June 2008 

Our Spring Newsletter is now available to view or print in our leaflets section. See here. 

May 2008 

The last day of the month was fortunately a beautiful sunny day as it was also the Hob Moor Local Nature Reserve Annual Gala. There were lots of atttractions including music, face-painting, charity stalls, a falconer and a fun dog show. It was also the first outing of our new gazebo, which is over twice the size of old one and has enabled us to double our display materials. We will also have a stand at the West Bank Park Gala on June 22nd.

April 2008

In order to reduce the impact on moor, a third of the cows will be taken off Hob Moor over the coming weeks, reducing the number to around 40.

Some photos taken during the snowfall on April 1st have been posted here. 

A variety of summer events have been arranged, including a bird walk, a history walk, and a chance to look for bats! Do come along and join us. Click here for more information.  

March 2008

A new section has been added for printable leaflets here. You can now download a 2 page introductory guide to Hob Moor. We plan to add more over time. 

After heavy rain last summer, the railway underpass flooded very badly, making it impassable. Since then, Friends of Hob Moor have been dealing with Network Rail and York City Council to try and determine responsibility and to take steps to prevent repeated flooding. As progress was very slow, we involved local Councillor James Alexander, who took the matter up on our behalf. At long last we are pleased to report that it has now been clarified that the tunnel structure is the responsibility of Network Rail and the underpass is the responsibility of the Council, who will be looking into providing improved drainage. 

The continued presence of the cattle on Hob Moor this winter due the Bluetongue outbreaks elsewhere in Britain has had a big impact on the moor. Areas that the cows frequent and where the farmer's tractor has been are now very muddy and heavily rutted. York City Council are doing what they can to try and get the cows removed as soon as possible. Once this has happened, they have plans for levelling and re-seeding the damaged areas, and there will be a two to three month period before cattle are allowed back to allow the grass to regrow.  

February 2008

A new information board about Little Hob Moor has been erected next to the Tadcaster Road entrance, by the allotments. It was jointly funded by Friends of Hob Moor and the Council.

Recent bird sightings include: a skylark singing on February 6th; a kingfisher; grey wagtails.

January 2008 

As we reported at our AGM, we have been looking at ways in which we can make use of the profits from selling all 1,000 copies of our book on Hob Moor. In addition to allocating some money to the website and buying a new gazebo for the summer events, we are sponsoring some exploratory archaeological investigations on the Triangle area of Hob Moor. We think this is where a water mill once stood and plague victims were housed in the 16th and 17th centuries.

On Thursday 31st January a geophysical survey will be carried out, starting at about 9.00am, using two different types of magnetometer. Jon Kenny, the Community Archaeologist from York Archaeological Trust, will arrive about 1pm. At about 1.30pm there should be the opportunity to talk to Jon and those carrying out the survey, and to view the results so far. The Triangle is the small triangular section between the Holly Bank Road and railway access points (see the map on this page here). Access to the Triangle is from the Holly Bank Road snicket or beside the cattle grid next to the railway tunnel. If you are thinking of coming along, boots are recommended!

Further investigations, eg trenches, will depend upon the results of the survey and external funding. We hope that this work will shed more light on the history of Hob Moor.

A new section on ridge and furrow has been added here. 

The damp weather, along with the continuing presence of the cows and the tracks from the farmer's vehicles when feeding them, has left the moor very muddy in places - see here. Whether related to the cows or not, there is currently a huge flock (or murmuration!) of starlings patrolling the moor on most days - at least 500 and possibly more.

December 2007 

A new section about Samuel Parson's map from 1624 has been added under Photos and Maps. Click here. 

A new aerial photograph of the moor from Spring 2007 has been added here. 

Still no news from DEFRA about when the cows can be moved (the latest situation can be found here). Unfortunately they are making the moor very muddy in places. The Council have said they will put some wood chippings down on the bridge area between North Lane Field and the main part of the moor. 

A couple of recent photos have been added here and here.

November 2007

A sketch of Hob Stone from 1825 has been added to the History section here. 

The cows normally leave the moor at the end of October. However, because of the Bluetongue outbreak in eastern England south of The Wash, York and all central and southern England are in a "Surveillance Zone" and cattle cannot be moved unless for slaughter. So, we will have the pleasure of seeing the cows for a little longer this year.

As the grass has more or less stopped growing, the farmer has provided some feeders full of hay in North Lane fields.

October 2007

A new section on the golf course that existed between the two world wars can be found here. Also, a short section on Kelsey's Pond here.

The cows should be on Hob Moor until the end of the month. There are two breeds, both originally from central France. The white and cream cattle are Charolais, and the black ones are Limousin. They were bought at St. Boswells market in southern Scotland and are a mixture of heifers and bullocks, aged between 12 and 18 months.

September 2007

We're planning to include a number of old maps and old photos of Hob Moor on the website over the next month. The first couple can be found here.

John Guest, a member who lives in a house overlooking the moor, was startled when a sparrowhawk flew into the bedroom window, knocking itself out. This is John's photo of it as it recovered 15 minutes later. It flew away after a further 30 minutes.

August 2007

A new section has been added about the birds to be found on Hob Moor and, in particular, the skylark. You can find it under About Hob Moor/Local Nature Reserve or by clicking here.

July 2007

On the Butterflies and Flowers walk (see here) with Mark Tyszka, we counted 10 different types of butterfly (Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Holly Blue, Skipper, Small White, Green Veined White, Peacock, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Comma). The picture below is a female Speckled Wood taken on the walk.

The areas on either side of the cycleway have been mown as part of the plan to reduce the spread of creeping thistle across the moor.

May 2007

See the Events diary for the annual Hob Moor Local Nature Reserve celebration day on Saturday 2nd June.

April 2007

During the summer months (late April to end October), cows graze on the moor. This year they are mainly bullocks and there are 59 of them.

January 2007

Birds on the moor - there were sightings of the following this month: 300+ starlings; 40 rooks; a kingfisher.