Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre

Photograph by Pat Clissold

Thomas. Hopefully, they projects this year including Welcome will make an appearance the Berkshire Ancient at the office soon so we Woodland Inventory and As the nights start drawing can meet him and get him dealing with high numbers in it’s now time to think started early with spread of data search requests, about getting all those sheets and GIS! which seem to be ever records that you have rising. We also welcomed some been collecting over spring new members to the Next year we are hoping to and summer into our new TVERC team; Caroline run some training courses online recording website. Coleman who is covering on surveying and More information later in my role as Projects identification of various the newsletter. Manager until September species and habitats. So There have been quite a and Hannah Boylan who is keep your eye out as few changes to TVERC staff our new Administration spaces will be limited. over the last few months. Officer. You can find out Hope you all have a lovely Camilla went on maternity more about them in the Christmas and happy new leave and gave birth to a newsletter. year. beautiful boy named The team have been busy Benjamin, Rhys, Gareth Lucy Lush, Acting Director working on various

I N S I D E THIS ISSUE: TVERC Online Recording

Magnificent 2 Hurrah, after a long gestation period, which makes Camilla’s pregnancy look quite short we Meadows finally have an online recording site. This can be found at sightings.tverc.org.

Highlights from the 2 LWS Surveys

Berkshire 4 Recorders

Our New Projects 4 Manager Once registered you can add single species records or species lists and it uses clever mapping technology to make it easy to find grid references. You can either enter the grid reference iSpot—Open 5 and the map goes to the location or you can search for a place, zoom in, and click the map to University Website produce a grid reference. We would welcome any feedback so we can improve the site.

Our new 5 Administration

Cherwell District 6 Habitat Mapping

There are a multitude of online recording sites now including iRecord and Living Record. We do collect records from these sites so the key thing is not to enter records onto more than one site. P A G E 2

Magnificent Meadows Campaign

Help Save Our Magnificent Meadows! The Cotswolds element of Save Our Magnificent Meadows is being delivered by Are you interested in making a difference the CCB, who are looking to recruit local and helping to conserve and restore your volunteers and community groups to help local meadows? Do you enjoy meeting like- carry out practical conservation tasks, minded people, learning new skills and species surveys, and run events. Anybody spending time in the great outdoors? If so, who is interested in helping out should there is a new project on your doorstep, contact Katherine Holmes (the Community Photograph by Mark Connelly which needs your help! Engagement Officer) on Wildlife-rich grasslands were once [email protected] widespread throughout the UK, however or 01451 862 038. due to changing land management The CCB also aims to restore up to 1,125 practices, this habitat has undergone a hectares of wildflower grassland across the serious decline. Now only 2% of the Cotswolds by collecting seed from high meadows that existed in the 1930s remain. quality wildflower grasslands and sowing The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural this seed over nearby grasslands of poorer Beauty (AONB) contains a significant quality. Any landowners interesting in proportion of this remaining grassland, offering up their sites as donor or receptor “Do you enjoy concentrated along the Cotswold scarp and areas for grassland restoration should meeting like- river valleys. contact Eleanor Reast (the Conservation minded people, Save our Magnificent Meadows Officer) on (www.magnificentmeadows.org.uk) is a [email protected] or learning new skills nationwide partnership project led by 01451 862 036. and spending time Plantlife, which comprises 11 organisations in the great including the Cotswolds Conservation Board (CCB) and is primarily funded by the outdoors?” Heritage Lottery Fund. The project is working with communities to protect, conserve and restore their local meadows.

Kirtlington Quarry

Sweep Highlights from Local Wildlife netting during an Site Surveys invertebr ate survey This year TVERC carried out butterfly surveys and general invertebrate near surveys of 53 existing and surveys. Most of the species data has now Crawley proposed Local Wildlife Sites in been entered, with over 6000 records and Berkshire. Thanks added. to the help of our volunteers, These included Willow meadows which is a specialist species group surveys species-rich wetland beside the Shill Brook were also completed on several at the western edge of Carterton. Surveys sites including bird surveys, Continued on page 3 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 P A G E 3 carried out in May and July this that have been restored on the year found a good range of site and found the Oxfordshire wildflowers including Rare Plant Register species meadowsweet, black knapweed, trailing St. John’s-wort. Acid common marsh-bedstraw, grassland is a rare habitat in Oxfordshire and this area included a range of typical species such as Established heather, common natural centaury, heath habitat— bedstraw, tormentil and Ancient heath speedwell. Woodlands Over in Berkshire we in March surveyed a range of number of woodland sites Species-rich wet grassland including from woodlands to wetlands abundant black knapweed and mead- and grasslands. Sites of importance to local wildlife owsweet at Willow meadows, come in all sorts of guises: Carterton.  Long established habitats such as the greater bird’s-foot trefoil and ancient woodlands tufted vetch. They also have we visited in purple moor-grass which is a less Bracknell to young common species in Oxfordshire. sites (in the grand Trailing St. John’s-wort, North scheme of ecology) such as The site provides habitat for birds Leigh Common including reed bunting, with 26 Thames Valley Park that bird species recorded during the over recent decades has site visit in May. been restored from industrial landuse into a We surveyed Wigwell in high wildlife value nature Charlbury on a rainy day in “Most of the reserve. August. The site is known for its species data has population of meadow clary but  Small sites such as the the grassland is species-rich also Road Side Nature Reserves now been entered, including field scabious, lady’s we surveyed in West bedstraw, meadow vetchling, Berkshire to large with over 6000 salad burnet, bird’s-foot-trefoil, floodplains and parks in common restharrow and burnet Reading and Wokingham. records added.” saxifrage.  Highly species diverse A joint survey of North Leigh single habitats such as Common with the chalk grassland to diversity Flora Group updated our records of habitats in former for the areas of acid grassland parkland in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Created No matter what guise the habitat— LWS comes in it is always of high local importance to Thames the wildlife and often the Valley Park human population too, be that local residents, college students, business park Species-rich grassland at Wigwell with employees or visitors to field scabious, red bartsia and ladies Berkshire! bedstraw P A G E 4 Berkshire Recorders and Local Nature Partnership Conference: Life along Berkshires Rivers Following the recorded in Berkshire in the last year and success of last the news that TVERC online recording is years joint now live the afternoon saw a series of talks conference with centred around Berkshire’s rivers. Todd the Berkshire Sullivan from Thames Valley Park kicked off LNP we decided the afternoon demonstrating the to once again importance and value of the nature reserve join forces with in the park to wildlife and employees. the LNP and The Lesley Atkinson then gave an overview of a Oracle. In the successful project engaging with a wide morning the diversity of people, along the River LNP launched Lambourn in Newbury (see TVERC ‘The Natural environment in Berkshire: Newsletter Summer 2014). Every Biodiversity Strategy 2014 – 2020’ conference should have a charismatic “Every followed by a talk on Climate Change charterer – this year it was Ratty the water and Nature. As ever the workshop vole brought to us by Julia Lofthouse at conference sessions provided much discussion, this BBOWT with an over view of his ecology should have a year focusing on ‘Working Towards a and status in Berkshire. The day ended Shared Vision’, with groups considering with Thames Water providing an array of charismatic how we can increase habitat interesting information of the importance character – this connectivity by encouraging targeted of water and its associated ecology to the year it was habitat creation in the Berkshire’s region. Biodiversity Opportunity Areas and how Ratty the water Thank you to all those involved, both on to create ways to record the flow of the organisation front and the delegates, benefits and services that nature vole brought to for making the event a success and once provides. us by Julia at again bringing together people interested Over lunch, delegates had opportunity in natural history from across Berkshire. BBOWT” to network and view the displays put up Special thanks go to Annie English at the by various local natural history groups LNP for doing the conference in Berkshire. administration and Cliff Hilton at The Oracle for hosting the day. After an initial update on what’s been

BS42020 Biodiversity – Code of practice for planning and development Just over a year ago the British projects and products that include Standards Institution (BSI) launched BS planning and development of new 42020, Biodiversity – Code of practice buildings, also extending to changes in for planning and development. The land use – and how these activities impact standard will help organizations fulfill upon biodiversity. their obligation to support local biodiversity targets. It deals with Continued on page 5 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 P A G E 5

Strategies to protect wild flora and fauna are in place for and local [government] ecologists will have the England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, with the necessary information and methodology to make general objective to halt overall loss of biodiversity by 2020 sound decisions on biodiversity issues. in line with the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2020 and The standard was developed by a committee with the UN Aichi biodiversity targets. In England, the representatives from organizations such as the streamlined National Planning Policy Framework Association of Local Government Ecologists, the supersedes much of the previous guidance around Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental biodiversity, so BS 42020 will play a vital role in helping Management, the Landscape Institute, Defra, the protect and enhance UK biodiversity. Environment Agency, the Department of the Its coherent methodology for biodiversity management will Environment Northern Ireland, the Scottish provide: Environment Protection Agency, Natural England, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, the  Guidance on how to produce clear and concise Countryside Council for Wales, the Bat Conservation ecological information to accompany planning Trust, and the Association of Wildlife Trusts, as well applications as experts from the construction industry, ecologists,  Recommendations on professional ethics, conduct, ethicists and academics. competence and judgement to give confidence that David Fatscher Head of Market Development for proposals for biodiversity conservation, and Sustainability at BSI says, “When we plan and consequent decisions/actions taken, are sound and construct new buildings we have a responsibility appropriate towards the biodiversity in that location. Having a  Direction on effective decision-making in standard like BS 42020 that unifies the reporting biodiversity management procedure for everyone involved in this area, in a clear and consistent manner, means that the  A framework to demonstrate how biodiversity has government statute and policy for biodiversity can been managed during the development process to be met. It also demonstrates a real commitment to minimize impact managing biodiversity and minimizing the impact of By adopting BS 42020, authorities, developers, planners development.” Available from: BSI Shop http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030258704 Paper copies can be obtained from BSI Customer Services (Tel. 020 8996 9001 / Email: [email protected])

Our new Projects Manager “She hopes Caroline Coleman has recently changes in their joined TVERC team as a Projects environment. to meet some Manager. Before joining TVERC Separate collection of of you at the she was a volunteer Biodiversity food waste means less makes its way to Conservation Trainee with Oxfordshire BBOWT, working with the Trust’s landfills, previously a biodiversity team to deliver its much-used resource Recorders’ by gulls. Meanwhile, annual programme of survey and Conference monitoring work. She was involved deterrence and extermination are in a range of work across the three on 28th counties, including bird surveys, also increasingly used rapid habitat condition to remove gulls from February landfills, reservoirs assessments, butterfly transects Caroline Coleman—Projects Manager 2015.” and surveys for water vole field and urban signs. ringing gulls on a landfill in Essex, environments. giving her a lasting admiration for She has also volunteered for She is enjoying meeting and working these intelligent, feisty birds. several years as a bird surveyor for with many of our recorders in the BTO and RSPB. When she finds Last year she completed a Master’s Berkshire and Oxfordshire, working time, she is learning the degree in Ornithology. For her research on a variety of projects for TVERC. complexities of bird-ringing and dissertation she used ringing and She hopes to meet some of you at has ringed a variety of birds from observational data to look for changes the Oxfordshire Recorders’ swifts to mute swans. A in movement and distribution patterns Conference on 28th February 2015. memorable experience for her was of herring gulls in relation to human P A G E 6 iSpot—Helping People Learn about Wildlife Identification

iSpot (www.ispotnature.org) them to further their iRecord system to develop from The Open University is the interest. ways of making the data website that helps people learn Although iSpot’s main more widely available to about wildlife identification, by records centres. enabling novices,

enthusiastic naturalists So if you have records of and experts to meet wildlife that you have online. Nearly 50,000 already identified, they people worldwide have should go directly to the joined iSpot, sharing recording schemes that nearly 300,000 you are working with. observations of wildlife But if you’re seeking and helping each other A gallery of help with identification, learn which species is recent or can spare some time which, and why. wildlife to help others, you’re

observa- very welcome on iSpot. What iSpot can do for

“If you’ve seen a you

If you’ve seen a plant, animal or purpose is to help people plant, animal or fungus that you can’t identify, or learn how to identify wildlife, If you have any questions want to get confirmation of an fungus that you rather than as an online about iSpot, or would like identification, take a photo (or recording system, iSpot us to set up a ‘badge’ for can’t identify, or several if you can) and add it to observations do constitute your scheme or society, iSpot. Once you’ve registered on want to get records and we are keen to please contact Martin the site just click “Add an make the data available Harvey at The Open observation”. Give a description confirmation of an where relevant. Some of this University of where you found it and make data has been passed to identification, ([email protected]). an initial identification if you national recording schemes can. Usually you’ll get a swift take a photo (or and we are working with the response from the community of several if you can) iSpotters – over 50% of observations get an answer and add it to within an hour, nearly 90% Our New iSpot.” within a day! Thanks to all who volunteer their time to Administration Officer make this possible: expert Hannah experience. identifiers, experienced Boylan She has been enthusiasts and keen novices joined employed in alike. TVERC in the November environmental What you can do for iSpot 2014. Prior sector for over If you are experienced at to this she 10 years, identifying even a few species spent a year having worked you’re in a good position to as a full time for British Hannah Boylan help others who may be mother to her Waterways (now starting out on an interest in two boys aged Administration Officer The Canal and wildlife. If you can spare a 2 and 6 whilst River Trust), The little time to add relocating from Derbyshire to Centre for Ecology and identifications or comments to Oxfordshire. Hannah has a Hydrology and URS other people’s observations Countryside Management Corporation Consultancy in on iSpot you can pass on your Foundation Degree and has roles varying from GIS knowledge and encourage many years of administration assistant to ecologist. P A G E 7 Habitat Mapping

Earlier this year Cherwell 5,027 ha to 63,637 ha. Most connects to the golf course, with its District Council commissioned NERC Act Section 41 habitat of lowland acid grassland and the TVERC to complete the habitat principle importance mapping for the District using increased in mapped area aerial photography. while ponds of high Throughout Oxfordshire ecological value, rivers mapping has been patchy, and open mosaic habitat mainly confined to of previously developed Conservation Target Areas and land were mapped for the Designated Sites with some first time. habitats such as floodplain grazing, marsh, traditional It is not surprising that orchards and woodland in much of Cherwell District Cherwell District mapped is arable and agriculturally more widely. improved grassland. However, it is also The Council are working on surprising what a close their local plan so it is examination of aerial photographs can show. Quite a number of sites especially along the valleys in the north showed good potential and adjacent Banbury Ornithological small patches of fen Society Reserve. and potentially However, the mapping also interesting grassland revealed some small losses of habitat are present potential priority habitats. Part of a throughout. The Local Wildlife Site had been most interesting incorporated into a development area was near and a potentially interesting looking Shutford where the rushy field at Ambrosden had valley to the west already been developed. looks to have interesting grassland and fen habitat. A This highlights the importance of large area of land knowing what habitats you have so running north from that you can ensure protection important to identify and map the River Swere Valley to against proposed future priority habitat and potential Wigginton Heath seems to development. priority habitat to ensure that have a number of potentially it is protected from interesting areas again with “ The development. The total grassland and fen. This most interesting area amount of habitat now mapped in was near Shutford Cherwell has where a valley looks to increased from have grassland and fen

habitat similar to that

found scattered through

the area” P A G E 8 Oxfordshire the presence or absence of the difficult to detect. This is the Ashmolean Natural Recorders annual updating and networking event for species recording and History Society of Conference nature conservation in Oxfordshire. The day will include Oxfordshire `Recording guest speakers, workshops and an open floor session for updates ANHSO courses are now being advertised. from individuals, recording the Invisible’ In particular bespoke habitat related courses groups and organisations on notable sightings, events, courses may be interesting to local recorders and

28th February 2015 and new projects. interest groups. University Museum of Natural Booking required, please contact The courses are tailored to particular habitats, Hannah Boylan, 01865 815479 or and also to the participants. A pilot course ran [email protected] for a History, Parks Road, in 2014 was a success and they are now offer- booking form. Oxford OX1 3PW ing such courses to interested groups. They £10 for students/volunteer could, for example provide a course in a recorders, £15 for woodland or a chalk grassland or on a particu- professionals (lunch not lar wildlife reserve or other site. If you’ve included). Tea/coffee and been thinking that you would like any kind of cake provided. Attendees at plant recognition or identification course for a last years We are all used to conference particular purpose, they can probably provide surveying the things that it, so do get in touch with them; they are able we see around us, either to adapt the approach to the situation. Please species or habitats, but email [email protected] or what do you do when you can’t see what you are monitoring? phone 01865 863660 if you would like more This conference explores a range information. of approaches taken to record

Acting Director: Lucy Lush Projects Manager: Caroline Coleman Data Services Officer: Ellen Lee Data Services Offices: Graham Hawker Oxfordshire Biodiversity Officer: Julie Kerans Berkshire Biodiversity Officer: Helen Miller TVERC Biodiversity Data Assistant: Rachael Potter c/o Oxfordshire County Council Administration Officer: Hannah Boylan Signal Court If you wish to email any member of staff please use Old Station Way [email protected]. Eynsham For Helen please use helens.miller. Oxon OX29 4TL 01865 815 451 The Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) is one of a national network of www.tverc.org Local Records Centres. It aims to: collect, collate and make available information to help people make sound decisions about our natural environment and hold all available [email protected] information about the plants, animals, wildlife habitats and important wildlife and geological sites in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre is a ‘not for profit’ operation run by a partnership of the following organisations: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Cherwell District Council, Natural England, The Environment Agency, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Reading Borough Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council, Slough Borough Council, District Council, Vale of the White Horse District Council, West Berkshire District Council, District Council, Wokingham Borough Council.