Contents / Diary of events

JULY-AUGUST 2018

Bristol Naturalist News

Discover Your Natural World

Bristol Naturalists’ Society

BULLETIN NO. 572 JULY-AUGUST 2018

Photo © Dave Roberts

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CONTENTS

3 Diary of Events Editor’s Email change

4 Society Midweek walk; Phenology ; Welcome – new members + a mystery!

5 Flora 2020 also needs you! Talking Trees / Tree of the Year / Purple Sycamore 6 Obituary: Brian Frost Society Walk Report

7 BNS/Univ. programme; Meeting report

8 Natty News:

10 BOTANY SECTION

11 Botanical notes

15 INVERTEBRATE SECTION Notes for July/August; Meeting report

16 GEOLOGY SECTION

17 LIBRARY Journals, Magazines etc. “What’s in YOUR bookcase…”

Geological sites of the Bristol Region – a new publication by BRERC

19 ORNITHOLOGY SECTION Seabird photo opportunity repeated; Meeting reports; Recent News

23 MISCELLANY Botanic Garden Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project Avon Organic Gp.; Badock’s Wood

24 Photos

Cover picture: Thanks to Dave Roberts,

whose boat gave BNS members a grand experience – see an account under Ornithology (page 21)

HON. PRESIDENT: Andrew Radford, Professor

of Behavioural Ecology, Bristol University

HON. CHAIRMAN: Ray Barnett

ray.barnett@bristol.gov.uk

HON. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVING EDITOR:

Dee Holladay, dee.holladay@tiscali.co.uk

HON. SEC.: Lesley Cox 07786 437 528

secretary@bristolnats.org.uk

HON. MEMBERSHIP SEC: Mrs. Margaret Fay

81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280

membership@bristolnats.org.uk

HON. TREASURER: Mary Jane Steer

01454 294371 treasurerbns@winpenny.org.uk

BULLETIN COPY DEADLINE: 7th of month before publication to the editor: David B Davies,

51a Dial Hill Rd., Clevedon, BS21 7EW.

01275 873167 daviddavies512@gmail.com .

Health & Safety on walks: Members participate at their own risk. They are

responsible for being properly clothed and shod.

Dogs may only be brought on a walk with prior

agreement of the leader.

BULLETIN NO. 572 JULY-AUGUST 2018

Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World

Registered Charity No: 235494

www.bristolnats.org.uk

Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World

Registered Charity No: 235494

www.bristolnats.org.uk

javascript:handleMailto('mailto:dee.holladay@tiscali.co.uk');return%20false;mailto:secretary@bristolnats.org.commailto:membership@bristolnats.org.ukmailto:treasurerbns@winpenny.org.ukmailto:daviddavies512@gmail.com

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Diary of events Back to contents

Council usually meets on the first Wednesday of each month. If you plan to attend please

check date & time with the Hon. Sec. (from whom minutes are available to members). Any member can attend, but must give advance notice if wishing to speak.

Visitors & guests are welcome at any of our meetings. If contact details are given, please

contact the leader beforehand, and make yourself known on arrival. We hope you will enjoy the meeting, and consider joining the Society. To join, visit https://bristolnats.org.uk and click on membership. Members are members of ALL the sections.

JULY 2018 Sun 1 Lords Wood Invertebrate 10:30 page 15 Tue 3 Somerset & Devon Coast Ornithology 12:30 page 19 Tue 3 St George’s Flower Bank Botany 18:30 page 10 Thu 5 Society Walk, Easter Compton Society 10:00 page 4 Sun 8 Blackmoor, Ubley Warren & Velvet Bottom Ornithology 09:00 page 19 Sat 21 Walton Common Botany 14:30 page 10

AUGUST 2018 Sat 18 Tree Gazing BNS/University 14:00 page 5 Sat 18 Northwick Oaze Botany 14:30 page 10

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Sun 8 July Awres Glow GlosNats 11:00 page 10 Sat 21 July Ravensgate Hill GlosNats 11:00 page 10 Sun 29 July Portishead Coast (Geology) WEGA/Thornbury 11:00 page 16 Tue 7 Aug Stinchcombe Hill GlosNats 18:30 page 10 Thu 23 Aug Black Down, Mendip SRPG 11:00 page 11 Thu 30 Aug Stroudwater Canal GlosNats 11:00 page 11

Editor’s email change The editor’s provider, which.net, will shortly cease to exist. His new (and only) email is:

daviddavies512@gmail.com

https://bristolnats.org.uk/mailto:daviddavies512@gmail.com

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SOCIETY ITEMS

PHENOLOGY Contents / Diary May was an extraordinary month, with the same violent temperature swings as April, but an overall average which was the same as the previous record, set in 1901 of 19.6ºC. It was also a dry month, with half normal rainfall, though, if you were hit by one of the thunderstorms in the last week you may well have had much more. My rainfall readings are taken from my own rain gauge. And it was the sunniest May I have recorded, back to 1997, with 30% more sunshine that average.

As a result of the stimulus of high temperatures and bright sunshine all the species that had been held back from flowering in April came into bloom; by the end of May a few species were recording earlier than average dates for coming into flower. One consequence of this was that flowering periods were shortened. Hawthorn for instance is normally in flower for five weeks, and in 2002 was flowering for ten weeks, but this year was over in three. A cause of this is the explosive increase in pollinator numbers driven by the same factors.

Richard Bland

Welcome to new members – and a mystery person! Mrs. Carey; Mr Edward O'Brien; Mr Richard Woodrow; M and G Cove;

also to Deirdre Jones, who paid a subscription but of whom we have no other record: do

you know her? She needs to contact the membership secretary (page 2) in order to receive

the publications to which she’s entitled!

SOCIETY MID-WEEK WALK Contents / Diary

Thursday 5th July, Spaniorum Hill, from Easter Compton

About three miles (but with a climb) Meet at 10am in the car park of the Fox Inn, Main Street, Easter Compton, BS35 5RA /

ST 571825. About 1 mile after M5 J17, Easter Compton exit. On arrival, we have been

asked to park in the far gravel area, in lines facing the road. For almost all, find your way

to Cribbs Causeway, M5 J17, but if heading South, you turn right instead of left, heading

North, left not right. From Cribbs Causeway shops, it’s straight across the motorway

roundabout. Pass ‘The Wild Place’, and carry on down the hill. The Fox is on the left.

The walk involves a fairly steep, but dry paved, ascent, and a shallower descent. It

would be wise to be dressed appropriate to the weather, and wear boots. The rewards

are views over the Severn Valley and Estuary, and also an interesting church. It is a

very short distance from Cribbs Causeway, yet feels deep in the country. Tony Smith

will, sadly, not be leading this walk, so we will be relying on a bit of co-operative wildlife

expertise.

Lunch can be obtained from the Fox. http://www.thefox-eastercompton.co.uk/ It is a

good pub, serving everything from sandwiches to steaks.

If you intend to come, contact Roger and Mary Jane Steer: 01454 294371 or

roger.steer@winpenny.org,uk, or, and If the weather is forecast as poor, we will contact

you, to save your journey. 07772 411705 on the day.

If you know (and maybe could lead) a suitable walk on a mid-week, please get in touch.

http://www.thefox-eastercompton.co.uk/mailto:roger.steer@winpenny.org,uk

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Flora 2020 Contents / Diary There are around fifty monads (one-kilometre squares) that need surveying for the new Flora and for the BSBI Atlas. I have a simple tick list of the 200 commonest species in the region, and surveying the number present in a monad is itself a fascinating exercise.

Anyone interested in helping should contact Richard Bland on rlbland673@gmail.com or 0117 968 1061

Talking Trees The Woodland Trust has launched a campaign on social media to support the aim of doubling the tree canopy in Bristol by 2050. This is a part of a wider Urban Forest concept seeking to persuade everyone that trees in cities provide huge and quantifiable benefits Trees don’t just reduce temperature, sequestrate carbon dioxide and look beautiful, they produce oxygen. Two trees will produce enough Oxygen for a family of four. Go to the website at www.talkingtreesbristol.co.uk to find out more.

Bristol Tree of the Year The Bristol Tree Forum has launched a Bristol Tree of the Year competition. The objective is to make Bristol citizens more aware of their astonishing tree heritage. There is an entry form on www.bristoltreeforum.org.uk, and it is open to any group or organisation. The tree chosen should lie within the Bristol City boundary, and be publicly accessible and entries should send a photo or three and 500 words on why the tree is special. The deadline for entries is Sept 1. A short list will then be created by an expert panel, and Between Oct 15 and Nov 15 the public will be asked to vote. The winner will be announced during National Tree week, Nov 24 to Dec 2. The BNS will certainly submit a candidate, and anyone with a proposal should contact me at rlbland673@gmail.com or 0117 968 1061

Purple Sycamore The Purple Sycamore is an uncommon natural variant of the Sycamore. The underside of its leaves is purple, rather than green, and gives the whole tree a rather heavy appearance, but looks magnificent when the wind blows, exposing the purple undersides. It can turn up anywhere, and some trees tend to become more purple as the season advances. It is readily confused with a Norway Maple, which is widely planted and exists in a variety of colour forms, but there are two key differences. Norway Maples have bark which has long vertical troughs, where as the Sycamore bark breaks off into plates, like the Plane. Secondly the Norway Maple’s leaves have sharp points to each lobe, whereas Sycamore leaves are blunt.

I have accumulated a list of about 25 Purple Sycamore sites in Bristol, and would be grateful for any records, giving details of the site. Please send them to me at rlbland673@gmail.com

mailto:rlbland673@gmail.comhttp://www.talkingtreesbristol.co.uk/http://www.bristoltreeforum.org.uk/mailto:rlbland673@gmail.commailto:rlbland673@gmail.com

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BRIAN FROST – A great loss to the Society Contents / Diary With great sadness we record the death of Brian Frost, who died after a short illness on June 9

th. He joined the Society in

1951 and by 1961 was already Publicity Officer on Council. He remained a member of Council for the rest of his life, filling a variety of roles, including Bulletin Editor and a period in the 1990s as Secretary. In his latter years he became responsible for the circulation of the monthly Bulletin to all members, and all the organisations with whom we exchange journals; we came to depend on his minute attention to detail. His intimate and detailed knowledge of the membership was of huge value to the society, and will be impossible to replace. He had become increasingly frail in recent months, but was determined to die in harness, a privilege granted to few.

Richard Bland

Society Walk Report

Walk on Thursday 3rd

May

Thanks to the lovely weather, we were a group of ten walking a circular route from Winford to Felton Common and back. The first part of the route gave views over the Millennium Wood, walking through fields yellow with dandelions where we also observed and photographed green dock beetles (Gastrophysa viridula) on Broad leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius).

Walking up Felton Street we reached Felton Common, where we could see the active management cut back of the bracken, which should result in a lovely display of bluebells in a few weeks’ time. There was a good view of Bristol airport and low flying planes, plus the Long Barrow and the old windmill. We then looked at the conjoined Round Barrows and were horrified to see deep tyre tracks despite notices asking for the monuments to be respected.

On the way back, we were all fascinated by a colony of mining bees, which were also a great challenge for the photographers among us. These were later identified from photos by Ray Barnett as the Early mining bee (Andrena haemorrhoa).

The walk finished with a pleasant meal in the Prince of Waterloo, where arrangements for future walks were discussed and new leaders volunteered for June and July.

Jim Webster

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JOINT BNS / UNIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY PROGRAMME This programme seeks to showcase the range of species that can be found within the extensive and varied University grounds and estates, most of which are not open to the public, and seeks to improve and extend identification skills. Events are led by Bristol Naturalists’ Society specialists and are aimed at University staff, students, alumni and interested members of the public with some free places reserved for BNS members. Each meeting has a theme but all items of interest to the naturalist will be identified and discussed. Meetings offer an excellent opportunity for beginners and experts alike.

Contents / Diary

TREE GAZING @ The ROYAL FORT Saturday, 18 August, 2:00 p.m. A second opportunity to appreciate and discuss the beauty of trees whilst absorbing the story of their identification, habit, history and a lot more in this centrally located gem of a park. If you would like to attend, contact: secretary@bristolnats.org.uk

Field Reports Tree Gazing @ the Royal Fort. Thurs. 10

th May

Ten had booked and all ten arrived. The group, comprising postgraduate students, University staff, members of the public and the BNS thoroughly enjoyed this meeting on a sunny day in May that opened with a chill in the wind but closed in the warmth of a typical May day made warmer by the personalities and interest of the individuals involved. Whilst information on follow up texts was requested by some, two attendees were not counted in the number, in view of the fact that they were a little too young to absorb the erudite commentary from

their pushchairs. However, it’s always advisable to start the educative process regarding the importance of the natural world at young age. Mission accomplished on this occasion!

Insect Netting and Identification. Sun. 3rd

June

Six members of the BNS spent a superb afternoon with two keen, mature students in the meadows of a well-known University estate identifying a wide range of insects, from a young male Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly clinging to the arboreal margins of the first meadow, to young spiders and the larvae of sawflies knocked from the branches of English Oak. Netting amongst the grasses and wild flowers produced a similarly comprehensive range of beetles, bees, butterflies and moths including the Common Carder Bee, Common Blue Butterfly and Burnet

Companion. The great value of this site is the variety of its assets; two large meadows with differing characteristics – a stretch of woodland, specimen trees standing proud amongst the grassland, shaded glades, seeded wild flower areas and a glorious flower bank. All were explored. The meeting culminated in an examination of a nearby pond where dragonflies took centre stage and one sharp-eyed member spotted several exuviae clinging to a wooden post rising from the water. 76 species were noted by the end of a great afternoon in the warm sunshine populated by some superb insects, beautiful wild flowers and a spectacular Jay. Lesley Cox

(More pictures on back page)

Photo: Learning About Trees at the Royal Fort in May.© Lnc

Identifying the catch .© Lnc

mailto:secretary@bristolnats.org.uk

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NATTY NEWS Contents / Diary

Species News: News reported on here (in December 2017) relating to information on the

insect biomass reduction derived from research on this critically important subject has now been highlighted by the BBC (in June 2018) but news regarding the Chequered Skipper,

which has been re-introduced to a secret area of Rockingham Forest was a little more up to date. The woodland butterfly mysteriously disappeared from Northamptonshire in 1976 and subsequently could only be found in part of Western Scotland but in the English county, it first came to the attention of an amateur naturalist, William Bree, whilst serving as a curate in the village of Polebrook. Writing in 1854, Bree declared that he knew of nowhere that could surpass the area for finding rare or less-common species of butterfly, listing 45 species that he had seen himself, plus two others reportedly observed by others. He popularised the area for other enthusiasts causing it to come to the attention of Charles Rothschild (1877-1923) who was so impressed he decided that he wanted to buy the land. In approaching the brewer, who was its caretaker, he discovered that the owner was his father, Lord Rothschild. Many years later, his daughter Miriam, stated during an interview on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, "Before my father's time people thought you had to conserve rare species but he realised it was the habitat you had to conserve, not the species”. A lesson that is sometimes forgotten in our more modern, allegedly more sophisticated, times but not by Butterfly Conservation who have worked hard to prepare the area over a number of years. 32 females and 11 males have been released and other sites will follow. The history of the site is reflected in the local pub – The Chequered Skipper. South Walney is in Cumbria and hosts an important gull colony. The wardens there have

counted 4000 pairs this season, which is down on previous seasons but not worryingly so. Much more concern arises from finding very small eggs that contain no yolk amongst those of normal size. Poor breeding condition at the start of the season is thought to be the issue whilst chicken keepers report that the phenomenon is sometimes found amongst young birds that have only just started to lay. Eggs with soft shells are similarly found. However, if youth were the cause, it would surely have been seen before. With so many pesticides in use, memories of DDT spring to mind. One in Five British Mammals face a high risk of extinction according to a comprehensive review by the Mammal Society and Natural England working in association with Scottish

Natural Heritage and Natural Resources Wales. The Mammal Society is now calling for more research to be carried out urgently to get a clearer and more accurate picture of Britain's mammal populations as surprisingly little is known about the current status of even the ‘common’ British species including rabbits and moles, which are noticeable by their absence. Pressures are mounting on species from all the usual suspects, e.g., loss of habitat, use of pesticides, climate change and road kill, etc. The Society has now launched a Mammal Mapper App. Prof Mathews from the University of Sussex and lead author of the Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals, said: "The report highlights an urgent requirement for more research to assess population densities in key habitats because at present, uncertainty levels are unacceptably high. It is possible that declines in many species are being overlooked because a lack of robust evidence precludes assessment. There is also an urgent need to quantify precisely the scale of declines in species such as the hedgehog, rabbit, water vole and grey long-eared bat. Effective and evidence-based strategies for mammal conservation and management must be developed before it is too late."

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Bristol University Research 1) Earth Sciences: A new mass extinction has been confirmed by research led by Prof

Mike Benton of the School of Earth Sciences. A new statistical method called ‘Breakpoint Analysis’ identified the event, which occurred during the Triassic period some 232 million years ago. The event was less easy to identify than others because the different sites around the world were hard to date and cross-match but it was important because it marked the likely trigger for the explosive takeover of the Earth by dinosaurs. Prof Benton said, “This method is great. We know where we think the change occurred, but we don’t tell the computer. We let it crunch the numbers and let it identify the break point or the time when one kind of ecosystem ended, and the new one began. In this case, it landed precisely on the point in the Carnian when major environmental changes triggered the extinctions.” Massimo Bernardi, a co-author of the report, and now curator at MUSE – Science Museum, Trento, Italy, added, “ This was a time of huge volcanic eruptions off modern Canada, and profound climate changes. The gases from the volcanoes caused long-term shuttling between dry and wet conditions.” A database of 47 faunas from different parts of the world, including 7,773 specimens of reptiles was built. Half way through the Carnian there was a sudden shift in the composition of ecosystems, from comprising a mixed assemblage, to being absolutely dominated by dinosaurs and their relatives. There had already been a huge mass extinction 252 million years ago and life was recovering fitfully from that crisis, when it was hit again at 232 million years and then again at the end of the Triassic, 201 million years ago. See the Paper, ‘The Carnian Pluvial Episode and the origin of dinosaurs’, by Benton, Bernardi and Kinsella in the Journal of the Geological Society.

2) Biological Sciences: Flowers have lots of different signals on their surface to

communicate to bees but new research shows that bees are so clever they can also detect scent patterns on the flower and translate this olfactory information into a visual system of information. New research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that Bumblebees can tell flowers apart by the way scent is arranged on the surface. Lead

author Dr, Dave Lawson said, “If you look at a flower with a microscope, you can often see that the cells that produce the flower’s scent are arranged in patterns. By creating artificial flowers that have identical scents arranged in different patterns, we are able to show that this patterning might be a signal to a bee. For a flower, it’s not just smelling nice that’s important, but also where you put the scent in the first place. The scent glands on our flowers were either arranged in a circle or a cross, and bees had to figure out these patterns by using their feelers but the most exciting finding was that, if these patterns are suddenly made visible by the experimenter, bees can instantly recognise the image that formerly was just an ephemeral pattern of volatiles in the air.” Dr Lawson added: “This is the equivalent of a human putting her hand in a bag to feel the shape of a novel object which she can’t see and then picking out a picture of that object. Being able to mentally switch between different senses is something we take for granted but it’s exciting that a small animal like a bee is also able to do something this abstract.” See paper: ‘Bumblebees distinguish floral scent patterns and can transfer these to corresponding visual patterns’ by Lawson, et al, in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Lesley Cox, Hon. Sec. C ontents / Di ar y

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BOTANY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Clive Lovatt 07 851 433 920 (clivemlovatt@gmail.com) Contents / Diary HON. SEC:- David Hawkins ecoteric@googlemail.com

FIELD MEETINGS From late March to early October, the BNS Botany Section will organise at least one field meeting a month in or relatively close to Bristol. More extensive programmes throughout botanical vice-counties 6 and 34 (North Somerset and West Gloucestershire respectively) are organised by the Somerset Rare Plants Group (SRPG) and the Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society (GNS). A few of these meetings will be joint meetings or will be advertised as open to BNS members by invitation.

ST GEORGE’S FLOWER BANK Tuesday 3 July Helena Crouch with Bob Buck 6.30 pm A further visit to this outstanding roadside Local Nature Reserve to complete the site recording we started in a visit two years ago. Parking will be possible on the old road running parallel to the busy A369 from J19 M5 to Abbots Leigh. Take the turn-off to Pill closest to the motorway (St George’s Hill) and make an immediate left turn. Hi-Vis jackets will be provided.

WALTON COMMON, Walton-in-Gordano Saturday 21 July Jenny Greenwood and David Hawkins 2.30 pm A repeat visit to this Avon Wildlife Trust limestone grassland reserve we went to in June 2014 to see the variety of roses. Since then, AWT have undertaken significant management, including the re-introduction of grazing as further described at http://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/2016/01/13/walton-common. As a result, there are now more open areas and the pre-existing ones have been enlarged. It will be interesting to see what new (or returning) species we can observe. The site is also very good for butterflies. Park on the wide road verge on Walton Street, around ST42317360 (Satnav BS21 7AP).

NORTHWICK OAZE, Old Passage, Aust Saturday 18 August Clive Lovatt and David Hawkins 2.30 pm An afternoon walk on the saltmarshes of Northwick Oaze, looking at the species and plant communities present. Park at the roadside by the Tamarisk tree at Cake Pill Gout on Passage Road at ST561881, about a mile south of the Old Severn Bridge and half a mile south of Satnav BS35 4BG.

Other botanical group meetings – July & August AWRES GLOW, Forest of Dean, Clare and Mark Kitchen 11.00 am Sunday 8 July A meeting of the Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society. There will be an emphasis on learning – rushes and other acid-loving plants. RAVENSGATE HILL, Seven Springs, Cheltenham 11.00 am Saturday 14 July A Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society Pot Luck recording meeting on an under-recorded area close to Lineover Wood, with open access calcareous grassland with views over Cheltenham. Meeting details and invitations from Clive Lovatt. STINCHCOMBE HILL, near Dursley, Clare and Mark Kitchen, 6.30pm Tuesday 7 August

mailto:clivemlovatt@gmail.commailto:ecoteric@googlemail.comhttp://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/2016/01/13/walton-common

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An evening meeting of the Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society to look at the wild roses according to their latest classification (BSBI News 135 (April 2017), pages

46-48). Meeting details and invitations for BNS members from Clive Lovatt. BLACK DOWN, MENDIP, Helena Crouch & Margaret Webster, 11.00 am Thur. 23 August A meeting for SRPG members. BNS Members please contact Liz McDonnell lizmcdonnell2005@gmail.com about membership/invitations. The group will search for Hare’s-tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum), not seen here this century, and check on Lesser Marshwort (Apium inundatum). It is a quite a climb up onto Black Down and steep in places so bring lunch and good footwear. Tea or ice cream on return. STROUDWATER CANAL, Stroud, Clive Lovatt, 11.00 am Thursday 30 August A Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society Pot Luck recording meeting on the boundary between VC 33 and VC34 at Stroud. Meet in the layby at Blunder Lock on the S side of the A436 just after the roundabout (with services) half a mile SE of the M5 Junction 13 (SO78610604). Bring lunch and suitable footwear. BNS members please confirm with leader in advance.

BOTANICAL NOTES Contents / Diary Field meeting reports

ROCKHAMPTON, BERKELEY, Thursday 17 May. Report by meeting leader, Clive Lovatt Half a dozen of us met on this joint BNS/GNS meeting. As hoped for, we saw Mousetail (Myosurus minimus) in flower, densely packed in a baked clay hollow by a cattle trough. There was no sign of the Heath Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), that had once been seen on our route, but we did surprise ourselves by finding a little patch of Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) in an improved but evidently not quite exhausted field below Henridge Hill. We took our lunch on the sunny south-facing slopes of the hill, amongst short turf with the varying yellows of Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum), both Hawkbits (Leontodon hispidus and saxatilis) and less-conspicuous Spring Sedge (Carex caryophyllea) and Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga). Oh, and later in the day several of us heard for the first time in the year, the

joyful sound of the Cuckoo.

UPHILL HILL, Saturday 19 May 2018. Report by meeting leader, Helena Crouch On a glorious day fit for a royal wedding, 25 members of Somerset Rare Plants Group and BNS met to discover the botanical treasures of Uphill Local Nature Reserve. Ascending the hill towards the church, many calcareous grassland species were studied and recorded, including Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), Crested Hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha), Quaking-grass (Briza media) and Spring Sedge (Carex caryophyllea). Several botanists spent ages sitting on the path, finding Little Mouse-ear (Cerastium semidecandrum) which has bracts with broad scarious margins. The grassland was studded with hundreds of Cowslips (Primula veris) and Green-winged Orchids (Anacamptis morio). In the churchyard, Early Forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosissima) was flowering on the path, alongside Field Forget-me-not (M. arvensis) for comparison. We also found both Common Cornsalad (Valerianella locusta) and Keeled Cornsalad (V. carinata): it was good to compare the seed shapes. Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum) was in flower, later identified as subspecies officinarum by Graham Lavender. A Wall butterfly was an

added bonus. Outside the churchyard we admired a lovely display of Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca) just beginning to flower and Liz McDonnell found a large patch of Knotted Clover (Trifolium striatum). Some rock outcrops offering shade were a perfect spot for lunch, amidst hundreds of Green-winged Orchids and swathes of a striking grass, just coming into flower. Liz soon identified it as French Oat-grass (Gaudinia fragilis) which was new to many

mailto:lizmcdonnell2005@gmail.com

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members. We saw patches of it in several places on the hill. This species is GB Scarce, although not scarce in Somerset. Its status in Britain is uncertain: it is considered to be “Native or Alien”. Contents / Diary

After lunch, we moved to the steep west-facing slopes to see one of the target species, Honewort (Trinia glauca), which was flowering profusely. This species is dioecious, but most plants in flower were male and only a few female plants were seen, with fruits already

developing. We recorded this GB Rare species flowering in seven localities on the hill. On rock outcrops we found Dwarf Mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum), with narrow scarious margins to the bracts and also Sea Mouse-ear (Cerastium diffusum), with entirely green bracts. A few tiny plants of Western Eyebright (Euphrasia tetraquetra) were in flower, with their distinctive square shoots and short glandular hairs, flowering early in the year at a low node. On rock outcrops near the fenced quarry, we found another target species: Somerset Hair-grass (Koeleria vallesiana), recognisable by its swollen, fibrous culm-bases. This grass is GB Rare, restricted to a few sites on the limestone of the western Mendips.

In the grassland on west-facing slopes patches of Pale Flax (Linum bienne) were just coming into flower and we found a few leaves of Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris). Woodland at the east of the Local Nature Reserve added a few

more species to our list, but by then the number of botanists had dwindled and the lure of ice creams was irresistible. Heading towards Uphill Wharf Café we found a few patches of Rough Clover (Trifolium scabrum) on rocky outcrops and saw a Small Blue butterfly by the path. Revived by ice creams we explored the accessible quarry, finding a good population of Honewort on the cliffs and, rather bizarrely, a small patch of Sand Sedge (Carex arenaria). Heading back to our cars, we recorded a single plant of Wild Celery (Apium graveolens), Horse-radish (Armoracia rusticana) and Common Reed (Phragmites australis) by the roadside rhyne. Altogether we recorded 209 species and added 35 taxa to this well-recorded monad. The weather was wonderful, and we had seen many of the interesting and rare species of this site.

ASHTON COURT MEADOWS, Saturday 26 May. Meeting leaders, Jenny Greenwood and David Hawkins. Jenny and David delivered a wildflower walk in Ashton Court Meadows for Bristol Nature Network. Three of their members attended, low numbers perhaps partially due to an unreliably over-pessimistic weather forecast appearing on our smartphones. The meeting was, however, attended with great enthusiasm and the group had a good afternoon, with a lot to show people and talk about. PLANT RECORDS The good, the bad and the ugly

It is normally a pleasure to read reports that come to me by email of the finds that other local botanists and general naturalists have had. I say ‘normally’ because John Martin circulated to some of us his despair that this year’s sparse showing of Broad-leaved Spurge (Euphorbia platyphyllos) down by the old railway sidings on the Harbour between the M Shed and the Great Britain had been sprayed with weed killer by the Council. In the same spirit (pun intended) I was asked by a local Churchwarden if I could check out one of the plants in their churchyard in case it needed the same treatment. Sadly, it was indeed Japanese Knotweed and they are taking steps to exterminate it. Someone I met the same

Botanising at Uphill,

19 May 2018 © C Lovatt

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day lost out on his house sale because his neighbour had the scourge in his yard and the potential buyer couldn’t get a mortgage.

The marvellous meadows at Blagdon Lake Contents / Diary

Last year, Bristol Water emailed BNS wondering if their botanists would like to survey the land around their reservoirs, which were created when the flora was generally much richer, and as a result of sympathetic management, they have created something of a time capsule. Last year we were able to record the plants at Victoria Reservoir in Clifton, and the three reservoirs and old filter beds at Barrow Tanks, just south of Bristol. This year we are recording around Blagdon Lake.

The North Shore meadows are truly outstanding, especially in those parts where grass is not dominant. The orchids and the propensity of some to hybridise are well-known –

Early Purples (Orchis mascula) and Green-winged (O. morio) orchids were over and the Southern Marsh (Dactylorhiza praetermissa) and Heath Spotted (D. maculata) orchids were locally abundant. Dyers’ Greenweed (Genista tinctoria) was just coming out, like a miniature broom, and the red-flowered Saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria) and Meadow Thistle (Cirsium dissectum) created gasps of delight. The grasses, rushes and sedges are also special: Heath-grass (Sieglingia decumbens), Flea Sedge (Carex pulicaris) and (in one meadow) Blunt-flowered Rush (Juncus subnodulosus) are examples, and Round-fruited Rush (J. compressus) grows regularly on stable mud at the water’s edge.

Huge thanks to Bristol Water, not only for granting us open access, but also for their conservation management over so many years.

Fresh Garlic

The story of the planting of three alien garlic species on Observatory Hill near the Suspension Bridge over a century ago is well-known. Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum) has

round bulbils amongst the flowers and cascaded down St Vincent’s Rocks. I recently saw it in Hotwells, both well-established at “Butterfly Junction” close to the New Cut by the Create Centre, and a few plants at the edge of the shrubbery of the Holy Trinity Church beside Hotwells Road, where I imagine someone had discarded the flowers picked for their prettiness, but no longer wanted for their foul smell. Keeled Garlic (A. carinatum) has less attractive flowers and angular bulbils, and spread laterally, probably assisted by mechanised mowing, also appearing on the Leigh Woods side of the Avon Gorge as a similar discard, beside North Road and on the Towpath under the Suspension Bridge.

Honey Garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum), which lacks bulbils amongst the flowers, stayed where it was planted, though clearance of the cliff-edge scrub allowed it to spread laterally underground, and send up far more of its tall rigid stems. It is very attractive to bees, and sets seed, though I could never germinate them. Over the years less than a dozen other sites have been found in each of (traditional) Gloucestershire and Somerset, so I was pleased to hear from a prospective BNS Member, Simon Harding, that he knew of another population, in Old Down Woods, between Olveston and Alveston. Amongst some excellent photos he had one of the inside of a flower: 8 stamens, 4 inner tepals (‘petals’) and 4 outer tepals (‘sepals’). Another flower that hadn’t read the book! It should have had 6 stamens and tepals in threes.

Meadows at Blagdon Lake

5 June 2018 © C Lovatt

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Woad is me Contents / Diary

Most years there turns up a site of disturbance and re-sowing somewhere near Bristol that yields an exceptional number of alien and out-of-place native plants. Richard Bland alerted me that beside the new 2 km cycle track beside Kings Weston Lane, Avonmouth, there were many interesting weeds which I might like to check out. So there were, mostly as occasional plants or singletons: garden plants such as a Tobacco (Nicotiniana sp.), Marigold (Calendula officinalis), small-flowered pansies (Viola x wittrockiana), Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) and Nodding Catchfly (Silene pendula), last recorded locally in the 1950s; arable weeds including Field Woundwort (Stachys arvensis) and Spreading Hedge-parsley (Torilis arvensis); introduced natives such as Hare’s-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense) and Field Pepperwort (Lepidium campestre); and culinary herbs such as Garden Rocket (Eruca vesicaria), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Spinach Beet and Red Chard (forms of Beta maritima ssp. cicla).

In the end, I managed to identify about a dozen yellow crucifers, including three Winter-cress species (Barbarea) species, four Brassicas, and Bastard Cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum). One of them was at first troublesome, four plants with leaves like narrow arrows on tall unbranched stems topped by a pyramid of small and apparently sterile flowers. But when it began to fruit, the flattened pendulous purse-shaped pods were distinctive and Tim Rich, the crucifer referee confirmed that it was Woad (Isatis tinctoria). Woad is of course famous as the source of the blue war-paint used by the Ancient Britons, and it was

grown as a crop in the Bristol region near Wotton-under-Edge and Saltford in the 19th

Century. It only very occasionally occurs as a casual in Somerset and Worcestershire, either from nearby ‘curiosity’ plantings or on verges in grass seed mixes and it was long established at Mythe Cliffs, north of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire.

Salsifaction

If I may invent a new word, for the inner satisfaction or smug pleasure of seeing the root vegetable Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius), with its purple flowers, it would be Salsifaction. Richard Bland found about 20 large plants of it at Golden Hill ST5876 where there is an abandoned tennis court which he checks annually. He added, “I have never seen it in such numbers!”.

When I was on the train from Shirehampton to Clifton this morning, I saw three plants of Salsify at Sea Mills Station on the (west) side, opposite the platform, and there looked as though there was another on the disused part of the railway bridge over the exit of the Trym into the Avon. It immediately came to mind that records for Salsify growing in this area go back to 1773, when it was found in the meadows under Cook’s Folly. (Was it anciently grown with Asparagus?) From about 1840, it was lost sight of until White found it around 1880 in the junction of the two railways. It was seen occasionally thereabouts, as in 1940, and was last recorded in 1965, by PJM Nethercott, who ascribed the appearance of a single plant to changes of land use post-Beeching and the creation of a sports field (now the AWT nature reserve). Could the Sea Mills plants be descendants? Or throw outs from the adjacent allotments? I haven’t seen it grown in the planters (which sometimes have ‘take-or-leave’ vegetables in them) on this station or others on the Avonmouth line.

If you’ve found any interesting plants, please let me know. Clive Lovatt, Shirehampton, 7 June 2018

Contents / Diary

Woad, Kings Weston Lane

9 May 2018 © C Lovatt

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INVERTEBRATE SECTION PRESIDENT: Robert Muston 0117 924 3352 Contents / Diary Hon. SECRETARY: Moth Broyles mothbroyles@gmail.com 07809 281421

FIELD MEETING LORDS WOOD, near Pensford Sunday July 1st Leader Ray Barnett 10:30am Lords Wood(ST631 632) is a privately owned woodland with public access, comprising a mix of broad leaved and coniferous planting, the latter being gradually reduced. At this time of year the wood is noted for White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary but also for a good broad range of invertebrates including dragonflies around the well vegetated ponds and streams. Please contact Ray Barnett in advance if you would like to attend:-

ray.barnett@bristol.gov.uk

INVERTEBRATE NOTES FOR JULY/AUGUST 2018

The power of social media continues to grow and the challenge becomes how not to miss important sightings when they are reported rapidly but also lost in the plethora of tweets and posts now being generated by so many. Fortunately I did get to see a tweet with photos of the Large Alder Sawfly Cimbex connatus recorded by @MattPlenty from Avonmouth on 4 June 2018. This rather splendid looking beast (a bit like a fat hornet) was once considered extinct in the UK before turning up in Wiltshire in 1997. Since then they have spread rapidly with John Robbins and Andy Pym finding them near Porlock in 2003 and more recent records coming sporadically from across England as far north as Yorkshire. This is however the first record I am aware of for the Bristol region. One to look out for around alders even Italian alder in the towns and cities. This pattern of occurrence is very similar to that of the beefly Villa cingulata, which again was thought extinct before

re-appearing in the 2000s and now found fairly widely across southern England. Are these examples of resident but residual populations burgeoning due to a change in climate, or are they examples of new colonisation from Europe following extinction in the UK?

Another good find recently was the somewhat diminutive micro moth Pammene albuginana which came to the light trap of Jean Oliver in Bishopston on 2 June. The larva of this moth feed inside oak galls, so not very easy to locate! This is only our second local record of the species. In early June there has been a considerable immigration of Silver Y moths (and smaller numbers of other migrant species).

In Dragonflies of the Bristol Region published in 2013 we wrote how the Red-eyed Damselfly’s favourite habitat is perching on lily pads but mainly those found on the larger lakes and areas of still water and consequently a very rare site on garden ponds, even though so many have lily pads. The insect safari around the University of Bristol Halls of Residence on the afternoon of 3 June ended at the University Botanic Garden where, along with Emperor Dragonfly, Flat-bodied Chaser, Large Red Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Azure Damselfly, we were delighted to add Red-eyed Damselfly to the list.

Ray Barnett 05/06/18

mailto:mothbroyles@gmail.commailto:ray.barnett@bristol.gov.uk

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FIELD MEETING REPORT Contents / Diary Brean Down on Sunday 08 April 2018

This was a meeting organised by Bristol Naturalists’ Society, but also advertised within British Entomological and Natural History Society. In the event there were five representatives from BNS, one from BENHS and three from local Wildlife Trusts. The weather was fine for the three hours spent exploring this National Trust site.

Most attendees were primarily interested in invertebrates, but it was encouraging that some were also noting the fungus and botany of the site.

One of the prime objectives when choosing the site and date was to see if we could confirm the continued existence here of the weevil, Trachyphloeus digitalis. This beetle

has Nationally Notable A status, with records on NBN Atlas only from Brean Down and the extreme south east of England. The last record from Brean Down was in 2000. Most of the effort to find the scarce weevil was concentrated on the south-facing slopes adjacent to the steep steps leading up to the top of the Down. Here there was abundant rock-rose and thyme which are believed to be two of the host plants. To our delight, we did find a few specimens of the weevil, along with a number of other significant species.

The consolidated species list for the day included 28 Coleoptera, 5 Hemiptera, 3 Diptera, 3 Isopoda, 1 Julida, 1 Dermaptera, 2 Lepidoptera and 6 Mollusca. The significant species were: Opatrum sabulosum (Tenebrionidae); Longitarsus dorsalis (Chrysomelidae); Otiorhynchus desertus, Trachyphloeus aristatus, Trachyphloeus digitalis and Mecinus circulatus (Curculionidae); Anaceratagallia ribauti (Cicadellidae); Monophadnus pallescens (Tenthredinidae); and Leptothorax albipennis (Formicidae).

Two preparatory visits were made to the site in February and March and these also yielded several interesting finds, including the Black Oil Beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus, the flea beetle, Longitarsus strigicollis, and the weevil, Trachyphloeus alternans.

Altogether an enjoyable and rewarding afternoon, with thanks to Ian Clemmett, National Trust Lead Ranger, for permission to survey the site.

Bob Fleetwood

GEOLOGY SECTION PRESIDENT: David Clegg dkc42el@gmail.com Contents / diary HON. SEC.: Richard Ashley, richardwashley@gmail.com Tel: 01934 838850

Whilst no BNS Geology Field Meetings have been arranged for July and August members are invited to join the meeting being organized jointly by Thornbury Geology Group and WEGA:-

PORTISHEAD COAST Sunday 29 July 11 a.m. Leader: Hugh Jones Meet at “Windmill Inn” car park off Nore Road, Portishead, BS20 6JZ / Grid Ref ST458 766. For full details please see WEGA website https://www.wega.org.uk/. If you wish to join the meeting please notify Hugh Jones: huandsu@btinternet.com. Charge for non-members. Bath Geological Society will be having their annual clean-up of the face of Dead Maid Quarry, Mere, Wiltshire (grid reference ST803324), on 1 September 2018. Full details

will be given in the September bulletin.

mailto:dkc42el@gmail.commailto:richardwashley@gmail.comhttps://www.wega.org.uk/mailto:huandsu@btinternet.com

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LIBRARY BNS Library at Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery, BS8 1RL. HON. LIBRARIAN: Jim Webster jim.bnslibrarian@gmail.com.

Committee member on duty: 0117 922 3651 (library opening hours). Open: Wed. 1.15pm-2.15pm, Sat. 10.15am-12.15pm. Contents / Diary IMPORTANT NOTICE: The library will in future be closed on Saturdays connected with all Bank Holiday Mondays, in addition to New Year, Christmas and Easter.

Access to the Society’s Proceedings and Nature in Avon online We are grateful to the Biodiversity Heritage Library and its participating institutions (Harvard and the Natural History Museum in particular) for digitising our Proceedings and Nature in Avon without charge and making them publicly available. To access them you can google “Biodiversity Heritage Library” and use the search facilities, or you can go direct to our own index pages at: http://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/98898#/summary (for the Proceedings, i.e. up to 1993); and http://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/99328#/summary (for Nature in Avon, from 1994 to date)

Pam Gooding

Journals / Magazines

Received – London Bird Report 2016 Steepholme Newsletter and Sailing Schedule 2018

Possible items of interest

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust magazine – Spring/Summer 2018 Features New nature Trail at Poor Allotment and Orchid Spotting – where to find Gloucestershire’s fabulous flowers.

British Birds

April – Great Bird Reserves – Ham Wall May – Article, White Feathers in Black Bird

What is in YOUR Bookcase or Cupboard? Additions to the BNS. Library come from varied sources. The Library Committee quarterly meeting considers suggestions for purchases of new publications: usually these proposals come from Committee members, but occasionally a library user comes up with an idea. A significant proportion of acquisitions are by donations of older material including books, pamphlets, official reports, mostly given by existing members but occasionally we are offered items from a deceased person’s estate. Sometimes a local author gives us a signed copy of their latest work. We have to ask that we may pass items on if we already have good quality copies of gifts, or sometimes we may agree to have two copies of significant works. We are doing this particularly with New Naturalist volumes, so one copy may be found on the N.N. shelves, just inside the door to the Library, another may be on the shelf relating specifically to that topic. Many of these published works are now available online, but we are surely one of few libraries where originals may still be found.

When we are given volumes that have been annotated by a person with special knowledge of the subject then those will normally be assigned to our archives. We welcome additions to our archives of all sorts of material (books, pamphlets, notebooks, diaries, official reports) relating to the wildlife and naturalists of the Bristol District. We have field notebooks from notable naturalists, photographs of members and field meetings, special society events etc. All Society formal records are kept in the archives and it is important that Sections and Committees deposit these records with us. We have masses of material from distinguished deceased members, and the job of sorting and recording those is on-going, albeit slowly. The important point is that they are preserved, and having been processed will be made known to and available for consultation by interested persons. Do please consider whether you have items which may be appropriate for donation to the BNS Library.

mailto:jim.bnslibrarian@gmail.comhttp://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/98898#/summaryhttp://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/99328#/summary

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Contents / Diary I am thinning down the contents by own bookshelves and filing cabinets. Over many

years I have given books, booklets and official reports to the library, but also to members of the Society who I know will make good use of them, and to friends and to my grandchildren. What were the books which influenced you as a child? Did they shape your life in any way? I remember from very early years watching wildlife in and around our small garden in Seymour Avenue, Bishopston. The hordes of swifts screaming overhead (I could actually hear them in those days) were based in the Muller’s Orphanage buildings. The daily passage of gulls and jackdaws to roosts fascinated me. We had elm trees at the bottom of the garden. One of my early books was the Observers Book of British Birds by S. Vere Benson, later followed by the James Fisher series of Penguin volumes for identifying birds. I recall having a nice letter from Ms Benson after I wrote to her (yes - pen and ink) asking why some people write Capercaillie and other Capercailzie? By the time I went to University in London to take Zoology, with ancillary Botany, I had quite a reasonable collection of books and had branched out into invertebrates and mammals particularly, with Step’s Wayside and Woodland series mammals book. 40 years later I retired from Government Service as a Wildlife Biologist, having literally worked at my hobby all those years, with amazingly skilled ecologists and biologists and in some incredibly challenging scenarios both in UK and overseas. But that is another story!

Roger Symes

Thanks to Tim Corner for this glimpse of BRERC’s latest publication, part-

sponsored by BNS.

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ORNITHOLOGY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Giles Morris, 01275 373917 danesmorris@btinternet.com HON SEC.:- Lesley Cox 07786 437528 fledglingnat@icloud.com Contents / Diary

The Yellowhammer, a once common bird of the British countryside is known for the bright yellow spring plumage and distinctive song, frequently described as ‘a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ but like many songbirds, who typically learn their songs, it has been found to have various regional accents. A citizen science project focusing on the Czech territory, found seven previously described dialects along with four rare ‘accents’ previously unrecorded. They also found eight groups of mixed singers. Similar projects are taking place within Britain and New Zealand. This offers a particularly useful opportunity to investigate cultural evolution since British Yellowhammers were introduced over there during the nineteenth century where they spread quickly. IBIS has an account of the project and our members can contribute. For more information, visit yellowhammers.net. Check it out ready for next spring.

FIELD MEETINGS

THE SOMERSET & DEVON COAST Tuesday, 3rd July We are very fortunate to have been offered a further opportunity to view this stunning landscape with its brilliant flora and fauna from the ‘sea’ or, more accurately, the Bristol Channel. The boat will depart from Minehead at 12:30. See the report of the previous trip below (page 21). Further details via secretary@bristolnats.org.com

BLACKMOOR, UBLEY WARREN & VELVET BOTTOM RESERVES Leader: Alastair Fraser Sunday, 8th July at 09:00 Blackmoor, Ubley Warren and Velvet Bottom Reserves cover a mix of limestone grassland, acid heathland and woodland with a lead mining history stretching back to Roman times. The area is good for flowers and butterflies as well as birds. As well as a good mix of woodland and heathland bird species, the site is known as a good spot for Redstart. We may also visit the Blackmoor ponds (Reed Bunting) and Nether wood.

Meet at the Blackmoor Reserve Car Park (ST505556/BS40 7XR) at 9.00am. Follow the B3134 up Burrington Combe towards Cheddar & Wells, turning right at the T-junction signed to Priddy and Charterhouse. After 1.3km turn left at the Charterhouse crossroads, just before the Charterhouse Outdoor Centre and follow this lane for a few hundred metres to the car park.

The walk is on uneven footpaths, but should be relatively dry unless the weather has been particularly wet. We should finish by 12:00 noon. Please notify the leader if you intend to come to the meeting via secretary@bristolnats.org.uk AUGUST The Ornithology Section takes a break during August when most birds are going through the moulting process and seem to disappear, as do many of those who study them. Future Dates: 8

th September – Chew Valley; 7

th October – Sand Point; 14

th October –

Migration

mailto:danesmorris@btinternet.commailto:fledglingnat@icloud.commailto:secretary@bristolnats.org.comx-apple-data-detectors://6/mailto:secretary@bristolnats.org.uk

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FIELD MEETING REPORTS Contents / Diary BNS/BOC Joint Trip to Ham Wall RSPB Reserve: 20/05/18

Ham Wall is now one of those venues that can almost guarantee an interesting and varied day’s birding, especially in May. This spring has been topsy-turvy in many ways, but those who made the trip this Sunday morning were not disappointed, despite some Ham Wall “regulars” being missing.

Setting out along the railway path allowed us to sort out our warbler song ID, with Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Cetti’s and Whitethroat all performing. We stopped to view the Great White Egret colony, visible from the path – extraordinary how quickly this has become an ordinary event!

At VP1 ducks and grebes were also much in evidence with the unusually large number of Pochard present this spring being particularly noticeable. One of the missing species at this stage was Hobby. Having arrived from Africa expecting a dragonfly bonanza, most of these birds had pushed on to their breeding grounds without staying long because the mass emergence of their favourite prey had been delayed by poor weather.

Moving on to the Avalon Hide, we added Reed Bunting, Marsh Harrier and Cuckoo, but only one very brief Bittern flight. There is always an element of luck in some of these

sightings. On the way out we had searched hard for a reported male Garganey without success but on the way back the bird was showing well exactly where we had been looking earlier!

The return to the carpark also proved eventful. First a long Bittern flight was missed by most of the group who were all watching a Willow Warbler but then, soon afterwards, another long flight was seen by all of the group. This was followed by the appearance of a Hobby close enough for all to see and then an obliging Kingfisher hunting in the rhyne north of the railway bridge; a special bird to finish an excellent morning in a special place and bring the species total to 51.

Giles Morris Portbury Wharf: 03/06/18

A glorious June morning saw six members gather for a walk that was billed as an Ornithology trip but in the true spirit of a Naturalists’ Society field meeting, it was the presence of plant and insect life that occupied our attention for much of this thoroughly enjoyable walk. The outward leg down Sheepway Lane and through the fields behind the sewage works gave plenty of opportunity to sort out Blackcap song, learn the differences between Wych and English Elm leaves, admire Small Copper butterfly colours and receive a welcome introduction to grass identification from Pam Millman and Annie Morris. Grass Vetchling,

Great White Egret ©Martyn Pratt

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Azure Damselflies and singing Skylarks accompanied us down to the seawall past displays of Wild Roses. Contents / Diary

The rhyne behind the seawall was busy with dragonflies - Four-spot Chaser, Broad-bodied and Hairy (we think!) - with Linnets and Whitethroat in the thick Bramble and Hawthorn hedge behind.

The reserve hides provided views of a good mix of water birds, including Little Grebe feeding chicks, but the highlights of the return walk up Wharf Lane were a female Scarce Chaser dragonfly posing beautifully on a reed stem and a Cetti’s Warbler giving us the benefit of its explosive song at full volume from a couple of metres away!

A wonderful morning of very varied wildlife! Giles Morris

BNS Sea Bird Boat Trip – 1

st June 2018

What initially looked like being an inhospitable venture, leaden skies and periodic heavy rain on the drive down to Minehead, turned out to be a wonderful day in every way!

We were greeted by Dave Roberts, skipper of the charter catamaran AlyKat, on arrival in Minehead, and stowed our wet weather gear and lunches, only one of which was going to be required, and departed westwards at 10.40hrs on mirror calm seas.

Cormorant, Greater and Lesser Black Backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Raven, Shelduck, Herring Gull and Carrion crow were quickly ticked. A pause below Hurlestone Point revealed this year’s Raven nest, now empty and a second nest in disrepair from a previous year but absent were the fledged Peregrine family. It has to be said at this point that the coastline was stunning. Vistas went from glimpses through the mist to whole hillside panoramas, the views just kept coming and going and each big “reveal” was awe inspiring. Just inside the Somerset border we added Buzzard and Fulmar. Somerset’s only Fulmar “colony” now numbers six nests, a significant increase over previous years. Whilst establishing the Somerset Fulmar nest count, we also observed several (a family?) of Rock Pipits and were serenaded by Song Thrush and Blackcap from the woods above, incredible how their song carries.

Beyond Lynmouth and across the border to Devon, the numbers of nesting Fulmars increased and were joined by ledges of Guillemots, more discreetly confiding Razorbills and Kittiwakes, seemingly impossibly plastering their nests onto the cliffs. Gannets were recorded flying past but took little interest in the offered “bait” thrown for them, though this accorded very good views of Fulmar who more obliging. A mysterious “red blob” on the underside of a ledge occupied by Kittiwakes, at the limit of the on-board optics was later revealed by the wonders of digital photography to be nothing more than a fresh exposure of sandstone! Just short of Combe Martin Bay we started to retrace our outward voyage. It was amazing to see how different the coastline was seen from the opposite perspective and with

constantly changing light conditions. A previously unobserved Raven nest revealed two fully fledged youngsters nearby and we watched as the parent birds brought in food. Late

Cliffs of Somerset and Devon ©Dave Roberts

Lesser Black Backed Gull

© Dave Roberts

22

by Raven standards, we pondered on a second brood or possibly the result of a failed first attempt. Contents / Diary

Disposal overboard of remaining bait soon had large numbers of gulls following the boat and a second year Yellow Legged Gull was picked out. Gannets were also quickly on the scene and made a few dives behind the boat recovering fish that was beyond the reach of the gulls. Red deer were observed on the hillside prior to us making it back into Minehead harbour.

Dave will be offering future trips to the BNS and I can’t recommend them enough so look out for notices in the Bulletin (see above – p19). Don’t expect the large seabird cities of more northerly parts but the views and proximity are everything you could hope for. I have walked parts of this coastline and had no idea what was beneath me. It is hard to believe that man has ever set foot in much of the woodland covering the steep slopes.

There is something for everyone on this trip, be it scenery, geology (the folds and faults astound with every headland rounded), birds, photography (and the opportunity to compare lens lengths!) and the company and chat of like-minded people. A really good day!

Dave Playle

ORNITHOLOGY RECENT NEWS Contents / Diary May was in many ways disappointing with poor numbers of waders on the coast, very few terns, even fewer skuas and with many migrants either in low numbers or in some cases perhaps just very late. Swifts might come into the last category but their numbers are actually not well understood - most evidence suggests they have declined significantly in recent years. Even in a poor May there are good birds though - on 2nd there was an adult female (based on its wing pattern) Bufflehead at Chew - potentially our first record of this rare American diving duck but irksomely it bore a ring that suggested it was a bird roaming the Midlands recently and deemed an escape. The first proper rarity was a fine Spotted Sandpiper in nice spotty summer plumage at Portbury Nature Reserve on 11th. It was popular over the following weekend and last seen on Sunday 13th. There was more excitement on 13th when a dawn chorus walk at Leigh Woods found a singing male Golden Oriole. These have become rarer in recent years coinciding with the disappearance of East Anglian breeding sites and full black-and-yellow adult type male remained all day enabling many to record their first local sighting. A singing Nightingale in Yate on 21st was notable. On 24th we had yet another interesting flava (Yellow group) wagtail - it was much like a nominate flava (Blue-headed) but the grey of the head was perhaps one the dark side for flava and the supercilium was weak and broken, features that might it an intergrade with thunbergi (Grey-headed) - whatever its identity it was a very interesting bird. Another excellent find on 28th was a Kentish Plover at Cl-Y - another scarce and declining species in Britain. It stayed until next day. Finally the month ended with a second calendar year gull at CVL that showed some characters of Caspian Gull but also seemed to have features of Yellow-legged Gull so was perhaps a hybrid. Some might say spare us from these interesting birds - can we just have a straightforward rarity next month please?

John Martin

Immature Gannet and Herring Gull © Dave Roberts.

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MISCELLANY

Contents / Diary

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BOTANIC GARDEN The Holmes, Stoke Park Rd, Stoke Bishop, BS9 1JG.

Booking: 0117 331 4906. www.bristol.ac.uk/botanic-garden Email: botanic-gardens@bristol.ac.uk

The Botanic Garden is delighted to announce that its volunteers have been awarded The

Queen's Award for Voluntary Services - the MBE for volunteers.

Sun 1 July 9.30am-1pm Encouraging pollinators all year round

Sat-Sun 7-8 July 10am-4pm Painting moths and butterflies in the Botanic Garden

Sun 8-Sat 28 July 5pm-8pm Appreciate nature with pencil and paper

Sat 21 July Friends of the Botanic Garden JAZZ PICNIC with Hannah Wedlock and

The Blue Notes.

Wed 1 August 10-12pm Children's sun printing workshop

Sat 4 August 10-12pm Sun printing workshop (13-adult)

Sat 11 August 10-4pm Beekeeping taster day 19 August 10am-4pm Summer photography workshop with Graham Parish Sat-Sun 1 - 2 Sept Bee & Pollination Festival (BNS is one exhibitor. AOG is another.)

Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project Contents / Diary Booking and further information: Contact the Project on 0117 903 0609 or e-mail mleivers@bristolzoo.org.uk . Pre-booking essential for all events.

Details of meeting points are given on booking.

Sun. 3 June, Gorge-ous summer plants (Walk). Join botanist Libby Houston for a mid-

summer walk in the Avon Gorge. Discover some of the rare wildflowers and trees that make this one of the most important botanical sites in the UK. 10.30am - 12.30pm, £5.00. NB: There are very, very steep slopes, uneven ground and steps on this walk.

AVON ORGANIC GROUP http://www.groworganicbristol.org/ Sat-Sun 1-2 Sept. Come & visit us at the Botanic Garden’s "Bee & Pollination Festival"

FRIENDS OF BADOCK’S WOOD www.fobw.org.uk The 2018 Westbury on Trym Village Show will be held on Sat 1 Sept. Theme: 'ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL'. We are having an information stall and display at this show and would welcome volunteers to help staff the stall. You’ll only

have to sit by the stall, tell people a little about the wood - how to get there, what they might see, etc. We will also have the FOBW Greetings Cards on sale and information flyers about supporting our Co-op Grant Bid. If you can help please email Friends of Badock's Wood: fobwsecretary@yahoo.co.uk Info about Westbury Village Show is on their website http://www.wotvs.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/botanic-gardenmailto:botanic-gardens@bristol.ac.ukmailto:mleivers@bristolzoo.org.ukhttp://www.groworganicbristol.org/http://www.fobw.org.uk/mailto:fobwsecretary@yahoo.co.ukhttps://fobw.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8c0f0e698c72594155d7d186&id=45a9f179ff&e=e276f2df4b

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PHOTOS THIS MONTH Contents / Diary

Bob Fleetwood photographed this perfect specimen of Alabonia geoffrella at Dowlais on 27 May 2018. (Wingspan 17-21mm.)

Photos from the Joint BNS / University programme (see page 7)

A Common Spotted Orchid plus Unknown Guest © Lnc

A juvenile Male Broad-bodied Chaser, young enough to have not yet acquired

its characteristic blue back.© Lnc

Burnet Companion. Wingspan 26-30mm. © Lnc