Monad of the Month - TA2170 - Danes Dyke, near Flamborough

Welcome to Monad of the Month! This series will feature a monad (1km) grid square within the North and East Yorkshire area where we’re lacking records in our database. We’ve chosen grid squares that lack records but also contain interesting or valuable habitats or (locally or nationally/internationally) designated sites, and that are close to large towns, cities, or transport links where possible, to make them accessible, should you wish to visit and do some recording!

Our Monad of the Month for April 2026 is TA2170, located around Danes Dyke LNR, west of Flamborough.

TA2170 is located to the west of Flamborough, and includes part of Danes Dyke Local Nature Reserve. The monad contains only 5 records; 4 of birds and one of a flowering plant. Danes Dyke is a woodland nature reserve, and was designated in 2002 for its value for wildlife and importance to the local community. It acquires its name from the ancient ditch and bank earthwork at the site, which runs through the reserve for 4km, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The site extends partially into this monad. There is free parking, toilet facilities, and trails marked throughout the woodland, so access is particularly easy at this site. The habitat here supports plants, birds, bats, fungi, and butterflies. This monad also contains Bream Wood, which is part of the LNR.

Whilst there are many sources of biological records, including on the likes of NBN Atlas and recording platforms like iRecord, as well as through organisations like BTO or BSBI, it should be noted that LERCs do not always have access to these records for local decision making, or cannot use them due to incorrect licensing, poor resolution, lack of verification, or other reasons. This series is intended to highlight areas where we have fewer records, forming gaps in our coverage. If you have records - particularly linked to specific sites or species groups - that we may not have access to, we’d love to hear from you!