Biodiversity Information Service Recorder Newsletter – Issue 7 – May 2009
RECORDERS NEWSLETTER ISSUE 9 – May 2010
Welcome to the ninth edition of the Powys and Brecon Beacons National Park recorders newsletter. In this issue, Bob Dennison describes the British Dragonfly Societies’ new online recording system; Phil Sutton adds an interesting note and photo of a harvest mouse nest barbeque; Tammy Stretton enthuses us with the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Sites Project; for those more computer minded, our own Michelle Weinhold describes the recent predictive modelling project she has undertaken at BIS on horseshoe bats; yours truly comments on the lily beetle in Powys; and a request by Butterfly Conservation to help search for the Forester moth in Wales. Don’t forget to come along on the Recording Day at Abergwesyn Common on 24th July. Good hunting! Phil Ward – Editor
Training day Penlan ponds (Keith Noble) Lily beetle Lilioceris lilii (Keith Noble)
Contents Update from BIS Janet Imlach 2 Priceless Dragonfly and Damselfly Records! Bob Dennison 3 New Montgomeryshire Dragonfly Recorder needed 4 Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus nest Phil Sutton 5 Abergwesyn Commons Recording day Jessica Tyler 6 Predictive Modelling Project at BIS Michelle Weinhold 7 1st Lily Beetle record for Powys? Nearly! Phil Ward 9 BIS database reaches one million records! Janet Imlach 10 Montgomeryshire Wildlife Sites Project 2006-2010 Tammy Stretton 11 Photo page 13 BIS Wildlife Recording Training Days 2010 14 Butterfly Conservation request – Forester moth Butterfly Conservation 17 BIS contact details 18
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BIS update
Staff Time has passed by very quickly as in the last newsletter we said hello to Naomi Stratton, who worked with us on a Go Wales placement and then stood in for Anna while she is on maternity leave. We now say goodbye to Naomi and thanks for all her hardwork entering data and keeping the planning and enquiry services running efficiently. She will be working for the Bat Conservation Trust surveying over the summer. Data In April the BIS database reached a million records (see page ) which was celebrated with cakes all round in the BIS offices. On the 22nd May 2010 the Recorder 6 database held 1,013,487 records. We have recently entered records from larger datasets including: VC42 Birds 1969-2007 VC 42 Butterflies 2004 -09 VC 42,43 Odonata Welsh Centipede records VC42 Herps VC47,43 Mammals VC42 Mammals 2009 We are also very pleased to have just received the complete moth datasets for Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire. Thanks to Peter Williams, Pete and Ginny Clarke and Norman Lowe, BIS will now hold the complete verified moth datasets covering the three Vice-counties in Powys. This is now also repeated with the 3 mammal datasets thanks to the new Mammal groups in Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire and Phil Morgan in Breconshire. BIS has put its first dataset onto NBN Gateway, which is the CCW Vascular plant records mobilised by BIS. This is an unverified dataset, which already needs updating due to some verification by Ray Woods. The link is http://data.nbn.org.uk/datasetInfo/taxonDataset.jsp?refID=5&list=1&sort=true&dsKey =GA000691 The dataset is at full public resolution as requested by CCW and we would be very glad for any feedback on verification. BIS hopes to upload all CCW data to NBN Gateway over the next few months. Website BIS is gradually updating its website and we have now introduced an events calendar. Please send us details of any events you would like to be displayed on our website or links to your website. BIS 10th Anniversary It is 10 years since BIS became a company and the founding partners signed a Memorandum of Agreement. Adam Rowe was employed as manager and in 2000 worked from the BWT offices setting up the business. Other staff joined him in January 2001 in the first BIS office, and began populating the database. We would like to organise some events over 2010-11 to celebrate and the first will be a social occasion on the 27th August 2010. We will be sending out invitations to staff, directors, partners and recorders past and present who have supported BIS over the last 10 years to celebrate with us and thank them for their contributions.
Janet Imlach (BIS Manager)
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Priceless Dragonfly and Damselfly Records!
Mid Wales’ dragonflies and damselflies are already on the wing! Surviving since the time of the dinosaurs, these insects are excellent indicators of water quality and environmental change - including climatic change.
The UK Dragonfly Atlas is currently being updated and records received over the past few years have thrown up some surprises. Records of ALL sightings are therefore extremely valuable and welcomed. To facilitate the flow of information from the public, the British Dragonfly Society has launched a new and straightforward online recording system which I would commend people to use. The system provides helpful photos of all the UK species to aid identification, and Google Maps to pinpoint the location.
Blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans (Mark Walters)
The ‘simple record entry’ will appeal to the occasional, casual observer:- http://www.ghmahoney.org.uk/bds/recording/simpleentry.aspx
And the ‘simple entry’ screens have a step by step guide with traffic lights at each stage which go green when all the required information has been correctly entered. If users are unsure of a dragonfly species, they can attach digital images to records for definite identification by the BDS.
‘Advanced entry’ enables experienced recorders to input batches of records :- http://www.ghmahoney.org.uk/bds/recording/advancedentry.aspx
In addition to updating the Atlas, the information collected will be used to make conservation decisions and to monitor spreading and endangered species. Records of breeding activity are of particular importance in this regard.
All records, from anywhere in the UK, are also automatically routed via the local Vice County Recorder for validation; but if you prefer to contact your local recorder directly with any dragonfly records, then the contact details are at :- http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/docs/VCRecorders.doc
For the three Vice Counties of Powys, the contacts are as follows :-
Radnorshire : Bob Dennison, Maes y Geidfa, Crossgates, LLandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 6RP. Tel: 01597 851 702. E-mail: [email protected]
Breconshire : Keith Noble, 25 Belle Vue Gardens, Brecon, LD3 7NY, Tel: 01874 620133, E- mail: [email protected]
Montgomeryshire : Mark Walters, 3 Sunnymeade, Canal Road, Four Crosses, Llanymynech, Powys, SY22 6PW. Phone: 01691 830207 Email: [email protected] website: www.sunnymeade.plus.com/index.htm
Bob Dennison, Radnorshire Dragonfly Recorder
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Radnorshire footnote: I would just like to encourage any records (no matter how few or apparently common) but we are generally under-represented around the borders of the Vice County! Bob Dennison, Radnorshire Dragonfly Recorder
Brecknock footnote: I would be pleased to hear now from anyone who will look for dragonflies in Brecknock, am happy to help with identification of photos, and will keep them informed of what's being seen through the season.
Keith Noble, Brecknock Dragonfly Recorder
Montgomeryshire footnote: Along with Keith and Bob I am happy to receive all records on any sightings no matter how common the species may seem. It is best to contact me via email and please always try and get a good clear photograph of the dragonfly if you cannot identify it yourself. I will be updating the News section of the Montgomeryshire Dragonflies website as the new season starts so keep an eye on that for the latest information. Significant new records and any nice photos you can contribute will also be included on the website. Mark Walters, Montgomeryshire Dragonfly Recorder
New Dragonfly vice county recorder needed for Montgomeryshire
This post is currently vacant. If anyone is interested in taking on the vice- county recording roll for dragonflies in Montgomeryshire, we would be very pleased to hear from you.
Mark Walters adds: I'm just the caretaker for this role really until someone who can give the dragonflies more time comes along. Ideally you need someone who is retired or works part-time so that they can actually get out recording in the 10km grids where we have no records.
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Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus nest
Back in March I found a harvest mouse nest sitting in the top of a burnt molinia tussock amongst a burnt field of rhos pasture on the Ystradfawr marsh fritillary site at Ystradgynlais. It was during a really dry spell when there had been a spate of fires, but fortunately for the butterflies it was probably a quick light fire that wouldn't have done them any harm. Don't know how lucky the mouse was though! Phil Morgan, the VC42 mammal recorder, says it is only the second record of harvest mouse for Brecknock.
Phil Sutton, Reserves Officer, Brecknock Wildlife Trust
Harvest Mouse nest after the fire (Phil Sutton)
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BIS Wildlife Recording Day 2010
Llanwrthwl Common, Abergwesyn Commons (National Trust)
Sat. 24 July 2010 Led by Jessica Tyler (NT) and BIS.
Llanwrthwl Common in Brecknock is one of eight commons, known as Abergwesyn Commons, owned by the National Trust. There are seven contiguous commons and one separate common that make up the 16,500 acres of upland, between 300 and 645m altitude, that runs to the south of the Elan Valley.
The southern area includes acidic bog pools, acid/neutral flushes, dry heath/acid grassland mosaic, and unimproved acid grassland. This area doesn't fall under any designations so has had little monitoring done on it; however this does not make it any less interesting. There is also a small permanent lake surrounded by rushes on top of Drum Ddu hill.
To the north there is predominantly blanket bog and a bit of dry heath/acid grassland mosaic, as well as a couple of small upland pools. There is more heather up this way and plants such as cranberry and sundew. The blanket bog in this area is part of the Elenydd SSSI and is also SPA and SAC. Curlew, red grouse and golden plover have all been present in this area during the last year.
The National Trust warden is very keen to encourage as many recorders to the area as possible.
Meet outside the Church in Llanwrthwl Village (SN976637) at 10am – from here we will proceed in convoy up to Rhos Saith-maen (SN958614).
By road, Llanwrthwl is signposted from the main A470 road (3 miles south of Rhayader). Cross the road bridge over the River Wye. The village lies just to the west of the river.
Jess Tyler, NT Warden Abergwesyn Commons
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Predictive Modelling Project at BIS
This past January, I began work on a predictive modelling project on behalf of Brecon Beacons National Park Authority with considerable help from Phil Morgan of Just Mammals. The purpose of the project was to use the existing Greater and Lesser Horseshoe Bat records to predict maternity, hibernation and day roost sites within the BIS area. We were able to assemble and create valuable datasets that we felt would be good predictors for the various types of Horseshoe sites.
For example, the maternity roost model used the following raster datasets or environmental variables: Digital Elevation Model or DEM (United States Geological Survey) Slope (Derived from the DEM) Aspect (Derived from the DEM) Distance to Hibernation Roosts (BIS Database) Broadleaved Woodland Habitats (Phase 1) Caves, Quarries and Mines (Cambrian Cave Registrar) Listed Buildings and Monuments (Cadw) Marshy Grassland Habitats (Phase 1) Scrub (Phase 1) Water (Derived from the DEM by hydrological modelling) Towns, Villages and Cities (free GIS data at MapCruizin.com) Conifer Habitats (Phase 1)
The data was modelled within a software called Biomapper, which is an open source programme created specifically for predicting species data. For more information please see: http://www2.unil.ch/biomapper/ . After inputting the existing bat records and the environmental variables, the programme outputs descriptive statistics about each environmental variable, computes the Ecological-Niche Factor Analysis and outputs a habitat suitability map (Hirzel et.al., 2002). The map below shows an example of a final map output that can be used in bat conservation. There are more datasets that BIS and BBNPA are hoping will be incorporated into the model in the future. Currently, I am working on obtaining or creating more environmental variables such as climate / temperature data and soils or geology.
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Finally, the existing environmental variables can be used as input for predictive models of other species. With the help of a species expert, BIS can quite easily create a new habitat suitability map using the relevant environmental variables and accurate species records. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to work with me to create a predictive model for your species!
Greater and Lesser Horseshoe Bat maternity habitat suitability map based on four habitat classes: Optimal, Suitable, Marginal and Unsuitable.
Reference Hirzel, A.H., Hausser, J., Chessel, D., Perrin, N., 2002. Ecological-niche factor analysis: How to compute habitat- suitability maps without absence data? Ecology 83, 2027-2036.
Michelle L. Weinhold, BIS Data Officer
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Lily Beetle Lilioceris lilii in Brecon garden (Keith Noble) 1st Lily Beetle record for Powys? Nearly! A recent email from the Brecknock Dragonfly Recorder Keith Noble mentioned he had just found and squashed several Lily Beetles Lilioceris lilii in his Brecon garden found upon fritillary plants on 23rd April 2010!
My eyes lit up, as I thought ‘hang on a minute; I don’t think there are any records in Powys of this beetle yet’? I’ve seen it in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen and South Wales, and a check of the BIS database confirmed that they hold no records.
I replied back to Keith, mentioning that this was probably the first record in Powys, and that if he found anymore, bearing in mind that they would probably get squished anyway, that could he secure me one or two beetles alive as reference specimens. Sure enough, a Lily Beetle arrived by express delivery a day or two later via the Brecknock Wildlife Trust office being joined by a second specimen a few days later. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the jar had a label which read ‘pest species – do not allow to escape’! I had visions of all the Wildlife Trust staff chasing an escapee around the room!
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I know they will be hated by most gardeners as a pest species introduced from Europe in the 1930’s which will devastate your lilies and fritillary plants, but as a beetle lover, what wonderful looking beasts they are, absolutely scarlet red in colour, magnificent!
Perhaps I could mention this record in the next issue of the BIS newsletter, I thought…any chance of a photo to illustrate the article, I asked Keith. I’ve squashed them all now came he reply! The next day, a photo of the beetle arrived by email, he’d found another one. Well done! And an excellent photo it is too.
Keith tells me his fritillary plants were sourced from a plant nursery at Three Cocks near Glasbury. I’m sure this beetle has been seen by many gardeners in Powys, but it’s a case of sending the record in! In the UK, this species has spread rapidly, no doubt helped by garden centres and nurseries, and is now virtually across the whole country, even as far west as Northern Ireland! Having now had time to do a bit more digging, there appears to be one or two previous records from south Brecknock, the records of which probably stem from a Lily Beetle survey which the Royal Horticultural Society organised a few years ago. I could go on and write another page or two about this beetle but for those particularly interested in the Lily Beetle, its distribution and history, I can recommend the excellent pages of Royal Horticultural Society website at www.rhs.org.uk/Science/Plant-pests/Lily-beetle I would be please to hear from anybody who has seen Lily Beetles in Powys.
STOP PRESS: Keith has just un-earthed a previous record in another Brecon garden, but from 2 years ago!)
Phil Ward, Radnorshire Beetle Recorder (overseeing Brecknock beetles) [email protected]
BIS database reaches one million records!
The BIS Recorder 6 database has reached one million records on 30th April 2010. The millionth record was a Bittern recorded by Andy King at Llangorse Lake in 2006. This is one of the 30,000 VC42 bird records that Phil Ward (BIS Biodiversity Recording Officer) has entered into the BIS database for a data mobilisation project funded by the Welsh Biodiversity Partnership.
Thanks to Andy King who has supplied not only all the VC 42 bird records but recently sent BIS VC42 (Brecknock) Butterflies for the last 6 years, which have enabled BIS to reach a million records.
A double celebration as it is also the BIS 10th Anniversary year. The Memorandum of Association was signed by the BIS founding partners on 25th April 2000, and Powys and Brecon Beacons National Park Environmental Records Centre Ltd was registered that day as a Company. Janet Imlach, BIS Manager
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Biodiversity Information Service Recorder Newsletter – Issue 7 – May 2009
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Sites Project 2006-2010
With the widespread disappearance of many of our wildlife-rich habitats, it has become increasingly important to look after what we have left. Statutory protected sites, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and sites owned/managed by nature conservation bodies, such as wildlife trust nature reserves, go some way towards redressing the balance, but there are still areas where wildlife thrives outside these important places.
For approximately 25 years, the Local Wildlife Sites system has enabled the identification of sites of significant ecological interest outside statutory protected sites. Sites which pass a set of criteria (which upholds a minimum standard) are, with landowner permission, selected as ‘Wildlife Sites’. These sites are then monitored every 5/10 years to ensure that the wildlife interest remains and the management is suitable.
Between 2006-2010, the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, with support from the Countryside Council for Wales, ran the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Sites Project. Since the sites were last surveyed in 1999/2000, the main aim of the project was to resurvey all existing sites and ensure the management was suitable.
A total of 55 sites were surveyed over the four years, representing the following habitat types; grassland & ffridd, standing open water, wetland and woodland. Montgomeryshire now has 58 sites which are considered of Wildlife Site quality.
In all, the project produced a total of 3666 species records. As you might expect, a good proportion (81%) of these data were for vascular plants, hardly surprising considering how important the vascular plants are to the Wildlife Sites assessment. Of the remaining 19%, it was typically the easy to record species which made up the bulk of the records; i.e. birds, butterflies and mammals.
(All photos this article by Tammy Stretton/MWT)
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The following pie chart shows a complete breakdown of all the records.
Of course the quantity of records is only half the story and whilst the majority of these were common, there were a few surprises too! Re-discovering Dormice at a woodland site near Welshpool was nice, as this species has not done so well in recent years, but more exhilarating for me was watching a Water Shrew foraging in a stream in a wood, near Berriew. The distribution of the latter species is in some doubt and it may be common, but spotting one alive is an unusual pleasure. It was also lovely to hear Wood Warblers singing in four woodlands, as this species has been declining in Montgomeryshire. Then there was the Black-tailed Skimmer at a pool near Newtown; not the new record I first thought it might be, but a rare record for the county nonetheless.
However, it was the plants that proved the most exciting (a strange concept for a zoologist!). The Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) at a site by Lake Vyrnwy was not unexpected, but even so it was a pleasure to see them flowering, especially as it was the only Wildlife Site where they were recorded. Most satisfying for me, though, was recording the second ever Montgomeryshire record of Creeping Willow (Salix repens) on a bog near Llangurig and the third ever Montgomeryshire record of Six- stamened Waterwort (Elatine hexandra) in a lake near Tregynon. Just goes to show that there is still plenty out there to discover! Tammy Stretton Biodiversity Officer, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust [email protected] or phone 01938 555654.
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Photo page (A selection of recent photos sent in to BIS)
Water stick insects Ranatra linearis at Penlan ponds, Brecon (Keith Noble)
Green tiger beetle Cicindela campestris near Bwlch (Keith Noble)
The Red Data Book longhorn beetle Pyrridium sanguinium found in oak logs near Crossgates (Bob Dennison)
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BIS Wildlife Recording Training Days 2010
Partial albino Bombus pascuorum (Pauline Oldroyd)
Bee & Bumblebee identification and recording
Sat. 5th June, 2010. Leader: Phil Ward (Radnor Invertebrate Recorder)
This will cover species identification, habitats, distribution, status, BAP species and conservation. Indoor and outdoor sessions.
Venue: Gilfach Farm RWT Reserve, Near Rhayader, Powys. 10am – 4pm.
Places are limited to 10 people, so booking is essential
(Contact Phil on 01874 610881 or email [email protected] )
A £5.00 fee is payable (Returnable only if cancellation place is filled).
ONLY 2 PLACES LEFT ON THE ABOVE COURSE
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GPS Data Collection Training Day
Sat.10th July, 2010. Leader: Michelle Weinhold (BIS Data Officer)
This will cover basic GPS data collection in the field, downloading data and basic GIS for verification and validation. This session will be outdoors for data collection and indoors for GIS.
People will need to supply their own GPS and laptops for this course as BIS cannot supply this technology for everyone.
Venue: BIS Offices, Brecon. 10am – 4pm.
Places are limited to 6 people, so booking is essential
(Contact Phil or Michelle on 01874 610881 or email [email protected] or [email protected])
A £5.00 fee is payable (Returnable only if cancellation place is filled).
BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR THE ABOVE COURSE
Dragonfly Identification Workshop
Sat.7th August, 2010. Leader: Keith Noble (Brec. Dragonfly Recorder)
Covering field identification, distribution, habitats, with practical outdoor sessions around Llangorse Lake. Female common darter (Mark Walters)
Venue: Llangasty Village Hall/Study Centre, Llangorse. 10am – 4pm.
Places are limited to 10 people, so booking is essential
(Contact Phil on 01874 610881 or email [email protected] )
A £7.50 fee is payable to cover venue hire (Returnable only if cancellation place is filled).
BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR THE ABOVE COURSE
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Field Day with an Expert
These will be spent outside concentrating upon a particular taxonomic group, with hands-on recording and identifying species in the field.
Beetle Field Day
Sat. August?? TBA Leader: Phil Ward (Radnorshire Beetle Recorder)
Everything from ground beetles to weevils, ladybirds to leaf beetles. If you want to know more about beetles, where and how to find them, please come along and join us for this informal day. Bring along a net if you have one.
Venue: TBA?? 10am – 4pm.
FREE EVENT. Just turn up!
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Butterfly Conservation request – Forester moth
The Forester Moth became a UK BAP Priority species in 2007 and Butterfly Conservation is currently endeavouring to collate information about its current habitat, larval food plant and nectar requirements, to create a clearer understanding of its ecology. This will be collated to inform management decisions and to produce location maps for what is probably an under recorded species.
We are therefore encouraging people to keep an eye out for the Forester this year when out and about in the countryside. If the species is seen, we would be very grateful if a simple recording form could be completed and returned to us. Visiting sites that appear to be suitable for the Forester or re-visiting sites with past records will also provide important information.
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Biodiversity Information Service First Floor Offices, Coliseum House, 7 Wheat Street, Brecon, Powys, LD3 7DG Tel: 01874 610881 Fax: 01874 624812 Email: [email protected] Website: www.b-i-s.org
Working in Partnership with:- Countryside Council for Wales Powys County Council Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Brecknockshire Wildlife Trust Radnorshire Wildlife Trust Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Forestry Commission for Wales Mid-Wales Trunk Road Agency Environment Agency
Directors Norman Lowe (Brecknockshire Wildlife Trust representative) – Chairman Steve Packer (Powys County Council) - Secretary Colin Young – Vice-chairman Peter Seaman (Brecon Beacons National Park Authority) - Treasurer David Mitchell (CCW representative)
Steering Group Paul Sinnadurai (BBNPA) - Chairman Gareth Ellis (BBNP LBAP) Bev Lewis (BWT) Tammy Stretton (MWT) Julian Jones (RWT) Michelle Delafield (Mid-Wales Trunk Road Agency) Emma Durward (PCC LBAP) Ken Perry (CCW)
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