Author Archives: John Gardner

Hornet mimic hoverfly

Posted on October 9, 2024 by John Gardner

Over the past two years we have been noticing a new visitor to the area – the rather splendid hornet mimic hoverfly (Volucella zonaria). This is the UK’s largest hoverfly at almost 2cm long, and, as its name suggests, it … Continue reading →

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June field meeting: High Batts visit

Posted on June 17, 2024 by John Gardner

Eight members met at High Batts nature reserve near Ripon for the June field meeting. The reserve is a private reserve managed by the members and is am excellent small reserve alongside the river Ure nestled deep within private land … Continue reading →

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Charles Edward Andrassy

Posted on September 26, 2023 by John Gardner

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Eddie Andrassy who passed away in hospital last Thursday evening. Eddie had been a member of the Wakefield Naturalists’ Society for many years, (probably the longest serving member of … Continue reading →

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June Field Meeting – High Batts Nature Reserve

Posted on June 13, 2022 by John Gardner

The June field meeting took us to the members only nature reserve, High Batts near Ripon. 12 of us convened for an amble round this amazing reserve, a new sight for all of us, and we meandered through woodland, meadow, … Continue reading →

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Field Meeting at Wintersett

Posted on May 22, 2022 by John Gardner

Our May outing, although a little later in the month than usual, saw a small group of members walking around Wintersett reservoir today. Wintersett is best known for its bird life and is a very well watched patch and it … Continue reading →

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Indoor Meeting – Monday 10th January cancelled

Posted on January 10, 2022 by John Gardner

Further to my email giving notice of the cancellation of tonight’s meeting, this is confirmation that the meeting will not take place due to various issues arising from the pandemic. The booked speaker gave backword due to concerns over the … Continue reading →

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A chance encounter with roe deer

Posted on January 10, 2022 by John Gardner

Roger Gaynor was at Fairburn Ings recently and had a super close encounter with roe deer judging from his photo. Roger says ” I called into Fairburn Ings early this morning before it was busy which paid off with good … Continue reading →

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Return of the Indoor Meetings

Posted on September 2, 2021 by John Gardner

Thanks to all who replied to my email regarding getting back together, there was a unanimous vote to return to indoor meetings. As I explained, the Quakers have given us a massive headache by letting our meeting room booking go … Continue reading →

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December Meeting Cancelled

Posted on December 7, 2020 by John Gardner

As with all the previous autumn indoor meetings, we are unfortunately having to postpone the December meeting. I was really looking forward to Tom Aspinall’s talk on bees as it came highly recommended. I will reschedule it for next year … Continue reading →

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Little Egret in Wrenthorpe

Posted on November 18, 2020 by John Gardner

At a recent meeting of Wakefield Camera Club, I was asked to identify a bird seen perched in a tree at the bottom of a garden in Wrenthorpe. Expecting a jay, as this is the bird that most often crops … Continue reading →

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