BROOK MEADOW CONSERVATION GROUP 2005 Summary of the week’s news and wildlife observations from Brook Meadow Web Site . http://www.hants.org.uk/brook-meadow/ GROUP NEWS FOR WEEKS 2-3: Jan 9-22, 2006 Membership The membership figures for 2005-2006 are now up to 366 and fast approaching our target of 450. We are still seeking 65 members from last year who have not yet renewed! If you are unsure then please contact Frances at [email protected] Environment news The unauthorised woodcutter was at it again in the Lumley area when the group arrived for the workday on Sunday January 15th. This time he was cutting brambles around the Lumley Stream, which he described as "an eyesore". When confronted he was dismissive of our concerns about the need for proper management and conservation of wildlife and vowed to continue. Clearly, this is a problem we shall have to leave to Havant Borough Council to tackle. A Council Environment Ranger has already spoken to the man, but with no apparent effect. Please report any further damage in the area to a member of the group. The rest of the workday passed off peacefully enough. Graham and Richard yanked an old armchair out of the river, cut it up and removed the pieces, while Frances, Pat and Pam did some litter picking. We were all puzzled by what looks like a deeply worn dog run down the river bank opposite the new fence. Any ideas what caused it? For photos of workday go to http://www.hants.org.uk/brook-meadow/bm-photos-work-events.html Forthcoming Workdays: Thursday 2nd February, Sunday 19th February. Council Work Wally, Frances and Brian had a good meeting with the Open Spaces Development Team at their depot at Penner Road on Tuesday January 10th during which Frances handed over the Brook Meadow Management Plan for the next 10 years. This will support the application for Local Nature Reserve status for Brook Meadow which the Council are now processing. Many thanks to Frances for a very impressive piece of work. Nick Hammond of the Council has agreed to treat the Japanese Knotweed invasion behind the industrial estate with a herbicide in the spring and then again in October. He will also instruct his strimmers to cut the edges of the main paths probably in early March and do some pruning of ageing Crack Willow trees later in the year. As promised, the Council have laid some top soil along the edge of the new pathway from Palmer's Road Car Park to the bridge. This improves the appearance of the path and will encourage growth of plants. Idelwood threatened Idelwood is a small woodland in Cowplain which is seriously threatened with housing development. The Friends of Idelwood have mounted a campaign to try to save this piece of ancient woodland, originally part of the old Forest of Bere. Idelwood is about 3 ½ acres situated in Longwood Avenue, Cowplain - Grid Ref: SU689115. See their web site for more information at http://www.idelwood.co.uk WILDLIFE NEWS Cattle Egret The big local bird news of the past couple of weeks was the arrival of a Cattle Egret at Warblington Farm on January 9. Records show that this was only the 6th Cattle Egret ever to be recorded in Hampshire, so it is a rare bird, though most experts think it is likely to become more common as global warming continues, doing a Little Egret as it were. The arrival of 8 Cattle Egrets at Piddinghoe on the Sussex Ouse on January 2nd made national headlines and a further 2 later turned up in Pagham Harbour. The Warblington bird was still there last week, along with a dozen or so Little Egrets and, appropriately, a herd of grazing cattle. It is usually in the field on the corner of Church Lane and Pook Lane at Grid Ref SU727056, though it also moves onto neighbouring fields, so you may have to look around a bit. It roosts with the Little Egrets at Wade Court at night. As for other locally rare birds, the long-staying Snow Bunting is still showing well on Hayling beach by the pitch-and-putt golf course. Look near the blue bin in the parking area behind the beach huts. There is also a long-staying Hoopoe at Gosport, but I have not been over to see that one. Black-tailed Godwits The flock of Black-tailed Godwits, which feed on the mudflats at low tide near Nore Barn Woods, are continuing to provide a wealth of ringing information, since a number of the birds have colour rings on their legs. The purpose of this scheme is to learn more about their movements during migration from Iceland where they breed. If you are at all interested in birds then do not miss this excellent opportunity to examine these beautiful birds close-up. They are on your doorstep! I have devoted a page on my web site to the Godwits at http://www.brianfellows.clara.net/black-tailed-godwits-cr.htm While you are at Nore Barn look out also for Greenshank, which are also colour-ringed as part of the Greenshank Project – see http://www.greenshank.info/ for more information. With the Greenshank you might find a couple of Spotted Redshank which have been with the Greenshank in the past week. Unlike the Black-tailed Godwits, which are always busy feeding, the shanks tend to spend most of the time standing on one leg! Spring is in the air There was certainly more than a touch of spring in the air over the past couple of weeks, and several of our resident birds have been singing regularly, not only in Brook Meadow, but elsewhere around the town. They include Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Collared Dove and Song Thrush. Also, for the first time this year, I heard a Blackbird serenading the householders in Church Path, Emsworth, with its splendidly relaxed song at dusk on Sunday January 22. Ralph Hollins (who else?) had earlier reported one singing in Havant on Dec 21, but not since, as far as I am aware. However, we should be hearing more of them in the weeks to come. I have also heard a burst of Greenfinch churring from a garden in Lumley Road this week, though it is still early for its full song. Chaffinch is usually one the last of the common town birds to get going, but they should also be heard singing fairly soon. Other observations Talking of spring, I had a Red Admiral butterfly basking in the sunshine on the Ivy in my back garden on Friday Jan 20. But, I have still not managed to find my first Lesser Celandine flower, despite the fact that Ralph Hollins has now seen three Lesser Celandine plants in flower in Havant. Let me know if you see any around Emsworth. On Sunday January 15 I had a brief and tantalising glimpse of the Water Rail on the Lumley Stream (first seen there on Jan 5). It is best viewed from Lumley Road opposite Cambercroft. Also did a quick count of the molehills in the Centre Meadow (160) and the North Meadow (200), but there are not so many as last year. There is a good growth of Velvet Shank fungus growing on the dead Elms along the Lumley Path and during the workday Frances pointed out some Jew's Ear fungus growing on a log in Palmer's Road Copse. Millpond news Not much change on the Town Millpond, with plenty of Mute Swans and Mallard. Tufted Duck numbers were up to 20 this past week, and John Mant, who house overlooks the millpond, told me he had seen 3 Red-breasted Mergansers on the millpond, welcome news, but not unexpected. What would be nice is for something like a Goosander to turn up (last seen on the millpond in Jan-Feb 2000), or even a Goldeneye (not seen here since 1997). If the weather does turn cold then Smew or Scaup are quite possible on Slipper Millpond. So it is worth keeping an eye out for rarities. I received a message from Mark Painter, who regularly counts Mute Swans on the River Itchen at Cobden Meadows in Southampton, to say he has also seen the two orange ringed Swans that recently appeared on Emsworth Millpond, with the lettering KLD and C5L. Apparently, they were originally ringed in Christchurch Harbour. Since Swans tend not to travel very far, Christchurch to Southampton and Southampton to Emsworth are fairly lengthy journeys for these two birds. I have not seen them on Emsworth Millpond in the past couple of weeks, so maybe they have moved on even further. GROUP NEWS FOR WEEKS 52-01: Dec 26 2005 – Jan 8 2006 Membership Membership now stands at 358 with 50 new members and 308 renewals. This is the same membership level as February 2005 when we gave the framed picture to the 350th member. There are still 72 members who have not yet renewed! If you are unsure whether or not you have renewed please contact Frances Jannaway at [email protected] Aspen for Brook Meadow An Aspen tree donated by members of the Haskins family was planted on the eastern side of Brook Meadow on Dec 22. Eleven members of the Haskins family filled in the hole already prepared by HBC contractors and then read a few poems in memory of their mother who used to live in Lumley Hall. Photos on the web site at http://www.hants.org.uk/brook-meadow/bm-photos-work-events.html Aspen (Populus tremula) is a member of the Poplar family and is native to Great Britain.