Curry Rivel Wildlife Group activities 2017 / 2018

The Curry Rivel  Wildlife Survey Group  put together this programme of events for 2017.
We hope to do something similar for 2018

We had a short meeting of our small group this week and started to plan a few activities for 2018 similar to this years programme, See below.

This was full of good intentions and some of the events didn’t happen but we hope to do something similar for 2018. We see it as a contribution to the 2018 CR in Bloom entry as part of the community and environmental part of our entry.

Month. 2017	Web site and  CRN articles and information	Event title	Event date .	Event  Leader and time	Comment
March	Catherine  on  Village birds		No event
April	Deon  on Otters in Somerset	Bird walk	Friday 14th	Catherine , 7 – 9am,  start by St Andrews Church	Good Friday
April	David on Survey progress and publicity for talk in May.	Bird walk, Nightingales and Owls	Friday 28th	Catherine , 8.15 pm to 9.30 pm Meet by the gate in Eastfield	Sunset is 20.25
May	David on Wild flowers and butterflies in Eastfield and Batty Piece.	Walk in Eastfield and BattyPiece to survey the wild flower meadows and ancient and new hedges	TBA	David Mid May- TBA	Sunset about 20.55
May	Check event details	Evening talk on Otters around Curry Rivel?	Friday 19th.	Deon. Venue and time TBA
June	Elizabeth on Owls on Henry Lang’s farm and the Kingfisher project	Picnic in Eastfield	Saturday 10th	David and Catherine.  Sat 10th June 12 to 2 pm	Bring some food and a sheet to sit on.
July	Catherine on Gloworms	Walk on Henry Langs farm.	Date  TBA	David. Time TBA
August	Elizabeth on Dragonflies	Walk to find gloworms	Friday 11th	Deon,  8pm. Location TBA	Sunset 20.35
September	Elizabeth on Fungi	Walk on South Drove near Dewlands Farm to search for Dragonflies	Saturday 9th	Deon, at 2pm
October	Summer review of programme and survey data.	Walk to find Fungi	Sunday 22nd	TBA  3pm

Starlings hotline now active

We have a visitor coming to stay a few days who is a keen birdwatcher. We want to show him our wonderful Starlings. 

To find the best places to see them we will use the:

Avalon Marshes Starling Hotline - Ham Wall - Ham Wall - The RSPB ...

www.rspb.org.uk › Home › Places to visit › Ham Wall › Ham Wall

26 Oct 2012 - Yes, it's that time of year again and Starlings are beginning to swarm over Ham Wall at Dusk. The Avalon Marshes Starling Hotline is now LIVE. This is a recorded message telling you where the last known location of the Starling roost was. The number is: 07866 554142.

Glow worms search

Just posted a comment on Curry Rivel facebook page to report on our Glow Worm search. Better than I dared hope!


Curry Rivel David GermanWe were searching for an hour and a half and it was getting dark and bingo we found our first female glowworm, eventually we had seen a dozen and after two hours we finished happy at our successful walk. We also listened to bats out hunting through out our walk. A real nature ramble and a great success! With Curry Rivel Wildlife Survey Group.

Glow worm search

The Heart of the Levels Group had a successful search a few weeks ago and found 15 insects  near Somerton. This walk hopes to find the insects in Curry Rivel parish.

Curry Rivel News August 2017

Gleeful Glow worms in Curry Rivel Catherine Mowat

Family event - We’re looking for glow worms around Curry Rivel on Friday 11th August. Come and help us find them! Meet outside West Field play park at 8pm. Bring torches and stout footwear; children must be accompanied. We will split into groups, some walking a short distance on easy terrain, some further – up to 2 miles – who will explore steep uneven terrain. This will be in the dark, and people can choose their group.

As we travel in our cars at night with their glowing headlights, we fail to notce the little magical glow worm, shining about as bright as a hi-fi LED indicator. Yet we are fortunate to have these unusual beetles in our parish. The adult female has glowing segments on her tail; she sits in open grassland and holds up her tail after dusk to atract a mate. She can’t fly, and repeats this for several nights until a male – who can fly – flies in and mates with her. She then turns out her light, lays her eggs and dies. She is called a glow worm because she looks a bit life a caterpillar, with segments and no wings. The eggs hatch into larvae which spend two summers or so, feeding on snails which they paralyse before sucking them empty.

If you find a glow worm, admire it but do not disturb it and, most importantly, leave it where it is. There are very few about indeed, we need to let them get on with their life. 

Dragonflies . Comment on my last post.

Pleased to get a prompt response from my friend Chris Chappell: 

"Nice to hear of your success with the dragonflies, Pauline has a similar sized pond and many have emerged, at one point the lily pads were covered in damselfly exuvia."

Chris takes much better photos than we do! However I was pleased we captured the significant few minutes shown I'm my last post taken with a hand held iPhone

Don't forget if you click on the picture it should expand its size.

An excellent photo of a Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum )

 

Male common darter Ham Wall yesterday. Chris Chappell

Dragonflies., from our very own garden pond!

Possibly a Southern hawker ( Aeshna cycnea )

 Just emerged from lava case

 Ready to fly

Some of the more than 30 lava cases recovered this summer from the pond just 2.5m by 1.5m

Curry Rivel Wildlife Survey Group report.

Good year for DRAGONFLIES

We all know and admire the beauty of dragonflies and those of us with garden ponds will have the pleasure of seeing damselflies hovering over the water on sunny days.  This charming species is very ancient, around 300 million years old as fossilised remains have proved.  So, a very successful insect perhaps because in contrast to their beauty they are aggressive, carnivorous predators during their short summer lives.

Dragonflies are recognisable to most of us in two groups - dragonflies and damselflies.  Dragonflies are the larger and stouter and damselflies are smaller and daintier.  When trying to identify them there is one very obvious difference.  When at rest dragonflies keep their wings spread open but damselflies keep them folded together along their backs.  Otherwise they have the same characteristics and only differ in where they hunt and where they tend to lay their eggs. 

 All of them need to be near water but certain dragonflies (known as darters or hawkers) will hunt along hedgerows or at woodland edges.  To catch their prey dragonflies are known to fly as fast as 60 mph!

Eggs are laid in water, mud or in waterside plants.  These eggs hatch into larvae which sometimes remain in their watery birthplaces for several years feeding on all sorts of underwater prey including small fish and frog spawn.  When weather and temperature conditions are just right they emerge, climbing up the stalks of water plants and start to change into their adult form.  Once able to fly they immediate look for mates and start the whole process again but within 2-3 weeks they have completed their work and die.

Dragonflies are usually seen on sunny, warm days when there is plenty of food about but in poor weather they will stay hidden sometimes hanging underneath leaves (perhaps sheltering from our frequent rainfall!).  As with all animal life poor conditions and lack of food sources will affect the survival of dragonflies and indeed there are some that are now giving cause for concern. In fact dragonflies are an indicator species because of their reliance on healthy water courses.  If dragonflies disappear from a watery habitat then there is something wrong with its ecology.

Water pollution is a serious threat which has reduced where control is possible but is still a danger where thoughtless waste disposal continues.

There are some 30 species of dragonfly and 20 species of damselfly in Britain but identification is not easy because they are only visible for a short time and they can fly very fast.  Nowadays with camera phones perhaps it is possible to take a photo for later identification.  There are a few websites devoted to dragonflies e.g. www.british-dragonflies.org.uk  where you can find more information.  Identification is not necessary for most of us to enjoy the sight of a dragonfly with its fragile shimmering wings and striking body colours.  If you find them in your garden you know that you have created a healthy habitat and many other invaluable insects will want to join them.

My friend Ed Pratt-- unicycling round the world!!!???

I would like to introduce you to a young man, just turned 21, whose family live in my village of Curry Rivel in Somerset. Most people thought he was mad to try to achieve this circumnavigation round the world , on his own apart from people he meets but he is well over half way and after many adventures is currently cycling across Australia. You can see his progress on a map at this web address
Were is Ed   :http://www.worldunicycletour.com/wheresed    

/http://www.worldunicycletour.com/wheres-ed/


Ed was also a junior member of our running club --  Langport Runners http://www.langportrunners.co.uk
http://www.langportrunners.co.uk



Apart from having a great time he is raising money for a small charity which sends school bags to children in serious need of education mainly in Africa.

They are well worth supporting and you can find more information on Ed"s videos and web site.

National Meadow Day , Curry Rivel

National Meadows Day - Saturday 1st July.

Curry Rivel Wildlife Survey Group

To mark this day we invite you to visit our own local meadows located in Holdens Way for a guided walk.

Eastfield Community Meadow and Batty Piece, a private nature reserve and wild flower meadow.

Car parking by Westfield Recreation Field.

Contact us for details of guided walks between 2pm and 5pm.

Please contact me for alternative arrangements

Contact David German 01458 259688 or email at davidgerman555@gmail.com

               

        Pyramidal Orchid                                            Marbled white butterfly                       Grass vetchling and   Goat’s-beard

"Meadows, once a feature of every parish in Somerset are now an increasingly fragile part of our national heritage but all is not lost. National Meadows Day is the perfect way to explore and enjoy the flowers and wildlife of Somerset's magnificent meadows and understand their special place in our shared social and cultural history.

 "Beyond being a quintessential sight of summer, meadows' value to our wildlife cannot be overstated — a single healthy meadow can be home to over 80 species of wild flowers, such as cuckoo flower, yellow rattle, orchids, knapweed and scabious, compared to most modern agricultural pasture which typically supports under a dozen species."

Claire Parton, ‘Save Our Magnificent Meadows’   Project Manager for Somerset Wildlife Trust

PCNR Pond Workshop event.

http://www.somersetwildlife.org/PCNR


phttp://www.somerset reptiles and amphibian group

Yesterday I attended a pond workshop organised by PCNRN for its members. We met  in East Lydford. Our hosts had  constructed their very large pond , almost a lake by most standards, in 2005 and  it had now matured into a nature reserve. After a talk about its construction and their experience with vegetation issues we had a go at pond dipping with good results finding Dragon Fly nymphs and many other interesting residents in the pond. We were fortunate to have with us John Dickenson from the Somerset Reptile and Amphibian Group to identify our catches.( see link above). Around 15 members all seemed motivated to do more with their own ponds. Some were in the course of construction. Problems and questions were aired and experience was shared. Very useful.
More information about PCNR Network can be found on the SWT website as shown above.

Walk round a special meadow.

Babcary Meadows WildWalk

Thursday 22 June 18:3

Join us for the launch of our new WildWalk around Babcary Meadows Nature Reserve! With an introduction to the meadows by Reserve Manager, Mark Green, and apple juice kindly provided by Orchard Pig.

Please note:  there is limited parking available at the Red Lion Inn. Please wear sensible clothing and footwear. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Dogs welcome but must be kept on a lead.

This event is Kindly supported by Orchard Pig, The Heart of the Levels Area Group of volunteers and The Red Lion Inn

Where
The Red Lion Inn, Babcary, Somerton TA11 7ED

Contact/Booking Information, for more information please contact stephanie.wheeler@somersetwildlife.org

Cost
Free event but donations welcome

Information about the meadows.

50 years of local conservation:
Supported by its members Somerset Wildlife Trust has been protecting vulnerable wildlife and preserving wild places for 50 years. Throughout 2014, the Trust  celebrated its golden anniversary year by encouraging local people to ‘Love Somerset, Love nature’. Babcary is just one of 72 nature reserves under the Trust’s stewardship, which helps ensure Somerset remains one of the most wildlife-rich places in the UK.
Please donate to Somerset Wildlife Trust’s meadow appeal:

Make a donation and help the Trust keep meadows like Babcary Meadows special for people and wildlife.

As you cross the River Cary, which flows gently along the southern edge of the reserve, Babcary’s secrets begin to be revealed.

It’s like stepping into history, back to a time before the Second World War when meadows like this were a common sight in our countryside.

The fields are botanically-rich; June brings bee orchids, yellow rattle and common spotted orchids, whilst water voles inhabit the riverbank and the songs of skylarks and other birds add to the atmosphere of this rural idyll.

Somerset Wildlife Trust Reserves Manager Mark Green said: ‘I love Babcary Meadows – it’s such a tranquil place and there’s always something different to see, every time I visit.‘From late May, the salad burnet gives a lovely red hue to the landscape then, in June and July, there are hundreds of butterfies, such as meadow browns and marbled whites fluttering around.’