It’s great seeing chicks appearing in gardens and across the moors. We’ve seen dunnock chicks being fed in the garden, as well as all the wild flowers coming out in the woods and on the moors. Sadly, the heather has taken a massive hit from heather beetle last year, so we will just have to wait and see if there will be any purple display over the moors later in the summer.
We do expect, however, to see a great blooming display in the Goathland Wildlife Friendly Open Gardens on Sunday 21st June 2026. Gardens are open from 11am to 4pm, with tickets now available for £5, with profits going to Saint Catherine’s Hospice. Nine Goathland gardeners have leapt to the challenge and have opened their gardens. We aim to highlight the wildlife potential from each of them. At the same time, we are also running a Nature Zone at the Goathland Village Hall.
Project Swift
A superb effort from everyone involved has resulted in 35 swift nest boxes now adorning houses around Goathland. Swifts have arrived back in Goathland now, with reports of screaming parties all around the village. The new nest boxes are unlikely to be used this year but perhaps a juvenile swift will think they look good and come back to use one next year. Fingers crossed!
Learn more about these marvellous birds at our next talk ‘Swifts’, on Thursday 18th June at 7pm in Goathland Village Hall. This talk will be given by Hayley Garrod from Chirk Swifts. It promises to be most informative and will be just in time for Swift Awareness Week starting on 27 June. All are welcome. The talk is free with any donations gratefully received and go towards supporting the activities and work of the Goathland Nature Group.
Bat Survey
Following on from the talk given in April we have started recording bats in and around Goathland. So far, we have recorded over 10,000 bat calls from 10 species of bat (there are only 11 species in all of North Yorkshire!). This is further proof of how amazing the wildlife is around us, so we really need to look after it. If you live in the village and wish to get involved in this study, please contact us. Read more about our Bats project, here.
Goathland Village Show – Photo Competition
The Goathland Village Show takes place in the village on Saturday 8 August 2026. This year the show celebrates its 84th year of the show, a wonderful village event. The Goathland Nature Group have now sponsored a class in the Photography section, with the Goathland Nature Shield awarded this year to the best photograph in the class Beauty of Goathland’s Waterways.
So, don’t forget to get out into Goathland’s wooded and river valleys with your cameras to take photos of the river environment. You could be a winner if you enter them into the Village Show. Good luck!