floodwater has covered the ground for most of December, creating a huge lake covering several hundreds of acres of farmland. One of the few benefits of this has been the increased numbers of birdlife to the area.  

Road noise from the Selby bypass (A63) increases with all the rain we have had recently. Birdsong was slightly subdued with the wet weather though Mistle Thrush and the Song Thrush remained quite vocal; they still have lots of berries to finish off before they leave the area.  Robin, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tits and Long Tailed Tits are still active and can be seen and heard most days. On a brighter note, it has been good to see the Gorse bushes coming into flower adding a bit of colour to the woodland and Elderberry bushes are beginning to come into bud. 

As I make my way around our ancient woodland with Meg and Gracie, I often stop to admire the sheer beauty and size of the Oak trees which lie within the perimeter of the Barff, and as winter approaches I can have a closer look at these beautiful trees. It is known that Oak trees can live between 600 years to over 1,000 years. Several of our Oak trees on the Barff have been classed as ‘ancient trees’ which means they are over 400 years old, others not so old, typically ‘veteran oak trees’ are between 150 years to 300 years old and ‘notable oaks’ are about 150 years to 200 years old. To put that into some form of perspective for example, when our ‘ancient oaks’ were seedlings around the year 1625, King Charles I would have been on the throne, likewise with the ‘veteran trees’, King George I was on the throne and Castle Howard had not yet been built, and finally when our ‘notable oaks’ were just seedlings King George IV was ruling the country!  Our Oak trees are not only crucial for wildlife but they also play a significant role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem on the Barff. They provide shelter, food, and are a breeding ground for numerous species, making them essential for the overall health of the woodland. Their longevity and ability to support such a wide array of species highlights their importance in conservation efforts and biodiversity. The Oaks host more species than any other native tree: including 290 bryophytes (a collective name for a group of small, seedless, nonvascular land plants), 108 fungi, 1,178 invertebrates, 716 lichens, 31 mammals and 38 bird species.

The rain eased off somewhat during Christmas week when it was predominantly dry, dull, and cloudy; resulting in the woodland eventually starting to dry out after three weeks of rain. Early morning frosts returned and the day time temperature remained in single figures. Birdsong remained vibrant throughout. Curtain Crust Fungi continues to grow on the cut-up branches and tree trunks and Sulphur Tuft fungi is popping up in a few places. Grey Squirrels do not hibernate during the colder winter months and can be seen most days playing with each other amongst the trees and chattering away to each other.

As the month draws to a close the weather has turned decidedly colder with the morning temperature dropping into single figures with overnight frosts and some vibrant and colourful sunrises. The colder weather looks set to continue into the New Year. 

All that remains now is for me to wish you a very Happy, and Healthy New Year. Take Care.