Issue 4 March 2008

The newsletter for Biological Recorders in , Halton, and Wirral

In this issue: Upwing Flies Climate Change Pocket PC Recording Cheshire’s Most Recorded Plant Communities of Railways

Special feature: Marine Mammals of Bay

This issue has been produced with the support of

Cover photograph - Atlantic Grey Seal © copyright Jeff Clarke WELCOME to the fourth Rare Gull Bonanza at Moore NR edition of the The Sentinel. By the time you read this the frogs will have Glaucous Gull © Jeff Clarke spawned and early nesting species such as Mistle Thrush will have young in the nest and the busiest part of the recording season will be upon you. Yet just a brief glance at Iceland Gull © Jeff Clarke this first page will highlight the lack From most people, including The site is notable for ‘white-winged’ of knowledge we have on some of birders, gulls are seldom given gulls. Late March and early April is the the most popular taxon groups. much regard. Yet our recording peak time to locate them. Following region is home to one of the UK’s the discovery of a 1st winter American Just as we need your records we also most remarkable gull gatherings. Herring Gull (bottom picture) birders need your articles so get writing Arpley Tip in Warrington often attracts have been gathering in force at the and help to inspire others to record upards of 50,000 gulls in mid-winter, © Jeff Clarke Birch Wood Pool, Moore NR. (All what they see. If you don’t feel including some sought after rarities. pictures from 12th Feb this year). confident enough to write a full County Recorders article how about sending us some Road Deer? intersting snippets, an unusual Riding my bike into work early one pitch- Required! sighting, a unique record or possibly black rain-soaked January morning, I crossed a behavioural observation. Below is a list of those taxon groups for which there the A49 and plunged into the eerie darkness is currently no County Recorder. If you feel you have If you have good quality images of Marsh Lane, Dutton. I switched off my the experience and inclination to volunteer for to help illustrate your text please headlight to save the battery and navigated any of the groups listed contact rECOrd on 01244 supply these as a JPEG of TIFF at my way towards Runcorn by sixth sense. 383749, or alternatively email [email protected]. a minimum of 300 dpi and 1600 Suddenly, just ahead, I heard the scuffing of • Bark and Book Lice (Psocoptera) pixels on the longest edge. hooves on the road. I switched on my special • Lacewings, Alderflies and

Snakeflies (Neuroptera) Ephemera danica © Martin de Retuerto Images and articles can be car-driver-blinding 10 watt searchlight, just • Scorpionflies (Mecoptera) emailed direct to the editor at in time to see the back end of a moderately • Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattoidea) jeff.clarke@halton .gov.uk large animal (at least 2ft 6in high at the • Thrips (Thysanoptera) shoulder) springing away, bambi-style, • Bristletails (Diplura) Jeff Clarke, Editor • Protura up the lane ahead of me. A deer? In this • Planthoppers and Aphids busy and over-populated part of North (Heteroptera: Homoptera) IN BRIEF Cheshire? It stopped approx 50m ahead, • Fleas (Siphonaptera) turned sideways for a quick look back at • Biting Lice(Mallophaga) Watch out! There’s a Beetle About • Sucking Lice (Anoplura) me, then leapt over a low hedge into the • Worms (Annelida) field and darted away. In my headlight, it • Water/Mud Worms (Oligochaeta) looked white or pale grey, which made me • Springtails (Collembola) doubt that it was a deer and that perhaps • Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) • Stoneflies (Plecoptera) I’d startled a very agile and lanky sheep, • Stylopids (Strepsiptera) however, on subsequent commutes along • Galls the lane in daylight, I have failed to see a • Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opilionidae) • Ticks (Arachnida: Acari) © Harlequin Survey.org single sheep, or indeed any livestock, save • Mites (Arachnida: Acari) for a few docile horses in a nearby paddock. • Woodlice (Isopoda) On checking with rECOrd, it turns out • Millipedes (Diplopoda) that a Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus was • Centipedes (Chilopoda) • Ferns (Pteridophyta) recorded in 2004 less than three miles • Algae (Freshwater, Marine and Terrestrial) away in Comberbach. Meanwhile, Duncan • Freshwater Micro-organisms MacNaughton of the Forestry Commission (Desmids, Diatoms, Rotifers, etc.) informs me that Roe Deer have been • Jellyfish (Siphonophores, Velellids, etc.) The Harlequin Ladybird is the most invasive ladybird • Fish (Freshwater and Marine) species in the world. A native of eastern Asia, spotted recently in Delamere and Alvanley, • Crustaceans (Crabs, barnacles, they can be found in a wide diversity of habitats so this sighting is not so improbable after prawns, shrimps, etc.) including deciduous woodland. They mainly prey all. Here’s to the pioneer of the Dutton • Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: on aphids but are notorious for predating other Herd: what are the chances of riding Pseudoscorpionidae) ladybird sp. Could you help to plot the advance of • Moulds, Mildews, Rusts, Bunts the Harlequin Ladybird across our recording area? headlong into a rut this autumn? and Smuts (Fungi) Further details www. harlequin-survey.org Tom Banks • Leeches and Flatworms 2 The Upwing Flies or Mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) by Craig Macadam

ollection, Preservation and specimen was collected together CIdentification with the collector’s name. The identification of British (and Larval Ephemeroptera are easy Irish) Ephemeroptera is covered by to collect. Kick sampling, the two scientific publications by the disturbance of the bed of a Freshwater Biological Association. watercourse or waterbody, is the These taxonomic keys provide the most efficient method in running information required to identify water, whilst in standing water a net successfully most of the British can be swept through submerged Ephemeroptera. They also include vegetation or the substrate can extensive notes on their life cycles be disturbed and the net swept and ecology. It should be noted through the disturbed water. Adult that there have been some recent Ephemeroptera can be collected by revisions and additions to the examining, or beating bankside trees British Ephemeroptera that are and other vegetation. Alternatively, not noted in the FBA keys. The adults can be caught as they swarm Ephemeroptera Recording Scheme near the water. For species that are can provide further information attracted to light, traps designed on the identification of the British for capturing moths can be used. Ephemeroptera and is also willing to Both larvae and adults are best provide limited assistance with the preserved in Isopropyl alcohol, identification of specimens, which which is available from most should be sent, preserved in alcohol. chemists. The specimen should be It would be appreciated if you would clearly marked with the location, contact the scheme before sending date and grid reference where the off any specimens for identification. Ephemera danica © Martin de Retuerto

Common sights along the shores of many stillwaters The eggs fall to the bottom of the water where they Ephemeroptera Recording Scheme or rivers are groups of flies dancing above your head. stick to plants and stones. The Baetidae flies pull c/o Craig Macadam, Bradan Aquasurveys Ltd., PO Box If you look closely you’ll see that they have 2 small themselves under the water to attach their eggs directly 21659, Larbert, FK5 4WX. Email: [email protected]. wings, two large upright wings and two or three tails. to the bed before being drowned by the current. The uk Web: www.ephemeroptera.org.uk Tel: 07786 631369. These are the upwing flies, more commonly known nymphs take anything between a few days to a number Identification keys as mayflies. This common name is quite misleading of weeks to hatch depending on water conditions Elliott, J.M. & U.H. Humpesch (1983): A key to the Adults of the because this group of flies can appear throughout the and the species, and the resultant nymphs spend British Ephemeroptera with notes on their ecology. Scientific year. In fact, at one point they were called dayflies various lengths of time, up to two years, foraging Publications of the Freshwater Biological Association No. 47, 101pp. due to some of the species having an adult life of a on the bottom before emerging as an adult fly. single day. The common name comes from the habit Elliott, J.M., U.H. Humpesch & T.T. Macan (1988): Larvae of of one species, Ephemera danica, which emerge as When it is time to emerge, the nymphs make their way British Ephemeroptera: a key with ecological notes. Scientific adults when the Mayflower or Hawthorn is in bloom. to the surface where they pull themselves free of their Publications of the Freshwater Biological Association No. 49, 145pp. nymphal shuck and emerge as a sub-imago. While Both available from: The Freshwater Biological Mayflies are unique as insects in that they have two they rest here to dry their newly exposed wings, they Association, The Ferry House, Far Sawrey, Ambleside, winged adult forms. The nymph emerges from the are at their most vulnerable to attack from fish. CUMBRIA, LA22 0LP. Telephone: 015394 42468 water as a dull-coloured sub-imago (or dun) that seeks shelter in bankside vegetation and trees. After a period of a couple of hours or more, the sub-imago once again sheds its skin to transform into the brightly coloured imago (or spinner). It is not clear why mayflies have retained this unique step in their lifecycle, however it is thought that they may not be able to achieve the change from nymph to sexually mature adult in one step. A mayfly’s life cycle starts with the males forming a swarm above the water and the females flying into the swarm to mate. The male grabs a passing female with its elongated front legs and the pair mate in flight. After copulation, the male releases the female, which then descends to the surface of the water where she lays her eggs. Once mated she will fall, spent, onto the water surface to lie motionless, with her wings flat on the surface, where fish pick them off at their leisure. The male fly rarely returns to the water but instead he goes off to die on the nearby land. Ephemera danica nymph © Andy Harmer 3 The Plant Communites of Disused Railways by Rachel Hacking

Ex-industrial habitats are excellent locations for studying a whole range of ecological subjects such as botanical community structure, succession or evolution. Furthermore the often hostile, toxic substrate of these habitats can support interesting plants, including many non-native species. In Britain plant communities of these sites have often been overlooked in favour of semi-natural habitats. However, there is now a greater understanding of the potential of these sites, sometimes termed as brown-field sites, to support important communities of plants and animals. Hemp Agrimony © Andy Harmer

(Cambridgeshire) and Wirksworth Quarry The flowering plants I have recorded from (Derbyshire). In Cheshire, I have surveyed the the different railway lines include Wild Altrincham – Carrington line. I am aiming for Mignonette, Great Mullein, Mugwort, as wide a geographical spread as possible. Nipplewort, Red Bartsia, Common Toadflax, The ballast substrate is usually limestone Sticky Groundsel, Thale Cress, Hemp chippings on a bed of compacted cinder. Agrimony, Wormwood, Small-flowered There is little soil and the habitat is hot, Evening Primrose, Canadian Fleabane, Black dry and sometimes toxic from the drip of Medick, Red Dead-nettle, Teasel, Prickly oil which accumulated whilst the wagons Lettuce and Agrimony. In Cheshire, the railway line supports Cut-leaved Crane’s- bill and Wood Sage among other herbs and grasses. I have also recorded Small Toadflax and Oxford Ragwort from the Small Toadflax © Andy Harmer ballast (particularly in Southern England), I am currently doing a PhD at Edge Hill both of which are typical “railway habitat” University under the supervision of Dr Paul plants. Oxford Ragwort has its origins on Ashton. I have always loved botany and Mount Etna, another hot and dry habitat! ex-industrial sites and decided to combine The grasses I have recorded include the two by studying the plant communities Silver Hair-grass, Squirreltail Fescue, Red found on the ballast of disused railways. Fescue and False Oat-grass (originally a speciality of limestone scree). Disused railways offer an ideal habitat to study. They are linear, the substrate is To survive in such a hostile environment typically uniform and data such as the time many of the plants have evolved strategies since closure are easily obtained. However, which enable them to maintain a population. there is a limited number of disused railways Some have early or late flowering periods that are suitable for study, some have had the which allowed them to set seed before or ballast removed, others are now cycle tracks after the rail companies sprayed the track or bridleways. I have located approximately with herbicide (usually in June). Others 20 lines in England and , many in the produce copious amounts of viable seed North West of England on which to survey. Red Bartsia © Andy Harmer (such as those in the Asteraceae family). Some used to be colliery lines, others linked The seeds are light and easily windborne. passed over. So not a typical location for a villages or were used exclusively for freight. community of plants! But many interesting Some examples of the railways I have and varied plants do become established. If you know of any disused railway lines or sidings near to surveyed or will be surveying are; Golbourne First a lichen and moss community develops you please do get in touch. I would be interested to know Great Central Sidings (), Leek not long after closure, then grasses start to of any that I could survey ([email protected]). – Stoke (Staffordshire), Cambridge – St. Ives establish followed by the dicotyledons. Deadline for the submission of articles and images for the next edition is April 30th 2008. Cheshire Mammal Group An Introduction to Mammals A series of informative workshops aimed at increasing our awareness and understanding of the mammals The Sessions planned for 2008: around us. These sessions provide a great opportunity to learn more about our diverse mammal life and 1] Water Voles Saturday 12th April some of the techniques used to record them 10am Zoo Trainer: Elizabeth Barratt 2] Sea mammals Saturday 7th June Members free; Non-members £5/session; Non- 10am Hilbre Trainer: Val Cooper members, Family (maximum of 4) £10/session 3] Bats Saturday 16th August Cheshire Mammal Group membership: 7pm Chester Zoo Trainer: Tony Parker Individual £10 Family £15 4] Dormice Saturday 6th September Places are limited, booking is essential, to book: 10am Bickley Hall Trainer: Sue Tatman Contact Rob Smith via e-mail on 5] Small Mammals Saturday 27th September 9.30am Risley Moss Trainer: Rob Smith [email protected] for further details.

Using a Pocket PC in the field by Paul Griffiths WildKey utilises all the benefits of handhelds Wider Applications 1. Species Identification 2. Species Recording • It is mobile, which means you can take it to Although most practical fieldwork undertaken so far 3. Habitat Recording the species rather than the other way round with WildKey has involved school children, the software 4. Designing your own data collection system • It uses simple touch-screen inputs appeals equally to adults and there are obvious potential 5. A review of suitable hardware • There is enough of a ‘game like’ experience to uses with volunteer recorders. attract user interest Keys written for specific projects or surveys can ensure Species Identification using WildKey – www.wildkey. • Accurate GPS recording of location consistent identification across varying levels of co.uk • Built-in camera can be used to take images experience, and the process of developing the key can, WildKey is an interactive species identification system WildKey can be integrated with desktop systems to allow in itself, be a learning opportunity. that runs on GPS enabled Pocket PCs. the visualisation of data and patterns in distribution. Our aging cohort (sorry folks, but we are all getting older) WildKey in action of existing specialists can pass on their knowledge and In a Heritage Lottery Fund sponsored project last summer, some of their expertise, by helping to construct keys. with support from The Woodland Trust, The Field Studies www.wildkey.co.uk Council and The Natural History Museum, nearly 1000 children aged 7-14 (and teachers, aged more) used keys Paul Griffiths for Butterflies, Pondlife, Common Trees, Ladybirds and WildKey Woodlice, and Playing Field Plants, to identify species [email protected] in Oxfordshire and in the Wildlife Gardens at the Natural History Museum. Editor’s Note: There is a number of different applications available to the naturalist that can now be Background used with mini-computers in a field setting. WildKey is a programme that I have used In 2004 researchers at Oxford Brookes University noticed successfully with a number of school groups a number of trends: including those of high school age including There was a general decline in the taxonomic skills of groups with learning difficulties. new undergraduates; a lack of accurately identified species data; and a rapid development in the capability Engaging younger members of society with their natural environment is usually of GPS enabled mobile devices. All images © Wildkey straightforward with younger age groups Lacking suitable software development skills they Results but as we all know the long dark tunnel approached the leading company in this field – Adit • 86% of participants said they enjoyed using of adolescence often creates a seemingly Limited (alright, Adit is probably the only company in the handhelds impermeable barrier and even students this field) to develop a prototype species identification • 74% of participants found the digital keys with a previous interest in the natural world system. easy to use disappear into the wilderness, from which • 60% of participant children said they were During 2005, Butterfly WildKey was tested with groups most never return! of schoolchildren in Oxfordshire, and work began on a more likely to be involved in naming and By using these modern technologies many number of new keys. recording wildlife in the future. • There was a trebling in correct identifications students do at least re-engage with their Important features at the end of the workshop compared to the natural environment, even if it is by proxy. The Users learn how to identify species by following a series beginning (1 hour). hope is that some can be saved otherwise the of logical steps. They can tell you which species you are biological recorder will be become yet another (View the species data at www.wildkey.co.uk/hlfproject/ looking at, but also, how they know. They have learned critically endangered species. welcome2.html) how to identify. It is also good fun. I had no experience of this group of fungi at all, but, thankfully, by Julia Hancell I know a person who does. I met Rita in my previous job at The Challenge of Climate Change Liverpool Museum and immediately warmed to her – she Climate Change is now one of the most but most plants cannot and therefore they will need is one of those experts with a lifetime of experience whose knowledge and enthusiasm is infectious; she is always helpful important environmental issues we to EVOLVE, (which will require rapid life-cycles and a successful survival rate among the offspring), or MIGRATE, and encouraging even to people like me who know very little have to deal with, even the sceptics are which will depend on suitable corridors being available about fungi. (She’s a bit crazy too – having celebrated her admitting that the rapid melting of the and the species being able to move quickly enough 80th birthday zip-lining through the Costa Rican rainforest!) ice-caps indicates changes are taking place to keep in pace with suitable habitats. Buildings and The fact that Rita didn’t immediately recognise the strange outside the normal cyclical variations. concrete are now virtually continuous from Liverpool fungus made this mystery even more exciting – it had to be something unusual! Local and national experts were contacted, literature searched, and Kew Gardens and the British Mycological Society consulted. Eventually the vital clue came from the plants growing in the border with the fungus. Most truffles grow in close association with particular plant species. Our truffle, Hydnangeum carneum, (no common name I’m afraid!) comes from Australia and grows with “There will be a loss of mud-flats eucalyptus trees. So, can you see the clue in the photograph below which shows the area where the truffles were found?

and saltmarshes leading to a serious The large tree at the back right is a eucalyptus. environmental disruption...” Astmoor Saltmarsh © Mike Roberts

It is predicted that by 2050 there will be a 1.5 degree to Manchester closing the Cheshire Gap and potential Centigrade increase in temperature uniformly over Britain, migration routes. If these options are not available then with a 1.7 degree increase in winter temperature in the the species will be in danger of becoming extinct. north and a 1.2 degree increase in the South. Summer Plant communities, and in turn the fauna they support, rainfall is likely to remain the same but winter rainfall are determined by the ability of the component species would increase by 5 – 15% . In the North-west much to compete for resources under a particular set of of the coast is low-lying and at risk from flooding and physical environmental conditions. Little is known it is expected that sea-levels will rise by 15cm during about individual and collective species response to the next 50 years. There will be a loss of mud-flats changes in habitats and environmental conditions. and salt-marshes leading to a serious environmental The expected changes will need to be monitored and © Sarah Bird disruption for internationally significant bird feeding compared against known present conditions. To monitor grounds such as the Mersey RAMSAR site. Ports, the populations of flora and fauna will necessitate the This is the first confirmed record of this species for the fisheries, commercially prosperous coastal holiday establishment of permanent quadrats and identified north of England. The fungus was introduced to Europe resorts and farming are all likely to be affected. locations being recorded/monitored in a regular way. from Australia with eucalyptus trees a long time ago, it is in fact quite widespread now, but generally goes Climate change is expected to have various impacts The rECOrd database, holding the detailed list of on human health with the greatest risks being in the unnoticed. The “Congleton Truffle” is now famous as species currently living in the area, if updated by there is a sample in the herbarium at Kew Gardens. temperate regions. One direct impact could be changes in these routine surveys, will be able to provide maps distribution and activity of insects, ticks and rodents with showing the changes taking place over time and WHAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT TRUFFLES: pest explosions in aphids, fleas and wasps. The success of how species are moving or disappearing from known • Truffles are generally known as edible fungi; alien species due to changes in conditions could increase locations. A great deal of volunteer effort will be expensive additions to gourmet meals. species diversity but also see the extinction of BAP species. • There are far more species of truffles in Australia than in required, with support from Natural England and local Europe. About 250 have been described so far, but there Creatures adapted to cool climates will have to spread authorities, if a true picture of the response climate are probably another 1000 to be identified. They occupy a northwards. Animals can do this relatively quickly change is to be accurately recorded and analysed. wide variety of habitats from rain forest to arid scrub. • Truffles are hypogeous fungi. This means their fruit-bodies (the part that produces spores like a mushroom) grow and stay underground. The Congleton Truffle Mystery by Sarah Bird & Rita Cook • The spores are spread either by the natural breakdown of mature fruit-bodies, or when the fruit-bodies are eaten by I quite often receive enquiries from zoo members and visitors invertebrates or small mammals that are attracted by smell. about unusual wildlife… Things like big hawk moth caterpillars • Though popular food for marsupials Australian and odd plants growing from bird seed are quite common, but truffles aren’t generally eaten by people. a call from a friend last autumn proved particularly challenging • Relationships between truffles, plants and animals are and interesting. complex and vital to the survival of whole ecosystems. The photograph provided showed what looked rather like bits of To learn more about fungi in the region contact discarded chewing gum, but close inspection showed pink ‘flesh’ the North West Fungus Group, the group organises inside, with a complex structure. The friend who found this ‘thing’ regular identification sessions and walks. http://fungus.org.uk/nwfg.htm growing in her garden in Congleton wondered if it could be a Hydnangeum carneum © Sarah Bird fungus, perhaps a truffle… Back in the Bay by Valerie Cooper

In 1889 John Hanmer, a shrimp fisherman, was out near the Bar Lightship in Liverpool Bay. He saw something that to us in the 21st century would be an awe-inspiring sight: hundreds upon hundreds of Harbour Porpoise, in a massive moving school, stretching a full 3 miles. Whether it was an unusual sight to John Hanmer is not known, though he saw

fit to remark on it. However records from Short-beaked Common Dolphin © Danny Pegg the late 19th and early 20th centuries show the harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, We do not think of dolphins, porpoise and whales as being part of In 2004 as many as 12 harbour porpoise were seen off the Pier was not a stranger to the waters around the fauna round British shores, but a look at past and present records Head in Liverpool, strung out across the river, using the tidal stream Liverpool Bay and, more surprisingly, the show we are mistaken. Of the 90 or so cetacean species found in through the Narrows to ride along the river (probably feeding on the world 28 have been sighted around our coastline over the last all the fish!). The number of live sightings of marine mammals has estuary of the Mersey itself. Records from 20 years and the numbers of sightings are increasing. Thirteen of increased dramatically in recent years and this increase has important the time, found in the writings of T.A. these species have occurred in the Mersey, Dee and East Liverpool implications for their status. Up to now Liverpool Bay and the estuaries Bay over the last 150 years. Harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, of the Dee and Mersey have been considered unimportant for marine Coward, report this relatively small and bottle-nosed whales and common dolphins have been the most mammals and impact assessments for wind farms and other human shy marine mammal as being “…common sighted or stranded. Less frequent visitors include the Risso’s dolphin, operations in the bay have discounted them. In reality no formal in Liverpool Bay and often ascends the minke whale, orca (the latest in 2001), long-finned pilot whale and survey work has been done in these areas. There is mounting concern fin whale. There have also been strandings of one Striped (1991) that these developments have an effect, probably detrimental, estuaries” and “..occurring often in the and three White-beaked Dolphins (in 1862, 1911 & 1989). on cetaceans and possibly seals too. If porpoise and dolphin are Mersey beyond Eastham..” (Coward, 1910). increasingly using the area for migration, feeding and socialising, which all current evidence suggests, then it is now that recording sightings and collating data are really important tools to ensure that the marine mammals in our patch are properly accounted for. Everyone close to or visiting the river and shores of the bay can play a part in helping to collect records of sightings and strandings of dolphin, porpoise and seal. Summer is the best time to see them from land, when harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin tend to move inshore and into estuary areas. A visit to New Brighton, a trip on the Mersey Ferry or a stroll along the dockside may be rewarded by the sight of a fin, or even several, cutting the water’s surface. The north end of Hilbre Island is an excellent spot, because it is the only raised area along that stretch of coast line and being elevated is a

Bottlenose Dolphins © Danny Pegg great advantage when attempting to spot At this time the Mersey was a lucrative fishery with species such as Seals also visit the Mersey these animals from eel, plaice, dab, sole, shellfish, herring, lobster and mullet. Many of from time to time. Up the land. Being at sea these are prey species for smaller toothed cetaceans and so where to the late nineteenth has an even greater there were fish, the mammals would follow. The Industrial revolution century the common advantage and there are eventually took its toll and by the early 20th century the legacy of seal was described as an plenty of sailings from pollution from the heavy industries of the Mersey Basin had destroyed occasional wanderer to the Port of Liverpool the fishing industry. The fish had gone and so had the cetaceans. Now, both the Dee and Mersey which can provide with the vast improvements in water quality Liverpool Bay and the estuaries; most records opportunities to see a Dee and Mersey estuaries are enjoying a new lease of life. Fish are of seals at that time were Striped Dolphin © Jeff Clarke greater variety of species attributed to this species. and an even better There is also a number chance of a good view. Try and watch on calm, clear days (not that of inland records including from 1891 in the River Gowy; 1905 from we get that many around the bay!) when the sea is flat or nearly the River Dee at Chester where an animal was caught in a salmon so. This gives a far better chance of seeing a fin if it is there. net; 1907 in the Dee at Gayton and in 1908 one was killed in the Dee at Connah’s Quay. In recent years occasional animals may be Even more important is to report what you see! All records seen with the grey seals in the Hilbre area; during late 2006 a young are gratefully received by the Cheshire biological recording animal was noted in the Mersey off Pickering’s Pasture, Widnes. service, rECOrd, which is based at Chester Zoo. E-mail makes it easy to send your information, though records in any form Grey and common are the most regular visitors. There has also been an are welcome. Make summer 2008 the first year of a Dee occasional sighting of hooded seal, once in 1873 at Frodsham, when & Mersey Baywatch. Happy mammal watching! it was captured and exhibited live before being preserved for posterity in Liverpool Museum. The next record is from 1996, when one of these References: Cooper, V (unpublished, 2002) Marine mammals of the Mersey animals was spotted in the north channel of the inner Mersey Estuary, Estuary and the east of Liverpool Bay., University of Liverpool

Atlantic Grey Seal © Jeff Clarke close to the town of Widnes. It remained in the area for some days Coward, T. A. (1910) The Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire before disappearing as mysteriously as it arrived. This species is usually and Liverpool Bay., Witherby & Co. back and so, it appears, are the marine mammals. Of around three found in Arctic waters around Greenland and northern Canada, but Evans, P. G. H (1992) Status review of cetaceans in British and Irish hundred and twenty sightings and strandings of cetaceans recorded is known to wander southwards. This one was a particularly intrepid waters., Under contract to the Department of the Environment since 1829, over half have been since 1980 (Cooper, unpublished). traveller, although there have been sightings off the coast of California! Cheshire’s Most Recorded by Tom Hunt

The rECOrd database currently holds 1.02 million records for the Cheshire region, in than others and are generally more widespread and therefore produce more spread across over 11 000 species which in turn come from 114 orders. This is of course records, the Magnoliidae would be an obvious example of this, but there is no not an even spread, and there is a number of reasons why this is so. Obviously some reason why groups such as Mollusca (molluscs) shouldn’t be competing with organisms are much more commonly seen than others, but a quick look at the ten the likes of Odonata (dragon and damselflies) for number of records. most recorded orders tells its own story (see chart below). Lepidoptera (butterflies In terms of individual species, it is worth noting that the English Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta is the fifth most recorded plant species, with more records than the ubiquitous dandelion Taraxacum officianle agg. This is undoubtedly due to specific bluebell surveys, but it begs the question; why aren’t people recording the other plants whilst they’re out in the field (see chart below)? Another good example of this conundrum is the declining Lapwing Vanellus vanellus which has more records on the database than the garden favourite, the Great Tit Parus major. Without question, recorders are sending records of species which are notable for conservation reasons, such as the Bluebell and Lapwing, which is excellent news for conservation in Cheshire, but this doesn’t mean that records of more mundane species are not also important. What if a disease was to start to affect Great Tits? Their records would suddenly become much more critical. It also adds value to the database if the general commonality of species in the County is reflected by their number of records.

and moths) comes way out on top with more than twice as many records as the second most recorded order, the Magnoliidae (dicotyledonous plants e.g. stinging nettle, bramble etc.). This may not be surprising when one considers how much data can be obtained from moth trapping, but a closer look at the statistics reveals that all of the top fourteen recorded species are in fact butterflies, and the number one most recorded species on the rECOrd database is the speckled wood Pararge aegeria. It is thanks to Barry Shaw’s data that the butterflies are so well recorded, but undoubtedly there are recorders for other taxon groups who could provide an equally detailed picture of the County’s biology if their records reached the rECOrd database. The chart shows how the database is dominated by one or two orders (in fact if the number of records of the top two orders are added together they easily cover over half of the overall database). It would be certainly true to say that some orders have many more organisms

The Status and Distribution of the Water Stick Insect in Cheshire by Phil Martin & Andy Harmer

While on a family walk in the Tatton estate, I stopped to have a Ranatra linearis is a member of the Nepidae family, part of the Knutsford and Queensferry on the Dee. In 2006 Ranatra closer look at the distribution of the alien aquatic plant Canadian Order Hemiptera (water bugs) and is a very distinctive species. linearis was recorded in four separate sites; at Hatchmere, on pondweed (Elodea canadensis) which is growing in large masses Resembling the stick insects many children keep as family pets, 17th February, Cholmondeley, and Audlem on the Cheshire at several points along the mere edge in the shallows. The water it has a long thin cigarette shaped body, six very long legs, (the / Staffordshire border. These records indicate a widespread here is clear, about 2 feet in depth, with the sandy bottom visible. front two of which it holds out like a praying mantis) and a if uncommon/infrequent distribution across the county. The I noticed what I thought Water Stick Insect© Andy Harmer distinctive beak. It is full Tatton record was the first confirmed breeding in Cheshire. was a Crane Fly struggling grown on emerging from The Staffordshire Ecological Record website shows records on the water surface in the exuvia, with a body length for two 10km squares in the south of the county, both middle of a patch of weed no of 30mm, making it one of recorded between 1995 and 2004. The first modern record more than a metre from the the largest aquatic insects for north east Wales was found just the other side of the edge. On closer inspection it in the UK. Like the Water Cheshire border at Hanmer Mere in August 2005. turned out to be a very long Scorpion (Nepa cinerea) legged insect with a narrow it can emerge from the There is no doubt this is another species moving north. In cylindrical body tangled water to feed. Savage Savage’s guide to UK Aquatic Hemiptera-Heteroptera, published up in its own exuvia ! With makes no mention of prey in 1989, Ranatra linearis is shown as rare in southern and the aid of a stick I managed species, but it has been midland regions and absent north of the Mersey / Trent to draw it to the bank and seen feeding on water line. Huxley’s Provisional atlas of the British aquatic bugs examine it in the hand. Once seen close up it was clearly a newly beetles and is generally assumed to feed on other aquatic (2003) reveals them to be locally common in south east emerged specimen of Ranatra linearis, the Water Stick insect. insects either in or on the water or at the edge of water bodies. England with records as far north as Nottinghamshire. I removed the remaining fragments of its exuvial case, which The first modern Cheshire record was a specimen identified A.A Savage, Key to the adults of British Aquatic Hemiptera were restricting its movement, I took several pictures on my by Jonathan Guest at a pond in Mobberley in 2004, and later -Heteroptera, Freshwater Biological Association, 1989 mobile phone, and released it. Like a dragonfly, it had changed that year a record was received from Bramhall near Stockport. T. Huxley Provisional atlas of the British aquatic colour as its body pumped up until it was an olive green colour The Mobberley site is no more than 5 kilometres from Tatton bugs (Hemiptera-Heteroptera). Huntingdon: instead of the almost translucent white it had begun as. Big Mere. In 2005 records were received from Ollerton, near Biological Records Centre, 2003