February 2019

Contents / Diary of events

FEBRUARY 2019

Bristol Naturalist News

Picture © Alex Morss

Discover Your Natural World

Bristol Naturalists’ Society BULLETIN NO. 577 FEBRUARY 2019

BULLETIN NO. 577 FEBRUARY 2019

Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World

Registered Charity No: 235494

www.bristolnats.org.uk

CONTENTS

HON. PRESIDENT: Andrew Radford, Professor

3 Diary of Events

of Behavioural Ecology, Bristol University

Nature in Avon – submissions invited; HON. CHAIRMAN: Ray Barnett

[email protected] 4 Society Winter Lecture; HON. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVING EDITOR: Subs. due; Welcome new members

Dee Holladay, [email protected]

ON EC 5 Society AGM ; Bristol Weather H . S .: Lesley Cox 07786 437 528

[email protected] 6 Natty News: Fossil evidence on evolution HON. MEMBERSHIP SEC: Mrs. Margaret Fay of feathers & colour vision; volcanic doubts; Beech 81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280 disease; migrant murder; Fin whales

[email protected] 8 BOTANY SECTION HON. TREASURER: Mary Jane Steer 01454 294371 [email protected] Botanical notes ; Talk Report; Field Mtg Reports; Libby Houston’s BULLETIN COPY DEADLINE: 7th of month before new honour (p10); Plant Records

publication to the editor: David B Davies, 51a Dial Hill Rd., Clevedon, BS21 7EW. 12 GEOLOGY SECTION

01275 873167 [email protected] 13 INVERTEBRATE SECTION . Notes for February; Health & Safety on walks: Members Wildlife Photographer 2018

participate at their own risk. They are 14 LIBRARY Books to give away responsible for being properly clothed and shod.

Dogs may only be brought on a walk with prior 16 ORNITHOLOGY SECTION agreement of the leader. Meeting Reports;

18 Breeding Bird Survey; Recent News

19 MISCELLANY Botanic Garden

Avon Organic Group

20 Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project;

Cover picture:: Twenty of the 48 plants

found in flower on New Year’s Day. Alex

Morss’ ‘composite picture’ referred to in

the ‘Field Meetings’ entry on page 9.

Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World

Registered Charity No: 235494 www.bristolnats.org.uk Diary of events Back to contents

Council usually meets on the first Wednesday of each month. If you have any matters you wish to be discussed by Council, please contact the Hon. Sec. at least a week in advance.

Visitors & guests are welcome, free, at our lectures and field 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 sections.

JANUARY Wed 30 Geology Section AGM Geology 19:30 page 12 FEBRUARY Tue 12 Urban Buzz project & Invert. Section AGM Invertebrate 19:30 page 13 Wed 13 Tracking birds Ornithology 19:30 page 16 Wed 20 Dinosaurs: Myth & Reality Society 19:30 page 4 Sun 24 Slimbridge Ornithology 10:00 page16 Wed 27 Geology of the Area North of Bristol Geology 19:30 page 12 Wed 27 Mistletoe (Talk) Botany 19:30 page 8 MARCH Sat 9 Goblin Combe Geology 14:00 page 12 Wed 20 Bristol Naturalists’ Society AGM Society 19:30 page 5 Wed 27 Copper Porphyry Geology 19:30 page 12 Wed 27 TBC Botany 19:30 page 8

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST 20 Oct.-24 Feb, Wildlife Photographer of 2018 M Shed page 14 Fri 15 Feb Urban Peregrines Gorge & Downs 19:00 page 20 Thu 21 Feb Build a birdfeeder Gorge & Downs 10:00 page 20 Thu 21 Feb Nick Wray Travels in China Botanic Garden 19:30 page 19 Sat 23 Feb Origami Animals Gorge & Downs 10:00 page 20 Sun 24 Feb Spring Tour Botanic Garden 10:30 page 19 Thu 28 Feb Fermenting Veg – traditional preserving AOG 19:00 page 19

Nature in Avon Vol 78

With winter weather in the offing, now is the time to write up your summer activities! Now accepting papers and short notes for Volume 78. Deadline 31 March

Please send contributions to [email protected]

SOCIETY ITEMS

Contents / Diary

SOCIETY Winter Lecture

DINOSAURS: Myth and Reality Wednesday, 20th February Speaker: Vicky Coules 7:30 p.m.

Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church, Westbury Hill, BS9 3AA

Dinosaurs are as popular today as they have ever been – so much so, a new dinosaur discovery usually makes the national news. Images of dinosaurs are everywhere – but how realistic are these images? What do dinosaurs really look like? And how do we know? This talk explores the visualisation of dinosaurs from the first discoveries to today, how they have changed and how new science is revealing more about the reality of these extinct creatures and the lives that they led, than we had ever thought possible.

Vicky Coules is an artist and writer currently researching for a PhD across the Departments of Art History and Palaeontology at the University of Bristol.

BNS Subscription Renewal 2019 Subscriptions were due on 1 January

Current rates: Single Membership £25 ‘Household’ £35 Student £10

Payment options:  By cheque to ‘Bristol Naturalists’ Society’ (posted to Membership Secretary)  Bank Transfer/Standing Order to: Lloyds TSB: Account number: 00697372: Sort code: 30-92-13. Please quote your name as reference otherwise there is no way of linking the payment with your membership.  N.B: If you don’t wish to renew your membership, please let me know, as this greatly helps to reduce the administrative costs involved with subscription reminders.

Many thanks for your support. Margaret Fay Membership Secretary: 81 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UG Email: [email protected]

We welcome new members: Mrs. & Mr. Julian Mary Colwell-Hector

SOCIETY AGM Contents / Diary

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 20th March

Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church, Westbury Hill, BS9 3AA

To be followed by a Presentation – details in March Bulletin

Election of Council Most Council Officers and Members are required to stand for re-election. However, the President of the Society, Professor Andy Radford has been elected for a longer term and remains in post.

Council Nominations are: Ray Barnett Member/ Chairman Tim Corner: Member Lesley Cox Hon. Secretary Robert Muston: Member Mary-Jane Steer Hon. Treasurer Steve Nicholls: Member Margaret Fay Hon. Membership Secretary

Jim Webster Hon. Librarian

Dee Holladay

Hon. Proceedings Receiving Editor Section Representatives David Davies Hon. Bulletin Editor Richard Ashley: Geology Clive Lovatt Hon. Archivist Mike Hutchinson: Inverts Mark Pajak Hon Webmaster Giles Morris: Ornithology Alex Morss Publicity Secretary

Any member of the Society wishing to nominate a fellow member for election should inform the Hon. Secretary as soon as possible. Lesley Cox (Hon. Sec.)

BRISTOL WEATHER Contents / Diary November and December 2018

As winter progresses, we can take a look back to the end of 2018 and compare it with the historical record for Bristol. The September to November period was the 19th warmest autumn in 128 years of data with an average temperature of 12.0°C when the all time average is 11.0°C. It was the 39th driest autumn since records began in 1882 (which is 137 years of data) with a total of 186.8 mm. For the individual months, November saw an average temperature that was 1.0°C above the 30 year average. Rainfall was very close to the 30-year average at 91.9 mm. Air pressure was below the average and the maximum wind gust of 46 mph on the 29th was the strongest since 54 mph on 4th January 2018. November was also the windiest month since January 2018. Interestingly, the wind direction was more from a Southerly direction than is usual. By December though, the predominate wind direction had returned to the more usual SW pattern. The average temperature of 8.5°C in December was 2.6°C warmer than the 30 year average for the city. This was the 5th warmest December behind 11.1°C in 2015, 8.9°C in 1988, 8.8°C in 1934 and 8.6°C in 1974. Continuous data began in 1885. The monthly rainfall of 116.9 mm was the second highest monthly fall of the year after March. It was the

wettest December since 2013 when 155.4 mm was recorded. Barry Horton

NATTY NEWS Contents / Diary

Bristol University is featured this month with a number of papers.

Origin of feathers: An international team including researchers from Bristol University has found that Pterosaurs (flying lizards) benefitted from four different feather types. In Pterosaur integumentary structures with complex feather-like branching, by Yang, et al, the authors describe how the discovery has put the origin of feathers back to a point 70 million years before previous estimations. Professor Mike Benton said, ‘We ran some evolutionary analyses and they showed clearly that the pterosaur pycnofibres are feathers, just like those seen in modern birds and across various dinosaur types. Despite careful searching we couldn’t find any anatomical evidence that the four pycnofibres types are in any way different from the feathers of birds and dinosaurs. Therefore because they are the same, they must share an evolutionary origin and that was about 250 million years ago, long before the origin of birds’. The team’s paper has been published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, Dec. 2018.

Iridescence in feathers: Another team mainly composed of members from the University of Bristol researched this phenomenon. Nordén, et al, write, ‘Some of the most varied colours in the natural word are created by iridescent nanostructures in bird feathers formed by layers of melanin- containing melanosomes. The morphology of melanosomes in iridescent feathers is known to vary but the extent of this diversity, and when it evolved, is unknown. We use scanning electron microscopy to quantify the diversity of melanosome morphology in iridescent feathers from 97 extant bird species, covering 11 orders. In addition, we assess melanosome morphology in two Eocene (an epoch lasting from 56– 33.9 million years ago) birds, which are the stem lineages of groups that respectively exhibit hollow and flat melanosomes today. Our findings confirm that iridescence is a labile trait that has evolved convergently in several lineages extending down to paravian theropods. The dataset provides a framework to detect iridescence with more confidence in fossil taxa based on melanosome morphology. See Evolution, December 2018.

Colour vision: A third team have combined the study of fossils and genetics. They say that the ancestors of insects and crustaceans that lived more than 500 million years ago in the Cambrian period were some of the earliest active predators but little has been known about how their eyes were adapted for hunting. By examining the morphological characteristics of fossils’ eyes alongside the genetic pigment clues, a cross-disciplinary team were able to find that ancient predators with more complex eyes were more likely to have seen in colour because they contained more pigments so, the great predators of the Cambrian may have been able to see in colour. Read more in, Fleming et al, ‘Molecular palaeontology illuminates the evolution of Ecdysozoan vision’ in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 5th December 2018.

Volcanoes: A fourth team at Bristol University suggests that the information that every Geography ‘O’ level student will have learnt regarding volcanic eruptions being caused by magma chambers becoming pressurized and breaking through the earth’s crust might not be true. Jackson, Blundy and Sparks have published their findings in an paper entitled, Chemical differentiation, cold storage and re-mobilization of magma in the earth’s crust’ and it can be found in Nature, 2018, 3rd December. They write, ‘The formation, storage and chemical differentiation of magma in the Earth’s crust is of fundamental importance in igneous geology and volcanology. Recent data are challenging the high-melt-fraction ‘magma chamber’ paradigm that has underpinned models of crustal magmatism for over a century, suggesting instead that magma is normally stored in low- melt-fraction ‘mush reservoirs’. A mush reservoir comprises a porous and permeable framework of closely packed crystals with melt presence on the pore space. However, many common features of crustal magmatism have not yet been explained by either the ‘chamber’ or ‘mush reservoir’ concepts. 6

Other news Contents / Diary Beech Trees: Beech Leaf Disease was discovered in 2012 on North American trees (Fagus grandifolia). Since that time it has spread rapidly and can now be found in ten counties in Ohio, eight in Pennsylvania and five in Ontario in Canada. Ewing, et al, from Ohio State University are warning that this is an apparently lethal disease that no one yet knows the cause of. In ‘Beech leaf disease: An emerging forest epidemic’ published in Forest Pathology, 2018, 25th December, the authors warn that not only does the disease have the potential to drastically alter the Eastern deciduous forests of the United States but it also poses a threat to global forests as symptoms of the disease have been detected on European (F. sylvatica) and oriental (F. orientalis) beech species in nurseries in north-eastern Ohio. The authors suggests that, ‘Due to its rapid spread and variability in environmental conditions where it has been detected, it seems unlikely that BLD is an abiotic disorder. Thus, intense efforts are underway to determine the causal agent of BLD. Relevant stakeholders are advised to be alert for BLD symptoms in beech forests in the Northern Hemisphere, and substantial resources should be invested in understanding this emerging forest disease’.

Birds and Climate Change: A new study combining data from citizen scientists and weather radar stations carried out by scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the University of Oxford, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre and other Universities is providing detailed insights into spring bird migration along the Gulf of Mexico. It has been published in Global Change Biology, January 2019 and concludes that the current rate of change may be too great for birds to keep up. The study shows that the earliest seasonal movements are starting sooner, advancing by about 1.5 days per decade, though peak activity timing hasn't changed. The radar data reveals when birds migrate and what route they take. The timing of the peak spring migration was consistent over 20 years along the 1,680-mile coastline but the 18-day period between 19th April and 7th May was the busiest. In ‘Holding steady: Little change in intensity or timing of bird migration over the Gulf of Mexico’, Horton et al, point out that if birds are not changing their migration timing fast enough to match the timing for plants and insects, they may miss out on resources and have less reproductive success. They calculated that 2.1 billion birds cross the length of the Gulf each spring.

Great Tits and Flycatchers provide an example of timing issues. As European winters have become warmer, Pied Flycatchers travelling from Africa to reach breeding grounds in the Netherlands are arriving to find that resident Great Tits have already claimed viable nesting sites for the season. As a result, the number of flycatchers killed in Great Tit nests has risen dramatically. Researchers, Samplonius and Both, studied flycatcher fatalities in Great Tit nest boxes between 2007 and 2016 and found that in some years Great Tits killed almost one in ten flycatcher males. The resident birds had the advantage of being in situ and therefore better placed to react to local conditions than the migrants, who by definition were not present. However, there were no effects on the flycatcher population, which suggested the fatalities were occurring amongst surplus males, which is good news in the short term but, should the buffer of surplus males be lost, would bode badly for the future. Read more in, ‘Climate Change May Affect Fatal Competition Between Two Bird Species’ in Current Biology, 10th January 2019.

Fin Whales: Researchers think that the population within the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortez may actually be resident. Read more in, ‘Fin Whale movements in the Gulf of California, Mexico, from satellite telemetry’ by Lopez et al, in PLOS ONE, 2019, 14 (1).

Lesley Cox, Hon. Sec.

BOTANY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Clive Lovatt 07 851 433 920 ([email protected]) Contents / Diary

HON. SEC:- David Hawkins [email protected]

INDOOR MEETINGS Indoor meetings are normally held from October to March on the 4th Wednesday in the month at 7.30pm - 9.30pm in the Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church, Westbury Hill, BS9 3AA. The church is on a bus route and has a free public car park beside it.

MISTLETOE Wednesday 27 February, 7.30 pm Jonathan Briggs Jonathan is the national expert on mistletoe (Viscum album) and lives near Stroud. He was the author of the report “Kissing Goodbye to the Mistletoe” (1995). Visit his website at http://www.mistletoe.org.uk which has been online since 2000. The Mistletoe Pages section of the site provides background on mistletoe traditions, biology, conservation, growing your own, managing, harvesting, medicinal use and art nouveau imagery. Expect a widely ranging talk about this iconic parasitic plant, its insect parasites (and their parasites), its distribution, conservation and economics.

Advance notice of indoor meetings Wednesday 27 March: Speaker to be confirmed.

BOTANICAL NOTES IN MEMORIAM: Richard Bland On Saturday 5 January 2019, something like 350 people attended the Memorial Service for the late Richard Bland in Clifton College Chapel. As described in eulogies from family, teaching colleagues and the BNS Chair, Ray Barnett, Richard had long been interested in natural history and returned to this as a ‘second career’ after many years teaching at Clifton College, where he rose to Second Master. He regularly attended indoor botany meetings and (botanically) he specialised in trees, first flowering dates, the Downs and urban botany, including alleyways, latterly filling in many unrecorded squares in ST67. On the way to the memorial I walked across the Downs opposite the Zoo, a place which Richard knew well from his rediscovery there of the infrequently recorded Linum bienne, Pale Flax. Also here, the last of the two Monkey Puzzle trees, thought to have been planted when the Zoo was opened in the mid1830s, died and was cut down in 2018. In the words of one of the memorial hymns: we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, and wither and perish… “Go back and count the rings”, Richard would have implored.

INDOOR MEETING REPORT An Environmental and Cultural History of Orchids, 1817 – Present. Wednesday 28 November. Report by David Hawkins Dino Zelenika, an independent historian and botanist, gave an impassioned and highly engaging talk on orchids. A native of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Dino emigrated to the UK as a child and has subsequently followed his calling to conduct extensive research into orchids in the field, both in the Balkans and in Asia, particularly Myanmar. 8

The first part of his talk centred on the nineteenth-century trade in orchids from the New World, carried out largely in the name of British and American collectors. This 'orchidomania' was based on the exploitation of the local, indigenous populace of South America, who were paid a pittance to gather wild orchids, which fetched huge prices on the European market. A showy collection of orchids held in a huge heated greenhouse soon became the marker of any self-respecting member of the British landed gentry. Eventually the craze passed, and the hothouses were dismantled - but not before many forests had been decimated of their orchid flora. Contents / Diary Dino then moved on to modern-day Asia, drawing pertinent and alarming comparisons with South America in the nineteenth century. In much the same way, forests and national parks in Myanmar are being ransacked now - ultimately at the hands of Chinese and Thai orchid traders. These individuals pay locals a pittance to do the dirty work of orchid- gathering, before selling the plants on an extensive black market. Dino's photographs of extensive roadside markets selling animal products and rafts of wild orchids were extremely sobering. Once again, these glamorous plants are a status symbol for those who can afford them. With local authorities easily corruptible, policing the trade in rare and protected species is virtually impossible, and sorry examples of orchids recently found new to science but thought to be extinct in the wild not long after (such as Paphiopedilum villosum, which incidentally is widely available online through orchid traders) were a troubling insight into the speed of the damage taking place. But all is not lost: Dino pointed out that the situation in Asia is nowhere near as widely known as it should be - raising awareness and campaigning are key. Through his own ecotourism business Dino hopes to do this, as well as gathering funds to expand a nascent nature reserve in Myanmar. Find out more about his work and guided trips here: https://www.realescapetravel.co.uk/

FIELD MEETING REPORTS New Year Plant Hunts: looking for unseasonal flowers BSBI again organised a New Year Plant Hunt, in which participants, singly or in groups. were invited to spend three hours in the field between Saturday 29 December 2018 and Tuesday 1 January 2019 and to find as many plants in flower as they could. By and large, counts are higher in the south, and at the coast, and in urban areas where there is also a little added warmth and an overspill of garden plants, seedmix survivors and other alien plants. Alex Morss has provided an account of a walk she led in Bristol on New Year’s Day, and other counts outside Bristol are summarised by Clive Lovatt. The interactive map on BSBI’s website shows the locations and species lists for all lists submitted across Great Britain and Ireland. New Year Plant Hunt, South Bristol, 1 January 2019, Report by Alex Morss I led a BSBI New Year Plant Hunt around south Bristol on January 1 2019, joined by 15 people, and this time we saw our highest count ever, with 48 species in bloom. Twenty of the flowers seen are illustrated in the cover page composite image. We have done this search each winter since 2015, so this is our 5th one, each time doing a three-hour search for wild flowers on a more or less repeated route, which takes in Victoria Park, Knowle back alleys and Dundry Hill’s Northern Slopes, a semi-natural public green space, which together take in parts of vice counties 34 and 6. This nature walk was a public event, and included Bristol Naturalists’ Society, Victoria Park Action Group and the Northern Slopes friends’ group. We looked at the newly-created pollinator areas, and pondered flower pollination strategies in winter. Although we observed an apparent shortage of animal pollinators on our walk, compared to summer,

9 the wind pollinated plants were not in the majority among those found in flower here at new year. Contents / Diary For many who came along, it was a first foray into wild flower hunting and a chance to learn. Some were previous participants, but the majority who joined us had not been on a New Year Plant Hunt before, and several raised their hands to say they could not yet confidently identify native wild flowers but were keen to learn. So by the end, most people had all learned a thing or two about natives, how to identify a few, which ones were aliens, some ecology, some grassland plants, what our Cock’s-foot grass is doing with four sets of chromosomes, why on earth the Mediterranean White Wall-rocket Diplotaxis erucoides is flowering in a Bristol park in January [it has been established from seedmix for several years] , and the names of at least some of our hundreds of 'yellow jobs’. The prospect of discovering a few hundred species of dandelion and bramble was mentioned gently, should anyone feel the desire to go more deeply into botany… We went a little further on the Northern Slopes this time, to compensate for a large part of our route having suffered being dug up this autumn to put in a controversial new Filwood Quietway cycle path. At present this has churned up a considerable part of the semi- improved grassland on the Northern Slopes where we had previously found wild flowers in blossom at New Year. We noted with concern that part of the area destroyed for building works was a site for Yellow Vetchling, Lathyrus aphaca. This is the plant's only known remaining locality in the Bristol and Bath area, according to the BSBI online Atlas and had been seen flowering here in the last two years. Therefore, I shall be revisiting in the summer to see if any of the seed bank has responded positively to the disturbance or been buried under the tarmac. Other local New Year Plant Hunts Having relocated to Stroud, on 29 December Clive Lovatt did a count in town, by the canal and up onto Rodborough Common, the latter part yielding only one extra species for a lot of effort. The count of 48 was for a while on the first day, third on BSBI’s list. One plant, on the A419 verge at the Butterow Hill corner Cerinthe major, Honeywort, was apparently new to Gloucestershire. On 30 December, the Somerset Rare Plants Group drew in about 15 members for a hunt around Burnham-on-Sea. 74 different plants were found in flower, including Sea Radish and a self-sown Garden Pansy, leaving SRPG 9th out of 707 lists submitted to date. On 31 December, Clare and Mark Kitchen, and Clive Lovatt got 57 plants around Gloucester, with Sutera cordata, Bacopa, self-sown in the pavements from pub hanging baskets above, apparently new to East Gloucestershire, VC33. Lamium hybridum, Cut- leaved Dead-nettle (in which the flowers typically never open) was a surprising find in the Waterwells Park and Ride at Quedgeley. Other lists were made by various people (the BSBI site doesn’t give full names of lead recorders) in the Bristol area around Old Sneed Park (28 including White Melilot), Wotton Under Edge (25), Yate (28), Bath (41), Paulton (32), Burrington (35), Axbridge (15) and Wedmore (25 and 33). Clearly many people enjoyed getting out in the relatively mild and dry weather for some ever so slightly competitive botany, though we felt a bit more sun would have improved our counts. CONGRATULATIONS: LIBBY HOUSTON RECEIVES ANOTHER BOTANICAL AWARD As described in the July/August 2012 BNS Bulletin, in May 2012 our member Libby Houston was awarded the H. H. Bloomer medal by the Linnean Society for her contribution to natural history based on her exceptional contribution to knowledge of the rare plants of the Avon Gorge and to a scientific understanding of the whitebeams (Sorbus) in Britain.

In November 2018 Libby was awarded the Marsh Botany Award for 2018 (see left) by the Marsh Christian Trust. Nominations for the Award are put forward and judged by a committee made up of experts in the field of botany. The Marsh Botany Award recognises an individual’s lifetime achievement and outstanding contribution in the field of botanical research and conservation. The full citation from https://www.marshchristiantrust.org/award/marsh-botany- award/ is reproduced below.

“Libby Houston is a poet, botanist and rock climber based in Bristol… Contents / Diary Shortly after she moved to Bristol in 1979, Libby started helping Dr Frost at the University with research on the flora of the Avon Gorge, including spiked speedwell and Bristol rock-cress. Importantly, her skill as a rock climber allowed her to study populations nobody else could reach! She still routinely surveys the populations of many rarities, keeps track of how they are doing and advises on management. Nobody will ever know the Gorge and its plants as well as she does. Much of Libby’s recent work has been related to whitebeams in the Avon Gorge, and she discovered an unusual hybrid whitebeam which Tim Rich named after her. She was a co-author of the 2010 monograph on Sorbus published by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and has since found another two new whitebeams in the Avon Gorge and new populations of the rarest species. Her activities have extended to the Wye Valley and Cheddar Gorge where she has discovered three more novelties. Anyone who knows Libby will vouch for her ability to spot something unusual –if she says it is different, the results normally confirm her hunch! Libby’s contribution has also included the provision of sound advice regarding conservation decisions affecting the rare plants that she has studied. She suggests appropriate habitat management and often supervises the work to ensure that it is done properly. She also leads educational walks and forays for scientists, conservation practitioners and the general public.”

PLANT RECORDS Eragrostis curvula, new to Bristol and Gloucestershire On 21 November, on the harbour wall almost in front of the M-Shed close to the Prince Street Bridge (ST5860772317) John Martin found a single plant of a grass which he could not immediately identify, so he sent a scan of an inflorescence to Rupert Higgins and the undersigned. The perennial grass was soon recognised as an Eragrostis (Love-grass) with a hairy ligule and John keyed it out as E. curvula, African Love-grass, supposedly a native in South Africa. The identity was later confirmed by Fred Rumsey of the Natural History Museum. It is described and illustrated in BSBI News 63 (April 1993). It has something of the appearance of Deschampsia cespitosa, Tufted hair-grass, though with the basal leaves narrower, prone to in-rolling, and not rough. There are currently about 20 distinct records on the BSBI database, from 12 vice counties. Voucher specimens are in BM and Hb. CML, see left, stems upright and overhanging harbour.

If you’ve found any interesting plants, please let me know.

Clive Lovatt, Stroud, 7 January 2019

GEOLOGY SECTION

PRESIDENT: David Clegg [email protected] Contents / diary HON. SEC.: Richard Ashley, [email protected] Tel: 01934 838850

INDOOR MEETINGS Lecture meetings take place in room G8, Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol, BS8 1RJ. For those unfamiliar with this venue: Enter the Wills Building via main entrance and walk ahead between the two staircases. Turn left when you reach some display cases and follow the corridor round. Room G8 is on your right.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND MEMBERS’ MEETING 7.30 p.m. Wednesday 30 January 2019 The Geology Section’s Annual General meeting will consider the report on Section activities during 2018 and appoint the officers and committee to serve for 2019. Nominations are required for the posts of President, Secretary, Field Secretary and other committee members. Please send to the Section Secretary as soon as possible. It will be followed by presentations or short talks by members of the Section. Displays of rocks and fossils by members will be especially welcome as will short talks on any aspect of geology. This will be an occasion for members to socialize and really get to know each other so please do come along.

GEOLOGY OF THE AREA NORTH OF BRISTOL Dave Green 7.30 p.m. Wednesday 27 February Dave Green is well known for his presentations on the subject of local geology. It is hoped this talk will appeal to those BNS members who may not consider themselves specialist geologists but would nevertheless like to learn something of local geology which together with climate forms the foundation of the Natural History of the Bristol Region. It is intended that as a follow-on from this talk a Field meeting will be held in the summer to look at the geology of the area north of Bristol and in particular Barnhill Quarry Chipping Sodbury.

COPPER PORPHYRY DEPOSITS & NEW DISCOVERIES REGARDING THEM, WITH REFERENCE ESPECIALLY TO RESEARCH INTO THE GEOSCIENCE OF THE CHILEAN DEPOSITS. 7.30 p.m. Wednesday 27 March Dr Brian Tattitch (USA, Washington) & Ed Bunker (Bristol University) The talk will start with a fairly brief, but sufficient for those who do not know, introduction to the subject of Copper Porphyry Deposits, which are the biggest sources of mined copper in the world. This will be followed by some new, most engaging research discoveries from top research realms in their field of research. Dr Brian Tattitch and Ed Bunker have both been working with Prof Jon Blundy in the last couple of years, Prof Blundy being recent past head of Earth Sciences School, Bristol University and a Fellow of the Royal Society. The evening is planned to take a two part form with a break in the middle of the evening during which fragments from deposits will be able to be seen & handled (Do bring your own hand lens!) & a few helpful texts and papers as helpful background & engaging reading, will be there to be dipped into.

MARCH FIELD MEETING GEOLOGY SECTION WALK UP GOBLIN COMBE, CLEEVE 2pm., Saturday 9 March An informal walk up Goblin Combe with the intention of finding & examining the Carboniferous age volcanic rocks. Further details of meet up points etc. will be included in next month’s

Naturalists’ News.

INVERTEBRATE SECTION PRESIDENT: (vacant) Contents / Diary Hon. SECRETARY: Moth Broyles [email protected] 07809 281421

Invertebrate AGM & Social Tuesday 12th Feb 7.30pm Venue: Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church, Westbury Hill, BS9 3AA Speaker: Hayley Herridge from Buglife will give us an update on the Urban Buzz Project and the GB National Pollinator Strategy Members are invited to bring any items of interest and/or interesting records and observations. Please also bring any thoughts on field trips you’d like to see or ideas for future talks/speakers. Although we have a guest speaker, it would be fantastic to hear from any members who would also like to do a short presentation - please advise Moth Broyles by 1st Feb. Most importantly, all Society members are welcome, from invertebrate novices to experts. We are all learning…and there is plenty to learn!

Invertebrate Notes for February 2019 Reports have been received throughout the Christmas/New Year period of bumblebees in flight, for example a buff- tailed bumble on Mahonia flowers (left) noted by Mike Hutchinson on 3 January. This reflects that although we have had some cold nights, the winter has not been particularly harsh, up to early January anyway. Will we get another ‘beast from the east’ this year and if so will it impact on our invertebrate fauna? Your sightings and records of even the commonest species help us understand what is happening with our invertebrate species so do keep them coming. Records of species from 2018 should be submitted now to help the compilation of the report carried Photo MHutchinson in Nature in Avon to be published next spring/summer. Back in September Bob Fleetwood visited Brean Down and recorded the Lygaeid bug Macroplax preyssleri. This is one of our local specialities as having been first recorded as new to the UK in 1968 at Dolebury Warren and Brean Down. Good to know it is still present at Brean but one to look out for at other sites in our region during 2019.

Point of interest Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 exhibition at M Shed runs through to 24 February. Admission: £6 adult*, £5 concession*, Under 16s free. (* Includes £1 voluntary donation to Bristol Museums Development Trust - Standard entry £5 adult / £4 conc.) Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. 50% off with National Art Pass. Free Weds: Free entry for students and 16-25 year olds every Wednesday (with valid ID). Ray Barnett 08/01/19

LIBRARY BNS Library at Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery, BS8 1RL. Contents / Diary HON. LIBRARIAN: Jim Webster [email protected]. The Library is open: Wednesdays 1.15pm-2.15pm, Saturdays 10.15am-12.15pm. Tel. (opening hours only): 0117 922 3651. CLOSED on Saturdays connected with Bank Holiday Mondays, and 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)

Nature in Avon, BNS Proceedings and Special Issues: surplus volumes available to members A few years ago, Council took the decision to make Nature in Avon and its fore-runner, the Proceedings of the Bristol Naturalists’ Society freely available online, through the good offices of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Copies were duly scanned, without any cost to the Society, mainly in USA by Harvard and the Smithsonian Libraries, and in UK at the Natural History Museum Library. There is a 2-year moratorium on posting online, so that the latest volume available there is no 75, for 2015. The whole, or a selected set of pages can be downloaded as a PDF or as OCR generated text, all the way back to 1862 with the invitation to the public to join the new Society, and the first annual accounts. The Society has three sets of its printed Proceedings (even Nature in Avon is described as the Proceedings of the BNS on its spine) from the early days when the Proceedings were issued in monthly parts, like our Bulletin today. The earliest issues had to be re- assembled from newspaper cuttings. Surplus copies from the print run go back to 1867, though it is no longer possible to extract a full set. For instance, the 1935 volume (with an important paper on the geology of the Avon Gorge, illustrated with photographic plates) and that for 1938 (containing a 40-page survey of Steep Holm) are unavailable, as are all but one of the six parts of the Flora of the Bristol Coalfield from the 1880s. On the other hand, we have an average of 20 copies per year for Nature in Avon, which goes back to 1987, varying from one to almost 100 (2017). Four Special Issues were published between 1989 and 1997, sequentially covering The Avon Gorge, Bristol’s Urban Ecology, The Coast of Avon, and The Mendip Hills. These volumes include the thematic scientific papers (which remain of interest today) from the related volume of Nature in Avon but omit the Society business preceding the papers. The Society has substantial numbers of the Special Issues nos 2-4 (right), the one for the Avon Gorge being out of print - and we only have one spare copy of the related Nature in Avon. Since digitisation, demand for paper copies has been limited to no more than a handful of requests. For example, recently we were able to complete the part-set held by the geology section in the Bristol Museum. Because of the free online access, and the resultant low demand for original paper copies, Council recently approved that reserve stock of Nature in Avon and the Society’s Proceedings could be substantially reduced and that volumes or parts could be released without charge.

As a result, if any member would like a hard copy of any volumes or parts in stock for personal use (or for a school or library), please let me know by email to [email protected]. Requests for best available runs will also be accommodated. Requests for sets (issues 2-4) of the Special Issues will be especially welcomed. Collection from the BNS Library when open or otherwise by arrangement, or postage and packing at cost. This offer is expected to expire at the end of March 2019, after which arrangements will sadly have to be made to recycle surplus stocks. This is not unprecedented: there was a thinning-out in the 1940s, to assist the war effort. Clive Lovatt, Stroud, 4 January 2019

ORNITHOLOGY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Giles Morris, 01275 373917 [email protected]

HON SEC.:- Lesley Cox 07786 437528 [email protected] Contents / Diary

Our local birds began calling before Christmas with snippets of song also being heard and, despite the relatively chilly weather for us humans, the lengthening days are spurring that process on as I write, in early January. By the time you read this in February, many birds will have paired up and will be looking for nesting sites, yet many winter visitors will still be with us. You can help to record your local birds’ presence and progress by signing up for local surveys but some ornithologists have even more sophisticated ways of investigation – as we shall see in this month’s presentation on the 13th. Lesley Cox

LECTURE MEETING TRACKING BIRDS Wednesday, 13th February Speaker: Mike Bailey 7:30 p.m. Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church, Westbury Hill, BS9 3AA. In this wide ranging talk Mike, who is a very experienced bird ringer and tracker, will be concentrating on the developments in the ways in which birds are tracked, starting with the use of individually numbered metal rings and the introduction of coloured rings before moving on to isotopic and genetic analysis, GPS tracking and various trapping methods, as well as the larger ‘citizen science’ projects such as Birdtrack. It is a must-hear for anyone seriously interested in avian science.

FIELD MEETING SLIMBRIDGE Sunday, 24th February Leader: Mike Johnson 10:00 a.m.

Meet in the main reception area at WWT Slimbridge. Grid Ref: SO 722048 at 10:00.

From Bristol either drive north on the A38 or exit M5 at junction 14 onto A38 and follow the brown duck signs. We will visit many of the 13 hides at this reserve looking for ducks and waders and resident and migrant passerines. The entrance cost for non-members is £13.45 or, £11.45 concession but free to members. Either bring refreshments for the day or you can utilise the café facilities available there. The meeting will end at the latest by 16:00 although members can leave at any time. The terrain is hard surface and level other than the steps up to some of the hides. It is necessary to telephone or e-mail the leader on 07530981106 or [email protected] if you wish to attend.

FIELD MEETING REPORTS Eastville Park and the Lower Frome Valley. 18th November Ten of us met Richard Scantlebury at the Snuff Mills car park on a bright cool morning. Richard has made a special ornithological study of this part of the lower Frome Valley for many years. Firstly, we walked up to Duchess Pond where the only water species were Mallard and Moorhen and we discussed the difference between the calls of Moorhen and Coot. There was a first sighting for many of us this autumn of a Redwing probably just arrived from Scandinavia. One of the birds most easily disturbed, it soon flew off showing us its fast direct flight. The hedgerows were alive with common passerines such as

Goldfinch, three species of Tit, Wren, Robin, Blackbird and Chaffinch. We then returned to the Frome where there was a brief view of a Dipper in flight. We had a splendid view of a Kingfisher poised on an overhanging branch waiting for a fish to pass by. We then walked along the riverside path to Eastville Park, The highlight here was a good view of a Tawny Owl sitting at the entrance of its box, which had been installed on the island on the Lake. The twenty-five species that were recorded were Magpie, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Wren, Moorhen, Mallard, Blackbird, Redwing, Lesser Black- backed Gull, Crow, Jackdaw, Herring Gull, Chaffinch, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Kingfisher, Great Tit, Black Headed Gull, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Mute Swan Tawny Owl. Mike Johnson

Chew Valley Lake, 28th December 2018. Contents / Diary A bright morning banished any fears of potential fog as nine of us met at Woodford Lodge for a very enjoyable birding session led by Mike Johnson. An immediate varied assemblage of passerines, waterfowl, gulls, cormorants and coots greeted us around the Lodge and on the Lake, where we lingered taking in the vista and pinpointing individual species before eventually moving on to the northern side of the lake, where woodland, reeds and open grassland provided a more sheltered habitat. Here, an elusive Song Thrush called us ever onward whilst refusing to let itself be seen despite the best efforts of experienced birders - unlike the Reed Bunting which was spotted quite easily. Finally, we moved to Herriots Bridge where two ill-informed ladies were creating a frenzy amongst the birds by feeding them bread and ignoring the notice asking them not to. Despite the kerfuffle, more species were added to our ever-growing list. On the other side of the bridge, one sharp-eyed observer spotted a Black-necked Grebe and an albino coot. As we returned to the Lodge, three of us remained at the lakeside where we were rewarded by the appearance of a particularly handsome Kingfisher who very obligingly sat opposite us giving close views of the species’ splendour. With good weather, good company and good birds at a great venue, all enjoyed a very profitable morning’s birding. 51 species were recorded.

Species List: Blackbird, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Great White Egret, Goldeneye, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Pied Wagtail, Mallard, Cormorant, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Shoveler, Teal, Little Egret, Gadwall, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Bullfinch, Wood pigeon, Long-tailed Tit, Herring Gull, Wren, Coal Tit, Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Song thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Goldfinch, Great spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Moorhen, Common Gull, Pintail, Canada Goose, Black-necked Grebe, Jackdaw, Albino Coot, Shelduck, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Mute Swan, Treecreeper, Song Thrush, Starling, Kingfisher. Lesley Cox

BREEDING BIRD SURVEY Contents / Diary The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the main scheme for monitoring population changes of our common breeding birds both nationally and within Avon. It is organised by the BTO and involves just two early morning visits in the breeding season (April to June) to an allocated 1km square. Visits typically take about two hours each plus an extra visit in the first year to set up/check the route. We also have a local 'Avon BBS' scheme which is very similar but a little simpler and which adds considerably to our local knowledge. Observers can select their own squares in the Avon scheme which can be in any habitat subject to the square not already being allocated. Anyone can participate who can identify our common birds by sight and sound - and the emphasis really is on our common birds. The Survey has always had strong support in the Avon Region - in 2018 we surveyed 242 1km squares and recorded 76,895 birds. If you are interested in participating, or would like any further information about BBS, please contact Dave Stoddard - [email protected] (0117 9246968) - you will be very welcome. A training session will be organised in late March and is open to new participants or anyone who would like to know a bit more about the Survey before committing.

ORNITHOLOGY RECENT NEWS Contents / Diary December is often fairly quiet in terms of new finds, with wintering birds on station, not much change unless there is some extreme weather, certainly no after-work birding and possibly even dwindling enthusiasm. A damp start to the winter saw the water levels rise at the reservoirs so birds such as the Little Stint at Chew at the start of the month eventually ran out of mud and departed. There was, however, an excellent selection of birds there during the month: a male Lesser Scaup (maybe the same bird remaining into early 2019 - if so not changing in appearance at all for several weeks and keeping some eclipse plumage); 4 female Greater Scaup; Red-crested Pochard; up to 9 Bewick's Swans; a small group of Cattle Egrets (up to 13 reported); up to 9 Great White Egrets; a Bittern (oddly scarce here in recent years despite the thriving Somerset Levels population nearby); up to 5 Black-necked and a single Slavonian Grebe; 2 Little Gulls on 13th only; Marsh Harrier and a few Water Pipits. The presumed returning drake Long-tailed Duck remained at Barrow Gurney - adult males are as scarce with us as they are splendid. On the coast a young male Snow Bunting at Severn Beach on 8th didn't linger. A Bonxie WSM and a Bittern at Cl-Y next day were both notable. A group of 5 White-fronted Geese at Dowlais Farm on 27th reappeared further up the estuary in the new year. Otherwise there was a smattering of scarce winter visitors such as Black Redstarts, Firecrests and Short-eared Owls in their favoured haunts. Once again though there were no Smew (once regular winter bird at the lakes). The New Year always brings renewed enthusiasm so hopefully some interesting wintering gems will be unearthed - Waxwings have been seen elsewhere in the southwest so check your local Sorbus.

John Martin

MISCELLANY

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BOTANIC GARDEN

Contents / Diary The Holmes, Stoke Park Rd, Stoke Bishop, BS9 1JG. Booking: 0117 331 4906. www.bristol.ac.uk/botanic-garden Email: [email protected]

Nick Wray, on Travels to Guangdon Province Thurs., 21 February 7.30-9pm Nick Wray and Tony Harrison, co-ordinator of our Chinese Herb Garden visited Guangzhou city and the Yingde Mountains last year to meet tea growers, to see the Yingde Karst stone landscape, to make a link with South China Botanic Garden, to source new plants and to look at other gardens as possible models for the gardens at Bristol. Nick will give us details of their travels and some of the people they met. Venue: Frank Theatre, Wills Physics lab., Tyndall Avenue, BS8 ITL. Free to Friends on production of membership card. Visitors are asked for a donation (suggested £5).

Herald spring with a special tour with the Curator Sun. 24 Feb. 10.30am-12pm Nick Wray leads his first tour of the year to show some of the secrets of the garden in winter. Delight in the fragrant plum blossom of Prunus mume which features in so many Chinese silk paintings; look out for hellebores, winter box, snowdrops, winter aconites and crocus, followed by the glasshouses’ flowering orchids, bromeliads and S. African bulbs. Free to Friends, children, university staff & students. Visitors £7. Meet at Welcome Lodge.

AVON ORGANIC GROUP www.groworganicbristol.org/ / [email protected] All meetings 7-9pm at The Station, Silver St., BS1 2AG (in Dance Studio) Visitors £5 Members £2. Short talk "Fermenting Your Veggies - a traditional preserving method" Speaker: Pauline Tilbury 7-9pm., Thursday, 28 Feb. This will be followed by light refreshments and our annual Seed Swap for members and visitors alike, so bring along any seeds you have saved yourself plus any other surplus. We will conclude the evening with our AGM. All welcome: Admission: Visitors £5 / Members £2, includes light refreshments.

Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project Contents / Diary Booking and further information: Contact the Project on 0117 903 0609 or e- mail [email protected] . Pre-booking essential for all events. Details of meeting points are given on booking.

Friday 15th February (Talk) Urban peregrines For 20 years Ed Drewitt has studied urban peregrine falcons. In his beautifully illustrated talk he explores what makes these birds tick, why they use our towns & cities and what we learn about them by studying their diet. He’ll also reveal what his colour-ringing studies tell us about where the young birds go to when they leave the nest. 7- 8pm, £5. Photo: Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project: Helen Hall

Thursday 21st February Build a birdfeeder (Children’s event for 8 – 12 year olds). Have fun finding out about the birds that live on the Downs in our ‘Which bird am I?’ and ‘Beaks & feeds’ games. In the afternoon create brilliant birdfeeders made from willow with artist Sarah Edwards. Drop off children at 10am; pick them up 3.30pm. £17.50 per child

Photo: Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project

Saturday 23rd February Origami animals (Course for adults) Origami artist Tony O’Hare leads a fun workshop to learn how to fold a variety of mammals, birds and other wildlife found on the Avon Gorge and Downs. Create robins, peregrines, foxes, goats, hedgehogs, butterflies and more. Suitable for total beginners, materials provided. 10am - 4pm, £30 (includes materials).