Snippets

News from the Bridgend Group of the

Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales - March 2016

Issue 4

Inside ’s Birds, Hairy Ice, Parc Slip’s Moth Year and Much Much More

1 Caterpillar Clearance

Sunday the 20th March saw the last of Butterfly Conservation's 2016 winter work parties at Oldcastle Down. Cut scrub was burnt beneath the blue sky and many splinters were removed from palms. Lets hope the High Brown’s appreciate it!

Mike Bright

Magical Hair Ice

Hair-ice is created by a fungus Exidiopsis efussa and is generally found on fallen branches that have bark missing exposing bare wood. It forms when the air tempera- ture is just below freezing but the ground remains just above and it always forms only when this fungus is present. All living, metabolising fungi produce car- bon dioxide. This acts to push water out of wood which would then normally just freeze as a simple crust of ice, but E. effusa causes this water to freeze into thin hair- like strands. It is thought that it produces some kind of "re-crystallisation inhibitor" which some- how acts to create and stabilise the deli- cate hair-ice whilst also acting to prolong its life. I found these examples nearly a year ago but the link with E. effusa has only recently been discovered and was brought to my attention by the Glamorgan Fungus Group who have an excellent, friendly and most informative Facebook group. By the way, why not join today? (Plug, plug)

2 James Bond’s Birds James Bond (1900-1989) was a leading American ornithologist who specialized in birds. His book “ was first published in 1936 and is still in print today, available in the UK as a volume in the “Collins Field Guide” series. Although this book remains as arguably the standard work on its subject, the author is probably better known nowadays as the man who allowed author to appropriate his name for the fictional espionage agent - the dashing hero of the best-selling series of 14 books. The books were published annually between 1953 and 1966 (the final two volumes were published posthumously-Fleming died in 1964). We know that Ian Fleming was a keen bird-watcher who built a house, Goldeneye, in where he would have used James Bond’s book as an identification- guide to the 300-odd bird-species of the region. At this point, we leave discussion of the real-life James Bond to focus –in lighter vein - on the derring-do of Fleming’s famous secret agent. It is probable that most readers do not approve of the killing of wild birds. Neither-it seems- did Fleming’s intrepid hero, James Bond. can now reveal a little-known statistical fact, viz. in every instance in the Bond novels where the “bad guys” kill wild birds, they are themselves eventually exterminated. Four examples follow:- Firstly, in , the eponymous arch-villain boasts to Bond that he caused the death of thousands of Roseate Spoonbills on the island Crab Key off the coast of Jamaica. His eventual-and appropriate- fate was to be buried alive in a mound of yellow bird-dung deposited on him by James Bond (now a crane-driver).

3 Secondly, in Bond is an onlooker when the venomous assassin Francisco Scaramanga shoots a pair of Jamaican(Antillean) Grackles in the window of a Jamaican brothel. Later in the book, Scaramanga also shoots a Turkey vulture(Turkey buzzard) in a cane field. Eventually in a gunfight between the two men in a mangrove swamp, a wounded Bond kills Scaramanga.

Thirdly, in The Robber- a henchman of Harlem gangster Mr Big- shoots a pelican in a Florida harbour in front of Bond and his American associate . Later in the book, in a confrontation between Bond and The Robber in a fish-bait warehouse, the “bad guy” meets a grisly end when Bond kicks him through a floor hatch into an underground shark tank. Finally,in , we go to Echo Lake resort in the Green Mountains of Vermont,USA, near the the Canadian border, where Bond has tracked down a vicious killer called von Hammerstein, an ex- Gestapo agent naturalized by . Reluctantly, Bond has to share his mission with Judy Havelock, a beautiful but vengeful girl with pale gold hair. They see von Hammerstein shoot a kingfisher over the lake. Shortly afterwards, Judy dispatches him, using a bow and arrow. With somewhat heavy humour, Bond gives her the nickname of Robina Hood.

4 Ian Fleming’s genuine interest in birds has already been mentioned. Not surprisingly therefore and apart from the birds previously mentioned, there are descriptions of bird behaviour throughout the James Bond books:-

--a courtship display of a pair of Herring gulls on the chalk cliffs of the Kent coast (in ). --Temminck’s cormorant and Copper pheasants on the Japanese island of Kuroshima (in ). --Guanay cormorant in Jamaica (in ). --Mockingbird and Frigatebird, also in Jamaica (in ).

The most striking of all of the descriptions of bird behaviour,however, is Fleming’s portrayal of the Red-billed streamertail (the national bird of Jamaica - see left) in This short story starts with a superbly-written 300-word description which opens with:-

The most beautiful bird in Jamaica, and some say the most beautiful bird in the world, is the streamer-tail or Doctor humming-bird…

It should come as no surprise that the multi- award-winning author, Anthony Burgess describes Fleming as a distinguished writer of English prose, whilst condemning the Bond films as disgraceful distortions and grotesque parodies.

5 Weaselpecker

My favourite wildlife moment of 2015 was something that erupted across the Internet and became a worldwide talking point for everyone, even those who pay little or no attention to the natural world that surrounds them. This has nothing to do with the usual wildlife showstoppers (Panda, Lion, Rhino etc) and was all down to a chance picture taken by an amateur wildlife photographer in Hornchurch Country Park in East London. The picture was taken by Martin Le May and he was on the verge of getting more than his 15 minutes of fame! If you missed it (and I would be surprised if there was anyone in the civilised world who did) it was a Weasel ‘riding’ a Green Woodpecker. The Weasel was literally flying on what he thought would be his lunch! AMAZING! My favourite thing about the whole escapade was that it got everyone talking about wildlife. Even people who barely pay attention to the great outdoors were talking about it. I even overheard people saying that they did not know that we had Weasels and Woodpeckers in Britain! The press were all over the picture and it even had its own name ‘Weaselpecker!’. So, to the Weasel, the Woodpecker and Martin Le May for bringing British Wildlife to the attention of the world, I salute you! Mike Bright

Glow-worms are always happy

6 Walking, Stalking & Talking Fungi

So, is watching wildlife becoming tedious for you? Have you realised there are simply not enough flowers…..birds….butterflies etc for you? You want a whole kingdom to study? You have finally realised that the fungi are calling you! You have splashed some cash and ‘tooled up’ with a shiny new guidebook, hand-lens, knife and the all-important basket. You look the part but what do you do next? Well, the obvious answer is ‘go outside’ but it’s a big world out there, where should you go?

It’s all very well poring over a map looking for different habitats to go in search of new finds but, when you are starting out, the sheer number of fungal possibilities can be overwhelming and you run the risk of giving up before you start, abandoning your new hobby and just leaving your guidebook to gather dust on the shelf. If you want to learn quickly and keep your interest throughout the year, you need to focus down, do what many birders do and pick a patch!

Fungi I have known - 2015

You are going to want to visit your patch as often as possible (I usually visit mine at least once a week) so somewhere within a short walk of home or work is ideal. Keep it small, we all lead busy lives and if it takes you too long to have a weekly nose around, you run the danger of skipping a visit - and we all know when you skip a visit that is when the really interesting stuff will be out. Try and choose somewhere with a mixture of habitats, your main concern being to pick somewhere that will have interest throughout the year, which means that a certain degree of woodland is needed. It helps if your patch has definite boundaries; mine is a small woodland surrounded by a wall which conveniently stops me wandering off into the distance.

Right, now it’s time to get out there! Before you start, be conscious of your speed, the adult world is fast-paced but that’s no good if you want to find tiny tiny things in a big dark wood. You need to go at toddler-speed, as toddlers take forever to walk the smallest of distances because they are totally absorbed in their immediate surroundings. This is exactly the frame of mind you need to be in to find fungi! If you are having trouble slowing down and have access to a toddler (or child), I would highly recommend taking them along with you to slow you down (with the parent’s permission of course). It’s no good dreamily floating around your patch - you must get stuck in and that means dirty hands and dirty knees! Head for rotting timber and log-piles, getting down to ground level as often as possible. Don’t just look on the top surface, check out the ends, gently lift and look underneath and make use of your nice new hand-lens. Do not visit your patch if you are in a rush!

7 Found something? You know what to do, take pictures (from different angles), take field notes (size/shape/smell/gills/pores/what’s it growing on?), collect a specimen (if you need to) for further examination and to take a spore print. Try to identify it yourself using your books but remember you are a beginner. Don’t expect an ID For everything you find, Sometimes that is only possible with a microscope and decades of experience – no matter how much you want to identify that LBM (Little Brown Mushroom) you may have to let it go. Don’t be dejected!

What’s this? Its may be a Snowy Disco - but you need a microscope and a stack of books to be sure.

If you can’t identify it, then it’s time to put the details that you have recorded together with the pictures and ask for some help (you can upload to Ispot or use facebook FB Glamorgan Fungus Group or FB British Mycological Society ) – just remember, some fungi can be identified from photos alone but most will need a copy of your field notes and colour of the spores (from your spore print) to get you a positive ID.

There is still a lot that we do not know about fungi and one of the ways for the professionals to make inroads into this is for us all to keep records of our finds (specimens, dates, locations, habitats). Keeping records might seem boring but lists can be fun especially if you are keeping a running count of the finds on your patch. Within a month you will be at one with your patch and feel in tune with the seasons. You will know the best spots to look and the best times to go and you will feel great when you find something new. If you hit a dull patch with not much around wait for the rain and visit 1 or 2 or 3 days after to see the full succession of fruiting bodies. Visiting the woods once a week will enable you to appreciate the seasonality of the fungal world and you really never know what you might find.

When you are starting out there are many things to remember, top of the list is to have fun! Enjoy yourself and as a beginner, make the most of your first fungal year. It’s the best chance you will get to find a new fungi every time you step out onto your patch.

Mike Bright

8 Which Mermaid owns that Purse?

For me, one of the highlights of a trip to the beach was searching the drift line to try and find a Mermaid’s Purse. These will be familiar to most but can you identify the species from the egg case? Here we have the egg cases of the Small Spotted Cat Shark, Nursehound, Undulate Ray, Spotted Ray, Cuckoo Ray, Starry Ray, Thornback Ray, Small Eyed Ray and the Blonde Ray. Can you tell which is which?

Turn over for the answers Mike Bright A

D B C

G E

F

H I

9 Which Mermaid owns that Purse?

If you have a different type of egg case in your collection you can visit the Great Egg Case Website for help with identification. You can download an excellent Identification leaflet from the Shark Trust HERE

Weird Nature Names

There seems to be a bit of a modern craze of people ‘creating’ interesting names for their children but when you look back, its not a modern craze at all! These are all genuine Names (followed by the date of birth of the individual) - Annie (1879), Adder Attack (1866), Diehappy Badger (1860), Large Bee (1829), Baby Bird (1829 - an unusual name for a Farrier and father of 8 children!), Dicky Bird (1894), Otter Bloodworth (1842), Anger Bull (1680), Easter Bunny (1841), Issac Worm Buthcher (1843), Tom Cat (1824), Wolf Bear Chalvony (1910), Sloth Cleaver (1861), Pubens Cockle (1891), Anna Conder (1851), Nightingale Cuckoo (1838), Jack Daw (1901), Dorothy Spider De La Maddocks (1890), Jane Ding Dove (1898), Donald Duck (1899), Love A Duck (1820), Snowdrop Eagle (1894), Elle Fant (1861), Fanny Ferret (1877), Fish Fish (1840), Foxy Fox (1947), George Gnat (1796), Adolfine Grebe (1888), Piggy Hart (1852), Bland Herring (1851), Stormy Petrel Hodgson (1892), Ass Holmes (1866), Moth Hunt (1841), Ali Katt (1819), Don Key (1885), Cat Kitten (1851), Dolphin Leach (1911), John James Leveret White Leveret (1860), Kitty Litter (1839), Creature Lugger (1691), Emma Mammal (1834), Ming Mole (1781), Pascow Newt (1619), Otter Otters (1868), Ann Owl (1797), Beaver Panter (1849), Fanny Mary Cuckoo Rawbone (1837), Hairby Rook Rook (1843), Chris Sallis (1804), Dinah Saw (1818), Mary Winkle Shufflebotham (1843), Bat Stack (1858 - born Merthyr Tydfil), Sophia (1879), Dodo Woodcock (1903), Pete Bog (1812), Hamlet Winkle (1808), Unity Worm (1805). 10 Record Breakers!

The first wild daffodils were in bloom at Coed y Bwl reserve on January 25 – beating a long- standing early record by six days.

Our mildest December since records began helped promote dormant bulbs at this wildwood gem in the Vale of Glamorgan.

On the same day, nuthatches were spring-cleaning an old woodpecker hole in an ash tree, song thrush and mistle thrush were in full song and a tawny owl was mobbed by wrens and blackbirds. Wood anemones and dog violets will bloom soon.

Visitors are asked to stay on the circular path and keep dogs on leads. The full display of daffodils is expected to mature by early March. And for the record: On Sunday, January 31, 1999, two daffodils burst forth to claim the earliest record since the Trust acquired the reserve forty-five years ago.

Set in the north west side of the Alun valley this stunning little nature reserve is well tended by a local group of volunteers who maintain its paths and walls. Every year this ancient ash woodland fills up with spring flowers, making it a spectacular sight, but the daffodils really make it special. Concerned by the early onset of daffodils appearing in gardens from December one of our intrepid volunteers, Richard Marks, made it out to the site to check on the state of play. Whilst some daffodils are coming thankfully they are not all in flower yet, but it's worthwhile remembering that we could have a very early bloom this year - so watch this space.

Opinions

Chris Packham,the TV wildlife presenter owns a pair of black miniature poodles which he calls his “joy grenades” and describes them as being the centre of his universe. Nevertheless he declares:-- “Both dogs and cats have the potential to damage our wildlife—why do we allow dogs onto nature reserves, for example? It’s anathema to me”. (from “Radio Times” issue dated 30th January-5th February 2016) Yes, why do we allow dogs on our nature reserves?-----especially when they’re off the leash and out of control...... 11 Meanderings of The Myxomycetes

Welcome to a brief introduction to a fascinating group of 'creatures'! It has been suggested that Slime Moulds were the inspiration for the Hollywood movie 'The Blob' (1958) starring Steve McQueen and re-made in 1988!

These are not fungi but are often studied by mycologists. They are classified as protoza/amoeboza and start off life as amoeba-like cells that move! This is the plasmoidal stage where they creep across vegetation or dead wood at up to the rate of 2.5cm per hour devouring bacteria, fungal spores and whatever else takes their fancy! When food runs out or because of light or moisture-changes, these cells join together to form the next stage – a sporangia. This stage is usually the easiest time for us to spot them and try to identify! Often at this stage they are less than 1cm with a lot of different shapes and colours. At the end of this stage, spores are released which go on to form the amoeba-like cells elsewhere.

There are well over 1000 species recognised worldwide but there are probably many more lurking out there waiting to be discovered!

I'll describe a few that I have come across which are fairly common and large enough to see without a hand lens.

Fuligo septica (Flowers of Tan)

This one is found on dead logs in shaded areas and is usually quite vivid yellow. Its English names are quite descriptive!

Photo - Mike Bright Photo - Graham Cox

12 Enteridium lycoperdon (False Puffball)

This is found on dead tree trunks and logs usually in shaded locations. It starts off looking like a blob of spit which develops into a mass looking a bit like rough polystyrene. Colour is white to cream. It then progresses to a smooth polystyrene- like white coloured mass. It can reach 10 x 8 cm or more and is usually oval in shape. This then changes to a silvery smooth form that after a day or two, starts splitting to expose a brown spore mass. The spores are dispersed by wind and rain.

Photo - Mark Steer

Photo - Graham Cox Lycogala - L epidendrum or L terrestre (Wolfs Milk)

These appear on dead logs and form pinkish/orange spherical masses to 1.5cm diameter. Th y are usually clustered and sometimes in profusion. You need to watch how it develops to see what colour the spore mass becomes – has dull pink spores and has grey spores. I' not sure which my photo is as I didn't pay enough attention at the time! I'm hoping it will reappear this year so I can check.

Photos - Mark Steer

13 This is one of the small ones! Only up to 4mm tall and less than 1mm diameter.

Photo - Mike Bright Photo - Mike Bright I hope this has given you a 'taste' for Slime Moulds! By Mark Steer

Photo - Mike Bright - species

Want to learn more? Then watch this 10 minute video by Heather Barnett - Slime Moulds

14 A funny thing happened to me this winter

In fact there were two funny things. The first happened one day in late January. I opened my front door to find two embracing by the doorstep – as you can see from the picture I took. Of course, frogs of the opposite sex are programmed to get together at this time of year, but they normally do this in their breeding pond and they don’t normally meet face to face, so to speak. The usual procedure is for the male to jump upon the female’s back and to hold her in this embrace – called amplexus – for a pronged period before spawning begins. Of course, all this should be happening in a pond, not on my front doorstep. I do have a pond only about 6 feet away, so, after waiting for a few hours until it became clear that these paramours weren’t going to move of their accord, I set them down beside the water. Apart from anything else, they were in danger of being squashed by someone emerging from the house. In a little while they rolled over into the water and sank to the bottom of the pond. Every day since I have looked for the tell-tale spawn, but nothing has yet appeared as I write on 1st March. Mating for frogs can be a very protracted business lasting some weeks – so I haven’t given up hope yet. Females may be seized by more than one passionate male and held under water for so long that they drown. When spawning occurs it tends to be a communal activity with a number of females spawning on the same night. Perhaps it will still happen in my garden this year, but the sad fact is that frog numbers have declined dramatically from when I first moved into my present address. I remember then on several occasions I would come home from work on a rainy day to find that as many as fifty frogs had emerged onto the patio, seemingly to enjoy the wet weather. In the new year there would be numerous clumps of spawn in the pond, and then, in due course, the pond would be alive with hundreds of wriggling tadpoles. In the summer I would sometimes have to “sweep” the grass before I mowed it, in order to remove the little froglets that were hiding there. Today, all this is a thing of the past. Only a very few clumps of spawn now appear in my two ponds in winter – none so far this year - and the sight of tadpoles in the spring has become a real rarity. I have assumed that this was perhaps the result of an increasing population of newts in the ponds. But it may also be due to a virus disease that has drastically reduced amphibians everywhere.

My second strange observation this winter took place in mid-February when I was walking in the Thaw Valley near Llansannor. My path took me past a large house standing on its own in the countryside. Suddenly I became aware of what I thought was a little white bird flying to and fro over this house and its extensive gardens. It took me a moment or two to realise that we don’t have any little white birds that we are ever likely to see in this way. And the pattern of flight – completely silent – was quite different from any bird’s.

This was a bat – an albino bat. I could clearly make out its white wings and pink-coloured body. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera to hand, but I watched it for several minutes before it finally flew behind the house and went out of sight. This took place at 1 o’clock on a February afternoon. Normally we would expect to see bats at dusk or dawn on a summer’s evening. I can only imagine that the creature had woken from hibernation, or failed to go into hibernation, because of the mild weather this winter. Or was its strange behaviour anything to do with its albinism? Can anyone enlighten me?

15 Parc Slip’s Moth Year - A Review

As most of you will know, Parc Slip Nature Reserve is an excellent place to go and see a whole host of wildlife from water rails to grass snakes. However some of the reserve’s special wildlife only comes out at night so is not so easy to experience! Moth trapping is a popular hobby amongst naturalists and can be hugely rewarding with even modest gardens allowing ‘moth-ers’ to get up close and personal to some impressive and charismatic species (which are released safe and well afterwards).

I first experienced a moth trap when in university and I was immediately hooked. I have since made my own moth trap that I use at home and have endeavoured to get some moth surveying done at as many sites as possible since having been employed by the Trust. I started regular trapping at Parc Slip in early 2012 and have run the trap (almost) weekly ever since with well over 500 species caught in that time.

2015 was a good year in terms of diversity – I had my two most diverse catches with 120 and 114 species caught respectively in July. The biggest catch in 2015 was of 409 moths; this compares with my most numerous catch ever which was of 630+ moths in 2013 – that took a while (and a few cups of tea) to sort through I can tell you! In 2015 just short of 350 different species were caught during the year and here are a few of my highlights:

This uncommonly-recorded moth was one of two migrant species recorded at Parc Slip on the 21st of July, the other being a Dark Sword-grass (Agrotis ipsilon). Small Mottled Willow is a resident in mainland and can occur at any time of the year in the UK and can turn up in large numbers in some years. This was the first record at Parc Slip however – a nice addition to the list! The species hasn’t been recorded as breeding in the UK as yet but could do in time as their caterpillars rely on a range of fairly common foodplants including dandelion and docks.

This attractively marked species is Nationally Notable and has only been recorded a handful of times in the county. One was caught at Parc Slip on the night of 23rd of April last year and was the first recorded at the reserve, though one had been caught in the Llynfi Valley by Paul Parsons in 2014. The foodplants of the caterpillars are not particularly well known but are thought to include a range of deciduous trees such as apple and blackthorn. According to the Field Guide to the Moths of GB & Ireland it’s possible that the larvae have some relationship with but this requires further research – a mystery!

16 This locally-distributed moth hadn’t been recorded at Parc Slip until the 17th of July last year and was a welcome visitor to the light trap. The caterpillars feed on beech and the moth is apparently not uncommon on the limestone ridge north of Cardiff (Moths of Glamorgan) but is elsewhere in the county. We have caught it at Coed y Bedw too which is not surprising given the amount of beech present there. The species occasionally has a second generation in late summer/early autumn.

Pic - Paul Parsons

This little micro-moth’s name is considerably larger than the moth itself! This new addition to Parc Slip’s species list turned up in the trap on the night of the 23rd of April and is a late spring species (April trapping isn’t always very productive but both this and the Dotted Chestnut were caught on the same night so it goes to show that it’s always worth trying!). It has a local distribution nationally and there are few records for Glamorgan despite the fact that the caterpillars feed on blackthorn, which is hardly a rare plant in the area…the caterpillars fold the leaf down and feed sheltered from potential predators.

This is another micro-moth whose name is a bit of a mouthful but the insect itself is a little beauty with a subtle combination of dark blue and gold markings. It is a Nationally Notable species which had only been recorded twice in the county before 2014. It does seem to be getting slightly more common nationwide however and it was recorded 3 times by Butterfly Conservation’s George Tordoff in 2014 (including at Coed y Bedw) and I recorded it twice in 2015 – at Parc Slip on the 24th of June when two individuals were caught and the following night at our Brynna Woods reserve too! It’s another species whose distribution seems to be limited more by environmental conditions than the availability of their foodplant as the caterpillars feed on a range of deciduous trees.

Pic - George Tordoff

17 In addition to the species listed above there were a few other species which are particularly nice to see or rarely-caught at Parc Slip; these include Autumnal Rustic, Garden Tiger, Beautiful Snout, Lobster Moth, Puss Moth, Grey Birch, Gold Triangle and Catoptria pinella.

WTSWW will be running a number of public moth mornings at Parc Slip (and elsewhere) in 2016 so if you’d like to come and experience the thrill of checking a moth trap (it’s like Chrismas!) then keep an eye on our events list for details. I’d also strongly recommend either purchasing a moth trap or making one as it is a very rewarding hobby (remembering to send all your records off to the local records centre of course!)

Finally, thanks must go to all the knowledgeable moth recorders in the county who are always willing to lend their time and expertise to help identify any moths that I have difficulty with!

Garden Tiger Pic - Mike Bright

Frog went A-Courting Frogs are already on the march at Coed Y Bwl - one jump ahead this year with masses of spawn appearing on January 27.

Reserve volunteers have logged only one January record in the same ancient sheep pond alongside the wood – coincidental- ly on January 27, 2008 during a compara- bly mild period of westerly weather.

At a time when frog ponds are vanishing through land development, the Coed-y- Bwl team have cared for the frogs by diverting rain water from a lane next to the reserve along a ditch and into the pond.

Twenty years ago the reserve volunteers excavated - with buckets and spades – tonnes of silt to restore the pond for wild- life.

18 Woodpeckers sabotage telecommunications

It was a wet morning just before Christmas when, quite unannounced, a team of workmen arrived outside my house and began to dig a hole close beside a telegraph pole that stands just beyond my front garden. This telegraph pole carries the telephone wires to my house and it also supports a street light which every night illuminates the track across Coity-Anglia Common where I live.

The pole has been leaning at an angle for years, so I wasn’t surprised that to find that it was to be replaced at long last. But this wasn’t the reason for replacing the pole.

“It’s the woodpeckers,” said one of the workmen when I enquired, and he pointed to a large cavity in the pole, twenty feet above the ground. “Last week we replaced three more poles down the road, all just the same.”

Now, I keep a good eye on the wildlife in and around my garden, and each week I methodically carry out the Garden Bird Survey for the BTO. I have often observed a Great Spotted Woodpecker perching on this telegraph pole (or occasionally a Green Woodpecker). In the spring and early summer the drumming of the Great Spotted Woodpecker is a familiar and welcome sound. But I had never noticed that they had actually excavated such a large cavity, one big enough to weaken the structure of the telegraph pole.

I had always assumed that the sound of drumming emanated from the woods behind my house. The telegraph poles stand isolated and exposed on the open common land to the front. But these, it seems, were the birds’ preferred nesting sites – and I had completely missed it.

19 Bryophyte Briefing

Some Interesting finds on Og- more Down and Oldcastle Down by George Tordoff….

Entodon concinnus in limestone grassland on south-facing slope of Ogmore Down – the only known site in South Wales for this rare calcicole. It has been found elsewhere on Ogmore Down by Chris Forster Brown. More Info.

Entosthodon pulchellus on soil-capped limestone out- crops on west-facing slope of Old Castle Down. This is a Welsh Priority (Section 42) spe- cies with its UK stronghold on the Gower limestones, but this is the first record for the Vale. More Info.

A liverwort new for Glamorgan on a rock not far away, Porella arboris-vitae. Not found in nearby parts of Wales but, like the High Brown Fritillary, it occurs on Exmoor.

20 Lesser Horseshoe bats and the mild winter

These bats enter their winter roost around Sept / Oct time. Originally they would have hibernated in caves but now also use old mines, tunnels and in this case my external disused cellar.The U K population is thought to number around 24, 000 and is restricted to Wales, West Midlands and S W England. I am unsure how long they have used the cellar for hibernation ,only becoming aware of them around ten years ago. They are highly sensitive to disturbance so I rarely enter the cellar. The winter roosts are said to contain relatively small numbers and I have counted between 2 and 5 individuals. They move positions during the winter but where the " missing ones "hide I am not sure. They hang like plums from the concrete cellar roof about 5 ft from the floor. The floor has standing water on it so the humidity is high. This is a factor they prefer. Wondering how they were faring in such a warm winter, on 07/01/2016 I measured a temperature of 7C (45 F) externally and 10C (50F) in the cellar. The former is again the preferred hibernation temperature. They depart in the spring to breed in warmer warmer buildings, usually this is within5 to 10 km of the winter roost. These bats could be members of the colony which uses Hut 9 at Island Farm,this is about 2km as the bat flies.

Water Voles @ Magor Marsh

By Charis White Black Cap

In mid January, for two consecutive days our back garden bird feeders were graced with a superb male Blackcap seemingly in radiant breeding plumage, so unlikely to be a juvenile over- wintering. Its bravest act was flying at the fat ball feeder and trying to hover whilst it pecked away. That activity was always followed by skulking in adjacent bushes. Perhaps a freak early arriver - given the extraordinary weather patterns this winter.

21 Breaking News….Breaking News

The Wildlife Trusts representing 47 different trusts in Britain, have announced that they will be formally backing a stay-in vote in the EU referendum. Their statement noted: “The UK’s membership of the European Union has a major positive impact on almost every aspect of our work.”

Stephanie Hilborn, the group’s chief executive, explained in a blog why EU membership “matters for wildlife”. She wrote: “Without EU Directives, we would not be investing in the restoration of our river catchments, even to the rather small extent that we currently are.” (from an article in Daily Telegraph, issue no. 50,009, dated 7th March,2016)

* Well now, does the charitable status of the Wildlife Trusts allow them to express a preference in this matter, without canvassing the members? * Stephanie Hilborn’s rather lame statement is hardly a ringing endorsement for staying in the EU, is it? * Or is the real reason for backing a stay-in vote based on funding available from EU? If so, why not admit it? * Some of us may well feel that it is irrelevant whether we stay in or come out. Hen-harriers will still be illegally killed on British moorlands, and Robins, Chaffinches, Blackcaps, Song-thrushes and Skylarks will still be slaughtered in their millions in EU member countries---Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy and Malta. * What do you think?

Just for a laugh

22 37 years (and counting…)

Pic - Richard Marks Pic - Mike Bright On the front page of the New Year 2016 newsletter for the Friends of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast is a “lovely wintry photograph of a hungry redwing” (to quote the caption under the photo). This photograph was taken by Paul Dunn and serves to remind us that although Paul has now retired from the Heritage Coast project, he is still active in wildlife conservation work in the area.

Most Bridgend Group members will know that the Glamorgan Heritage Coast comprises a 14-mile stretch of coastline from Aberthaw in the east to Porthcawl in the west (Heritage Coast status was awarded in 1972 and the first Heritage Coast Officer was appointed in 1973). They may not be aware, however, that Paul has been involved with the Heritage Coast for most of its 43-year effective existence to date. He joined as an Assistant Ranger in 1978 and was promoted to full-time Ranger within a year. He finally retired in 2015 as Principal Ranger. This staggering 37-year length of service was formally recognized at a presentation held at the Heritage Coast Centre in September 2015, at which several Bridgend Group members were present.

On a more informal note, Paul is of course well known to our group and has personal friends amongst its members. Not sparing his blushes, we have come to realize over the years that Paul is a person who chooses to wear his learning lightly and who is blessed with an abundance of natural interpersonal communication skills. We are fortunate that he has spent so long amongst us, working on “the best stretch of coastline in Britain” (his words) and we hope that he’ll be here for another 37 years!

(with acknowledgements to Summer 2015 newsletter for Friends of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast)

23 A change in the weather

Spring came around the corner with astonishing speed – bringing a flush of green shoots at the turn of the year following the mildest December on record. At Coed-y-Bwl the wild daffodils were breaking new records – with the first bloom out on January 25, followed by a single bluebell on March 4. Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were in full tune ahead of time. Flashback to a similar period in 1940 when snow buried a south-bound express train for 36 hours on the flank of the Pennines. And does anyone recall (closer to home) the big freeze in 1978? On February 18 South Wales was paralysed by deep snow, cutting off villages and major roads. In the west country severe blizzards brought drifts up to 30 feet deep – cutting off most of Devon and Cornwall. Even worse was the big snow of January 8, 1982 – start of the severest snowstorms of the winter. Blizzards raged for 48 hours without cease in Wales and much of the west country. Police closed off the slip roads onto the M4 and M5 by rolling giant snowballs against the carriageways following diehard motorists’ vain attempts to brave the conditions. So will Britain ever be weather-wise? Or does predicted climate change mean winter primroses for ever more?

Coed-y-Bwl in Focus

First Coed-y-Bwl Daffodils at The first Bluebell of 2016. Coed-y-Bwl. Anemones are out. Pic Richard Marks Pic Mike Bright Pic Richard Marks

A camera team from the new TV channel Made in Cardiff came out of the city to spotlight Coed-y-Bwl’s spring daffodils. Reserve volunteers Roy Williams and Richard Marks were on hand to tell the story of their forty years’ conservation management work at the Wildlife Trust’s Vale of Glamorgan woodland gem. In February storm force winds swept across the Vale of Glamorgan with enough ferocity to bring down two 90-year- old wych elms. – part of a small surviving group of trees which somehow escaped the devastation of Dutch Elm Disease that claimed the lives of 25 million trees across the UK 45 years ago. Floods from a neighbouring wheat field brought tonnes of silt and rushing water into the wood and adjoining frog pond as the reserve’s celebrated wild daffodils began to bloom. Volunteers spent a Sunday morning unblocking the visitors’ path and stacking the fallen timber on a wildlife habitat pile. Meanwhile, it appears that the silt with added agricultural chemicals has affected the frogs and their spawn . It means that the reserve volunteers are faced with a huge clean-up after spending many hours back-breaking work to enlarge the pond for wildlife.

Chain (saw) Gang What a pile of logs! Floodwater pouring down the path 24 Patience Pays

Patience is a virtue is not generally associated with youth. Last summer I watched a remarkable Great Spotted Woodpecker who seemed to have learned the lesson early in life. In my garden I have a spring-loaded peanut feeder. The garden is plagued with Grey Squirrels coming from the wood behind, so I purchased this type of feeder deliberately to frustrate these pests. It works well, and since then I have had almost as much malicious enjoyment from watching the bewildered squirrels as I have from the birds who feed there as intended. The feeder consists of an ordinary mesh-type peanut holder, but it is fitted with a movable outer sleeve supported from an adjustable spring. A Blue Tit or Nuthatch is not heavy enough to move the sleeve, and they are able to get to the peanuts in the usual way. But a squirrel is much heavier and as soon as he jumps onto the feeder his weight pulls down the outer sleeve and shuts off access to the food. It’s a pleasure to watch the squirrel’s frustration. He sits on the branch of the tree after his failure, and his brain works furiously to think of a way around the problem. In the early days it seemed that at least one of them had found a solution. This particular squirrel had worked out that he could suspend his body by the hind legs from another branch on the tree, and then reach out to the feeder without bringing down the protective sleeve. I then clipped off the branch. One-nil to me. It’s also a pleasure to see an increasing number of Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the garden. I know I had at least 5 individuals this summer because on one day I saw two males at the same time and then two females, and there was also at least one juvenile. (Identification is easy: the males have a bright red patch on the nape of the neck; the females don’t have this patch, while the juveniles have a red cap over the top of the head.).

One day a juvenile was quietly feeding on the the peanuts. He was there for some minutes before an adult male suddenly alighted on the same feeder. The youngster gave way to his elder kin and took his place below – as in the picture. Now, in weight terms, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers = 1 Grey Squirrel. The two of them were heavy enough to bring down the spring-loaded sleeve and cut off the food supply. Neither bird could then get to the peanuts, but it took the adult some time to figure this out. Eventually he tired and flew off, leaving the young bird to carry on feeding as before – as in the second picture.

Such wisdom in one so young. Perhaps he will grow up to be an owl instead.

Thanks for the cash!

A recent donation to the Trust of £300 from the Bridgend Group will be used to purchase a new brushcutter. A letter of thanks from the People & Wildlife Officer appears on the following page.

25 th The Wildlife Trust Of South 8 March 2016 And West Wales The Nature Centre Fountain Road Tondu Dear Peter, Committee Members and Bridgend Group Wildlife Trust Bridgend South Wales Supporters, CF32 0EH

Phone: 01656 724100 Fax: 01656 726980

Thank you for your generous donation of £300 to the Wildlife Trust of E-mail: [email protected] South and West Wales. As you know, we are planning to use the money www.welshwildlife.org to purchase a new brushcutter which we are hoping to use to improve Reg Charity some of our wetland habitats for wildlife at Parc Slip by reducing the No. 1091562 scrub and rush growth. Company No. 4398959

Three of our conservation team have recently been trained to use brushcutters and so we are really grateful to now be able to buy the equipment needed to manage our nature reserves in the best way for wildlife.

Thank you again for your donation and for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely

Lorna Baggett

People and Wildlife Officer Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

Gwarchod Natur ar gyfer y Dyfodol Protecting Wildlife for the Future

26 Summer Programme

We have now finalised the Full details will be circulated in due course, but in the meantime you might like to make a note of the important dates, as follows:-

: a walk on the Cwm Ivy and Betty Church reserves on Gower, led by Rose Revera : exploring Parc Penallta (near Ystrad Mynach) with Simon Greenfield, Senior Countryside Ranger with Caerphilly BC : car trip to Kington, Herefordshire, to look at Birches Farm, a traditional farm recently acquired by the Hereford Wildlife Trust. The meadows should be ablaze with orchids at the time of our visit. : COACH TRIP to New Quay, Cardiganshire to visit the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, and also to take a boat trip out into the Bay to look for dolphins. Prior booking essential. : a return visit to Carmel NNR in Carmarthenshire to see the flowers of late summer - led by Ceri Evans.

A Dedicated Naturalist: The Mary Gillham Project Update

The Dr Mary Gillham Archive Project is now up and running! After receiving Heritage Lottery Funding to digitise the life's work of Dr Mary Gillham MBE (1921-2013) we have begun mining historic records out of her files and diaries; digitising her photographs and slides; and developing the social media sites to support and promote the work. With around 150,000 wildlife records and 14,000 slides to get through we'd like some help!

Find out more about the project at www.facebook.com/MaryGillhamArchive or to enquire about volunteering email Al on [email protected].

Stepping Down

After compiling a mere 4 editions of our newsletter it is with great regret that I have to step down from the position of editor. Work, Family (and life in general) commitments mean that I just don’t have the time to carry on. If there is anyone out there with a bit of spare time who is willing to take over the reins of Snippets please don’t be shy! let Peter Hatherley know! Cheers

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