February 2015 The Recorder

Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre

Issue 8

Welcome to Surrey Recorders’ Meeting 2015

Welcome to this year’s Surrey Recorders’ Meeting! We’ve got a great Inside this issue: line up of speakers to talk to us today and I hope that some of you will be keen to get involved with their projects.

Last year was incredibly busy for SBIC, with a record 3 Today’s Agenda P2-3 BioBlitzes and 3 Recorders’ Meetings and this year looks set to be & List of equally packed with events. You’ll find some accounts of last year’s Participants meetings in this newsletter as well as articles that have been kindly put together by a number of the County’s recording groups. Hopefully P4 after reading this you’ll be keen to take a look at this year’s Events Wild Flower Diary at the back of the newsletter to see how you can get involved. Training Day 2014

As well as being involved with an increasing number of SBIC Dragonfly P5 events, including training days such as our Wildflower Training Day Report last June, the number of data searches we carried out in 2014 kept us all very busy. Clearly, the need for sound ecological data to inform P6-11 planning decisions and management is as great as ever so a thriving Recorders’ Field recording community is vital. The work of SBIC would not be possible Meetings & without the fantastic work carried out by recorders. BioBlitzes 2014 Surrey’s Fungi P12-13 BioBlitzes form part of our new push to encourage a new generation to become involved with wildlife recording. They are a great way of passing on knowledge and skills and we hope that Riverfly P14 they’re also a very enjoyable day out. If you would like to be involved Monitoring with this year’s BioBlitzes please let us know; survey leaders and assistants are always needed and we’re always very grateful for the Atlas News P15 help - ample supplies of tea and chocolate biscuits are provided!

A big thanks you to everyone who contributed to this year’s Dates for your P16-19 newsletter; I look forward to catching up with you all today. Diary

Catherine Burton Requests P20 (SBIC Project Officer)

Registered Charity no: 208123. Charities Aid Foundation “Give As You Earn” registration no:005805. Limited is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no: 645176. VAT no: 791.3799.78 Wild Flower Training Day 2014 at by Catherine Burton

On a beautiful summer day we arrived at Norbury Park Ranger’s Office to assemble and outline the day’s events. Twelve participants gathered to discuss the days schedule over refreshments whilst Dominic and the Surrey Wildlife Trust helpers introduced themselves. Dominic Price, Director of the Species Recovery Trust, had kindly agreed to run the day for us and with over fifteen years’ experience in the field, as well as working on Plantlife’s Species Recovery Programme, his expertise was very much welcomed. Dominic announced that the day would start with identification of grasses, news which was met with slight trepidation, but always eager to take on a Dominic helping us get to grip with grasses (F. Halstead) challenge we headed off to the top of Norbury Park to begin.

Norbury Park consists of a mixture of After lunch we moved on to wildflowers woodland, grassland and areas of farmland where Dominic helped us to identify many of and due to its large range of habitats has the species that surrounded us such as St been designated a Site of Special Scientific John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), Interest. The reserve’s incredibly important Common Bird’s foot Trefoil (Lotus habitat of chalk grassland was the setting for corniculatus) and Hoary Ragwort (Senecio the day’s training. Dominic started by erucifolius). To reinforce this we were divided introducing us to ten species of grass that into groups to find an area (or ‘quadrat’) at could be relatively easily identified. He dealt random in which we would attempt to identify with their diagnostic features and favoured all of the species present. My group made a habitats before assigning us the task of very fine attempt and I could hear that collecting a sample of each of the grasses groups around us were also having some ourselves. On our return we sat in a circle success. Apart from some rarer species that and one by one we each chose a grass to we hadn’t yet come across and some describe to the rest of the group. This was frustratingly difficult hawkweeds we made an such a fantastic learning approach that when inventory of our patch and moved on to the it came to my turn I was surprised to find that next. After everyone was satisfied that they the diagnostic features we had been taught had identified as much as they could we were easily recalled, even the part about the strolled back to base whilst Dominic ligules (a part that I thought I would never answered questions along the way. really get to grips with!).

Cont.

Page 4 The Surrey Recorder All in all we were a very happy crowd who had learnt a lot and were very pleased to have spent the day in such beautiful surroundings.

Many thanks go to Dominic and the Species Recovery Trust and everyone who helped at Surrey Wildlife Trust. Special thanks must also go to the Wild Flower Society whose generous grant helped make the training day possible.

A fine selection of grasses (F. Halstead)

SBIC Vice County Dragonfly Report by Catherine Burton

The County’s dedicated recorders have been hard at work again this year. The Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire Group alongside the relatively newly-formed Wealden Dragonfly Group have contributed hundreds of records in 2014. Special thanks must go to Surrey Wildlife Trust for hosting the Barossa National Dragonfly Meeting in July where Golden-ringed dragonflies (Cordulegaster boltonii) were a treat on this very hot day.

The highlight of the recording year has undoubtedly been the discovery of the Willow Emerald (Lestes viridis). The recent colonist, previously restricted to Suffolk, Essex and Kent, made its appearance at Nutfield Marsh, East Surrey. The reserve, managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust, was visited by Simon Elson, volunteer ranger for the reserve, David Chelmick and John Luck in early September whereupon they discovered the species and its distinctive ovipositing scars in the trunks of the surrounding trees. A good account of the day can be found on the Wealden Dragonfly Group Blog (http://wealddragonflygroup.weebly.com/blog-2014). The inconspicuous nature of the species as well as its appearance so far from its known distribution indicates that it is undoubtedly under-recorded.

Also of note, are the large numbers of Southern Hawkers (Aeshna cyanea) reported in 2014. Bernard Miller, recorder for Shadbolt Park, & Ewell, observed a large number of Southern Hawker exuviae and a much longer flight period with one seen egg laying in October during the very mild spell.

We would like to thank all of Surrey’s recorders for their efforts in 2014 and hope that 2015 brings a good season for dragon spotting.

Southern Hawker emerging (B. Miller)

Issue 8 Page 5 Albury Downs - pre BioBlitz Meeting - 21st June by Brian Stevens (originally written for Surrey Botanical Society Newsletter, October 2014, No. 25)

Seventeen members and guests assembled on a warm, sunny morning at to be greeted by Catherine Burton from the Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre and Lucy Bryce, Surrey Wildlife Trust ranger for the site. The meeting was a joint effort with Surrey Recorders to record the flora of the chalk downland and woodland, in particular the under- recorded grass species, and to provide records for the SWT Bioblitz to be held the following day.

Newlands Corner is situated on the chalk ridge of the North Downs and comprises approximately 103 hectares of chalk downland and mixed woodland of oak, birch and yew. Situated at a height of over 150 metres it provides fine views to the south across the Weald to the ridge of the South Downs. The area lies within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is managed by SWT.

Passing through the well-used recreational area opposite the Visitor Centre, we emerged onto Albury Downs where the number of grass records for the site soon increased as we located Bromus hordeaceus (Soft Brome), Bromopsis erecta (Upright Brome), Arrhenatherum elatius (False Oat-grass), Phleum bertolonii (Smaller Cat’s-tail), Anisantha sterilis (Barren Brome), Avenula pubescens (Downy Oat-grass), Briza media (Quaking-grass), Poa trivialis (Rough Meadow-grass), Agrostis stolonifera (Creeping Bent), Hordeum murinum (Wall Barley) and Festuca rubra (Red Fescue). A less welcome sight was the invasion of Brachypodium pinnatum (Heath False-brome) which if left uncontrolled would soon begin to dominate, to the detriment of the other grasses. An abundance of Melanargia galathea (Marbled White) butterflies feeding on Centaurea scabiosa (Greater Knapweed) in the taller vegetation provided a pleasant distraction.

Returning to our recording efforts, Blackstonia perfoliata (Yellow-wort) was in full flower on the path edge, followed by Leontodon hispidus (Rough Hawkbit), Galium verum (Lady’s Bedstraw), Linaria vulgaris (Common Toadflax), Arabis hirsuta (Hairy Rock-cress), Stellaria alsine (Bog Stitchwort), Cruciata laevipes (Crosswort), Odontites vernus (Red Bartsia), Reseda lutea (Wild Mignonette) and several specimens of Centaurium pulchellum (Lesser Centaury) displaying their deep pink flowers.

Further into the taller sward a number of Anacamptis pyramidalis (Pyramidal Orchid), including the rare white form, were found together with Melilotus altissimus (Tall Melilot) and several specimens of Hippocrepis comosa (Horseshoe Vetch). Encouraging the spread of the latter plant is one of the management objectives for the site as it is the larval food plant of Polyommatus coridon (Chalkhill Blue) butterfly.

Following lunch in a pleasantly shady spot we once again ventured out into the hot sunshine to continue recording the upper slopes of the Downs where Thymus pulegioides (Large Thyme), Koeleria macrantha (Crested Hair-grass) and Trisetum flavescens (Yellow Oat - grass) were added to the records.

Cont.

Page 6 The Surrey Recorder The woodland edge produced Rubus caesius (Dewberry) together with Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn), Fraxinus excelsior (Ash), Rosa canina. (Dog-rose), Taxus baccata (Yew) and Rhamnus cathartica (Buckthorn) before we entered the welcome shade of the woodland, where Potentilla sterilis (Barren Strawberry), Geum urbanum (Wood Avens), Poa annua (Annual Meadow-grass) and Poa trivialis (Rough Meadow-grass) were recorded.

Tea was kindly provided by Eileen and taken in customary fashion in the shade of a large Oak, some members opting for an ice cream to cool down after a very hot but enjoyable and rewarding day. Thanks to Catherine and Lucy for inviting us to record for the Bioblitz.

Priest Hill - 2nd July 2014 by Eileen Taylor (originally written for Surrey Botanical Society Newsletter, October 2014, No. 25)

This Recorders’ day attracted about 20 botanists and entomologists, most of whom were making their first visit to this newly open Surrey Wildlife Trust reserve.

Over the past two years Priest Hill, near Epsom, has been transformed from abandoned playing fields into a brand new nature reserve. The owners have funded the restoration of the reserve and the building of a new house and maintenance base for a SWT site manager. The ownership of the 85 acre reserve and the house has now been transferred to the SWT.

The old playing fields are now rough grassland dominated by Arrhenatherum elatius (False Oat-Grass) with few chalk grassland species. The main blocks of grassland have been fenced to allow cattle grazing. Each paddock was grazed for four weeks between January and March this year. The introduction of cattle will hopefully improve the grassland habitat by controlling coarse grasses and encouraging a more diverse flora.

We started our exploration of Priest Hill under the guidance of Rachael Thornley, the Assistant Ranger responsible for the site, by looking at the west area of old tennis courts that have been stripped of tarmac down to dazzling white chalk. Here eye catching Papaver rhoeas (Common Poppy) and Daucus carota subsp. carota (Wild Carrot) were noted.

Exploring the chalk plots of Priest Hill (E. Taylor) Cont.

Issue 8 Page 7 We then entered the west grazing paddock where amongst the taxa recorded were Picris hieracioides (Hawkweed Oxtongue), Medicago lupulina (Black Medick) and a few clumps of Carex muricata subsp. pairae (Small-fruited Prickly-sedge). It was now 11 o’clock and although very hot we did see a few Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Copper and Small Skipper butterflies. We then entered the north grazing paddock where a flourishing Fumaria officinalis subsp. wirtgenii (Common Fumitory) was seen by the water trough. It was now lunch time and we were grateful for the shade of a Sorbus aria (Common Whitebeam) from where we had a good view of a crow mobbing a buzzard.

After lunch we followed the main track to the eastern area of the reserve where more bare chalk scrapes have been created from what were more tennis courts and car parks. Here early colonisation included both Fumaria officinalis subsp. wirtgenii (Common Fumitory) and Fumaria densiflora (Dense-flowered Fumitory), a few plants of Trifolium hybridum (Alsike Clover) and some small plants of Anthyllis vulneraria (Kidney Vetch), the latter having originated from seeds brought the previous year from NR. The Rhinanthus angustifolius (Greater Yellow-rattle) present was also brought in from Howell Hill NR in green hay spread on the scrapes, also in the previous year.

Near the Banstead Road boundary we admired a large Tilia tomentosa (Silver Lime), the tallest tree on the reserve and also found two large patches of Geranium rotundifolium (Round-leaved Crane's-bill). The last find was a trackside Carex spicata (Spiked Sedge) before we wended our way back to our cars and welcome tea and cake. We are very grateful to Rachael for showing us round on one of the hottest days of the summer.

Surrey Wildlife Trust BioBlitz - 21st - 22nd June 2014 by Rose Parker

The Surrey Wildlife Trust Bioblitz at Newlands Corner began on Midsummer’s Eve with a Bat walk which heard Pipistrelle and Serotine, Mammal traps being baited and with Moth traps being set out and attended into the small hours.

A bright, early, and warm start saw us collecting up moth traps and mammal traps with early visitors keen to see the results of the overnight trapping revealed. Nine mammal species were seen, although I am pretty sure that the Badger and Roe deer recorded weren’t in any of the traps!

The 5 moth traps provided quite a good haul of moths (along with many other flying insects). One nationally notable/scarce species that was collected was Oncocera semirubella. Visitors were particularly impressed with the many hawk-moths that were drawn to our light traps including Privet, Poplar, Elephant, and Small Elephant Hawk-moths . Once the bulk of the moths were released, it was time to take the remainder into the shade for identification and recording.

Privet Hawk‐moth (M. Wehrle)

Cont.

Issue 8 Page 8 A steady stream of people continued to arrive for botanical, bird, butterfly, and invertebrate walks and photo safaris despite the heat. The Butterflies seemed to like the warm weather- there were 16 species recorded between both sessions The botanical and invertebrate walks were well attended .The woodland and chalk grassland walks added 122 records to the species count and created keen interest in those attending them; whilst the invertebrate walks seemed to capture the imagination of many of the recorders (especially the younger ones). I think that was in part due to descriptions of the fate of parasitized Burnet moth caterpillars and much use of sweep nets. One young recorder mentioned how much she appreciated the help and knowledge of the experts on the day, who helped her to identify her finds. The invertebrate walks netted another 60 species to add to those recorded on the day

The afternoon Meadow botanical walk rounded off the day’s recording, finishing at about 4:30pm and leaving the total number of species recorded at a provisional 402 species with some finds still to be identified.

Although primarily the aim of Bioblitz was to encourage people to record and value wildlife, rather than being a completely comprehensive site survey; it did help to expand our knowledge of the site, generating a number of new records and species across a range of groups.

The various surveys recorded a whole host of species associated with chalk downland, helping to outline the importance of Newlands corner as an important link in the network of chalk grassland sites across Surrey. Thanks Butterfly Walk (M. Wehrle) to all of the recorders who helped to make Newlands Corner Bioblitz such a successful day.

Juniper Hall BioBlitz - 26th - 27th July 2014 by Rose Parker

A warm evening in July found us setting up for Juniper Hall Bioblitz with a Bat survey, Moth trapping and Astronomy kicking the event off. We had gotten off to a good start having found a Tawny Owl in a narrow strip of woodland whilst scouting out locations for the evening’s mothing and it did stay for at least part of the event.

There were good numbers of visitors for all of the evening sessions. Derek Smith from the Surrey Bat Group led the bat walk, just as dusk was falling, where everybody participating had the opportunity to try using a bat detector and the astronomy session also started to get underway. Meanwhile, scattered across the site, moth trappers set out a variety of light traps ready for the night’s trapping, bombarded by Yellow Underwings and Dark Arches drawn by the bright lights.

A warm, dry, morning drew families and seasoned recorders alike ready for the day of recording ahead; it began with the reveal of the results of the previous night’s moth trapping and also that of the mammal trapping. The visitors’ interest was caught by many of the large, colourful, or showy moths caught the night before; including the Leopard Moth, Ruby Tiger,

Issue 8 Page 9 Blood-Vein, Emerald, Ghost Moth, Peach Blossom, Cinnabar and Yellow Underwing amongst many others- 138 moth species were recorded on the day. There were also some species of note including the Pretty Chalk Carpet, Rosy Minor, Oncocera semirubella, Small Phoenix and Latticed Heath. The interactive results session for the previous night’s mammal trapping revealed the presence of Bank Vole.

As the day continued to warm up other activities got underway; with botanical, bird and butterfly walks, pond dipping sessions, Minibeast hunting workshops and Photo Safari. The botanical walks generated a host of records from across the variety of habitats on the site with 62 species being recorded. There were some notable species found such as Green Hound’s Tongue and Wild Cabbage. The warm and dry weather brought butterflies to the gardens and meadow at Juniper hall in time for the very popular morning butterfly walk. Keen recorders set off to find 20 butterfly species that included the Chalk Hill Blue, Dark Green Fritillary, and Silver-washed Fritillary amongst more frequent colourful garden visitors in both the morning and afternoon sessions.

Despite being a large group that contained small children, the bird walk found 14 bird species on the Juniper Tawny Owl Strix aluco (C. Burton) Hall grounds and surrounding woodlands; a highlight of this was a Red Kite seen gliding high over the event.

The minibeast and pond dipping sessions were particularly popular with children and the photo safari captured many species, invertebrates in particular, on camera as they stalked through the meadow and grassland on the site.

The successful family-friendly recording day, enjoyed by all, closed with a final butterfly walk (and in some cases jam and scones) having discovered 436 species on the day with still more to be identified and recorded. One family who visited described their day and sounded as though they thoroughly enjoyed the experience- http://www.3kidsandagluestick.co.uk/ juniper-hall-bioblitz-fun/. Gatwick Mole

(R.

BioBlitz: Bicker)

Kick

Sampling

Juniper Hall BioBlitz: Fun in the Sun

on (R. Parker)

the

River

Issue 8 Page 10 Gatwick Wildlife Recording Day - 29th - 30th August 2014

Taken from Rachel Bicker’s blog at: http://biodiversitygatwick.blogspot.co.uk/

Local residents, volunteers, ecologists and recorders set up a recording on the River Mole floodplain for an evening of bat, mammal, and moth trapping on the Friday. They set up two moth traps and two harp traps, erected to intercept flying bats having detected a Common Pipistrelle and a Myotid on bat detectors.

At 9:30 pm mammal traps were baited in both woodland and grassland areas to target as wide a range of species as possible with bait which included apple, porridge oats, peanut butter and meal worms. Yummy! (Well, maybe not the mealworms.)

The trapping resulted in a good haul of small, furry, creatures that included Bank Voles, Field Voles and Wood Mice which were then weighed, measured and recorded for posterity. Meanwhile, at the moth trap, the light proves tempting to many flying things, including hornets looking for a meal.

Early on the Saturday morning approximately 30 Scruffing Small Mammals for identification keen recorders arrived for a day of surveying, beginning (M. Donoghue) with a bird survey and a check of the mammal and moth traps.

The bird survey found birds of all shapes and sizes from Reed Warblers and buntings to Buzzards, with 35 species recorded.

The terrestrial invertebrates sessions started at 11:30, just as things started to warm up - ideal for butterflies, dragonflies and Hymenoptera! 149 species of invertebrate were recorded on the day including Brown Hairstreak.

The afternoon saw the start of the botanical survey, with both terrestrial and aquatic plants to be found on the site- 105 plants and 9 bryophytes were recorded. The fungi survey found 12 species, which included one that is possibly a new record for Surrey VC-Phialina (Calycellina) ulmariae On to aquatic invertebrates (and vertebrates as it seems) and kick sampling in the River Mole. Areas with differing silt levels were surveyed to maximize the range of species recorded. In addition to a whole host of invertebrates, fish and crustaceans were also recorded using this method, including the American Signal Crayfish and the Stone Loach.

A successful day of surveying brought the total number of species recorded to 215; this has since risen, due to later identification of specimens to 298.

Issue 8 Page 11 Surrey’s Fungi by Brian Spooner, Surrey Fungus Study Group

The enormous diversity of fungi and the essential roles they play in nature are now becoming more fully realised. Fungi are, for example, the prime agents of decay and recycling, they form mycorrhizal associations which are essential for the healthy development of plants worldwide, and occur as endophytes helping to protect plants from herbivores and pathogens. They have many other roles and are indispensable to the ecology and healthy functioning of all ecosystems. But fungi are still not fully appreciated and they remain inadequately known and understudied. In Surrey (VC17), as elsewhere, there is no modern county Mycota (the equivalent of a Flora), and the records of species which occur are scattered and often overlooked or inaccessible.

The Surrey Fungus Study Group (SFSG) was established in January 2012 with the main aim of producing a comprehensive, annotated checklist and bibliography of the fungi of the county. Surrey is amongst the most extensively studied counties for fungi, with many historical records and some comparatively well-recorded sites including, for example, Norbury Park and Bookham Common, both with long recording histories and impressive species lists, as well as, particularly, the Esher/Oxshott SSSI and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. The Esher/Oxshott species list, currently being updated and revised, totals c. 3300 making it the most extensively recorded of any site of comparable size in Britain (and probably elsewhere), and at Kew no fewer than 2800 species have been recorded. An estimated 6000 species have been found in Surrey, but still there is much to discover, and for many species their distribution, habitat needs, host or substrate range and phenology remain little known.

As much recording work in the county is undertaken by other groups, notably the long- established West Weald Fungus Recording Group (WWFRG) and the London Fungus Group (LFG) which was established in 2000, SFSG is primarily engaged in identifying sources of data for fungi in the county and collating the county records, including the lichenised fungi (lichens), plant pathogens and those of medical and veterinary importance. Also included are the slime moulds (Mycetozoa) and the ‘water moulds’ and their allies (Oomycota), organisms which in fact belong to different Kingdoms, Protozoa and Chromista respectively, but which are remarkably fungus-like in character. A database, Surreytrack, has been created for the purpose and now includes over 32000 records. Other digitised records from, for example, the Kew database (Herbtrack) add a further 22000 records and another 25000 or so are available from other sources.

We have established a partnership with the Surrey Biodiversity Information centre (SBIC) and hope soon to have access to the records they hold, including currently undatabased card index and paper records which were held previously at the Biological Records Centre at Leatherhead and will be digitised and made available. Nevertheless, we aim to hold two forays each year, preferably to localities for which there are comparatively few records. Our first foray this year was on 2 January to Reigate Heath, an important SSSI site. This was in company with Susan Medcalf, from the Reigate Area Conservation Volunteers, who lives locally and is concerned with habitat management issues and collation of records for the area. Despite the time of year, the foray was very successful and the species list, though still being finalised, runs to well in excess of 80 species, almost all of which are new records for the site. SFSG is hosted by Kew Mycology and currently has 11 members. It serves as a receptacle for the county’s fungal data and undertakes identifications of Surrey specimens. Cont.

Page 12 The Surrey Recorder

A website, http://www.surreyfungi.com, has been created and is updated quarterly providing further background and other information, seasonal articles and news, including recent finds of particular interest. Notable records from last year included the first vouchered specimen of Taphrina alni, collected by Bill Stanworth at Normandy. This causes conspicuous, tongue-like galls of scales of the female cones of Alnus, and has been spreading in Britain. It was recorded a couple of years earlier from Leatherhead but without voucher material at present. Also of interest was the first British collection on Arctium of the lettuce downy mildew Bremia lactucae, found at Juniper Hall during the ‘bioblitz’ in July. Material of the rare leaf-spot fungus Septoria cymbalariae on Cymbalaria muralis, the first record for the county, was found there on the same day.

Other collections of interest last year included the rare Marasmiellus tricolor, a tiny whitish toadstool on dead grass stems from the Woking area, and the scarce fibre-caps Inocybe flavella from Epsom and I. squamata from Esher – the latter the first British record since 1951. A late-season WWFRG foray at Fairmile Common near Esher on 30 November recorded over 100 species, including Galerina cephalotrica, a rare, pale orange species in moss and grass, previously known elsewhere in Surrey only from Kew, and Delitschia patagonica, a microscopic ‘flask fungus’ collected from rabbit droppings, new to Surrey and only the fourth British record. There are many others, showing how abundant and diverse fungi are and how much there is yet to find even in such a well-studied county.

Taphrina alni, Normandy (Bill Stanworth)

Issue 8 Page 13 Riverfly Monitoring by Glen Skelton

It always seems a special moment to me when after walking through fields, woodlands or even a town there suddenly appears the most dynamic part of our landscape, The River. Ever since I was young I have been fascinated by rivers and was lucky enough to live on the river Ise in Northamptonshire which I regularly fished for Perch and Pike with my friends. Now quite a few years on I get to indulge my watery passion by coordinating a project for Surrey Wildlife Trust called RiverSearch which trains volunteers to monitor the health of Surrey’s rivers and the wildlife that lives on them.

When volunteers join the project they receive training in basic river survey skills and NNIS identification before being assigned to their own stretch of river which they map and photograph highlighting any issues. After this initial mapping survey volunteers return to the river once a season to look for any new issues as well as record any wildlife they come across. Using this data we are creating a detailed picture of our 2 main river catchments, the Mole and the Wey, and the issues those rivers currently face. This data is actively being used to inform restoration projects across both catchments.

River fl y

Surveying

(G.

Skelton)

Last year we began training our RiverSearch volunteers in kick sampling using a methodology designed by the Natural History Museum known as Riverfly. This method was originally designed to allow anglers to carry out regular monitoring of their local fishing spot however we are using it with our RiverSearch volunteers. Riverfly involves looking for 8 target aquatic invertebrate species from mayfly through to the freshwater shrimp. By looking at the species present we are able to get an idea of how clean the water is at that particular point and already volunteers have successfully used the method to pick up a polluting outfall on the Mole catchment. 2015 will see many more training sessions for volunteers as we build a network of Riverfly monitoring points across both the catchments where groups of volunteers will share the monitoring at set points to pick up pollution incidents early.

Page 14 The Surrey Recorder Atlas News by Jeremy Early

Supposedly all things come to those who wait, and that’s certainly the case with Soldierflies and their allies & conopid flies of Surrey, the 15th in the Surrey Wildlife Trust atlas series. There is plenty of work still to be done but all being well, publication will be in the autumn.

The atlas was first mooted by Roger Morris after the publication of Hoverflies of Surrey (1998), and he produced a draft text in 2000, but for various reasons the book has only now come to fruition. David Baldock has acted as collator of records for over a decade and the tally has increased markedly. However, with 8,000 or so records for the soldierflies and their allies and 1,350 for the conopids, there was much less data to go on in the atlas than for, say, Bees of Surrey and Wasps of Surrey, which each had 45,000 records included. In truth, Diptera (hoverflies excepted) have never been so well recorded as aculeate Hymenoptera but quality is just as important as quantity.

Apart from anything else, these families are not numerous, and while the title is hardly snappy, it covers all the 121 species in the atlas, which come from 12 families. Eleven of these are in what used to be called uniformly the Larger Brachycera; in additon to soldierflies, they include bee- flies, horseflies, robberflies, snipeflies and stiletto-flies. The variety of these in appearance and life cycle is remarkable. Some are big, some are minute; some are skinny, some are dumpy; some are brightly coloured, some are drab; some are parasitoids, some are hunters as adults (robberflies) and some take blood as adults Chloromyia formosa (J. Early) (horseflies).

Some of the species require wetlands, some require woodland, some require calcareous grassland and some require heathland. As Surrey has all of these habitats, it is no surprise that the county boasts a reasonable proportion of the national total, albeit lower than for the hoverflies – a good number of the British list are in the west or north or need habitats associated with coastal areas.

The conopids are equally diverse in appearance, but they are all parasitoids of aculeates. With this profile, it is not surprising that Surrey, so rich in bee and wasp fauna, has records of almost all the species on the national list, 20 out of 23. The 121 species in the atlas include 22 listed in the Red Data Book and 30 listed as Nationally Scarce. Sadly not all of these have been recorded in the survey period, 1990-2014; indeed, some are presumed extinct. Also, the designations are due to be revised, but whatever happens there the figures will still confirm that these flies are fully deserving of close attention in Surrey. Thirty-two plates containing first- rate images taken by 11 photographers and showing more than 80 species should assist non- specialists with identification in the field. On which point, it is not too late for anyone to send in confirmed records that we do not already have. David Baldock will be delighted to receive them on [email protected], and please copy me in on [email protected].

Issue 8 Page 15 Dates for your Diary 2015 — SBIC Recorders’ Field Meetings

 Saturday 13th June Recorders’ Field Meeting Hampton Estate, nr Seale (SU904461) This traditionally managed agricultural estate is located within the Surrey Hills AONB and comprises a variety of habitats, covering the chalk of the Hog’s Back, sandy fields between Seale and The Sands and down to the River Wey in the South. This is a great opportunity to explore this private estate where there is ordinarily very little public access.

Meet at Myrtles Courtyard for a 10:00am start. Myrtles Courtyard is reached via either Littlewood Road or Suffield Lane by the Tarn Lake at Cutmill. Further details and a map can be found at: http://www.hamptonestate.co.uk/?page_id=27. Use GU10 1JH for Sat-Navs.

 Saturday 27th June Recorders’ Field Meeting Chertsey Meads (TQ05486620) Join us for this pre-BioBlitz survey at Chertsey Meads. This 71 hectare site lies between the River Thames and River Bourne and provides a diverse range of habitats. With over 400 plant species and 108 bird species recorded to date this should be a really interesting day. The survey will provide an invaluable baseline of data for the following day’s BioBlitz. (see p.17) Meet at the car park at the entrance of the Meads from Mead Lane at 10:15 for a 10:30 start.

 Saturday 27th - Sunday 28th June Surrey Wildlife Trust BioBlitz Chertsey Meads (TQ05486620) A family friendly BioBlitz event. See page 17 for more information and check website (http:// www.surreywildlifetrust.org/) for updates. Some surveys may require booking. Food and drink available.

 Saturday 11th July Recorders’ Field Meeting Clandon Wood Natural Burial Ground (TQ04845121) This natural burial reserve of 31 acres consists of native wildflower meadows and new woodland, lake and wetland surrounded by hundreds of yards of hedgerows. Meet in car park off A246 (Epsom Road) at 10:15 for a 10:30 start. For Sat-Navs use GU4 7FN

Please contact Catherine Burton at Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre if you would like to attend any of these events: Telephone No: 01483 795 488, email: [email protected] Please note that events are subject to change and can be affected by bad weather so please check before attending.

Page 16 The Surrey Recorder Dates for your Diary 2015—External Events

 Thursday 7th - 8th May Gatwick Wildlife Day 2015 The day will be run by Gatwick Greenspace Partnership and Sussex Wildlife Trust and will involve local naturalists, ecologists and airport staff surveying the wildlife around the airport to discover as many species as possible. Last year was a great success with many exciting discoveries including Harvest Mouse nests, a stunning Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Brown Hairstreak Butterfly and invasive crayfish. Thursday May 7th evening setting up around 7.30pm: Moth trapping, Bat trapping and small mammals Longworth trapping Friday May 8th daytime 9am-4pm: Small mammals, moth trap emptying, reptile surveys, birds, dragonflies, butterflies, bees etc. Meeting point: The Farmhouse Cranbrook Nursery, Horley Road RH6 0BJ

 Saturday 25th July British Dragonfly Society National Field Meeting Thursley & Elstead More details will be available nearer the time (contact: [email protected])

Bioblitz 2015

Surrey Wildlife Trust Bioblitz 24 hours of Wildlife Recording Bringing natural history to a wider audience.

Join SBIC at this year’s Bioblitz Event on 27th & 28th June at Chertsey Meads We need your help with running surveys, leading walks, engaging with the public and much more. Or simply come along and join in!

If you think you can help or would like to bring a display for your Recording Group please let us know.

Information on surveys, including bookable events, will be available nearer the time so check websites for updates or email us for more information

Issue 8 Page 17 Birding in Surrey

Here are full details for the next two field trips being run by the Surrey Bird Club. You do not need to be a member to attend these events.

 Sunday 15th February 2015 Farlington Marshes Situated East of Portsmouth. Meet just in the entrance of the car park (Grid Ref SU685045). A track leads off the roundabout on the south side between the A27 (east) and the A2030 (south) exits and runs east parallel to the A27 towards Farlington Marshes. Meet at 10am. All day. Leader Kevin Duncan

 Sunday 15th March 2015 Holmethorpe Sandpits Situated South of Merstham. Park at Mercers Country Park off Nutfield Marsh Road (Grid Ref TQ299517). It is well sign-posted from Redhill, and the surrounding area - simply follow the brown signs with a picture of a dinghy, stating Country Park. Meet at 9:45am. Morning only. Leader Kevin Duncan. NOTE: CAR PARK DOES NOT OPEN UNTIL 9:30am

The next two events are taking place on and at :  Sunday 26th April 2015 Thursley Common  Sunday 3rd May 2015 Bookham Common 'Dawn Chorus'

Please visit the bird club website nearer the time for more information on these two (and on subsequent events) http://www.surreybirdclub.org.uk/events.html

The bird club will have a stand at the next SWT Bioblitz. It will be a joint stand with the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) who organise bird surveys and have a regional representative in each county. The Representative for Surrey is Penny Williams who can be contacted at [email protected] or on 01276 857736

If you would like to help with surveys there are two which take place every year. The first is the Breeding Bird survey where you visit a 1 km square between April and June on two occasions and record all the bird species you see and hear. Therefore you do need to know the common birds by sound in order to take part in this survey.

The Wetland Bird survey takes place one Sunday a month with the main survey period being September to March. To participate you only need to be able to recognise waterbirds (gulls and terns are optional).

In 2015 the House Martin survey is taking place. It involves visiting 1 km squares once in May in order to look for previous signs of nesting house martins and then visiting the square again twice between 1 June and 19 July (a minimum of two weeks gap between the two visits). The list of squares is just being finalised but contact Penny Williams if you can help.

Page 18 The Surrey Recorder

SURREY BTO EVENT

A chance for enthusiastic birdwatchers to meet like-minded people

th Saturday 7 March 2015

East Horsley Village Hall KT24 6QT

Program me

1 30 pm Doors open Tea and coffee available

2.00 Welcome Penny Williams (Surrey BTO Regional Rep)

2.05 Summary of BTO surveys in Surrey in 2015 Penny Williams

2.15 Birdtrack Nick Moran (BTO)

3.00 Open forum to discuss recording (including Nick Moran whether you want any local surveys organised) Penny Williams

3.15 Tea and Coffee with home made cakes Your opportunity to meet members and volunteers

4.00 Urban Peregrines Ed Drewitt (Author of Urban Peregrines) 4.45 Close

This is an opportunity for BTO members and volunteers, birdwatchers and other wildlife enthusiasts to meet like-minded people. You do not have to be a member of the BTO nor indeed have carried out any survey for the BTO as everyone is welcome. Everyone attending will be entered in a free draw with the prize being a copy of Birds of Surrey by Jeff Wheatley published by the Surrey Bird Club. The entry fee is only £5.00 per person attending (£1.00 for anyone under 18). As well as the free entry in the prize draw and free refreshments, you will get the chance to meet other volunteers and find out how you can learn more and how you can help the BTO. The village hall has a car park and is close to Horsley railway station.

The booking form is available at: http://www.surreybtorep.co.uk/html/meet_me___training.html (click on Booking form) or, if you do not have access to the internet, please ring me on 01276 857736.

Issue 8 Page 19 Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre

c/o Surrey Wildlife Trust, School Lane, Pirbright, Woking, SBIC exists to collect, manage and Surrey disseminate information on the flora, fauna and habitats of Surrey Alistair Kirk (SBIC Manager) and in doing so the Centre seeks to Phone: 01483 795 448 hold as comprehensive a record of Fax: 01483 486 505 the wildlife of the Surrey as E-mail: [email protected] possible. Catherine Burton (SBIC Project Officer) Phone: 01483 795 488 Fax: 01483 486 505 The Centre holds as its core belief E-mail: [email protected] that informed decision making and a better understanding of the Rose Parker (SBIC Data Officer) landscape of Surrey can only be Phone: 01483 795 485 achieved through access to relevant Fax: 01483 486 505 information on the distribution and E-mail: [email protected] abundance of species and habitats across the County. BioBlitz Marbled

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Requests

If you would like to contribute any articles or photographs for our next newsletter we would love to hear from you . As SBIC continues to grow we would really like to increase the frequency of our newsletter so we can keep you updated on all the events taking place across the County. If you would like to contribute on behalf of your Recording Group or as an individual recorder please let us know.

Please keep all of your dragonfly records coming in as they are still very useful even though the submission for the British Dragonfly Society atlas has passed. In addition, your records of Invasive Non-native species are more important than ever as they will allow us to measure the scale of the problem and help conservation bodies draw up a strategy to begin to tackle the worst areas.

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