Wildlife News May 2021

WYCOMBE and SOUTH BUCKS WILDLIFE NEWS MAY 2021 The weather this Spring has been unusually cold, unusually hot, unusually windy, unusually wet and unusually dry. Although these changing extreme weather conditions have adversely affected some wildflower species, what a wonderful show the cowslips and primroses have provided this year. Issue 95 Contents include: Wycombe Wildlife News is published 3 times a year to promote the Group and wildlife issues, and to inform members and the public Tribute to the late Barbara North 51 of its activities. Looking back and looking forward 53 Edited and produced by Roger Wilding. Proof reading by Frances Wilding. Has the loss of wildlife corridors reduced urban garden Photographs of the late Barbara North and her wildlife 54 garden were provided by her daughter Bernadette Sheepridge revisited 56 Cowling and the others in this issue were taken by Roger Wilding. Using public transport again to get to the start of a walk Illustrations by Frances Wilding. and back from the finish 57 Printed by Greens, Lincoln Rd, High Wycombe. Garden tweets 59 Views expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Group. Reported sightings since the last newletter 60 For the purposes of management of the Group, membership information is held on computer. Editorial By the time members receive this newsletter it will be around 14 months since Wycombe Wildlife Group has held a meeting or arranged a walk or other outdoor event. We have kept in touch with our members by means of our newsletter and satisfied the Charity Commission’s requirements to submit an annual return without holding an AGM. Wycombe Wildlife Group is a registered Provided the easing of restrictions proceed as planned in the charity No.1075175 Government’s road map, we expect to be in a postion to make a start in with the following objects: getting back to arranging some activities from the Summer onwards. We hope to restart by holding a daytime AGM which should make it easier To conserve the for some of our members who find it difficult to turn out for evening environment, mainly meetings to be able to attend. using volunteers, for the benefit of the public. The last three issues of the newsletter benefitted from contributions in To educate the public in the form of articles submitted by members. On this occasion I have not the principles and received any articles from members, which has made it more difficult to practice of conservation. think of new subjects to write about when the Group is not undertaking its normal activities. Within and around Wycombe District the Group : Following the sad news of the recent death of Barbara North, one of our longer-serving members, an article about her contribution to our Group Surveys wildlife habitats and her promotion of conservation in Cadmore End where she lived has and their associated flora and fauna, giving those been included as a tribute to her achievements. I am extremely grateful taking part plenty of to her daughter for providing me with lots of useful material and a couple opportunities to increase of photographs that I could use. their knowledge and Roger identification skills. Resources permitting, helps manage local New member wildlife sites by undertaking practical We are pleased to welcome as a new member Alison Leathart who lives conservation work. in Beaconsfield. Resources permitting, provides advice to schools, other bodies and individuals on all aspects of wildlife. Obituary Stimulates public interest It was with much sorrow that we heard that one of our long-standing in wildlife and its members, Barbara North, had passed away in the early hours of conservation, organising Saturday 27 March 2021 aged 91 following a rapid advance in the walks, talks and other Alzheimers Disease she was suffering from. Family members were able activities covering a wide range of wildlife topics. to be with her in her care home as her condition worsened, and we were informed that she appeared to be in no distress. Provides advice on and encourages wildlife Barbara was an all-round naturalist and a keen photographer. She and gardening. her late husband Jim had a large garden at their Cadmore End home Co-operates with other and much of it was managed with wildlife in mind. Barbara was also groups with similar aims. involved in managing the local churchyard on a wildlife-friendly basis. 50 WWG Following Barbara’s move into a care home, we had made arrangements for her copy of our printed newsletter to be sent to her daughter so that she could take it to her mother when visiting her. We had also awarded Barbara Honorary Life Membership of our Group. Barbara North - Family photograph taken in her garden in 2010 Tribute to the late Barbara North Some of our long-serving members will including when the garden was included in remember when Barbara was able to attend the Wycombe Wildlife Group’s open gardens our members’ meetings, including the occasion programme in 1997. when she gave a talk entitled “Nature in my Garden” at our Group’s AGM on 28 April 2003. Barbara was very interested in moths and a Barbara entered her garden in one of WWG’s moth trapping event held in her garden in July earliest garden competitions and it stood out as 2004 recorded a total of 25 species. being the obvious winner, but the professional garden designer who judged the competition The most interesting and unusual feature of the jointly with me agreed with my view that garden was the huge pond which was created another much smaller garden that had been by converting the family’s swimming pool when entered into the competition and had a wide no longer used for its original purpose. The range of features of benefit to wildlife should conversion project was not an easy task as is not be penalised by its small size. As a result clear from a detailed description of what was Barbara was awarded First Prize for the Best involved in an article written by Barbara which Large Wildlife Garden and the smaller garden was published in “The Gardener” magazine in was awarded First Prize for the Best Small 1989. A wide range of both native and garden Wildlife Garden. Subsequent wildlife garden plant species attracted a wide range of fauna competitions organised by our group had to the garden and Barbara, being a keen separate categories for large and small gardens. photographer with a good quality SLR camera, took many 35mm slides which she used to give Several members took advantage of the talks to local organisations. opportunities offered to visit Barbara and her late husband Jim’s large attractive garden, WWG 51 Pond created from former swimming pool in Barbara’s Cadmore End garden An interesting article on Barbara’s garden appeared were regularly seen hunting for mosquitoes over the in the Bucks Free Press Limited Edition magazine in pond in Summer. 1992. The article contained some interesting photos of Barbara and the converted swimming pool pond, WWG newsletter coverage of the talk entitled “Nature which we would have liked to reproduce in this in my garden” given by Barbara at our AGM in April tribute. A letter to the Bucks Free Press requesting 2003 was very limited, but Barbara did retain the permission to reproduce these photographs in our notes she made for her talk and these have been newsletter, with a suitable acknowledgement, did copied to me for information. The notes show not get a response. Fortunately Barbara’s daughter that Barbara’s talk was very comprehensive and managed to locate and send me a suitable family illustrated by some of her 35mm slides of plants, photograph of the pond to use in this article. birds, mammals, insects, amphibians, dragonflies and damselflies. The conversion of the family swimming pool into a wonderful wildlife pond was the garden feature that Barbara’s wildlife conservation activities extended I remember most about the garden. Learning how beyond her garden as she was very much involved in this was achieved is a clear indication of the extent Cadmore End Church’s “Living Churchyard Project” of Barbara’s commitment to the conservation of a which managed its graveyard as a wildlife friendly wide range of local wildlife. The first task involved habitat. returning 50 barrow loads of clay, which had been dug out 20 years earlier when the swimming pool My thanks go to Barbara’s daughter Bernadette, was built, to the sides and shallow end of the pool. whose help in producing photographs, magazine This provided somewhere for amphibians to enter articles and talk notes, enabled this detailed account and leave the pond and also provided a suitable of Barbara’s contribution to wildlife conservation both habitat for marginal plants. Three 50 gallon drums on behalf of Wycombe Wildlife Group and her local were then filled with clay and sunk into the deep end area to be recorded. to provide a suitable habitat for water lilies. When completed, the new pond was rapidly colonised Roger by frogs, toads, newts and numerous water invertebrates. Seven species of dragonfly/damselfly were recorded, and goldfish introduced into the pond provided a food source for a visiting Kingfisher. Bats 52 WWG Looking back and looking forward Looking back at the period since WWG’s last members’ meeting in March 2020 when Covid Looking forward, the indications are that Covid 19 has prevented our Group from organising any 19 is at last coming under control in the UK, indoor or outdoor activities, I am conscious that although the gradual easing of restrictions, and there was probably more we could have done wider world problems could result in an increase to provide an ongoing service to our members in infections and the need to reimpose some using available technology.

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