Ham Hill Country Park
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Survey of species in the HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK for the South Somerset District Council by members and friends of the Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group & SSDC Countryside Officers Updated – end December 2017 - 1 - Key: S = Northern Spur; F = Plateau Fields; V = Witcombe Valley (includes Horse’s Wood); W = Pit Wood. - 2 - Survey of species in the HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK for the South Somerset District Council by members and friends of the Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group & SSDC Countryside Officers This survey was started in 2004 with the object of recording species found within the Ham Hill Country Park. For the purposes of wildlife recording the area was split into four separate sites: the so-called Northern Spur, that is the area more or less comprising the original Ham Hill Country Park, and the areas added to the country park from 1996 onwards, namely Plateau Fields, Witcombe Valley (including Horse’s Wood) and Pit Wood. Lists have been prepared of: Mammals Reptiles & Amphibians Birds Invertebrates Flowering plants Ferns Fungi Lichens - based on a survey by V. J. Giavarini To be added: Mosses & Liverworts Members are asked to record any species seen within the Park and send that list to the Recording Group so that a continuing up-date of the records can be made. Records will be passed to the SSDC and the Somerset Environmental Records Centre to ensure the best possible use is made of them. Updated – end December 2017 - 3 - Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group Records South Somerset District Council Survey HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK Totals of species and forms listed in the Park as of December 2017 Mammals - 12 Reptiles & Amphibians - 2 Birds - 82 Invertebrates - 1066 Flowering plants - 398 Ferns - 12 Mosses - 0 Liverworts - 0 Fungi - 629 Lichens - 87 Total : 2288 Key: S = Northern Spur; F = Plateau Fields; V = Witcombe Valley (includes Horse’s Wood); W = Pit Wood. HHCPspeciestotals endDec17 - 4 - Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group Records South Somerset District Council Survey HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK Mammals Year Last Recorded Species Common Name Notes S F V W Apodemus sylvaticus Wood Mouse 2015 Jan 27th 2015. Capreolus capreolus Roe Deer 2015 2011 2006 Eptesicus serotinus Serotine Bat 2004 Meles meles Badger 2015 2011 2015 2017 S, V & W: Active setts. Muscardinus avellanarius Common Dormouse 2012 Mustela erminea Stoat 2014 October 2014. Mustela nivalis Weasel 2008 Nyctalus noctula Noctule Bat 2004 Oryctolagus cuniculus Rabbit 2011 2011 2015 2017 Pipistrellus pipistrellus Common Pipistrelle Bat (45kHz) 2004 Pipistrellus pygmaeus Soprano Pipistrelle Bat (55kHz) 2004 Sciurus carolinensis Grey Squirrel 2015 2014 2017 Sorex araneus Common Shrew 2014 Sept 29th 2014. Talpa europea Mole 2015 2015 2015 2015 Vulpes vulpes Red Fox 2015 2008 15 Sources: 2004 to 2008: Yeovil & District Natural History Society. 2011: Yeovil Area Group of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. 2012: Ham Hill CP Ranger (Dormouse). 2014-2015: Andrew Painting (apprentice Ham Hill CP Ranger) re Common Shrew, Wood Mouse and Stoat. 2015: Yeovil Area Group of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. 2017: Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group. Key: S = Northern Spur; F = Plateau Fields; V = Witcombe Valley (includes Horse’s Wood); W = Pit Wood. HHCPmammals endDec17 - 5 - Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group Records South Somerset District Council Survey HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK Reptiles & Amphibians Year Last Recorded Species Common Name Notes S F V W Reptiles Anguis fragilis Slow Worm 2015 2017 Natrix helvetica Barred Grass Snake 2014 Amphibians Bufo bufo Common Toad 2007 2017 Rana temporaria Common Frog 2014 4 Sources: 2014: Andrew Painting (apprentice Ham Hill CP Ranger). 2015: Yeovil Area Group of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. 2017: Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group. Key: S = Northern Spur; F = Plateau Fields; V = Witcombe Valley (includes Horse’s Wood); W = Pit Wood. HHCPrepamphibs endDec17 - 6 - Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group Records South Somerset District Council Survey HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK Birds Year Last Recorded Species Common Name Notes S F V W Accipiter nisus Sparrowhawk 2014 2007 2015 2017 W: Pair bred successfully 2017. S: Bred in 2008. 2015 2015 2015 Aegithalos caudatus Long-tailed Tit W: Bred in 2009. F: Up to 5 singing, 2004-10 Alauda arvensis 2015 2017 2008 2005 Skylark and occasional winter flock. Anas platyrhynchos Mallard 2006 A drake feeding on ground. Anthus pratensis Meadow Pipit 2014 2015 2015 Autumn/winter feeding flocks. Anthus trivialis Tree Pipit 2004 Flyovers (up to 7 Aug-Oct ’86). Apus apus Common Swift 2010 2008 Aerial feeding groups. Ardea cinerea Grey Heron 1986 A single flyover. Athene noctua Little Owl 1986 S: 1 roosting, Aug-Oct 1986. V: A pair bred 2008 and 2010. 2017 2014 2017 Buteo buteo Buzzard √ V (or W): A pair bred 2014. Carduelis cabaret Lesser Redpoll 1986 A single flyover. S: 1 breeding territory, 2006. 2010 2016 2015 2005 Carduelis cannabina Linnet V: 1 breeding territory, 2005. Carduelis carduelis Goldfinch 2015 2011 2015 2015 Probably breeds. S: Probably breeds, P of Wales. 2011 2005 2006 Carduelis chloris Greenfinch W: 1 breeding territory, 2005. Carduelis spinus Siskin 2006 2009 2005 Winter feeding flocks on alders. S: 3 breeding territories, 2008. Certhia familiaris Treecreeper 2015 2009 2009 V & W: 1 breeding territory at each site in 2009. Chroicocephalus ridibundus Black-headed Gull 1986 Flyovers. S: Up to 4 breeding territories, Columba oenas Stock Dove 2015 2015 2017 2005-10. V & W: 1 breeding territory at each site in 2015. Columba palumbus Wood Pigeon 2015 2014 2015 Common in all seasons. V: Nest and young, Horse’s 2013 2006 2015 2017 Corvus corax Raven Wood, early April 2015. Corvus corone Carrion Crow 2015 2015 2014 2012 S, V & W: Nests at each site. Corvus frugilegus Rook 2006 2008 2015 In pre-roost corvid flocks. S & V: 5-10 breeding pairs. 2015 2015 2015 2012 Corvus monedula Jackdaw Huge pre-roost flocks in winter. Cuculus canorus Cuckoo 2013 S: Single males, 2006, 2010-13. Cyanistes caeruleus Blue Tit 2015 2011 2015 2015 Common, breeds at each site. Delichon urbicum House Martin 2008 2005 2005 Aerial feeding groups. Dendrocopus major Great Spotted Woodpecker 2014 2015 2015 1+ breeding pairs at each site. S: 18 breeding territories in Emberiza citrinella Yellowhammer 1989 1986 plus winter flocks. Totally absent, 2004-14. Emberiza schoeniclus Reed Bunting 1986 S: Singles, Sept and Oct 1986. Erithacus rubecula Robin 2015 2011 2015 2015 S, V & W: Common, breeds. S: A pair bred in quarry, 2004. 2007 2005 2015 Falco tinnunculus Kestrel Otherwise a scarce visitor. Falco subbuteo Hobby 2011 A flyover, July 17th 2011. Ficedula hypoleuca Pied Flycatcher 1986 Singles, May and Sept 1986. Fringilla coelebs Chaffinch 2015 2011 2015 2015 S, V & W: Common, breeds. V: 3 flushed from stream, Jan Gallinago gallinago 2009 th Common Snipe 7 2009. Garrulus glandarius Jay 2015 2006 2017 Probably breeds at each site. Mostly seen hawking insects 2007 2008 2015 2014 Hirundo rustica Swallow over fields (nests outside CP). Key: S = Northern Spur; F = Plateau Fields; V = Witcombe Valley (includes Horse’s Wood); W = Pit Wood. HHCPbirds endDec17 - 7 - Yeovil & District Wildlife Recording Group Records South Somerset District Council Survey HAM HILL COUNTRY PARK Birds Year Last Recorded Species Common Name Notes S F V W Larus argentatus Herring Gull 1986 Flyovers. Larus fuscus Lesser Black-backed Gull 2005 A flyover. Locustella naevia Grasshopper Warbler 1986 S: 1 singing, Apr 26th/27th 1986. Loxia curvirostra Common Crossbill 1986 S: 1, June 29th 1986. S: 2 singing (1 pair bred) 1986. Luscinia megarhynchos Nightingale 1986 Now absent (probably since the late 1980s). V: 1 flushed from fenced-off Lymnocryptes minimus Jack Snipe 2009 area (medieval village site), Jan 7th 2009. S: Flyovers, April 26th 2007 2014 Milvus milvus Red Kite and March 3rd 2014. Motacilla alba Pied Wagtail 2013 2014 S: A pair bred in 2006 & 2008. Motacilla cinerea Grey Wagtail 1986 Several flyovers. Motacilla flava Yellow Wagtail 1986 A single flyover. Muscicapa striata Spotted Flycatcher 2006 S: 1, July 25th 2006. F: 1, Sept 2004 & 1, April 2007. 2007 2017 th Oenanthe oenanthe Wheatear V: 1, Sept 10 2017. Parus major Great Tit 2015 2011 2015 2015 Common, breeds at each site. Passer domesticus House Sparrow 1986 Not recorded, 2004-2014. 1 or 2 breeding territories at 2015 2015 2010 Periparus ater Coal Tit each site. Phasianus colchicus Common Pheasant 2013 2015 2015 A casual visitor. S: 1, Nov 28th 1986 and 1, Dec Phoenicurus ochruros 2015 th Black Redstart 10 2015. Phoenicurus phoenicurus Redstart 1986 S: Up to 3, Sept 1986. Breeding territories at each site 2015 2006 2015 Phylloscopus collybita Chiffchaff but under-recorded. 1, Jan ‘06. S: 4 breeding territories in 2007 2011 2006 2017 Phylloscopus trochilus Willow Warbler (17 in 1986). S, V & W: Nests or probably 2015 2017 2014 2015 Pica pica Magpie nests at each site. V & W: A pair bred at each site 2015 2011 2015 2015 Picus viridis Green Woodpecker in 2010. S & V: 1 breeding territory 2010. 2015 2010 2017 Poecile palustris Marsh Tit W: 1 breeding territory 2008. Prunella modularis Dunnock 2012 2006 2015 2015 S, V & W: Common, breeds. S: Pairs frequently seen in the 2015 2011 2015 2014 Pyrrhula pyrrhula Bullfinch breeding season. S: 1 breeding territory 2008. 2015 2014 2005 Regulus regulus Goldcrest V: 1 breeding territory 2005. V: A pair, Nov 19th 2005 and a Saxicola torquatus Stonechat 2016 2012 male. Oct 20th 2012. F: Male wintering, 2015-2016. Single breeding territories at 2015 2014 2017 Sitta europea Nuthatch each site. Streptopelia decaocto Collared Dove 2017 Mainly a casual visitor. S: 3+ breeding territories 1986. Streptopelia turtur Turtle Dove 1986 Now absent (probably since the late 1980s). S: Probably bred 2005. 2005 2014 2017 Strix aluco Tawny Owl W: Bred 2011.