Contents / Diary of events

SEPTEMBER 2017

Bristol Naturalist News

Photo © Steve Hale

Discover Your Natural World

Bristol Naturalists’ Society BULLETIN NO. 563 SEPTEMBER 2017

BULLETIN NO. 563 SEPTEMBER 2017 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

ACTING CHAIRMAN: Stephen Fay

HON. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVING EDITOR: 4 Society Walk

Dee Holladay, 15 Lower Linden Rd., Clevedon, Lesley’s “Natty News…”

BS21 7SU [email protected] 5 Joint BNS/University programme HON. SEC.: Lesley Cox 07786 437 528 Bat Walk, Meeting report.

[email protected] 6 Phenology ; New Avon Flora ; HON. MEMBERSHIP SEC: Mrs. Margaret Fay Purple Sycamore Trees; Book Club

81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280 [email protected] 7 LIBRARY Holiday reading

HON. TREASURER: Michael Butterfield Mystery Mammal in Westbury on Trym

14 Southdown Road, Bristol, BS9 3NL (0117) 909 2503 [email protected] 8 BOTANY SECTION BULLETIN DISTRIBUTION ‘Other’ Field meetings; Botanical notes: Hand deliveries save about £800 a year, so help Mtg Reports; PJM Nethercott papers; is much appreciated. Offers please to: Plant Records HON. CIRCULATION SEC.: Brian Frost, 60 Purdy 11 Westonbirt Survey Report

Court, New Station Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16

3RT. 0117 9651242. [email protected] He will 12 GEOLOGY SECTION be pleased to supply further details. Also Sea Dragons of Street; Mendip Rocks; contact him about problems with (non-)delivery. Pliosaurus!

BULLETIN COPY DEADLINE: 7th of month before publication to the editor: David B Davies, 14 INVERTEBRATE SECTION

Notes for this month; Meeting reports

The Summer House, 51a Dial Hill Rd., Clevedon,

BS21 7EW. 01275 873167 [email protected] This month’s Poem

Grants: BNS typically makes grants of around 16 ORNITHOLOGY SECTION £500 for projects that meet the Society’s Field Meeting Report; Forward Dates; charitable aims of promoting research &

Recent News.

education in natural history & its conservation in the Bristol region. Information and an application 18 MISCELLANY Botanic Garden – Bee form can be downloaded from bristolnats.org.uk & Pollination Festival; Gorge & Downs Email completed applications to Wildlife Project; [email protected]. 19 Badock’s Wood ; Health & Safety on walks: Members Ed Drewitt/Bristol Ferry participate at their own risk. They are

Tony’s POEM for the month

responsible for being properly clothed and shod.

Dogs may only be brought on a walk with prior

20 Pictures of the month

agreement of the leader.

Steve Hale sent this picture Cover picture:

of a juvenile Cuckoo at Litton Reservoir. It was

feeding voraciously on caterpillars at a nearby nettle-bed. Bristol Naturalists’ Society 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. If you plan to attend please check date & time with the Hon. Sec. (from whom minutes are available to members). Any member can attend, but must give advance notice if wishing to speak.

Visitors & guests are welcome at any of our meetings. If contact details are given, please contact the leader beforehand, and make yourself known on arrival. We hope you will enjoy the meeting, and consider joining the Society. To join, visit https://bristolnats.org.uk and click on membership. Members are members of ALL the sections.

SEPTEMBER 2017 Sat/Sun 2/3 BNS at Bee & Pollination Festival Botanic Garden 10:00 page 18 Thu 7 Midweek Walk: Lacock Society 10:00 page 4 Sat 9 Chew Valley Lake Ornithology 10:00 page 16 Thu 21 Yate – urban ‘pot luck’ Botany 11:00 page 10 Fri 29 Bat Walk BNS/University 19:15 page 5

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Pliosaurus! at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery until 7 Jan page 13 Sat 2 Sep Cheddar Gorge SRPG 11:00 page 8 Sat 2 Sep Ed Drewitt down the Gorge Bristol Ferry 14:25 page 17 Sat 2 Sep Deadmaids Quarry Bath Geol. Soc. page 12 Thu 7-Sun 10 Sep: Sea Dragons of Street Free Exhibition page 13 Sat 9 Sep Workshop: Study/Paint the Solitary Bee Botanic Garden 10:00 page 18 Tue 12 Sep Upper Lode Lock, Tewkesbury GlosNats 11:00 page 8 Fri 15 Sep Music with Mummy Gorge & Downs 10:00 page 18 Fri 15 Bat Talk & Walk Badock’s Wood 19:00 page 19 Thu 21 Sep Friends’ Lecture Botanic Garden 19:30 page 18 Sat. 23 Sep Workshop: Introduction to plant propagation Botanic Garden 10:00 page 18 Sat 30 Tree Gazing along the Promenade Gorge & Downs 14:00 page 18 Sat 30 Sep – Tue 31 Oct.: Mendip Rocks Festival page 13

Fri 6 Oct Owl Prowl Badock’s Wood 19:00 page 19 Sat 7 Oct Ogmore & Southerndown Bath Geol. Soc. page 12 Sun 8 Oct 20th Anniversary Conference, Taunton SRPG 10:00 page 8

3

SOCIETY ITEMS

SOCIETY MID-WEEK WALK Contents / Diary Thursday, 7th September Lacock, Red Lion, about 2½ miles As one gets towards Lacock, there is signing to the free car park on the corner of Hither Way at ST918682. This is the start of the walk, about two minutes’ walk from the Red Lion (SN15 2LQ). The route is fairly level, following part of the meandering River Avon. Meet at this car park at 10am. After the walk we expect to enjoy refreshments at the Red Lion. Please let me know by phone or email if you are expecting to come on the walk. Car- sharing is advisable. Tony Smith: tel. 0117 965 6566. Email: [email protected]

LESLEY’S NATTY NEWS (& Dapper Updates) Contents / Diary

Any member thinking of relaxing into the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ with pipe and slippers or cups of cocoa might be revitalised by this crop of news items and updates.

New President of the BNS: We are delighted to be able to announce that Professor Andy Radford (Professor of Behavioural Ecology at Bristol University) has honoured us by accepting the Society’s invitation to become our next President. He will be taking over the reins from Dr. David Hill, whose term of office came to an end this year. Prof Radford is looking forward to working with us and to meeting as many members as possible over the next few months and I have no doubt that members will be equally keen to hear details of the extremely interesting and highly pertinent research in which he is engaged.

Winter Lecture Programme: The opportunity to meet our new President might be an added incentive to make sure that you make a note of the dates within the forthcoming Winter Lecture Programme, which starts next month in October.

Bristol: The Sunday Times this year cited Bristol as the best place to live in the country quoting the opportunities the City offers to its inhabitants plus its friendliness and easy access to the beauty of countryside and coast. However, native Bristolians and long-term residents recognise that the City and County of Bristol itself and the surrounding Greater Bristol Area is undergoing rapid change. Lack of public money for our parks and funding cuts for important, iconic institutions such as the Museum and other important organisations, stands in stark contrast to the vast public millions being spent on new transport routes that cut through our fields and wildlife sites and the private millions financing vast housing estates on our historic airfield and green belt areas. Messages to be read from this are varied but one is; make sure that you get out to enjoy your favourite sites, sounds and species and, if you can, record the species that you see - while they are still there! If this news is depressing, perhaps you can take heart from the next news item.

Michael Gove was appointed Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs in June. His keynote speech in July was called The Unfrozen Moment – Delivering a Green Brexit in which he talks about protecting our natural world and halting its decline. You can read the speech here. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-unfrozen-moment-delivering-a-green-brexit

4

Some Recent Research News:  Researchers at Bristol University have discovered that microorganisms living on the Pacific seabed can produce molecules with antibiotic properties and these may hold the key to a new wave of anti-bacterial medicines.  Meanwhile, the UK Government has just published UK Biodiversity Indicators 2017 using data collected by BTO volunteers (which include many of our members) as well as data from other organisations such as the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Butterfly Conservation, to provide a broad overview of the status of important habitats and species, conservation activities, threats and pressures. They include a re-release of the wild bird indicators and updated indicators for butterflies, bats and plants.  Dutch eggs found containing the insecticide Fipronil: Its use is illegal in food production as it damages human kidneys, liver and thyroid. It doesn’t do much for the insects either.  Finally, research carried out in Switzerland and reported on in Nature found that the most common nocturnal pollinating group was, unsurprisingly, moths (Lepidoptera), followed by beetles (Coleoptera) and bugs (Hemiptera) but another key finding was that the existence of artificial light, reduced their pollinating activities by 62%. Perhaps, in reverse, a similar situation would be like humans trying to sleep with the light on! Lesley Cox, Hon. Sec. JOINT BNS/UNIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY EVENTS Contents / Diary All members are welcome but booking is essential. Contact Lesley Cox on 07786 437528 or e-mail: [email protected]

FIELD MEETING

BAT WALK Friday, 29th September At a Secure University Site 19:15

All members are welcome but booking is essential. Contact Lesley on 07786 437528 or [email protected]

Last year, the bat event was extremely popular with plenty of activity from the subjects, an enthusiastic audience and the added pleasure of unexpected species being heard and seen. This is the first of two events to be held at separate locations in this year’s programme and, despite its reputation as a bat hotspot, it will be interesting to see how this site compares with last year’s, which will be hard to be beat.

Report on the Nature Survey Event: 12th June at the Royal Fort. Some of the visitors to our stand at the Festival of Nature joined us for this event and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A wide range of tree species was discussed, both common and rare, along with other botanical species such as Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae) and a good range of invertebrates as well. The pond in particular, was heavily populated by Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) with plenty of examples in tandem and the males’ electric blue colouration seemingly even more vibrant against the yellow flag framing it. Accompanying birdsong and calls from Blackbird, Wren and various species of Tits and Gulls on a warm sunny afternoon made this a very pleasant outing.

Report on Pollinators Event: 30th July Unfortunately, this event had to be cancelled, a victim to the frequent, monsoon-like rain.

5

PHENOLOGY Contents / Diary une began and ended cool and wet, but in the middle there were two weeks that were hot, dry and with wall to wall sunshine. The average maximum temperature was two J degrees above average, rainfall was 46mm, a third below normal, and the total for the previous twelve months sank to 658mm, the lowest since 1976. July was hot and dry for the first 18 days, and cool and wet thereafter. Its average maximum, temperature was just half a degree warmer than June. 104 mm of rain fell, bringing the twelve month total up to 739mm, still the driest since 1976. The impact of this pattern was that plant growth was very rapid, and the harvest, both natural and agricultural, arrived some three weeks early. I ate my first wild Blackberry on July 1, a record early date. By mid-July young trees were losing their leaves, and grass had turned white. By the end of the month the Downs were emerald green, young trees had put out new leaves, and some plants began to flower again. It has been a remarkable summer. Richard Bland

A NEW AVON FLORA Contents / Diary

lmost all native plants have now come into flower, but many of them will continue flowering long into the autumn, so it is not too late to carry out surveys in the A monads that have had no survey since the 1980s. Of the 82 priority squares on my list, 32 have been taken up by an observer. That leaves 50, mainly around Weston, Bath or Badminton that need covering. An autumn visit followed by a spring one next year would ensure that most species were covered. It is an interesting challenge to seek out all the species in a one kilometre square, and it takes you into fascinating places that you would never normally visit. A total of 490 species have been recorded by observers so far, and many results have yet to come in. If you are interested in helping please contact me Richard Bland 0117 968 1061 rlbland673@gmail .com

PURPLE SYCAMORE TREES or the third year I am appealing for sightings of the Purple Sycamore. This is a normal Sycamore, but the underside of the leaves is purple, not green. It is an F uncommon natural variant. When we were at Westonbirt in June there was a very dramatic tree near the Visitor centre. The purple colour becomes more obvious as autumn approaches. I now have a list of some 27 trees, some just saplings, and they can turn up anywhere. The purple colour can show up in windy weather, and makes the tree look darker than normal. Please send details of any sighting, preferably a six figure grid reference, or road address. Please note I am not interested in Norway Maples that have all sorts of colour forms. Richard Bland 0117 968 1061 rlbland673@gmail .com

READING GROUP / BOOK CLUB

The Reading Group welcomes new members

Contact: Tony Smith 0117 965 6566 [email protected] Members have not yet met to decide on our next book.

Contact the above for details of meeting places and times

6

LIBRARY BNS Library at Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery, BS8 1RL. HON. LIBRARIAN: Jim Webster [email protected]. Open: Wed. 1.15pm-2.15pm, Sat. 10.15am-12.15pm. Contents / Diary NB: closed Saturdays associated with Christmas, New Year or Easter Bank holidays. Committee member on duty: 0117 922 3651 (library opening hours).

Access to the Society’s Proceedings and Nature in Avon online We are grateful to the Biodiversity Heritage Library and its participating institutions (Harvard and the Natural History Museum in particular) for digitising our Proceedings and Nature in Avon without charge and making them publicly available. To access them you can google “Biodiversity Heritage Library” and use the search facilities, or you can go direct to our own index pages at: http://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/98898#/summary (for the Proceedings, i.e. up to 1993); and http://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/99328#/summary (for Nature in Avon, from 1994 to date)

Going on Holiday? Don’t want to buy specialist books just for a few weeks? I always try to pop in to the Bristol Nats library before going away, I’ve found it a very useful source of advance information and books to take with me. My particular area of interest is Geology and the library has a good set of the British Geological Society Regional Guides, some maps, local guide books. I even found a book on the geology of Spain which will be useful for a holiday in September! The New Naturalist Guides also have some great regional books, and I’ve already spotted bird and insect books for the Americas and Australia which will be useful for a future trip! It is likely that many of these “foreign” books have been donated by a member who actually went there and used them, so they come highly recommended! David Clegg Your editor too has profited from this opportunity, having found a book which accompanied his recent trip to Costa Rica, covering much of the country’s fauna plus articles ranging from broad overviews to folk legends of, for example, how the Motmot acquired its pendulum-like tail (a punishment for vanity!).

Mystery Mammal Contents / Diary A strange sighting is reported by JOHN BYLES, who writes: “On 20 June at dusk, about 10 pm, a large mammal, similar in size and colour to a dog fox, appeared in my garden in Westbury on Trym from bordering undergrowth. Foxes run frequently on this path through the garden and in the low light level and with unaided vision this animal, now stationary and at a distance of 15 metres, appeared to be a fox. On closer observation through binoculars the mammal was identified as feline. Most notable was the light and dark banded or ringed, smooth tail. The general form appeared to be gracile rather than robust. It was smooth-haired, brownish-grey or fox red, without any notable marking on the body or head. I estimated its size was twice that of a normal domestic cat with a height between 34 and 38 cm, when seated. This extraordinary animal was unlike the domestic cats that normally frequent the garden. It was considerably larger and behaved differently. It remained still and then in motion its movement had a canine appearance. I will continue to watch for more sightings and attempt photography if an opportunity arises.”

7

BOTANY SECTION

PRESIDENT:- Vacant Contents / Diary HON. SEC:- Clive Lovatt 07 851 433 920 ([email protected])

FIELD MEETINGS – Discovering the wild plants of the Bristol Region We have one or two field meetings each month in the Bristol region from April to September. Our meetings tend to concentrate on Bristol’s green spaces and with an occasional foray into urban botany. We also hold some meetings in conjunction with the Somerset Rare Plants Group and the Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society and those meetings are more likely to include botanical recording for Atlas 2020, organised by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.

URBAN PLANTS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL YATE Leader: Clive Lovatt Thursday 21 September 2017, 11.00 am This will be a ‘pot luck’ recording meeting shared with the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society’ Plant Group. Meet at Yate Station (car park ST701825, postcode BS37 5HZ; £2.40 all day parking). Bring lunch. There are four nearby one km squares with very few records for over 25 years and it should be possible to identify a good variety of plants.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the meeting announced in the July/August Bulletin for Saturday 16 September has had to be cancelled.

OTHER MEETINGS Saturday 2 September 2017, 11.00am Cheddar Gorge. A walk up above the gorge on the south side cliffs to see Cheddar Pink (not flowering), Cheddar Bedstraw, Rock Stonecrop and several Whitebeams and search for Autumn Lady’s-tresses. A Somerset Rare Plants Group meeting led by Helena Crouch and Libby Houston. Contact Liz McDonnell [email protected] to see if any non-member places are available or for membership (£8).

Tuesday 12 September 2017, 11.00am Upper Lode Lock, River Severn, Tewkesbury to look for riparian species including Limosella aquatica, Mudwort and several Persicaria, Knotgrass, species. A Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society Plant Group meeting led by Clare and Mark Kitchen. Bring lunch, wellington boots advised. Non-GNS members please contact Clive Lovatt in advance for meeting details (email preferred [email protected] or text 07 851 433 920).

Sunday 8 October 2017, 10.00am Somerset Rare Plants Group 20th Anniversary Conference. West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, Taunton TA2 8NE. Keynote speakers include Peter Marren and Tim Rich. Invitations and programme from the SRPG Co-ordinator Liz McDonnell [email protected] Conference charge £10 to include lunch and refreshments.

BOTANICAL NOTES Contents / Diary FIELD MEETING REPORTS NOVERS COMMON/NORTHERN SLOPES, led by Helena Crouch, Thursday 15 June Disappointingly there were only four of us (leader included) for this mid-week evening walk on these two Green Spaces of Bristol. Ononis repens, Restharrow, was well in flower on the roadside banks beside Novers Hill and extends into the mown grass on the adjacent 8 slopes. We made close to 150 records in ST5870 and were pleased to see such plants as Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatoria, Meadow Barley, Hordeum secalinum, Corky-fruited Water- dropwort, Oenanthe pimpinelloides, Burnet-saxifrage, Pimpinella saxifraga, and Salad Burnet, Poterium sanguisorba. An evidently self-sown Cotoneaster with a white felt below its leaves was later identified as Stern’s Cotoneaster, C. sternerianus. We walked some distance along the streets without finding much of interest (but making about 50 new records in ST5970), but duly found Yellow Vetchling, Lathyrus aphaca, flowering at Glyn Vale on the Northern Slopes. This and one not so far away are the only current sites in the Bristol area. We also admired three Bee Orchids, Ophrys apifera here. Nearby in a pathside hedgerow/scrub Margaret Webster showed us the hybrid Viburnum x rhytidophylloides which she had discovered during the 2017 New Year Plant Hunt, before we set off through the streets back to our cars.

LAWRENCE WESTON MOOR, led by Clive Lovatt, Wednesday 12 July Half a dozen of us met for a good summer’s evening walk into this Avon Wildlife Trust Reserve, variously arriving by car, motor bike and pedal cycle. Time limited us to walking through only part of the site but we saw some of the special plants of damp meadows: Pepper-saxifrage, Silaum silaus; Yellow Loosestrife, Lysimachia vulgaris (two stems only, right); Sneezewort, Achillea ptarmica; Ragged-Robin, Silene flos-cuculi (evidently sparser than it once was); Sharp-flowered Rush, Juncus acutiflorus (carefully distinguished from Jointed Rush, J. articulatus which was also there) and Tufted Forget-me-not Photo: Clive Lovatt Myosotis laxa (but no trace of Creeping Forget-me-not M. caespitosa which has been recorded here). We also looked at the excellent variety of grasses and rushes, and a few sedges as well. Large areas of the site are dominated by various different species and it looks as if several of the plants Photo: Dee Holladay mentioned in the Flora of the Bristol Region might have become very scarce or have disappeared. In one place, we found a wooden platform now serving no purpose, at the very edge of a tall and rather dry reed-bed. Nonetheless, given more time the group would also have seen: Lesser water-parsnip, Berula erecta; Water Horsetail, Equisetum fluviatile; Marsh Horsetail, E. palustre and Saw-wort, Serratula tinctoria, the last incongruously growing with creeping thistles and being invaded by Himalayan Giants (Garden blackberries).

PJM Nethercott papers In the recent Bulletin for June 2017 I mentioned that two boxes of papers from the estate of the late Mr Nethercott, a long-serving Treasurer of the Society who was highly knowledgeable about the local flora, had surfaced at the Bristol Botanic Gardens. Through the good offices of the Curator, Nick Wray, I was able to inspect the boxes. In the main, the material falls into two categories, specimens and papers arising from his position as BSBI referee for Sorbus (whitebeams) and folders of source materials and drafts relating to papers submitted for publication in our Proceedings. Particularly of interest is the manuscript of an unpublished paper about a Victorian book of instruction on botany written by a lady living in Clifton, which I had heard of when reading a letter from Nethercott to Professor Willis in the BNS Archives.

9

Unfortunately, there are no botanical notebooks, though we now know what form they took, from a photocopy of a few pages with notes on whitebeams he had seen in 1957. Nor, sadly, is there any trace of the photo of JW White dipping for water plants which had at one time been in the Wallis copy of the Flora of Bristol formerly owned by Nethercott which I recently purchased. The current expectation is that the papers will be transferred from the gardens to the Special Collections in the Bristol University Library, given that the University was a beneficiary from Mr Nethercott’s estate.

PLANT RECORDS Contents / Diary The Society recently received an invitation from Bristol Water for to record the wild plants growing on their reservoir sites. Having already recorded plants at Cheddar Reservoir with Liz McDonnell we were pleased to get privileged access to the Barrow Tanks and the associated works site and grassland and woodland within their property at Barrow Gurney. The dozen filter beds are now redundant and in the typical way of post-industrial areas proved to have a diverse flora – about 160 species in this instance. The grassland on the reservoir banks and in the works area has many good species such as Zig-zag Clover, Trifolium medium and betony, Stachys betonica, and the hybrid Woundwort, Stachys x ambigua. The footpaths around the reservoirs have a lot of Vervain, Verbena officinalis and locally the alien umbellifer Bullwort, Ammi majus seems to be established. There are a few ditches with rushes and Tufted Forget-me-not, Myosotis laxa, locally. The reservoirs themselves have crowfoots (Ranunculus circinatus and R. aquatilis) and narrow-leaved pondweeds (Potamogeton berchtoldii and P. pectinatus).

Perhaps the best of our finds was the Northern Yellow- cress, Rorippa islandica, (left) easily distinguished from the commoner Marsh Yellow-cress, Rorippa palustris, by the much smaller yellow flowers and pods which hang to one side (generally downwards in these prostrate plants). It has been known in Somerset since 2007 and has been recorded at Cheddar Reservoir and Chew Valley Lake so Photo: Clive Lovatt it wasn’t a great surprise to find 20 or 30 plants on the concrete reservoir banks here. Also a delight to find was about 6,000 stems of Herb Paris, Paris quadrifolia in old woodland (right). I also visited the covered Victoria Reservoir off Whiteladies Road in Clifton. I found Few-headed Mouse-ear Hawkweed on top in a few places. It looks like the common Mouse ear hawkweed, P. officinarum but has a branched flowering stalk. I saw it last year in a front lawn at the bottom of Whiteladies Road, a mere gust of wind away from the reservoir. There are a couple Photo: Clive Lovatt of earlier Bristol records beyond the south end of the Avon Gorge and one wonders if the covered reservoir was the original source. Rupert Higgins was also botanising in the vicinity of Whiteladies Road and in mid-June found Four-leaved All-seed Polycarpon tetraphyllum in the gutters and pavements of Cotham Gardens. This is the third site in the Bristol region and Rupert discovered them all. Mark and Clare Kitchen found it recently in Gloucester. Richard Bland spotted Balkan Spurge, Euphorbia oblongata, whilst recording in Filton recently and found Greater Spearwort, Ranunculus lingua in a ditch in Kingston Seymour, which has long been noted as a native in the area, but not at Richard’s site. It is, however, 10 sometimes planted in ditches or water features for ornament. He also reports that on a BNS/Bristol University walk at Wills Hall he found Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum and Elecampane, Inula helemium, two more plants though long-established in the British flora, also now occur as casuals. If you've found some interesting plants in the Bristol area, let me know.

Clive Lovatt, Shirehampton, 7 August 2017

WESTONBIRT SURVEY REPORT: 7/8th July Contents / Diary

The Society was honoured to have been asked to help carry out a survey at this renowned site and a team of a dozen of our specialists met up with Forestry Commission staff for a briefing at the start of a friendly, enjoyable and productive couple of days. The one factor that couldn’t be controlled was the weather but even this favoured us with warmth, sun and blue skies. The main graft of physical surveying and recording was undertaken on the first day with very pleasing results for a full

X marks the spot! range of species as surveyors wandered the Photo: Lesley Cox site with hand lenses, binoculars, sweep nets, radios and the support of dedicated volunteers. Even the Great Oak Hall was searched for spiders. We think the record for that day went to Richard C. with 191 species identified. Surveying continued on the second day but the primary focus switched to the public by involving the droves of interested visitors in seeing as many of the species found as possible, including one or two that were brought in specially, such as the Death’s Head Hawk-moth (Acherontia atropos), and to enthuse and inform them of the wonder and importance of the natural world in all its forms.

Our thanks go to the brilliant staff at Westonbirt who looked after us so well as we worked. The way in which they organised the day was exceptional. The food and refreshments supplied to support all those working, created a very comfortable, friendly atmosphere of teamwork and easy communication as we all came together for meals and occasional rests from the heat. Finally, thanks to our own specialists, including our Chairman who cycled to the site from the centre of Bristol to visit us (no mean feat) all of whom we are privileged to have within the Society.

Death’s-head Hawk moth

Photo: Lesley Cox.

11

GEOLOGY SECTION PRESIDENT: David Clegg [email protected] HON. SEC.: Richard Ashley, [email protected] Tel: 01934 838850

FIELD MEETINGS Contents / diary

DEADMAIDS QUARRY, Mere, Wiltshire Saturday 2nd September Bath Geological Society is organizing a major geoconservation event to clean up the face of this important exposure and would welcome any assistance that BNS members can give. It will also give an opportunity to see rocks that are not exposed in the Avon Area. Deadmaids quarry just to the west of Mere is an S.S.S.I. for the only clear location showing the junction between Upper Greensand and the Lower Chalk. The whole face is obscured by ivy, grass and brambles. Parking is at the back of the trading estate just next to the location. Bring gardening gloves, secateurs, loppers, hard hat and eye defenders to keep out the debris. Bringing a packed lunch is recommended. This site is of importance both for the Chalk and for the Upper Greensand units of the Cretaceous. The quarry provides the finest available section in south west England of the Upper Greensand/Chalk transition as developed in the area to the north of a shallow area in the Cretaceous sea known as the ‘mid-Dorset Swell’. The unique and highly fossiliferous ‘Popple Bed’ is well exposed above the Chert Beds, and is of importance for the rich and diverse assemblage of fossil bivalves, gastropods, ammonites, brachiopods and echinoids which it contains, mainly as phosphatised casts. This is a key locality for study of the palaeontology of the lowermost part of the Chalk (the Cenomanian Stage) in Britain. See: www.thegcr.org.uk/SiteReports.cfm?Step=3v for more information about the location. If you have any queries concerning the trip please contact Isabel Buckingham at [email protected] or tel. 01985219313. A location plan and travel directions can be found on the Bath G.S. website

OGMORE & SOUTHERNDOWN Saturday 7th October Dr. Geraint Owen, Swansea University Mesozoic rocks unconformably overlie Upper Palaeozoic rocks in the Vale of Glamorgan. The rock units and their relationships are superbly exposed along the spectacular Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Highlights include richly fossiliferous Carboniferous Limestone and Blue Lias (early Jurassic); marginal facies of the Mesozoic that developed close to upstanding areas of Carboniferous Limestone and are preserved adjacent to unconformities in the form of wadi breccias and rocky shoreline deposits; a variety of styles of unconformity; and impressive folds and faults.

Meet at the car park at the south end of Ogmore-by-Sea village (SS 869 734) and later move to the car park at Dunraven Bay. There is plenty of parking available but with pay- and-display fees at Ogmore and a toll at Southerndown. Strong footwear and packed lunch will be needed.

For further information, including time of meeting please contact the Bath Field Trips Secretary [email protected] (01249) 813628 or 443019

12

OTHER EVENTS Contents / Diary

Sea Dragons of Street Exhibition Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 September 2017 The Section Secretary had intended to arrange a meeting to see these fossils but this will not now be necessary. This September, the Alfred Gillett Trust is hosting a free pop-up exhibition of fossilized ichthyosaurs found in Street as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative. From 7-10 September, the public can view the fossils and learn about how they were found and what they tell us about the local environment. 19 large ichthyosaur fossils will be on display, as well as a selection of smaller fossils found in the local area. Known as ‘sea dragons’, ichthyosaurs were dolphin-like marine reptiles that swam in the warm seas which covered Somerset around 200 million years ago. Street is known internationally for the quality and quantity of the fossils found in the local Blue Lias rock. The fossils were found in local quarries in the 19th century by Alfred Gillett, a cousin of the founders of Clarks the shoemakers. Clarks family members were also interested in the fossils which were being discovered in the area, and this impressive collection gradually developed. First displayed in Glastonbury Town Hall in 1880, the fossils were soon moved into a purpose-built Geological Museum in Crispin Hall in Street, opened in 1887. Noted geologists and academics visited the collection to study them, along with tourists and residents in the locality of Street. Such was the importance of the collection and the affection held for the fossils in the area that the newly formed Street Urban District Council chose the ichthyosaur as their symbol in 1894. It is still used today by local societies and associations. The fossils were finally taken off public display in 1978 when they were moved into storage for conservation. Now, for the first time in nearly 40 years, locals and visitors alike will get a chance to come face-to-face with the famed sea dragons. The exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 September from 10 am to 5 pm. Entrance is free, but donations towards the care and future display of the fossils would be gratefully received. For more details ring the Alfred Gillett Trust 01458 444060.

MENDIP ROCKS FESTIVAL 2017 Contents / Diary This year’s Mendip Rocks Festival will run from 30 September to 31October 2017. There will be a full programme of events and visits of interest to BNS members. Too many to list here but please see the websites of Somerset Earth Science Centre and The Mendip Society. These two organisations are jointly organizing this year’s event.

PLIOSAURUS! Pliosaurus! exhibition runs at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery until 7 January 2018 – a special temporary exhibition and accompanying events showcasing the huge fossil specimen Pliosaurus carpenteri named after its finder BNS member and ex-President Simon Carpenter.

13

INVERTEBRATE SECTION PRESIDENT: Robert Muston 0117 924 3352 Contents / Diary Hon. SECRETARY: Moth Broyles [email protected] 07809 281421 We are very grateful that Jon Mortin has agreed to join us in helping to plan the programme for the Section.

INVERTEBRATE NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER 2017 Contents / Diary

An early July walk in Weston Big Wood raised several questions in my mind. For starters, it was the first time I had come across the Lilly Beetle (Liliocerus lilii) in the ‘countryside’ rather than in someone’s garden. To recap, this beautiful bright scarlet beetle is native to parts of Europe and Asia but has now been spread around the globe and become a cosmopolitan horticultural pest of lilies and fritillary plants. First recorded in the UK in the1830s it did not become established until 1939 and only then at a single site. However, as with very many similar non-native insect species with a toe-hold in the country, environmental brakes seem to have been released in the 1980s, since then it has spread widely out of its stronghold in Surrey to be a common and very widespread pest which can devastate garden plants. My concern at seeing it in the ‘wild’ is whether it might come to damage the few remaining locations where the Snake’s Head Fritillary grows wild in the UK especially in Wiltshire and Suffolk. Although Weston Big Wood was looking splendid in the early summer sunshine, my other concern centred around the almost complete dominance of the main ride by bramble. Open spaces in woodlands are really important for invertebrate populations as locations where they can find food (nectar or pollen or other invertebrates) and also locate a mate. Bramble is an excellent source of nectar for the Silver-washed Fritillary, many of which on my visit were sparring with the local Comma population, but the degree to which the other ground flora was being outcompeted by the bramble is a worry. The Silver-washed Fritillary is noted as the one fritillary species we have which can tolerate a degree of shading as a larva (unlike say the Pearl-bordered Fritillary which sadly is not found close to Bristol anymore) but even it needs to have violets which can see a bit of the sun upon which its caterpillars can feed. Most fritillary butterfly caterpillars are black, a clue that they need to absorb the sun’s energy in order to be active enough to complete their lifecycle successfully in our climate. Managing nature reserves is a complex and potentially expensive business so I mean no criticism of the owners of the woodland and possible solutions such as introducing grazing animals present their own challenges. It is a reminder that many of our endangered habitats upon which many species depend are actually down to the impact of humans on what was now a very long time ago, the ‘wildwood’. Ray Barnett 06/06/17

FIELD MEETING REPORTS Northern Slopes (Lower Knowle) Sunday 9th July Leaders: Tony Smith and Len Wyatt. The Northern Slopes are four areas of green open space between Knowle, Knowle West and Bedminster in south Bristol and all offer spectacular views across the city. (http://www.northern-slopes- initiative.co.uk). Len Wyatt of the Northern Slopes Group showed us around two of the four sites on a warm sunny afternoon. The first site was Glyn Vale SNCI (an area of herb-rich grassland and Goldenrod Crab spider other habitats) where we recorded numerous invertebrates & prey Photo: Jon Mortin 14 including Speckled Bush Cricket, Alder Spittlebug and the leaf miner Phytomyza heracleana. These were all new records for the ST5970 grid square with the latter being also the first record for the Bristol Region. We then proceeded to Wedmore Vale SNCI (known locally as “The Bommie” possibly due to the bombing of the area in the Second World War). Here we recorded more invertebrates including 24-spot Ladybird, Dark Bush Cricket and the Goldenrod Crab Spider Misumena vatia (see photo) which were also new records for the site. Overall an enjoyable and productive afternoon although poorly attended with only three participants. Contents / Diary Jon Mortin

Sand Bay (Kewstoke) Sunday 16th July Leaders: Tony Smith and Robert Muston Four members attended on what turned out to be a lovely warm sunny afternoon despite the earlier gloomy weather forecast. Habitats investigated included intertidal sand, strandline and sand dune Nereis diversicolor with everted vegetation. Lugworm Arenicola pharynx – Section shown is 5mm Photo: Robert Muston marina and Ragworm Nereis diversicolor were recorded from the intertidal zone with the amphipod Orchestia gammarellus abundant in the strandline. In the dunes we found the Pointed Snail Cochlicella acuta and the Nationally Notable Sandrunner Shieldbug Sciocoris cursitans. Flowering Ragwort was attracting hundreds of 6 spot Burnet Moths. The Ragwort Aphid Aphis jacobaeae was also seen here which will be the first record 6-spot Burnet moth of this species in the Bristol Region. Numerous other Photo: Jon Mortin invertebrates await formal identification Jon Mortin Badock’s Wood LNR: Sun. 30 July: heavy showers & bright periods with five attendees. Ray Barnett reported a fine haul of 48 invertebrates, including Long-winged Conehead, Speckled Bush-cricket, Meadow Grasshopper, Common Darter dragonfly and Blue-tailed damselfly, Green Shield-bug, Brassica bug, red & black Coriza hyoscyami, five other bugs and two hopper bugs. Also 7 butterflies, 11 moths, 4 beetles, 6 hoverflies, 4 bees, 2 spiders.

Old Sneed Park LNR: Sunday, 6th August. Bright, warm & a bit breezy. This was BNS demonstrating to Friends of Sneed Park the creatures in the lake. Three members attended. The cull included the Lake mussel Musculium lacustre, and hog louse Asellus aquaticus. Several different insects, including the mayfly ‘Pond Olive’ Cloeon dipterum, three water bugs, the Back swimmer Notonecta glauca, the mighty atom Plea leachii, and, in very large numbers the water boatman Sigara dorsalis and a fly larva, a tanypodid, red with haemoglobin in its tissues indicating that it can live in oxygen depleted waters. These larva feed on shrimps, hog lice and aquatic earthworms. At the same time we searched the plants round the lake and found the common Darter, Blue-tailed damselfly, the Loosestrife weevil (on Purple Loosestrife), three butterflies and two moths. On clearing up after the visitors had gone some of us looked at the hedgerows round the fields and were rewarded by finding the Black and Yellow Longhorn beetle Rutpela maculata, Common Tortoise Shield bug Eurygaster testudinaria, the Sloe bugDolycoris baccarum, Meadow grasshopper, 24-spot ladybird and the brown marked Tortoise Beetle Cassida vibex.

15

ORNITHOLOGY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Giles Morris, 01275 373917 [email protected]

HON SEC.:- Lesley Cox 07786 437528 [email protected] Contents / Diary

Please remember that the Winter Lecture Programme starts next month on Wednesday, 11th October so make a note in your diary. (See dates below) Field News: All who enjoyed the talk last season on ‘Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper’ will be pleased to hear that another 30 chicks were successfully headstarted in Meinypil’gyno. Nearer to home, Bee-eaters have nested in Nottinghamshire. The RSPB is guarding the nests and has reported that the adults are bringing in food, which indicates the presence of young - and finally, our field meeting at Chew Valley this month might include a Bearded Tit but will sadly not encounter the Caiman that was found wandering there prior to its rescue.

FIELD MEETING CHEW VALLEY LAKE Saturday, 9th September Leader: Mike Johnson Tel: 07530981106 10:00

Meet at 10 a.m. at Bristol Water’s Woodford Lodge (ST565606) off the B3114 road between Chew Stoke and West Harptree on the left hand side of the road just after leaving Chew Stoke. We will visit a number of sites around the Lake where there should be a good selection of duck, gulls, waders and passerines. Some of the areas within the Lake grounds do require a permit costing £5.00

Bearded Tit: The species in Britain is largely sedentary but mass dispersals sometimes occur in autumn. Chew Valley Lake is the place to see them in our area.

Photo: © Martyn Pratt

FIELD MEETING REPORT Contents / Diary Saturday 8th July: Forest of Dean This was a joint meeting of Bristol Ornithological Club and Bristol Naturalists’ Society with an attendance of 28. We met at New Fancy View car park and climbed up to the viewing platform. The birds were generally quiet although Siskin were heard. On the way down some were fortunate to have a splendid view of a male Crossbill at the top of a conifer. We then had a walk around one of the Cannop Ponds. A number of Mandarin Duck were seen including eclipse males, females and juveniles. Grey Wagtails, both adult and juveniles, were active around the outfall. Swallows and Swifts hunted insects over the water. We then drove to the car park beyond Speech House and walked up to the Crabtree Hill clearing. Linnets and a Stonechat were seen and heard as we positioned ourselves for the main target species of the evening. After about 20 minutes the first “churring” was heard indicating that a Nightjar was indeed present. There then followed a magical half hour, right through dusk, of frequent sightings of Nightjar. Some close enough to observe the white spots on the wings of the males. There were at least 4 birds and the highlight was seeing a bird perching lengthwise on a branch giving a marvellous view in silhouette. About 40 species were encountered during the evening. Mike Johnson

16

Forward Meeting Dates Contents / Diary Indoor: 11th October; 8th November; 13th December 2017. 10th January 2018. Field Meetings: 15th Oct; 18th Nov; 28th Dec 2017. 21st January 2018.

ORNITHOLOGY RECENT NEWS June …continued where late May had left off with regular reports of Red Kites moving through and a Spoonbill again briefly at Northwick Warth on 3rd. Strong winds on 6th brought seabirds to Severn Beach namely: 2 Fulmar, 7 Gannet and single Storm Petrel, Sandwich and Arctic terns reported with larger numbers of some species seen from further down channel off Weston-super-Mare: 11 Fulmar, 82 Manx Shearwater and 31 Gannet. No more were seen until 9th when 31 more Manx and 2 Arctic Skuas, incredibly scarce this year, were off Severn Beach. It was windy again on 23rd with single Common Scoter and Storm Petrel at the beach. Quite often these birds are only present rather briefly so an impressive tally for the day (by Bristol Channel standards) can often be on the same day as a blank two hour session lacking in either good timing or luck. Generally the couple of hours before high tide tend to be best when at least birds sat on the water are drifted up. But seabirds can occur at any time of day given the right weather (strong winds, ideally south-westerly and ideally for >24 hours). The month ended nicely at Chew with a nice first-summer Little Gull and news of yet another Goldeneye brood. Sadly the latter did not appear to survive to fledging but they could be elusive at times, so maybe there is still some hope that they did. July Nationally this year was remarkable for the number of southern European species that bred in Britain including Night Heron (for the first time, in Somerset), Bee-eater (in the Midlands) and Cattle Egrets in several places including Somerset (after a big winter influx). Perhaps it was one of these local Cattle Egrets that appeared briefly at New Passage on 20th. Also there was an adult Temminck's Stint on the new wetland there from 19th-20th until its muddy pool was flooded. It was relocated next day in the pill at New Passage, a rather unusual saline habitat for this normally freshwater wader, where it gave better views for a day before moving on. It was a reasonable summer for Quail with up to five calling in the Marshfield area and another reported near Burnett. The rarest bird of the month was a Caspian Tern that was reported briefly at Chew on the evening of 2nd. It moved on very rapidly and was only seen by the finder. Chew also attracted a Little Gull and a Garganey during the month although water levels remained rather high. It is always great to see the return of the Black-headed Gulls to our area after their virtual absence for two or three months. The first start to arrive from late June but July sees numbers really build up and a strong passage through the area. Looking out for the first returning juveniles is always fun and scanning for the Mediterranean Gulls that often accompany them can be rewarded. At least five 'Meds' were on Severnside on 7th July with others seen here and at the usual coastal and lakes hotspots during the month. It's worth noting the ages and plumage details of all Med Gulls you see, as many of them move rapidly through so ageing enables a better estimate to be made of the numbers passing through. Most of our Meds come from the continent but this year they bred as close to us as Worcestershire for the first time. We could do with our own Black-headed Gull colony to attract this delightful gull as a breeding species but we currently don't seem to have the right conditions anywhere. John Martin

17

MISCELLANY

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BOTANIC GARDEN The Holmes, Stoke Park Rd, Stoke Bishop, BS9 1JG. Booking: 0117 331 4906. www.bristol.ac.uk/botanic-garden Email: [email protected]

Contents / Diary

Sat. 2 / Sun. 3 September 10:00am-5:00pm. FOLLOW THE BUZZ: BEE & POLLINATION FESTIVAL University of Bristol Botanic Garden Bee & Pollination Festival. Giant Amazon waterlilies, live hive demonstrations, Bristol beekeepers’ annual ‘honey show’, research displays on pollinator behaviour, nurseries with bee-friendly plants, talks and willow weaving, wildlife exhibits, summer art/science exhibition plus tours of the Botanic Garden. Admission: £6 including tours. Friends, university staff & students, children under 18 free. Exhibitors include: Bristol Naturalists’ Society; Bristol Beekeepers' Honey Festival; Biological Sciences research displays; orchid growers; international speakers; cider tastings; wildlife charities; children's activities; plant sales; botanical art etc.

Sat. 9 Sept 10-4pm Workshop: Studying and Painting the Elusive Solitary Bee with Cath Hodsman £55. Enrol online. Thu. 21 Sept 7.30-9pm Friends’ lecture: Timothy Walker- What have plants ever done for us? The Frank Theatre, Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL. Free to Friends on production of membership card. Visitors asked for donation (suggested £5). Attendees can use any University car park: the nearest are in University Walk and The Hawthorns (no booking is necessary). Sat. 23 Sept 10-4pm Workshop: Introduction to plant propagation. £40 incl. lunch.

Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project Contents / Diary Booking and further information: Contact the Project on 0117 903 0609 or e- mail [email protected]. Pre-booking essential for all events. Details of meeting points are given on booking.

Fri. 15 Sept. Music with Mummy on the Downs (Event for 15 months to 4 year olds) Make melodious music in the meadow on the Downs. Decorate and play a shaker, sing, dance and meet some wildlife puppets with Fiona from Music with Mummy (daddy, granny or any other responsible adults are allowed!). 10-11am. £4 per child. Sat. 30 Sept. Tree gazing along the Promenade Join tree expert, Tony Titchen, for a stroll along the Promenade on the Downs. Along the way learn to identify native and exotic species using their leaves, bark and twigs. 2.00pm - 3.30pm. £5.

18

BADOCK’S WOOD EVENTS Contents / Diary

Meeting Report: Night-time Moth Hunt, Fri. 4 August. A brief report of Ray Barnett’s meeting is on p15 at the end of the Invertebrate Section pages.

Friday 15th September: BAT TALK & WALK Meet 7pm in The Greenway Centre, Doncaster Rd, BS10 5PY. Introductory talk followed by a walk in Badock’s Wood to see bats using bat detectors. Led by Matt Hobbs & Jane Cole (FOBW/Avon Bat Group) ALL WELCOME! Please dress appropriately for the weather and uneven/muddy surfaces and bring a torch to help you find your way round.

Friday 6th October: OWL PROWL 7.00 – 8.30 p.m. Dave Knowles from the Hawk and Owl Trust will lead us. Help us find owls in Badock’s Wood and there will be an opportunity for you to meet an owl close up.

Ed Drewitt on the Bristol Ferry Boat – 2 September On Saturday 2nd September (2.25pm) Ed Drewitt will be showing people wildlife from a Bristol Ferry Boat as it travels down the Avon Gorge - a wonderful way to experience the journey from the docks to the River Severn. A chance to see nesting grey herons, peregrines, ravens, redshanks, roe deer, foxes and beautiful landscapes. To book or find out more contact the Bristol Ferry Boat Company, 0117 927 3416 / www.bristolferry.com.

Tony Smith sent this poem for the month: Contents / Diary Summer Evening

The frog half fearful jumps across the path, And little mouse that leaves his hole at eve Nimbles with timid dread beneath the swarth; My rustling steps awhile their joys deceive, Till past – and then the cricket sings more strong, And grasshoppers in merry mood still wear The short night weary with their fretting song. Up from behind the molehill jumps the hare, Cheat of his chosen bed, and from the bank The yellowhammer flutters in short fears From off its nest hid in the grasses rank And drops again when no more noise it hears, Thus nature’s human link and endless thrall, Proud man, still seems the enemy of all.

John Clare

19

PICTURES OF THE MONTH Contents / Diary

Brassy Longhorn Moth (Nemophora metallica), left, on Field Scabious (Narroways Nature Reserve, Bristol), contributed by Jon Mortin

This picture (right) of a clump of duckweed comes from Robert Muston, who found it in Pulborough, although it is apparently not unknown in the Bristol region. He writes: “Unusually, it is not green. I have referred it to the NHM for comment and they have confirmed its identity and the fact that this particular species does colour red in sunlight”.

Roger Steer contributes this striking picture of a Small Magpie Moth Anania hortulata. It is quite small, about 25mm across – A micro-moth – The cratered, lunar, surface is the ceiling of Roger’s sitting room!

20