Darwin

You may have seen some of the TV programmes on BBC on the subject of Charles Darwin.

If like me you are interested in learning more about the work of Darwin it may be a help to use this link to the OU / BBC series of programmes. You will be able to order the poster of The Tree of Life and register for emails to let you know about future events. It links in to the OU/ BBC even wider range of events and OU courses.

It includes programmes exploring the debate between the scientific and religious points of view on this subject.

Tomorrow , Sunday 8th, is this programme , see below, which looks at the work done on evolution in England and France at about the same time in history.

The Origins of The Origin
(Sunday Feature)

8 February, 9.30pm Radio 3

Starlings in Gloucestershire

Here is a link to a BBC news item and video clip.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7860322.stm

Starlings

According to the counter on this blog most visitors recently have been searching for info on the starling roosting display. I also get telephone calls usually from members of the Wildlife Trust or via the Trusts web site.

All these photographs are provided by Lynne Newton, www.foxybiddy.com




At present all I can do is to say that starlings continue to fly over our house on route to the Westhay area and we also see them return in the morning, regular as clockwork. They fly in groups of various sizes , perhaps a dozen and sometimes hundreds. But in the last few days two pairs of starlings have started visiting our roof space. Two pairs have been nesting under the eves for some years now. Last year we noticed they were pulling out lumps of loft insulation which we find in the garden and they have just started again this week. I'm not sure whether they stay here at night but it is an interesting observation. I must try to check it further.

Photographs of the display can be seen here: Lynne Newton, www.foxybiddy.com

The Somerset Wildlife Trust has a page with advice about the occurrence. Link here.

The RSPB has a telephone hotline number at 07866 554142.

Lyn Newtons photos are quite remarkable and should show you just how dramatic the sight can be.

You need to go on a fine day and there is no guarantee that these wild birds will perform every time.
Its the same with wildlife photography, you need a lot of patience and I wish you luck.

Lynne Newton www.foxybiddy.com

Butterflies and Moths. Public meeting. The use of colour in butterflies and moths

On Thursday 22nd January we have our first public meeting of 2009.

John Bebbington, Secretary of the Somerset Moth Group will be presenting a talk on how butterflies and moths use colour to give themselves protection from predators.John will be illustrating his talk with some of his wonderful photographs.

Despite the flooding in December we will be meeting in the Curry Rivel Primary School hall at 7 pm.

The school is in School Lane in the centre of Curry Rivel with car parking near by.

As a result of this very successful event with wonderful photos ( as you would expect from a Member of the Royal Photographic Society) and an appreciative audience, I can give two links to sites you can see even more of Johns photographic work in wildlife.
Nature Photographers Portfolio. Link here.
Somerset Moth Group. Link here.

The display of these photos on a large screen together with a very informative talk was even more impressive than just viewing the pictures you will see at the links given.

NERC

"NERC" is the "Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006"
This Act may well be useful in raising an awareness amongst Councillors about the importance of biodiversity.

Notes on the working of this act were produced by BBOWT.


Guidance Note 13 (GN13) - Parish Councils and Parish Plans

As of October 2006, Parish Councils have a new duty to conserve biodiversity under
Section 40(1) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (the NERC
Act). This should not be an onerous duty, but an opportunity to protect and enhance the wildlife assets within the Parish. Parish Councils can now spend money on biodiversity, managing their land for the benefit of biodiversity or enacting bylaws to protect it.

Parish Councils should consider biodiversity in their responses to planning applications and should set out how they wish to conserve and enhance the wildlife resource of the parish in their Parish Plan. BBOWT has produced some more detailed guidance on how Parish Councils can fulfill their responsibilities under the NERC Act. The document is available electronically from the Trust’s Wildlife Information Service (wildinfo@bbowt.org.uk).

"BBOWT" is the Berks, Bucks and Oxford Wildlife Trust


Many Parishes don't have a Plan!

Wildflower meadow campaign

My first post in 2009 is a few extracts from a letter I have written to my local Council which tries to give good reasons for keeping a 4 acre field as a local nature reserve rather than use it for building tennis courts, bowls club or just more football pitches.

"20 th December 2008

Dear Councillor,

Nature Reserve and Wildflower Meadow,

As the Council expects to be discussing the future of the old field at its meeting in January, may we remind you of the benefits of adopting the field as a nature reserve and wildflower meadow.

( local school children on a field visit on an adjoining farm during the Kingfisher Project)

A new path winds its way round all sides of the field providing a well cut, firm and reasonably level path. The path is intended to provide access for everyone including those with disabilities, so that all can appreciate the natural beauty of the meadow. It can also be used as a fitness trail. (Visitor numbers are rising steadily.)

( Oct 2008 view of walking / jogging trail round field)

Leading off the main trail will be smaller paths cut into the centre of the field, and from April through to July and usually into August you will be able to get close to both Pyramidal and Bee Orchids.

( Bee Orchid)

You will see many fine examples of the interesting and attractive Broomrape, looking similar to the orchids, and which grows and flowers as a parasitic plant, usually on the roots of clover.

(Broomrape)

Numerous butterflies of a dozen or so species will be seen all over the field and birds will be attracted by the trees. At the eastern end is a mature blackthorn hedge, which in the spring looks magnificent in a total covering of blossom, later to become sloes. This bushy hedge is a haven for birds and other wildlife including the scarce Brown Hairstreak butterfly whose eggs can be seen during the winter by close inspection of the young hedge growth. In the spring there are large clumps of cowslips to admire. The path loops round so that you can enjoy the full spread of the blackthorn in bloom and then turns along the southern side.

(massed white blossom on blackthorne)

Yellow Rattle has been introduced in the field, which has the effect of reducing the growth of the grasses and this in turn helps the more delicate wildflowers. However the grasses are home for the lovely Marbled White butterfly which in a good year can be seen in great numbers.

If you stop to look carefully at the grasses you will find several species of grasshopper, the very impressive Great Green Bush Cricket and no doubt many other insects and moths. There are small mammals in and around the edges of the field and from time to time larger birds can be seen such as Sparrow Hawks, Kestrels and Buzzards and even optimistic Herons. A survey of birds in the field taken in 2007 showed a total of 21 species which we anticipate will increase in coming years. Along the southern boundary, in the adjoining field, a new hedge with seven native hedging plants was created in 2007 and has taken well in its first year. This hedge will begin to flower and produce berries even during its second year and this will be an attractive addition to the landscape and a major boost to the bird population in particular. The hedge plant list is: Blackthorn, Quickthorn, Field Maple, Spindle, Wayfaring Tree, Wild Privet and Dogwood. The next few years will see the trees and new hedge adding to the attractiveness of the meadow and increasing populations of wildlife and wildflowers. Educational visits will be encouraged for all ages to experience this fine example of a rapidly vanishing feature of Somerset life."

Except where stated the photographs have all been taken on the field at various times.

Photographic evidence of diversity

While I'm on the subject try visiting this link here for some remakable pictures. ( a little bit better than mine)

Biodiversity

The Somerset Wildlife Trust has announced the publication of a new strategy document for Somerset.
The full document can be viewed and downloaded from the Wildlife Trusts web site, link here, or the County Councils web site. Link here.

Its quite a long 37 page document which seems very relevant to our local groups aims and objectives concerning wildlife particularly strategy Objective 8. Some highlights are shown below.

(From page 19)
Objective 8:
Enable community engagement with the natural environment and
biodiversity conservation
Current Challenges:
The relationship between the people of Somerset and our wildlife needs to be strengthened
if the natural environment and conservation are to become a part of everyday life for far more
people.

( From page 20)


Where we want to be in 2018:
For more people to have connected with wildlife, to have discovered the benefits that it can offer
and the ways in which they can help conserve it.
Key Actions:
8.1 Encourage all landowners to take biodiversity into account when managing their land.
8.2 Encourage landowners to take up access and educational visits option under the Higher Level
Stewardship scheme.
8.3 Declare suitable sites as Local Nature Reserves. Create and implement management plans
that focus on improving biodiversity value and sustainability, wildlife interpretation and
accessibility for all.
8.4 Explore the opportunities for disseminating local wildlife information. For example: Setting up
a dedicated Wildlife Information Service to provide expert responses to biodiversity enquiries;
organising road shows and practical activities in which people can participate and creating a
popular guide to exploring Somerset’s wildlife.
8.5 Facilitate and enable voluntary community biodiversity conservation projects and provide
support for local biodiversity champions. Develop the role of volunteers in the protection and
management of local sites.
8.6 Adopt Natural England’s Accessible Natural Green Space Standards - and ideally also the
Woodland Trust’s Access standards - as the minimum standard of accessible natural green
space to be achieved.
8.7 Include Local Biodiversity Action Plans within Sustainable Community Strategies.

This post is just a first reaction to the issue of this document which is supported by a long list of voluntary and local government organisations. It may provide an excellent basis from which to ask questions of our local councils to find out how they see themselves putting this thinking into practice.

Photographic competition result.

In brief , I didnt win any awards!
I did see how real photographers approach a subject like hedges. I hope the competition is run again next year so I can put into effect all that I learnt last night.
If possible I'll try to get the winners onto this blog.
I did learn about some of the sponsors including CPRE, FWAG and Exmoor National Park.
We had a very informative and motivational talk on photography by Pauline Rook whose work in the Blackdown Hills can be seen here

"Pauline Rook Photography"

Somerset Hedge photographic competition

Here are some photos of a new hedge with 1000 whips over 200 metres all planted this year by volunteers. On the left are the young whips soon after planting and on the right is a photo of a butterfly egg ( a small white dot in the fork of the branch laid by a Brown Hairstreak) on a young blackthorn bush in an adjacent hedge.


I shall be attending a presentation this evening to see who has won the competition to find good photos of Somerset hedges.
Here is a link to their web site.

I entered photos of our new hedge planted on our Private Nature Reserve 4 acre wildflower meadow and because hedges are so important for wildlife. Here is an extract from the Hedge Society web site on the subject. See link above for more detail.
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Hedgerow Wildlife

What is a good hedge for wildlife?

Well-managed hedgerows are valuable for wildlife supporting a rich diversity of insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibian. In many lowland areas, hedges are the most significant wildlife habitat remaining. The health of hedgerows is crucial for the survival of many common as well as more rare species.

Native hedge plants such as blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, dogwood and field maple will support many more species than non-native plants such as garden privet, leylandii and sycamore. In general terms, the more kinds of tree and shrub a hedge contains, the more wildlife it can support due to different flowering and fruiting times. The most valuable hedges are those that combine a thick and bushy hedge with a sympathetically managed bank, ditch or grassy margin.

Hedgerow shrub wildlife species supported:

SPECIES	NO:
Hawthorn	209
Blackthorn	153
Hazel	106
Beech	98
Field Maple	51

Mammals and reptiles A mixed species native hedgerow will provide a supply of fruit, berries, nuts, insects, slugs, snails and spiders for a range of mammals. Hedgehog, common shrew, pygmy shrew, wood mouse and stoat will all use hedges to feed, next or hibernate. Other species such as dormouse and adder are more likely to be found in hedges that link to other hedges and features such as scrub, woodland or ponds.

Amphibians and insects Certain hedge features are favoured by certain species so a variety of hedge shrubs and management is important. Amphibians (frogs, newts and toads) favour hedges with ditches and dense ground cover. The caterpillars of the Holly Blue butterfly, will only be found in hedges containing holly, spindle or dogwood. Another butterfly, the Brown Hairstreak butterfly will only lay its eggs on the young shoots of blackthorn in a hedgerow. Birds Birds use hedgerows to feed, find cover, establish breeding territories, nest and raise chicks. Birds commonly associated with woodland such as blue tit, great tit, wren, blackbird, robin and chaffinch are more common in taller, wider hedges. Birds that favour scrubby or open woodland, such as dunnock, yellowhammer and whitethroat are more common in poor, gappy hedges. A taller hedge allows nests to be built out of the reach of predators and will therefore be more likely to fledge chicks successfully.

Hedgerow trees Hedgerow trees and uncut hedge tops provide important song posts allowing birds to establish territories in the breeding season. It is important to select sapling in hedgerows to grow on into the next generation of trees for wildlife and for landscape value. Oak and ash are valuable, long-lived hedgerow trees supporting a wealth of wildlife species but other native trees can also be left. Bats, songbirds and lichens, which favour undisturbed conditions, can thrive on mature hedgerow trees.

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