Bristol Naturalist News
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Contents / Diary of events APRIL 2016 Bristol Naturalist News Photo © John Sparks Discover Your Natural World Bristol Naturalists’ Society BULLETIN NO. 549 APRIL 2016 BULLETIN NO. 549 APRIL 2016 Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World Registered Charity No: 235494 www.bristolnats.org.uk HON. PRESIDENT: David Hill, CONTENTS BSc (Sheff), DPhil (Oxon). 3 Diary of Events HON. CHAIRMAN: Roger Steer, Winpenny Cottage, Bagstone, Wotton-u-Edge, GL12 8BD 4 Walks: ‘Mid-week’; Richard Bland; [email protected] 01454 294371 New BNS/University initiative HON. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVING EDITOR: Dee Holladay, 15 Lower Linden Rd., Clevedon, 6 Chairman’s Notes; Phenology BS21 7SU [email protected] 7 New Treasurer needed HON. SEC.: Lesley Cox 07786 437 528 Bulletin Delivery volunteers needed [email protected] Welcome to new members HON. MEM'SHIP SEC.: Mrs. Margaret Fay 81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280 8 Society mid-week walk reports [email protected] 10 BOTANY SECTION HON. TREASURER: Mr Stephen Fay, “Spring Flower Power”; Botanical notes 81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280 12 Call for Records; Meetings Diary to Sept.. [email protected] 13 GEOLOGY SECTION BULLETIN DISTRIBUTION Hand deliveries save about £800 a year, so help Bristol Rocks; Meeting plans; is much appreciated. Offers please to: Lyme Regis HON. CIRCULATION SEC.: Brian Frost, 60 Purdy 14 INVERTEBRATE SECTION Court, New Station Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 Notes for April, Wildlife Photographer 3RT. 0117 9651242. [email protected] He will be pleased to supply further details. Also 15 LIBRARY Hidden Treasure? contact him about problems with (non-)delivery. 16 ORNITHOLOGY SECTION BULLETIN COPY DEADLINE: 7th of month before Recent News; Fieldwork; Future Dates; publication to the editor: David B Davies, 17 New Book; Ed Drewitt: Courses & Trips The Summer House, 51a Dial Hill Rd., Clevedon, BS21 Reading Group 7EW. 01275 873167 [email protected] Grants: The society makes grants of around 18 MAMMAL SECTION £500 for projects that meet the Society’s Group, Facebook group charitable aims of promoting research & 19 MISCELLANY education in natural history & its conservation in the Bristol region. Information and an application Botanic Garden; Badock’s Wood Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project form can be downloaded from: http://bns.myspecies.info/search/site/Grants 20 Birds in winter. STOP PRESS: (and bristolnats.org.uk) Email completed Lord Mayor’s Medal for R Bland applications to [email protected]. Cover picture: Since the death, after a : Members Health & Safety on walks fight, of the Ashton Court herd’s leading participate at their own risk. They are stag, a new leader has yet to emerge. responsible for being properly clothed and shod. This one looks a possible candidate. Dogs may only be brought on a walk with prior Photographed on one of his frequent agreement of the leader. visits by John Sparks, who kindly allowed Bristol Naturalists’ Society us to use the image. Discover Your Natural World 2 Registered Charity No: 235494 www.bristolnats.org.uk Diary of events Back to contents Council usually meets on the first Wednesday of each month (please confirm the date with the Hon. Sec. if you plan to attend). Any member can attend, but must give advance notice if wishing to speak. Visitors & guests are very welcome at any of our meetings. If contact details are given, please contact the leader beforehand, and make yourself known on arrival. We hope that you will enjoy the meeting, and consider joining the Society. To find out how to join, visit http://bns.myspecies.info and click on membership. APRIL 2016 Sat 2 RBland walk: Lawrence Weston Marsh Society 10:00 page 4 Sun 3 Mendip Lodge Wood, Burrington Botany 11:00 page 10 Thu 7 Mid-week Walk – Cheddar Society 10:00 page 4 Sat 9 ‘Bird Song’ (with Bristol University) Society 07:30 page 5 Sat 16 RBland walk: Snuff Mills/Frome Valley Society 10:00 page 4 Sun 17 RBland walk: Trees of Westbury Park Society 10:00 page 4 Sun 17 AGM and Insect talks Invertebrate 14:00 page 14 Wed 20 Behind the Scenes at the Museum Mammal 13:15 page 18 Thu 21 Gloucestershire Pot Luck Botany 11:00 page 10 Sat 23 Otter Survey training Mammal 11:00 page 18 Sat 23 Sully Island & Lavernock Point Geology TBA page 13 Sun 24 ‘Bulbs & Blossom’ (with Bristol University) Society 14:00 page 5 Sat 30 ‘Tree Gazing’ (with Bristol University) Society 10:30 page 5 Sat 30 Lyme Regis Fossil Festiva\l Geology TBA Late April Bat Walk TBA Mammal page 18 MAY 2016 Sun 22 Walk: Three Brooks LNR Mammal 14:00 page 18 JUNE 2016 Sat/Sun 11/12 BNS exhibits at Festival of Nature – helpers needed! See Chairman’s notes p6 Tue 21 St George’s Flower Bank (booking essential) Botany (evg) page 12 OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST: Richard Bland’s Walks – listed in full on page 4 – NB Booking essential Richard Bland offers a series of 11 two-hour Downs walks through 2016, one each in March and April, six in May (part of Bristol Walking Festival) and one each in June, July and August. All must be booked direct with him: (0117 968 1061 [email protected] ). Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 exhibition Until 10 April. page 14 Botanists’ Field Meetings diary to September page 12 APRIL Sat 2 Day Workshop: Attracting Pollinators Botanic Garden 10:00 page 19 Sat 9 Avon Gorge rare plants scramble Gorge & Downs 10:30 page 19 Sat 9 ‘Bristol Rocks’ Museum page 13 Sun 10 Walk: Early Birds Gorge & Downs 06:00 page 19 Sun 10 3-week course: Intro to growing vegetables Botanic Garden 09:30 page 19 Sun 10 Flower Walk Badock’s Wood 14:00 page 19 Wed 13 6-wk course: Drawing Workshop Botanic Garden 11:00 page 19 Fri/Sat 15/16 Course: Birdsong on the Downs Gorge & Downs page 19 Sun 17 River Sampling Badock’s Wood 14:00 page 19 Mon 18 Spring Flower Power Museum 11:00 page 11 Sat 24 Family event: ‘Spring detectives’ Gorge & Downs 13:30 page 19 3 SOCIETY ITEMS Back to contents / Back to Diary SOCIETY MID-WEEK WALK Thursday, 7th April, at Callow Rock, Cheddar (not Nunney as advertised – see page 8). Meet at 10 am on Thursday, 7th April at Callow Rocks, Cheddar, in the wide concreted area opposite and just 50 metres down from the main entrance to the quarry on the Shipham Road at ST449559. This will enable us to visit two woods and have extensive views above the trees. Good footwear and clothing suitable for the weather should be worn. As a special treat I propose that we lunch at ‘Lukees’ (aka Lillypool Cheese and Cider farm), where bacon butties and ham and eggs are excellent standard fare. Keep in touch, Tony Smith, tel. 0117 965 6566. DOWNS (AND OTHER) WALKS WITH RICHARD BLAND Back to contents / Back to Diary Booking essential: via 0117 968 1061 or [email protected] Sat 2 April, 10.00-12.00 Lawrence Weston Marsh. We will walk round this amazing Wildlife Trust reserve. It is usually very wet and muddy, so come well shod. Though it lies between the M5 and a major railway line it is wild and unknown. Meet at the car park at the bottom of Lawrence Weston road off Long Cross at ST545788. Sat 16 April, 10.00-12.00 Snuff Mills. We will walk through the gorge of the of the River Frome, identifying all the bird song and calls, and hoping to see the Dippers and Grey Wagtails. The walk is on a paved path, and suitable for beginners. Meet at the Snuff Mills car park off Broom Hill Road in Stapleton. ST622 764 Sun 17 April, 10.00-12.00. Trees of Westbury Park. We will explore the trees of what is often called Grannies Downs, which is in part an old clay pit. Meet at the junction of Clay Pit Road and Westbury Park Road, ST574732. Sun 1 May, 2.0-4.00 Trees of Clifton Green. We will explore Clifton Green looking at both its trees and its history. Meet at the bus stop opposite Christchurch ST569 733. Tue 3 May, 10.00-12.00. Trees of the Water Tower area. We will identify the trees all round the water-tower, and then look at the history of a number of other trees in the area. Meet at the Café Retreat, ST570 750 4 BIODIVERSITY TOURS BRISTOL UNIVERSITY in ASSOCIATION WITH the BNS Back to contents / Back to Diary am delighted to be able to announce that the University of Bristol and Bristol I Naturalists’ Society have become partners in a new venture. The University owns a large number of sites within the city and beyond, most having extensive external areas. Many of these historic sites, such as the Royal Fort, have a glorious setting and incorporate grounds in which differing habitats and ecosystems flourish, with a wide spectrum of flora and fauna, including notable UK BAP and Avon BAP species. The University takes its responsibility to conserve and encourage biodiversity seriously by managing land and resources using specified habitat plans and, as Bristol’s Green Capital Year fades into the past, it is taking up the mantle of disseminating the importance of maintaining our natural heritage. To this end, with the integral help of the Bluebells (and Lion) guarding the entrance BNS, the University is opening a number of to the Grotto at Goldney Hall these historic sites, some not normally by kind permission of the University of Bristol accessible, for a series of Biodiversity Tours.