Issue 1 November 2006 The newsletter for biological recorders in Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral NEW RECORD WEBSITE LAUNCHED p. 4 THE JOYS OF BEETLE HUNTING SPIDER RECORDING AT RED ROCKS BAP RECORDING IN HALTON AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE SAMPLING CHESHIRE BUMBLEBEES and A. Hugh Pulsford explains Cover photos: Brown Long-eared Bat © Andy Harmer, bracket fungus © Jeff Clarke THE VALUE OF RECORDS AND DESCRIPTIONS WELCOME to the SCARCE SPIDER SWIFTS IN HALTON first edition of the The Sentinel. The growth of the biological record The newsletter has been born RECORDED ALONG database for Halton has already through the Recorders Forum, highlighted some species which are WIRRAL COAST locally important. In both Runcorn which represents the interests Our list of rare invertebrates of the biological recording and Widnes, we now know there are found in the North Wirral Coastal significant breeding populations community and liaises with Park is continuing to increase of Common Swift Apus apus, a rECOrd to promote and encourage with the discovery in April this bird which spends the winter biological recording in Cheshire, year of an uncommon tiny black in the southern hemisphere. Halton, Warrington and Wirral. ‘money spider’ about 1.5mm Buildings are vital to this hole-nesting bird, This newsletter is designed to long living within the tussocks but repairs and renovations can threaten provide a forum for individuals of Marram Grass in the Leasowe their breeding. Fortunately, plenty can be from a variety of backgrounds and done to ensure that swift colonies con- Gunsite dunes (SJ 276 926). tinue to thrive, requiring the goodwill and specialist interest areas to share Unfortunately this little spider doesn’t have a co-operation of planners, architects and their discoveries and information. common English name so we must address developers, and solutions to help breed- Jeff Clarke, Editor it by its scientific name, Mecopisthes peusi ing swifts are relatively straightforward (Wunderlich, 1972). There are 4 existing and inexpensive. The introduction of nest records for this spider for VC58 on the boxes to a new housing development in rECOrd database, all from this area of Wirral, Widnes is under way and if successful, it with the last record dated 1991, so it is good will pave the way for similar schemes. NEWS IN BRIEF to see it continuing to survive at this location despite the ever increasing human and NEW BUG BONANZA animal pressures on these fragile dune areas. Across the UK this species is mainly found ALONG WIRRAL’S COAST in central southern England where it occurs on dry heathland and in Wales, Lancashire 2005 & 2006 were good years and Cheshire where it is found in sand for extending the list of scarce dunes and dune slacks. In terms of its insects that can be found locally UK wide distribution it is categorised as along our Wirral coastal habitats. uncommon in Great Britain and falls into the Nationally Scarce (Notable B) category In August 2005, a brightly coloured pink based on its frequency of occurrence within and black rhopalid bug Liorhyssus hyalinus 10km squares of the National Grid. © copyright Jeff Clarke (Fabricius,1794) was found on a storks- There is a short video on swifts in Halton Thanks to Chris Felton at the Department bill plant at Meols Common within the which can be found at www.halton.gov. of Entomology, Liverpool Museum for North Wirral Coastal Park (SJ 241909). uk/nature under News and Events. confirming the identity of this species which This is a first record for Cheshire and due to its UK scarcity will certainly help If you have any information about swifts probably North West England as the in the application for LNR and hopefully in Halton, or would like to find out more, only recent records for this bug are from eventual SSSI status for the Coastal Park. please contact [email protected] Pembrokeshire, the Lleyn Peninsula and Paul Oldfield, Nature Conservation Norfolk. It is interesting that previous John McGaw – Wirral Wildlife records for this bug confirm its associa- Invertebrate Recorder Officer, Halton Borough Council tion with storksbill plants within the UK. Travelling a little further along the coast, and also in August 2005, I recorded the Crikey! Bishop’s Mitre shield bug Aelia acuminata Unfortunately the world of natural history can all too often (L., 1758) running up and down Marram come across as being the domain of just a lot of high-browed Grass stems at West Kirby/Red Rocks dunes (SJ 207875). Another first for Cheshire stuffy anoraks looking at dead specimens and talking Latin. You VC58 according to the rECOrd database. couldn’t have got much further away from this than when a I recorded Aelia again this August in loudmouth Aussie exploded onto our tv screens a number of Wild Carrot heads and Marram Grass, years ago, with as much energy as a field full of joeys and exud- this time within the fixed dunes at ing more enthusiasm than seemed possible, and spontaneously Meols Common within the North shouting his war cry, “CRIKEY”, at every opportune moment. Wirral Coastal Park (SJ236907). I won- der where it will turn up next? Very few natural historians have had an impact like Steve Irwin, not just be- cause of his expertise and fieldcraft but because of his infectious enthusi- John McGaw, Wirral Wildlife asm and ability to captivate and entertain a generation, on an international Invertebrate Recorder scale. Steve’s untimely death recently saddened millions of people around the Acknowledgement globe, but his wildlife legacy is a generation of children enthused and ready To Steve Judd, Dept of Entomology, Liverpool for more. As Steve might say, “Crikey, let’s not waste this opportunity.” Museum, for identifying Liorhyssus and providing information concerning previous UK records. Andy Harmer 2 What I enjoyed the most, I think, was being looking for insects and especially beetles. surrounded by all the life about me. The There is always treasure to be found when R.Dibbin used to be alive with Sticklebacks you are a lover of insects. The anticipation (which provided my first experience of when you look at some nice old trees, or fishing), and the plop of Water Voles. A a clean river gurgling over rocks, or a salt large part of the ground under the trees marsh! What am I going to find? You sweep would smell of Ramsons and Bluebells could a net through some nice umbellifers, or be picked in armfuls. The flood plain was sieve rotting seaweed and see something muddy and covered with debris in winter different Then you anticipate getting your and then in the spring everything zoomed books out at home, and identifying an Anomala dubia © copyright Jeff Clarke up out of the ground! Across the wood, insect that is new to you or the site, and Don Stenhouse on plants, birds and insects shouted ‘look it’s if you are lucky the county or country. spring, let’s get busy’. The wood heaved with I am privileged to know some really good life and I really felt at home amongst it all. THE JOYS OF BEETLE naturalists, and have spent many hours For quite a few years after this, although with expert birders, lepidopterists and HUNTING my love of natural history stayed with aquatic ecologists, who have told me so me, I did not actually do anything with much. Recently, in Lincolnshire, within As a child, I would spend hours it. Then in 1988, I made a conscious deci- 24hrs, I heard Nightjars and Turtle Doves, looking at books on animals. For sion to study beetles. This decision was saw Grey Partridge, and held a Grass Snake. my seventh birthday I was given to prove very significant. No matter what On another occasion in August, I watched has happened since, my interest in bee- Natterjack toadlets running about on a set of animal encyclopaedias, tles has been something to focus on. Birkdale Green beach, a pair of Avocets at which I still have today. I also spent Marshside, rescued silver eels in a small Since 1988, I have recorded insects from drying pool, and found two species of beetle many hours exploring every inch urban sites, woodlands, salt marshes, peat I hadn’t seen before. Not fantastic stuff for of Dibbinsdale Wood and often bogs, compost heaps, rivers etc. What is some maybe, but a rich experience for me! came home covered in mud. really great is that I still get a buzz out of allows for most species to be identified in conservation and identification, followed the field although worker castes of certain by an outdoor recording session, weather species are very difficult to separate. permitting. Similar events can be held Bumblebees have a long flight period, virtually anywhere provided there is a suit- lasting from February to November and able venue and enough interest. Further they are active in all suitable weather details can be obtained from the project conditions throughout the day, hence organisers. A simple recording form is their usefulness as pollinators. available which allows for the recording of species seen and their estimated abun- The Cheshire Bumblebee project is dance, along with supplementary informa- based at Liverpool Museum, but it tion such as habitat details and food-plant also has support from Halton Borough preferences. Such information will be nec- Council, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and essary especially in managing habitat for rECOrd. Staff at Chester Zoo, Norton bumblebees and in advising landowners. © copyright Jeff Clarke Priory Museum and the Wirral Ranger Service have also been involved hav- On the practical side the project attempts ing hosted identification workshops. to increase the population by providing CHESHIRE BUMBLEBEES artificial nest sites, both for bumblebees The main aim of the project is to encour- and solitary bees, which can also form the There are 17 species of Bumblebee age recording of bumblebees in the basis for public events arranged with local (Bombus) and six species Cuckoo Cheshire region and to make the findings groups and countryside ranger services.