Wildlife Trust Ecology Groups

Winter 2015 Newsletter

Introduction Records Centre, from where it will of our iconic species, the Adonis As the year is drawing to a close it’s be uploaded to out new ‘Recorder 6’ blue. Selwyn Denis who has time to take a look back at what the database and used to monitoring monitored for Smile Ecology Group got up changing habitats. many years said it was possibly the

to in 2015, and look forward to our worst year for this species that he plans for 2016. To all those of you has known. Butterflies respond who have been involved in surveys, quickly to weather conditions, and collecting the data we need to fingers crossed after a poor season assess our management and the they will bounce back next year. On success of the Living Landscape the up side though Rob Pennigton project, I’d like to say a huge thank did find an Adonis blue on the you, the trust both values and relies Burham transect, and they have on your support. On a personal level Don, Rob, Heather and Alfred identifying been spotted as far afield as I’d like to say a huge thank you for chalk grassland plants at Hollingborne and Harrietsham. the warm welcome I’ve received in There were some particularly special Butterfly transects my new role of Biodiversity sightings during the season including Butterfly monitoring continued at Information Officer. I’ve met lots of purple emperor and continental , Wouldham Common, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and swallowtail. Bluebell Hill, , and dedicated people, and it’s you guys Queendown Warren, and two new that help make this job so exciting. WildWalks transects were set up at the I’m really looking forward to working On what was probably one of the Queendown extension and the with you all next year, and hope to hottest days of the year a small Larches, designed to monitor meet many more Ecology Group group of us set out to trial a established, restoration and newly volunteers in 2016. Paul ‘WildWalk’ route. Designed to help created chalk grassland. members of the public and What we did in 2015 volunteers increase the value of Botanical surveys their wildlife sightings, WildWalks The Medway Smile botanical season details routes and species to target, in numbers: 20 volunteers identified outside of reserves and protected 175 plant species in 120 quadrats areas in the wider countryside. We over 12 reserves, generating in the found a nice selection of chalk region of 3500 records – a stunning grassland plants including yellow achievement, well done and a huge wort and black medic, holly blue thank you to all involved. The field Purple Emperor Apatura iris, Bluebell Hill butterflies, and birds including 2015 (Photo: R Pennigton). These butterflies treecreeper and bullfinch , all data is currently being input by Tony are sometimes attracted to car tyres to forage Witts at and Medway Biological for salt picked up from grit spread on our valuable records. To find out more roads. and get involved see Unfortunately 2015 seems to have http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk been an especially poor year for one /wildlife/ecology-groups/wildwalks .

Shield bugs yellowhammer, but Kent Wildlife species richness and diversity

Trust are working on that, advising indices, ground beetles allow us to farmers on conservation in the use species status categories, rarity Medway Smile. scores, Species Quality Indices, and habitat affinity to assess how our What’s all this fuss about management is working. ground beetles?! You may have heard me mention Ecology Groups Field ground beetles once or twice this Season 2016 year...! They are an excellent tool to In 2016 the following Ecology Group Rambur's Pied Shieldbug (late instar) on black monitor habitat quality and monitoring projects will be horehound (Photo: D Watson) management, in pretty much most happening in the Medway Smile: Jonathan Barnard kindly led a guided of the most of the habitat types we walk focusing on shield bugs at manage in Kent. Chalk grassland botanical Darland Banks in July. The surveys participants were fortunate with the June (possibly also late May and weather which was warm and sunny early July) Tuesdays and Thursdays for the duration of the walk. They 10am-4pm. found several dozen shieldbugs of Great for anyone with no prior six species including a large number knowledge of plants as well as those of Rambur's Pied Shieldbug with botanical skills; anyone can Tritomegas sexmaculatus . This turn up to a botanical fieldwork day, species first colonised the UK in help, and go away having both 2011 when it was discovered at two Smooth ground beetle Carabus glabratus contributed and learnt something. A sites in Kent. Most of those found on (Photo: P Tinsley-Marshall) great way to learn about the the day were on black horehound There are around 364 species in diversity of chalk grassland plants. but several early nymphs were also Britain (a not un-manageable We may also be conducting further found on white deadnettle, which number when considered in the fieldwork to support a project to re- were too small to have transferred context of the diversity of British introduce the threatened plant from horehound. These are believed birds) and diverse enough to give dwarf milkwort, and of course to be the first British record of this fine discrimination between good, counting our beautiful orchids – species using a host plant other than mediocre and poor quality habitat. watch this space. black horehound. They are found in almost all habitat Bat walk types, and there are numerous A guided bat walk led by Alison Riggs characteristic species, including was enjoyed by all who attended, good ‘habitat indicators’ in most. and plenty of common and soprano There is a modern national pipistrelles and Daubenton’s bats distribution atlas, and well-defined were seen and heard along the River conservation status and rarity Medway. categories, and a rich identification, Common spotted orchid at Peter’s Pit (Photo: ecological and behavioural P Tinsley-Marshall) Farmland bird walk literature. Ground beetles are very The weather wasn’t so kind to those easily sampled using standardised Ground beetles of us who turned out in the rain at methodologies – perfect for April – May & Aug – Sep (dates TBA, Nashenden for a winter bird walk. assessing trends. Almost all species 10am-4pm)

We did manage to spot a few can ultimately be identified alive, in A new ‘Wildlife Study Day’ ‘Ground farmland birds and some others the field, with no more than a hand beetle ID and ecology for beginners’ despite the awful conditions, lens (many can be recognised with will be on 16th April, followed by including skylark, linnet, meadow the naked eye), and they are an approx. 8 field sessions in April/May pipit, goldfinch, green woodpecker, ideal place to begin studying and Aug/Sep sampling ground redwing, and Britain’s smallest bird, entomology, which goes beyond the beetles and, with follow up ‘lab’ the goldcrest - not surprising given ‘compare-with-pictures’ approach of sessions with hand lenses and the huge influx into the UK in most guides to butterflies, moths microscopes attempting to ID them. October. There was no sign of any and dragonflies. In addition to Even if you don’t come on the study corn bunting, grey partridge or assessing presence, abundance, day you can help out with setting

traps and sampling beetles, and volunteering, well worth checking 1976, aims to collate information come along to ID sessions. out. about their ecology and distribution. All this makes hoverflies an excellent Butterflies Future plans tool for assessing habitat quality and April – Sept (26 weeks, walking a Looking ahead to future plans, I very management, and they are transect once a week). A significant much hope that we will soon be able especially useful in woodland, carr commitment, some butterfly ID to offer a Wildlife Study Day and wet woodland, as well as wet knowledge required, though there focusing on hoverflies, to support heaths and bogs, fens and marshes, are possible opportunities to pair up future Ecology Groups projects. wet grassland and calcareous with existing surveyors to begin grassland. learning ID and try it out, to start a Hoverflies new transect or share one with Hoverflies are probably the most someone else if you’re reasonably attractive and accessible group of confident with ID. flies. They are sensitive indicators of ecological conditions and are short Breeding bird surveys lived and fast breeding. This means Final details to be determined, they show rapid responses to (March) April – June (July) (between changes in management and their 3-10 early morning sessions of environment, and these responses approx. 2-3 hrs). can be detected and interpreted. Volucella zonaria, The Larches (Photo: P Tinsley-Marshall) Experience of identifying birds by There is an excellent Facebook sight and sound is essential, but if group for the hoverflies, you don’t yet feel confident check administered by Roger Morris, who out the NEW Wildlife Study Day Bird has authored several hoverfly ID survey techniques, songs and calls, guides and runs the UK hoverfly Get more from your bird watching, recording scheme. It is often and others in the 2016 programme. possible to accurately identify hoverflies from photographs, and Wildlife Study Days The Wildlife Study Day programme Volucella inanis (a wasp mimic), distinguished this group is used in this was as part 2016 is almost ready to go to press from the very similar V. zonaria (a hornet of the recording scheme. To check it mimic, see photo in next column) by the dull and will be out in the new year, out search ‘UK Hoverflies’ on yellow (rather than chestnut) scutellum (the available from egg shaped bit in the middle), and the extent Facebook. http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk of yellow on the underside – not visible in this /discover-learn/wildlife-study-days photo. I think there is enough to be fairly Ecology

Two NEW study days are in the confident in this ID, but I could be (and am Groups on Facebook programme, designed specifically to often!) wrong. (Photo: H Furse). Don’t forget we are on Facebook, a support Ecology Groups projects: There is a wide range of functional great way to keep in touch, share Ground beetle identification and diversity in their larvae, reflecting photos and identification tips, ecology for beginners search ‘Kent Wildlife Trust Ecology 16th April, 10am-4pm, the habitat niches they utilise – Groups’ and check out our Breeding bird survey methods, some are aphidophageous (feed on webpages at songs and calls for beginners aphids), some feed in ants nests or http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk 11th June, 10am-4pm, Bough in social bee and wasp nests, and /wildlife/ecology-groups Visitor Centre some are herbivorous, saprophageous (feeding at sap runs, Want to get involved? rotting wood, rot holes, under bark For any queries or for further details and other wet situations). about Ecology Group activities, or to Monitoring the community of let us know about wildlife you have hoverflies tells important seen please contact: information about the range of niches we are maintaining for these Paul Tinsley-Marshall and other species. Modern digital Biodiversity Information Officer E: [email protected] Sedge warbler (Photo: P Tinsley-Marshall) cameras allow identification from W: http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk There are also a range of other study photos, and they are easy to find as Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling days that will help you learn the adults feeding at flowers. A National Lane, , Kent, ME14 3BD. Registered Charity No: 239992 skills to increase the value of your Recording Scheme, launched in