The area is particularly rich with butterflies. In particular a July visit to Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit, (a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve adjacent to the line), will delight the visitor with sightings of up to 21 species, including many Common Blues and Marbled Whites. I have seen up to 12 mammal species. Rabbits and Hares are common and the predators are represented by Stoat, Weasel and Fox. Smaller mammals seen include Brown Rats, Mice Voles and Hedgehogs. Roe Deer are occasionally seen, particularly near Beverley and Market Weighton.

Opened in 1865, the railway line, which measured 13 miles, was finally closed
103 years later in 1968. Humberside County Council bought it in 1975, and it now serves as an amenity path used by horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians,
including dog walkers. Gradually, the track-bed, banks and cuttings have been colonised by plant life, so that nowadays the pathway is little more than 5 feet wide in places. However, it has become an important wildlife habitat and provides an essential green corridor that our endangered wild flora and fauna thrive in.

Over the past 10 years, I have walked the whole length of the line many times, though never in one continuous journey, and have recorded the flora and fauna
as I have done so. The recording area consists of the old track bed and any field, meadow or bank adjacent to it. In the case of birds, I have also included fly-overs. My observations may pleasantly surprise those who bemoan the apparent lack of wildlife in East Yorkshire. Even to the untutored eye, the wild plants of the area easily exceed 200 species. Spring gives wonderful displays of Primroses, Cowslips, Hawthorn, Dog Rose and Marsh Marigold. Summer brings Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids, Cranesbill, Poppies and Campion. Later in the year there are stunning showings of Daisies, Rosebay Willowherb, Scabious, Cornflower, Harebells and many varieties of Thistles.

Bird sightings amount to 91 species, of which 45 are seen regularly. More notable residents are Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Willow Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Little Owl, Grey Partridge, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. Winter brings large flocks of Fieldfares, Redwings and Blackbirds to feed on the abundant
Elderberries, Hawthorn Haws and Rose Hips. The commoner warblers are
Willow Warblers, Blackcap and Common and Lesser Whitethroat. Turtle Dove and Green Woodpecker breed in the area and Corn Buntings are seen in the breeding season. Occasional visits are made by Merlin, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier,
Short-eared Owl and Barn Owl. During migration, geese, swans, gulls and waders are frequently seen or heard as they pass overhead. Perhaps the most surprising sighting was an Osprey seen thermalling over the area.
Les Bardwell