BRISC Committee members Issue No 109 - Sept 2018 COPY DEADLINE ISSN 0966-1964 FOR ISSUE 110 Chris McInerny, Chair DECEMBER 15TH Email: [email protected] www.brisc.org.uk www.facebook.com/BriscScotland

Articles are welcomed but also Louisa Maddison, Secretary Scottish Charity No. SC024418 snippets of interesting record- Email: [email protected] ing news and details of events. Anyone who has received a Jonathan Willet, Treasurer new and relevant book please Email: [email protected] consider writing a review for Recorder News us. Andy Wakelin, Membership & Web manager CONTENTS from the south who wish to see the Please send articles in Word or Email: [email protected] Recording a Butterfly with butterfly. Open Office format. Photos Conservation in mind…………………….p.1 are welcomed, best as jpeg Sarah Eno, Editor Chair & Editor’s columns……………………..p.4 However, despite this apparently satis- and less than 800kb in size. Email: [email protected] When Wildlife finds you……………………….p.5 factory situation, the Northern Brown Please do not embed them in Where’s Wildlife in Ayrshire?……………….p.6 Argus is in trouble and as well being a your text - its quite hard to Christine Johnston, Scottish NBN BRSC Conference details…………..………..p.8 UK BAP priority species it is on the extract them! Liaison Officer BRISC Bursary report……………………….p.10 Scottish Biodiversity List and has been Email: [email protected] SBIF Update………………….………………..p.11 a conservation priority for Butterfly Please send by email to the NBN News.……………………………………..p.11 Conservation for at least the past editor. Graeme Wilson Events and bits……………….…….…………p.15 twenty years. The reason? It is in Email: BRISC Committee…………………….………p.16 decline mainly through habitat loss. [email protected] The caterpillars are reliant on Common Rock-rose Richard Weddle as their sole food-plant and this Email: [email protected] Conservation in mind

Kelly Anne Dempsey Barry Prater Email: [email protected] If you look at the overall distribution in Sarah Jayne Forster the UK of the Northern Brown Argus [email protected] you’ll see that, although the butterfly occurs in some Francesca Pandolfi parts of northern England, it is prima- [email protected] rily a Scottish species. Dig down further into the detail and it becomes clear that the Scottish Borders is a stronghold with many known sites both along the The honeybee swarm on the gable soffit coast and scattered inland and every July 2018 Northern Brown Argus in its full beauty year there is a small influx of people

BRISC Recorder News No 109 16 along with other indicators of species- will be active, the brilliant white eggs EVENTS rich grassland. These habitats are are laid on the upper surface of the Butterfly Conservation Trust 10th anniversary and Members Day vulnerable to over-grazing (especially Rock-rose leaves and despite their tiny th by sheep), enrichment prior to cultiva- size they are very conspicuous. So it is Saturday October 6 , Conference Centre, Battleby tion, scrubbing over from neglect and possible to confirm the presence of the Details: www.butterfly-conservation.org tree planting. butterfly and that it is breeding even in poor weather. Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) Indeed some sites Scottish Members Conference are known only Saturday 3rd November, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh from the Details: www.bsbi.org/scotland recording of the eggs. Forth Naturalist & Historian Annual Conference: The Ochils - A Special Place The list of target Saturday November 10th. Stirling University sites is long – over Details: www.fnh.stir.ac.uk/ 150 – but during June to August TWIC (Wildlife Information Centre) this year around 20 local volun- Autumn Conference Saturday November 10th at Melrose Corn Exchange teers have visited Details: to follow www.wildlifeinformation.co.uk/recording_conferences.php more than 50 sites and reports are now coming in. NBN Conference - The NBN in a Changing Climate So, as a start to addressing these Although the data have not been details see page 14 issues, Butterfly Conservation has collated so no conclusions can be Inner Forth Landscape Initiative embarked on a survey across the drawn at this stage, some interesting Still have several events between now and end of the year Borders which has the initial aim of information is emerging. For example www.innerforthlandscape.co.uk/ assessing the status of currently the size of colonies is extremely vari- known colonies – is the butterfly still able both in areal extent and apparent there, how large is the colony, who population. One extensive Peeblesshire OTHER ITEMS owns the site, how is it currently site had a count of over 100 adults, managed, are there any known while a Berwickshire colony with just a BCT Identify a Butterfly - online tool threats, etc? handful of Rock-rose plants squeezed into a tiny area on a woodland edge www.butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/identify-a-butterfly Every year some of the better-known still revealed over 10 eggs although no sites are visited to check on how the adult butterflies were recorded. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew - State of the World’s Fungi butterfly is faring but there are many A report and a fascinating website with wonderful photographs which have not been looked at Several sites appear to be threatened www.kew.org/state-of-the-worlds-fungi recently. by either gorse or bracken invasion to the detriment of the Rock-rose. Where While surveys are ideally carried out in remedies to this or other problems are weather conditions when the adults clear and practicable then contact has

BRISC Recorder News No 109 2 BRISC Recorder News No 109 15 We have had some species experts who NBN Trust AGM already been made with the land have volunteered themselves to review the manager to encourage changes to be The NBN Trust AGM will be held on lists of their species groups against these put in place. new criteria for which we are very grateful. Wednesday 21 November 2018, in Nottingham as part of the NBN Annual However, we still need more! To find out What happens next? The survey needs which species groups we still need to Conference. The main items for voting to continue at least through 2019, review, please visit: include: which will hopefully allow the bulk of nbn.org.uk/news/experts-needed-for- ▪ Confirmation of the NBN Trust the remaining sites to be visited. In species-groups/ Accountants addition, some work will be done to ▪ Voting on NBN Board of Trustees discover new sites – based on members continuity of service exploring areas where Rock-rose has ▪ Special Resolution – amendment to been recorded. This has already NBN Stakeholder Group – opportunity the Articles of Association. to get involved happened to a limited extent in 2018, with some successes. As the survey A good bank of flowering Rock-rose Do you want to play an active part in the All members of the National Biodiversity gets completed a dossier of sites will running of the NBN Trust? Are you able to Network are eligible to vote except for be prepared and this will be promoted use your individual experience to think Corporate Members and NBN Trustees. through agencies such as the planning strategically? authority and forestry organisations so So the future has opportunities for For more information on how to vote, visit: that the information can guide future If so, we still have some places left if you nbn.org.uk/news/nbn-trust-agm/ more people to contribute to the would like to join our new NBN Stakeholder developments and avoid the destruc- survey work with the prospect of Group. nbn.org.uk/news/nbn-stakeholder- tion of or damage to Northern Brown making a real difference for this impor- group-places-left/ Argus colonies. tant species. For many of us this is UK Awards for Biological Recording the butterfly of the Scottish Borders. If you have already expressed interest in and Information Sharing 2018 the Group we will be in touch with you again in the next couple of months. The nominations have now closed and the Award ceremony will take place on [email protected] NBN Conference 2018 – places are Wednesday 21 November in Nottingham. filling up! Each of the six Award winners: Gilbert Editor’s additional note: This year’s conference is taking place on White Adult, Gilbert White Youth, David Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 November Robertson Adult, David Robertson Youth, The Scottish Borders has a very energetic at the Albert Hall in Nottingham. The Lynne Farrell Group and Adult Newcomer, and friendly Lepidoptera recording group, theme is: “The NBN in a Changing Climate”. will receive their prizes that day. always happy to share their knowledge. There are excursions, and events as well as Bookings are still open and you can find We are indebted to our sponsors, Opticron, conservation projects as described above. more information about the speakers and Paramo, the Field Studies Council (FSC), We are also trying to keep the long running the new Network Knowledge Exchange Nature Photographers Ltd, NHBS and Butterfly Transect on Murder Moss going sessions on the NBN website: British Wildlife Publishing. with volunteers. More are always welcome. nbn.org.uk/news-events-publications/nbn- conference-2/nbn-conference-2018/ Contact us through Barry above, the editor or Conspicuous egg of Northern Brown Argus www.butterfly-conservation.org

BRISC Recorder News No 109 14 BRISC Recorder News No 109 3 Chairman’s SBIF update at September 2018 Column Christine Johnston Sarah Eno Chris McInerny The SBIF Review Working Group has I apologise for the been continuing with preparation of its What an extraordi- lack of varied paper on recommendations and a material in this narily settled and hot detailed business case for the biological issue.The summer NBN Update (even very hot!) period we experienced recording infrastructure in Scotland. has whizzed by and despite best intentions September 2018 during the spring and summer this year I have not managed to chase up The work is nearing completion and in Scotland. It will be fascinating to see contributions. However, I am very over the last few months the SBIF NBN Atlas Scotland Stakeholder how this continental-like weather will appreciative of articles people have Advisory Group has provided comment Engagement Day influence the life cycles of plants, submitted, sometimes at the last minute. on the emerging sections. It is , birds, reptiles and other expected that the final document will A successful stakeholder engagement day One of BRISC’s successful activities is the that we all observe and record. be published before the end of 2018. was held for the NBN Atlas Scotland on 21 awarding of small bursaries to assist June at the Battleby Conference Centre, learning and development in natural history The 2018 BRISC annual conference is After publication work will continue on near Perth. Twenty-three stakeholders recording. These only happen due to the at the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow from across Scotland attended to share generosity of the donors - the Glasgow communicating the recommendations their views on the future development and on the 13 October. It will focus on Natural History Society (GNHS), Scottish and other outputs of the Review to key uses of the NBN Atlas Scotland. “Recording Urban Wildlife”, and we Natural Heritage (SNH), the Malloch Society stakeholders through talks and articles, have a number of excellent speakers, and not least, an anonymous donor. and invitations to contribute to relevant As well as listening to three interesting including presentations by Cath Scott events and newsletters are welcome. speakers, everyone worked together to This year nine bursaries were awarded and (Glasgow’s grassland water voles), Development work will also focus on create and prioritise a wish-list of around the first two reports can be read starting on Scott Ferguson (Seven Lochs Volun- planning for the next stages which will 40 development suggestions. The process pages 10 - 12. teers) Suzanne Burgess (Glasgow’s include looking at funding options and prompted much discussion, which was Buzzing) and Fiona Weir (Connecting I managed some botanical tetrad surveys identifying priorities and opportunities extremely useful. The suggestions will communities to nature). We have a slot for the BSBI Atlas and also couple of for potential early adoption of our now be taken to the NBN development for short talks by students who have potential Local Biodiversity Sites as well as recommendations. team and the NBN Atlas and NBN Atlas received bursaries to attend BRISC surveying the Northern Brown Argus areas, Scotland steering groups to discuss, prioritise and identify the next steps in sponsored courses. These are always a on some of the hottest days. My garden Details of the Review and all highlight taking them forward. highlight. wildlife has been very visible. Excited reports and approved papers are shared buzzing at the east end of our house turned publicly on the Scotland pages of the NBN nbn.org.uk/news/nbn-atlas-scotland- stakeholder-engagement-day-review/ Please take a look at the full out to be a swarm which much website: to our delight squeezed into the soffit programme and the booking and travel nbn.org.uk/about-us/where-we-are/in- Experts needed for species groups! space. They joined two other information on pages 8-9. There will scotland/the-SBIF-review/ colonies already in this gable end - a Tree be a short Annual General Meeting We are pleased to have published the new Bumble Bee nest t at the bottom and at the Follow @sb_info_forum on Twitter for followed by an afternoon of choice sensitive species policy for the NBN Atlas. top was a wasp nest. informal news on #SBIFReview and sign up This was written in conjunction with many activities in Kelvingrove Park. for the NBN’s monthly Network News for Network members who have helped to BRISC CONFERENCE RAFFLE updates at: shape and solidify the NBN’s position on We very much look forward to We would much appreciate any gifts nbn.org.uk/news-events- the display of sensitive species, and the welcoming you to Glasgow. for the Raffle to held at the criteria that define them. conference. publications/latest-stories-from-our- network/enews-sign-up/

BRISC Recorder News No 109 4 BRISC Recorder News No 109 13 Bugs’ at FSC Malham Tarn Field Centre, learned that it is okay to make When Wildlife Finds You led by Sharon and Peter Flint. mistakes and that not always being Andy Wakelin Though aquatic hemiptera are just one There I was in July happily watching group of freshwater invertebrates, they large red damselfly and common darter are incredibly diverse. Where before I when a fritillary flew past. “Dark had thought there was simply a lesser green”, I thought, but after taking a water boatman and a greater water few photos, the underwing pattern boatman and that was that, I was showed it was a High brown ( amazed to discover that there are, in )! fact, several species of both which all look almost identical until examined Where was I? Kiroughtree forest near under a microscope! Over the two Newton Stewart and about 75 miles days I absorbed a plethora of anatom- from the nearest known colony in in centre and ‘normal’ ant ical terminology which had looked like Cumbria. How did it get there? Acci- above a different language to me before; and dental transport, bred and released or just flew – take your pick. Hopefully, Sadly, they are a declining species in there will be further sightings there in the UK, so may not be around for much able to get down to species level is the next few years. longer, however they can be found in perfectly acceptable. Every record Europe, the Near East and North Africa. counts, even if it’s just recording ‘water Six weeks later I was walking in Glen boatman’ or ‘dragonfly’! Esk by Loch Lee and as I sat down to So the moral of the story is keep your tie my boot lace I saw what looked like eyes open and you you might be Throughout the rest of my traineeship, a beetle struggle through the grass in amazed by the wildlife that finds you. and hopefully in my future roles, I will front of me. I grabbed some photos continue to encourage schools and and checked the ID when I got home For more information see community groups to get involved in and it looked like a large velvet ant scotlandsnature.blog/2017/05/04/meet- the-secretive-large-velvet-ant/ biological recording through citizen ( europaea). A quick email to science whether its recording bugs in NESBReC and the ID was confirmed by Or to learn more about velvet ants (and their local pond or birds in their back Dr. Jenni Stockan of the James Hutton other bees, wasps etc) go to the Bees, garden. I will also continue to improve Institute. She had found them in Aber- Wasps and Ants Recording Society BWARS Lesser Water Boatman my own identification skills not only to deenshire in 2017 and they had no bwars.com/ satisfy my own curiosity when I spot been seen in Scotland for 30 years. had refined the art of handling and something crawling around in my manoeuvring tiny, delicate bugs under- garden but so I can confidently record They are not ants but parasitoid wasps neath a microscope (almost). it as well! preying mainly on and honeybees. As the females are wing- Both the course and my traineeship less they could be mistaken for ants, have allowed me to become more but the photo shows how much smaller confident in using biological keys to a “normal” ant is. identify and to record invertebrate species. Most importantly I have

BRISC Recorder News No 109 12 BRISC Recorder News No 109 5 raise awareness of the importance of yellow hue with flowers that look at Buglife with the knowledge and skills I recording our wildlife throughout mangled. There were so many times desired to learn. Ayrshire. We have been overwhelmed on the course when I or the others in Although a generalist at heart with a desire the group exclaimed ‘So that’s what it Helen Embleton by the interest in the project, training to learn something about everything, a courses and support we have received looks like!’, when we were shown a large part of my traineeship is focused on It’s almost two years since the former from everyone – a huge thank you to species we’d only ever seen in books freshwater invertebrates. I assist with a Dumfries & Galloway Environmental everyone in our Ayrshire recording before and were confounded by the public engagement project called Resources Centre (DGERC), evolved community who have assisted! appearance of the living thing. ‘Marvellous Mud Snails’ which aims to raise into the South West Scotland Environ- Attending a course like this is therefore awareness of the rare Pond mud snail mental Information Centre’s (SWSEIC). During the project we have provided so useful as a starting point or an This was facilitated by the expansion of developed a new website, including advancement to the next level of the records centre to include Ayrshire online recording forms. We have also recording. via the ‘Where’s Wildlife in Ayrshire?’ provided 34 training courses to train project. approximately 300 people to record Later in summer I’ll be looking for the Ayrshire’s fantastic wildlife! Our various helleborines and lady’s tresses, courses have taken us all over species which were not in flower in Ayrshire, we have worked with both June. I’ll first visit known sites for beginners and very experienced these to get my eye in by seeing the recorders to learn more about many things themselves and then keep an difference species/taxa including: eye out for them when I go recording amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, drag- in future. onflies, wildflowers, hoverflies, bats, And that’s part of the real value of courses such as these; as well as showing me what to look for it has Water scorpion certainly piqued my enthusiasm for recording and the provided guidance ( ) and the importance of over how to submit my records to the freshwater habitats for invertebrates in Badgers, East Ayrshire (Donnie Briggs) correct place. general.

The Project has created a records Brilliant Bugs Over the first few months of the train- centre in Ayrshire to provide a focal Joanna Lindsay eeship my knowledge of freshwater point to engage and support local invertebrates gradually improved but people/groups in wildlife recording, As a TCV Natural Talent trainee working when I was told of the bursaries BRISC undertake data collection/management with Buglife, I am fascinated by the were offering for studying under– amazing world of invertebrates! Prior to my and to enable curated data to inform recorded groups I knew it would be a traineeship I had always found the diversity environmental decision-making. great opportunity to delve deeper and of insects and other inverts truly refine my identification skills. extraordinary but I was lacking in depth of Since October 2016 we have been knowledge and basic identification skills for Thanks to support from BRISC and SNH working hard to engage with local wild- these groups. Consequently I jumped at the I was able to attend a weekend course life conservation organisations, chance spend a year learning from people recorders and the general public to Adders (John Donaldson) on ‘Identifying and Recording Water

BRISC Recorder News No 109 6 BRISC Recorder News No 109 11 BRISC PROJECTS for the tidy groupings that we call badgers, small mammals, moths, wild- We are also planning our end of project BURSARY REPORTS ‘species’! Within the spotted orchids, flowers and rocky shore ecology. conference will be held in November – the , hybrids further details will be posted very Wild orchids of Scotland between species are regularly found. We have also created Citizen Science shortly on the Where’s Wildlife in Anthony McCluskey In some cases we can make good, projects specifically designed to appeal Ayrshire? Facebook page. educated guesses of the likely parent to anyone with an interest in nature to In June 2018 I attended the species, especially when those parents provide an easy way to get involved in Even although our current project will course at are still present at the site. Orchids can wildlife recording. finish at the end of November 2018, Kindrogan, led by Martin Robinson and even hybridise between genera and on SWSEIC will continue to act as the local funded through a bursary from BRISC. this trip we found at least one likely environmental records centre covering I was already interested in orchids and cross between a Heath Spotted Orchid, Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway and felt comfortable with most of the and Heath will collate and share records for the common species as well as a few of the Fragrant orchid, ! area. more scarce species which are found Delightfully breaking all the rules. close to where I live in Highland Perth- Then there are the sub-species, and The project is funded by Ayrshire shire. Martin showed us several sub-species LEADER 2014-2020 Programme, the of the Early Marsh Orchid Heritage Lottery Fund, East Ayrshire These need to be seen in Council, North Ayrshire Council, South real life to appreciate the colour differ- Ayrshire Council. ences as they are hard to reproduce in Keep up to date with as at: books. www.facebook.com/whereswildlifein So where does all this leave my Moth trapping at Stevenson Beach LNR ayrshire recording efforts? Thankfully, I feel www.facebook.com/swseic more confident and interested in twitter.com/wildayrshire recording orchids than ever! I don’t feel put off when I find a plant that Mobilising old records, collecting and Helen Embleton the usual species character- collating new records has been a huge Where’s Wildlife in Ayrshire? Project istics. And I now know what to expect task during the project. We have just Officer, South West Scotland Environ- when looking for some of the rare, or added the 100,000th Ayrshire record mental Information Centre just under-recorded, species. Indeed, into our database and we still have some are most likely vastly under-re- many other records to process. We corded. Tiny gems like the Lesser have also established data sharing with Twayblade, , are often various organisations to help ensure found underneath patches of heather that our records can be put to best use. Heath Fragrant Orchid where we don’t normally look for orchids. I’ll also now know to look The final three months of the project for the Coralroot Orchid, will concentrate on uploading more One of the key points that I took away along the banks of lochs and records, promoting and distributing the from the course is that orchids are a ponds; they hardly look like flowering Citizen Science materials, finalising, promiscuous bunch with little respect plants at all, being parasitic and there- publishing and promoting our wildlife fore having no leaves, and a sickly recording toolkit for local communities.

BRISC Recorder News No 109 10 BRISC Recorder News No 109 7 BRISC Annual Conference and AGM 2017 Costs: Student: £10; member £20; non-member £25.

Recording Urban Wildlife Saturday 13th October 2018 BOOKING by Eventbrite (its a big help if you can book by 7th October) Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland G3 8AG eventbrite.co.uk/e/recording-urban-wildlife-tickets- 47732962576?aff=ebdssbdestsearch or search for BRISC at www.eventbrite.co.uk Programme or email: [email protected] for other payment options.

0930-1000 Arrival and registration Travel 1000-1005 Chairman's welcome Subway: Nearest underground station Kelvinhall. See 1005-1045 BRISC Bursary talks - 10 minutes each http://www.spt.co.uk/subway/ Anthony McCluskey Orchids Trains: Regular services from around Scotland. See Catherine Cumming Lichens https://www.scotrail.co.uk/ Logan Johnson Bryophytes Buses: regular services from around Scotland. See Gillian Simpson Beetles https://www.travelinescotland.com/buscoach-operators 1045-1110 Cath Scott (Glasgow City Council) Glasgow’s grassland water voles RAFFLE - please bring something for a prize 1110-1130 Tea and Coffee 1130-1200 Suzanne Burgess (Buglife) Glasgow’s Buzzing – meadow creation projects in Scotland Aspen identification workshop and citizen science project 1200-1230 Scott Ferguson (Seven Lochs, Glasgow) Seven Lochs Volunteers - keep counting 1230-1245 Fiona Weir (RSPB) Connecting communities to nature - RiverLife: Almond & Avon and Eadha Enterprises invite you to attend an Giving Nature a Home in Glasgow and Edinburgh aspen identification workshop, natural history presentation and walk at 1245-1300 Anthony McCluskey (Butterfly Conservation) The Urban 10am on 13th October at Whitburn Community Education Centre Butterfly Project (EH47 8EZ) and Blaeberry Woods.

1300-1400 Lunch and raffle draw This event marks the beginning of an exciting new project across the 1400-1430 BRISC AGM and update on SBIF Almond and Avon catchments. The project involves the identification of 1430-1440 Conference close and briefing for field visit Aspen stands across the two river catchments, propagation of local Aspen by schools and Scout groups and the planting of native aspen to improve 1440-1630 Field visit to Kelvingrove Park (RSPB) riparian habitat. 1630-1700 Depart At the end of the day you will be allocated a geographical area (at least 1km square) to carry out your own Aspen search.

To reserve a place or get more info please contact Luke Email [email protected] or phone 07907 211199

BRISC Recorder News No 109 8 BRISC Recorder News No 109 9