Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 15
DRAGONFLY SIGHTINGS IN WORCESTERSHIRE 2007
Mike Averill
Many people must have thought it was going to be another hot dry year as 2007 started with warm weather in April and extended in to May. Many dragonfly species made an early appearance with Large Red Damselflies Pyrrhosoma nymphula in early April and Common Club-tailed dragonflies Gomphus vulgatissimus as early as the 1st May. Scarce Chasers Libellula fulva were also early to take to the wing and for this species it was a very good year with lots being seen at their stronghold sites between Pershore and Tewkesbury and even as far upstream as the Simon de Montford Bridge above Evesham.
Beautiful Demoiselles Calopteryx virgo also did well in their usual locations and there was a new location noted near Bittell Reservoir.
Although having an early start, the Club-tailed Dragonfly had another poor year in terms of emergence rates and for this species and other synchronised early emerging dragonflies the very wet weather that took place in mid June through to mid July may well have affected their breeding opportunities. These two months turned out to be the wettest on record and there would be a drop in potential flying days and the survival rates of eggs laid in June and July in rivers would have been reduced by having to deal with raging torrents instead of the usual tranquil rivers.
The Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombei once again made its way in to this country from the continent but none were reported in Worcestershire. The Small-red Damselfly Erythromma viridulum was seen at Ryall, where five males were seen patrolling over the water milfoil, interestingly though, it was difficult to visit sites like this due to the unprecedented high water levels following the storms. Not far away, Gloucestershire saw three new locations for this species near to the Worcestershire boundary.
One site that looked better than it has done for many years was Hartlebury Bog. This site has suffered drying out for many years and normal summers generally see no standing water, however with above average rainfall this year, there were good numbers of dragonflies including Four-spotted Chasers Libellula quadrimaculata and Emperors Anax imperator. Many wetland areas benefited from the standing water like Ashmoor Common, Wilden Marsh and Puxton Marsh and Worcestershire for once gave a glimpse of what it was like 60 years ago with water meadows still wet in the summer. Most damselfly and some dragonfly species can capitalise on conditions like this and may well have had successful breeding cycles before the water bodies started to dry out.
After July the summer was much drier and with sunnier conditions normal dragonfly watching was resumed. To end an unusual year some species like the white-legged damselfly Platycnemis pennipes were seen on the wing in September which is quite late.
In 2008 there will be the launch of a new National Dragonfly Atlas with a five year survey period and there is more of this in another article.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 16
THE NATIONAL DRAGONFLY ATLAS PROJECT – 2008 TO 2013
Mike Averill
You may remember the first National Dragonfly Atlas which was published in 1996. This was a milestone in terms of national dragonfly mapping but it was badly out of date in terms of the records it contained by the time it was finally published. The British Dragonfly Society aims to update this atlas with five years of survey work culminating in a new Atlas in 2013.
A new national atlas is urgently required as climate change is contributing to increasingly earlier spring emergence and a change in the range of many of our species. In addition, new species are becoming established in Britain, as demonstrated by the recent rapid spread of the Small Red-eyed Damselfly. We are living through a dynamic change in our dragonfly fauna and need to record this information. This data will help with the assessment of the impact of climate change and other environmental factors on our dragonfly fauna.
In the first atlas 22 species were recorded in Worcestershire whereas there are 28 now, however since 1996 recording has been patchy, there have been repeated visits to the honey pot sites and the areas of recording are biased to where the main recorders go. An organised five year survey of Worcestershire will contribute to the production of a high quality national atlas and also provide a good baseline of information that can be used for the future benefit of dragonfly conservation.
Can you help with recording the dragonflies and damselflies in your local area or further afield?
Taking part
Below are some suggestions for taking part in this project.
Spread the word and let as many people know about the project as possible, site wardens, other wildlife groups and field meetings organisers.
Look at the dragonfly coverage in the attached map of Worcestershire and notice the gaps in coverage and the lack of recent records in most areas. Although of historic interest any record over ten years old may be of limited use in the current conservation of a site.
You can fill these gaps either by making a point of visiting the areas with gaps or by volunteering to cover certain OS squares.
Offer to help by taking on a 10×10 km square or tetrad or make a promise to visit areas not previously visited.
Send records to Mike Averill (miketaverill@aol.com) in any form that is convenient. This can be as simple as an email record for a site which must have as a minimum the date, location, grid reference, species and breeding stage if possible and of course the recorders name. If you feel keen send for a spreadsheet from the above e-mail address which will provide a ready to fill in form for all your records.
Any records you gather are important, even the common species so please make a note of anything you see.
Recording evidence of breeding greatly adds to the usefulness of the record (insert photos) please try to capture some other stage of a breeding cycle as well as just Adult such as: copulation; oviposition; egg-laying; larva; exuviae or pre flight emergent. These will be explained in the notes accompanying the spreadsheet.
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| Migrant Hawkers – copulation | Brown Hawker – oviposition |
In future issues of Worcestershire Record there will be maps showing individual species coverage showing the records as they come in.
Recording starts soon at a pond or river near you, around the second week in April when the first dragonflies will be appearing.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p.19
THE KIDDERMINSTER SANDLANDS FUNGUS FLORA
John Bingham
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The Sandy Stilt Puffball Battarrea phalloides |
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The False Morel or Brain Fungus Gyromitra esculenta |
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The Chestnut Bolete Gyroporus castanea |
The sandstone geology around Kidderminster is noted for its special habitats and species, especially the acid grasslands and heathlands and associated plants such as tower mustard Arabis glabra and hymenoptera like Dascypoda hirtipes and Andrena nigrospina (Worcestershire Record 23, p31)
Recently some unusual and rather special fungi have been recorded on the ‘Kidderminster Sandlands’. The first was the sandy Stilt Puffball Battarrea phalloides, a Schedule 8 and national BAP species. This was a new county record for Worcestershire found by Cherry Greenway on 24th September 2006. The fungus is only known from four sites in Britain and only appears regularly in one hedge-bank in Suffolk. This is an amazing find, although there are other recent records from near Bridgnorth, Shropshire and in Gloucestershire, but the main area of distribution is east England. The fungus was growing amongst twiggy debris on bare sandy soil under a rather neglected and unremarkable hedge near Blackstone Rock, Bewdley. Often fungi appear only once in many years, so it was pleasing to see it reappear on 16th October 2008 when another specimen fruited, as shown in the image. Being so special this needs to be a protected site and perhaps a Local Biodiversity Action Plan drafted to enable its future protection.
The second unusual fungus the False Morel or Brain Fungus Gyromitra esculenta this was noted by Jane and Dave Scott growing on a sandstone bank in their garden at Astley Burf near Stourport. Jane mentioned this find to me at the Worcestershire Recorders meeting on 15th March 2008. I was invited to go and photograph the fungus on the 20th March, but since then another specimen has appeared. Jane and Dave have lived at Astley for about ten years so the fungus would probably not have gone unnoticed before, so this may be a once in 10-year fruiting. This is another new county record and there appears to be few other records for the Midlands. The species is typically found in Scotland growing near pines, but there are a few sites around the Hampshire – Surrey borders. Recently I have heard reports from Cherry Greenway of its appearance in the Forest of Dean! Note Gyromitra esculenta is a deadly poisonous species.
Other species that are generally restricted on the sandy soils include Tiger’s Eye Coltricia perennis, a common species on the Kidderminster heathlands growing on soil especially amongst moss.
The rare bolete Gyporus cyanescens was reported by John Meiklejohn from Devil’s Spittleful (Worcestershire Record No.11) on a WBRC recording day on 1st September 2001, a species of acid soil on heathland, especially with birch
The Chestnut Bolete, Gyroporus castanea associated with sweet chestnut (these trees are often planted on sandy soils) and oak. I recorded and photographed this on 24th July 2007, previously noted at two sites by Carleton Rea in the 1909 Botany of Worcestershire, this species has apparently not be recorded since then. The fungus is infrequently found in just a few sandy woodlands around Kidderminster.
This is just a selection of species; there must be many other Kidderminster Sandlands fungi to find.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 30
KEMERTON CUTTINGS – OCTOBER 2007 – MARCH 2008
John Clarke
Kemerton Lake
Water levels remained high throughout this period and in late March work was carried out to improve the sealing of one of the pools to the west of the footpath. The permissive path to the East Hide is now open until October (no dogs allowed). Work is progressing towards the opening of a second path (for ‘Friends of Kemerton’) to the west and this small, circular route will pass through part of the Kemerton Arboretum, passing other parts of the ongoing Leaf Litter trials.
1st October – a male Pintail, 92 Greylag Goose, 274 Canada Geese, 215 Lapwing, 14 Shoveler.
11th October – 11 Skylark, 4 Stonechat, Water Rail, Raven, 330 Canada Geese, 192 Greylag Geese (apparently the highest ever count in Worcestershire), 14 Little Grebe. The record number of Greylag Geese was beaten again on 14th October with 195. Also a Little Egret and two Swallows.
24th October – 269 Canada Geese, 189 Greylag Geese, 12 Shoveler, two Water Rail, 18 Snipe, Little Owl.
31st October – 61 Lapwing, Stonechat, 21 Teal, Kingfisher and 14 Shoveler.
3rd November 2 Grey Wagtail
8th November – c500 Canada Goose, c50 Greylag Geese, 120 Mallard, six Meadow Pipit and a Woodcock.
14th November – Starling roost estimated at 1400 birds while 84 Reed Bunting came into roost near the observer. 10 Siskin in a nearby plantation. On the lake there was a Goldeneye, 42 Wigeon, 145 Mallard, 13 Shoveller and a Ruddy Duck with two Water Rail calling.
This winter was good for Woodcock records with birds reported from more than 15 sites across the estate.
4th December – 60 Wigeon, 110 Greylag, nine Snipe, four Jack Snipe, a Goosander and 24 Siskin.
By 10th December Siskin numbers had increased to 50 in the woodland with 13 Snipe, 5 Jack Snipe and Water Rail on the reserve.
13th December 39 Teal, 125 Wigeon, 11 Mute Swan. 12 swans on 12th and 25 Pochard. There were several sightings of Goldcrest and Treecreeper in nearby woodland.
There were 21 Snipe there on 18th.
21st December – 126 Coot, 50 Teal, 22 Shoveler, 48 Mallard, 15 Wigeon and 7 Little Grebe.
2nd January a male Smew and a male Red-crested Pochard were present. 80 Wigeon on 5th.
A total of 11 Cormorants were there on 9th January – also 85 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall, 36 Mallard, 23 Pochard, 39 Tufted Duck, 42 Snipe and 15 Jack Snipe.
On 8th February – 79 Tufted Duck, 21 Pochard, 46 Wigeon, 33 Teal, 5 Shoveler, 5 Gadwall and 80 Coot. Also there a pair of Red-crested Pochard, 40 Snipe and 3 Jack Snipe.
13th February 8 Shoveler.
17th February two Oystercatchers
19th February a Peregrine hunting.
21st February – 60 Wigeon.
26th February 39 Pochard
15th March 6 Sand Martin and 3 Curlew
A Siskin was seen in the nearby woods 30th March
Elsewhere around Kemerton
A few sightings of Stonechat throughout the winter. A flock of Lapwing – variously reported as 150-200 birds was reported occasionally in the Carrant Catchment area.
Possibly two reports of Short-eared Owl in the Bredon Hill area.
Regular sightings of Barn Owl across the estate with two found dead during the winter.
28 Brambling feeding under beech on Bredon Hill 26th November.
During January, February and March mixed flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing were feeding in an orchard and parkland at Kemerton – eg c.400 Fieldfare and c.200 Redwing 6th January, c.500 Redwing and c.200 Fieldfare on 23rd February.
A Goldfinch roost at Aston Under Hill, first reported last winter had increased to c100 birds.
A Lesser-spotted Woodpecker was feeding on peanuts in a Kemerton garden on 23rd January
Several groups of around 7-8 Bullfinch were recorded – usually in association with areas containing Blackthorn scrub.
A pair of Blackbirds began nest-building on 27th February – the nest was complete but empty on 19th March, female sitting on 26th.
First calling Chiffchaff reported on 6th March. Pair Brambling in woodland at Kemerton 12 March.
A Red Kite was seen in the Beckford area 18th March.
First Bumblebees reported 12 January – Bumblebees and Honey Bees active 20th January.
Grey Herons are scarce in our area and it was sad and somewhat macabre to see (26th March) a dead bird that was suspended by one foot trapped in the cleft of a branch high up in a poplar tree, close to a nest previously used by Buzzard.
Kemerton Conservation Trust is particularly grateful for the records provided by contributors to the recording scheme.
BECKFORD NATURE RESERVE
News of a new local nature reserve – Beckford Nature Reserve (formerly owned by Huntsmans Quarries Ltd and unofficially managed by local people) is now owned by a local community trust.
They have started a wildlife recording system and will be grateful for any records, which can be left in the hide, at the local stores and post office or on their website www.beckford-village.org . This small reserve has pools, scrub, trees, grassy areas, a geological SSSI and is an important site for solitary bees.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 22
LOOK AT THE NIPPERS ON THAT!!
Gary Farmer
Or to put it a little more scientifically, a macrolabic form of Forficula auricularia (Dermaptera) found in Proctors Barn Meadows, Redditch 8th July 2007.
The Common Earwig Forficula auricularia is a common insect and instantly recognisable by its curved nippers or pincers located at its rear end. These appendages are modified cerci and are more often referred to as forceps. They are used by the earwigs for defense, seizing pray and for delicate operations such as ‘unzipping’ the elytra to allow the wings to be unfolded for flight. The male’s forceps vary in size from one individual to another and occasionally they grow out of proportion. Burr (1939, as referenced in Marshall and Haes, 1990) suggests that the increased size is more to do with nutrition and environmental conditions than with there being a true ‘form’.
The macrolabic individual pictured here is the only one I have ever seen. It was hidden in a flower head of Meadowsweet but its forceps were clearly visible protruding from the flowers (an odd sight indeed).
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 7-9
A SURVEY OF POLLARD TREES IN WICHENFORD PARISH
Jane Field
The Pollard Tree Survey of Wichenford Parish is at last complete and, as I have since learnt that it was the first of its kind, I thought it might be good to put a few findings on paper in the hope of encouraging others to make a similar survey of their parish. It would be particularly exciting if surveys were done in parishes neighbouring Wichenford viz., Little Witley, Holt, Grimley, Hallow, St John in Bedwardine, Broadwas, Cotheridge and Martley, as every lane leading out of our parish has its pollards: these are mostly of oak, but some ash as well. If we could put together a large area study we might learn much more about these amazing veteran trees and their place in history.
Wichenford parish is in the western Vale of the Severn and to the east of the River Teme and it’s an oddly shaped parish covering approximately 5.0 sq. miles (c.3,200 acres). In spite of its relatively small size however, it’s only fair to say that the pollard survey did take about three years to complete. The main reason for this is that the trees had to be found and, as Wichenford is a place of hills, hollows, hedges, woods, streams, ponds and meandering lanes, to do this it was necessary to cover all of the parish …. methodically ….. on foot …. twice. It’s no good assuming where pollards might be, or climbing one and looking through binoculars, they can be prostrate in ponds, deep in ivy cover or camouflaged in briars. It was necessary to visit every pond, walk every hedge and investigate every wood. Pollards are not usually found within woods, but assumptions are dangerous: the wood might be later than the tree.
The discovery of trees and plotting their position on a map had to be done in the winter/early spring months as it can be impossible to see them when the countryside is in abundant leaf, with prolific undergrowth. I found that wet and/or windy days were totally impractical, much of the winter in fact, and my own free days were few: the time available for surveying was surprisingly limited. Two of us from the Wichenford Local Heritage Group tried to synchronise busy lives, but failed so I did the study alone.
I found it most expedient to take an A4 photocopied map on my excursions (1:50,000 scale), to act as a rough copy. Before setting out landmarks were copied on to this map if not already there: the position of for example, the church, a farm, overhead power lines, streams or ponds, in relation to footpaths, were invaluable in the field. Another map, the master copy, always stayed at home so if disaster should befall only one day’s information was lost. The day’s discoveries were always transcribed to the master map as soon as possible on return. It proved useful to colour the area of each day’s search so that the same ground was not walked twice: memory can blur from one winter to the next. Never throw your field maps away, however scruffy, and always date every scrap of paper you use. I guarantee that, however thorough you are, you will need to refer back to them.
I would never have believed that in a relatively small parish like Wichenford I could have got lost, but I did, a number of times, usually when the route of footpaths was unclear or blocked, or hedges had been removed: it was then that landmarks were essential.
A variety of waterproof coloured pens are useful if you plan to record more than one species of tree. I started out to do a survey of oak pollards, but ash, lime and alder soon got included; not willow because there are hundreds of them and they need a study of their own. A brightly coloured pencil with a rubber on the end was useful. Wichenford is littered with lost autumn-leaf coloured pencils; I am a slow learner! A compass might be useful with no guiding sun and a pair of binoculars proved their worth for finding landmarks.
It’s probably fair to say that this first foray took longer than the second, measuring and recording stage because some days I would walk miles and only find one pollard. However, although it may appear to take more time, I would highly recommend doing a survey in two stages for the following reasons. With your distribution map it is possible to plan which groups of trees can be recorded on the same visit, devise the most efficient route to take in the greatest number, and be specific about your plans when asking permission from landowners – thanks to all of them: they were really helpful. It is also possible to assess (usually very unreliably) just how long you will be away from home. The second visit also involved carrying more equipment, so it’s good to know how far and where to. When all (?) the trees are plotted on a map it is possible assign a number to each, which is essential for identification on the second visit. This sounds efficient but proved to be fraught with complications when additional trees were found!
A second visit gives another chance to find those pollards you have missed first time round, and double-check for correct positioning. I was amazed how many I missed. Maybe this is where two pairs of eyes would be better than one; it’s according to how you work best. Counting pollards, although exciting, is not easy: sometimes a long chat with the tree is necessary to decide whether it really is a pollard. You will become painfully impaled on lethal thorns, trapped in ‘Gordian knots’ of undergrowth, lose footing to roll down banks or fall into ditches, tumble from slippery stiles and get bogged down in mud, so dress accordingly! Do be cautious though, …… one slip, miles from anywhere, ……… a mobile phone might be useful.
On the second visit I took the same A4 map as on the first, to double-check positions of trees and recap on notes. Other equipment included a camera; a hand-held Global Positioning System (more on this below) with spare batteries, a fabric tape for measuring the girth of trees and a metal extendable tape for measuring bole height. The overall height of the tree was estimated from a distance, sighting with a pencil the multiples of bole height in the height of the tree. To avoid taking lots of pieces of paper with me I summarised the pro-forma on which each tree is recorded, putting main headings, for example ‘girth’, ‘bole height’, ‘state of trunk’, ‘twig growth’, ‘number of branches’, ‘habitat’, etc., at the top of the sheet and the tree identification number down the side, leaving a small space for notes on each tree. In this way the vital statistics of about thirty trees could be recorded using both sides of a single sheet, and transcribed at home. Again, date and carefully preserve all rough notes.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) was, I thought, an accurate and fool-proof device which was universally accepted, and my ten figure reference for each tree looked really impressive: ample reward for just pressing a button. Not so …… beware! I stood conscientiously in the freezing cold waiting for the thing to find its satellites and settle on its final figures, only to discover that when these were entered into a computer programme later (by someone skilled at same) trees that should be in hedges sometimes appeared in the middle of fields. It seemed that the GPS could get confused by tree cover, and maybe other things as well! Hours were spent later, with the aid of my rough field maps, and some checking on foot, plotting the trees’ precise positions onto aerial photographs. Never place implicit faith in technology!
Other tips worth passing on are to complete tree record forms with a ball point, rather than a felt, pen if using both sides of 80 gm. (saving trees) paper, so that these can be scanned for computer records; don’t cross reference information between record forms as each needs to stand on its own in the data bank; if there is more than one photograph per tree each should be given its own ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, etc. reference number, together with the tree number, for specific photograph identification. When taking photographs try to avoid too much contrast (eg. bright sky, dark hedge): this uses up more computer file space. Avoid using colour coding on record sheets: colour scanning fills computer files more rapidly. Had I been really clever I would have created my data bank as I went along!
A parish pollard survey is a challenge, but well worth it. Wichenford parish yielded 229 oak pollards, 55 ash, 16 lime and 1 alder, bounteous history lessons and (sometime soon) a book: reward indeed!
WICHENFORD POLLARDS
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The pictures show oaks 162 and 196, 56, 83, 22, & 107, with ash 32 and lime 13. © Jane Field |
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Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 10
THE INVASION OF WORCESTERSHIRE BY ROESEL’S BUSH-CRICKETS METRIOPTERA ROESELII AND LONG-WINGED CONEHEADS CONOCEPHALUS DISCOLOR IN 2007
Harry Green
In the November 2007 issue of Worcestershire Record I described the extraordinary invasion of Worcestershire by these two Orthopterans. Since then all the records have been gathered together at the Worcestershire Biological Records Centre and the two maps shown below have been prepared.
Maps produced by John Partridge using DMap, records to March 2008.
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The maps appear to show a SE distribution in the County and this was probably where most crickets were living. There were fewer searches towards the west and north-west but, for instance, there were probably none in and around Wyre Forest where a great deal of field work was undertaken in 2007. It will be very interesting to see if the progeny of 2007 have spread further west and I do encourage everyone to watch and listen for them, bearing in mind that most people over 20 years of age will be unable to hear them so the use of a bat or grasshopper detector will be a help. Please send records!
Reference:
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GREEN H 2007 A great cricketing summer. Worcestershire Record 23:38-41 |
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 13-14
TOADS CROSSING ROADS
Harry Green
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| Marybrook Farm Toad fence © Harry Green |
Saving toads from being squashed by traffic on roads has become something of a national pastime. Roaming bands of toad catchers have even featured on television and are frequently pictured in wildlife magazines and web sites, and even in national newspapers and on local radio. The problem is of course that toads return to their natal breeding ponds early in Spring often trekking for miles across country to reach them. These journeys may take them across roads. They move at night in response to mild wet weather and in ideal conditions at peak times otherwise straggling movements can become mass migrations. Large numbers may be killed by traffic in a single night. The usual technique to reduce the carnage is for people to wearing yellow reflective clothes to brave the traffic and dash about picking up toads as they leave the verges and venture under the thundering wheels. There have, I understand, even been instances when minor roads have been closed during toad migration periods. Routes to and from natal ponds are often used every year so many toad crossing places become well-known and can be marked with toad crossing warning signs encouraging drivers to slow down and dodge the toads, though the prospect of cars weaving amongst the toads is somewhat alarming.
This year in Worcestershire a new method has been used at two sites. Jurjen Annen, Wetland Officer at the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, comes from the Netherlands and he has led the way and shown a method used in his home country. Early in Spring a fine-meshed wire netting fence (approximately one metre high with 1-1.5 cm holes) is erected at the roadside (obviously the side where the toads start to cross the road) and held in place by bamboo canes or similar. The base of the fence is bent in an L-shape (base pointing towards the toad approach route) and covered with soil. Every 10 metres of so along the fence a rectangular plastic container (36x26x24 (deep) cm) is placed in a hole dug in the ground (obviously on the side away from the road) with the rim flush with the soil surface. The fence is as long as the known width of the toad-crossing – perhaps 100 metres. Readers will now have worked out what happens! Toads come purposefully towards the road, turn aside when they reach the fence and move along in until – plop – they drop into the plastic container! There they stay until the person operating the system arrives at dawn to collect them in a bucket, carry them across the road and let them go to continue their journey. The method is more effective at catching toads than dashing about in the traffic with a bucket, and safer for both people and toads.
This system was tried on the Pershore to Little Comberton road near Marybrook Farm and near the Ravenshill Reserve at Alfrick, and proved to be highly effective. The numbers caught each day are shown in the tables. In summary a total of 955 toads were carried across the roads. Quite often pairs were in amplexus with small males clutching to the backs of the large females carrying them across the countryside. Once eggs are laid and the males have discharged sperm they break from amplexus.
There is a catch. We have discovered than once the egg laying is done the toads are on the move again. They spend very little time in the pond and soon trek out into the countryside. Some at least seem to follow the same route back to summer and hibernating quarters as they used on the inward journey. This of course leads them back to crossing places on roads. Once this movement starts the catching fence must be removed of course otherwise the toads find their way forward blocked and wander along on the traffic side of the fence. Also of course they have crossed the road and may get squashed on the way. At Ravenshill 63 were found dead on the road on the night they started the return journey.
This introduces an interesting project – as soon as movement to the pond ceases the fence can be transferred to the other side of the road to catch toads on the return journey. This will of course save toads from being squashed by traffic. Additionally making studies of this type and counting all the toads caught will give interesting information on the numbers of toads using a road crossing.
In the future the hope is that people living near to toad crossings can be encouraged to run a fencing system so saving the lives of many toads.
Comments on tables:
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At both sites toad movements had started before the fences were erected. |
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Interestingly peak movement between 14th-16th March occurred at both sites. Similarly toads were on return journeys at both sites by 1st April. |
Near Marybrook Farm |
Ravenshill Wood |
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| SO956441 | SO741539 | |||||||
| Date | Time | Male | Female | Total | Comments | DATE | TOADS MOVED | |
| 24/02/2008 | 8.3 | 16 | 16 | 23/02/2008 | fence erected | |||
| 24/02/2008 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 24/02/2008 | frost | |||
| 25/02/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 25/02/2008 | 21 | |||
| 26/02/2008 | 8.3 | 58 | 58 | 2 newts, 1 frog | 26/02/2008 | 3 | ||
| 01/03/2008 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 29/02/2008 | 21 | ||
| 02/03/2008 | 8.3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 01/03/2008 | 12 | ||
| 03/03/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 07/03/2008 | 12 | |||
| 03/03/2008 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 09/03/2008 | 12 | |||
| 09/03/2008 | 8 | 31 | 3 | 34 | 10/03/2008 | 12 | ||
| 10/03/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12/03/2008 | 5 | |||
| 13/03/2008 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 14/03/2008 | 90 | |||
| 14/03/2008 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 15/03/2008 | 186 | ||
| 15/03/2008 | 8 | 50 | 7 | 57 | 16/03/2008 | 3 | ||
| 16/03/2008 | 8 | 76 | 39 | 115 | 20/03/2008 | 111 | ||
| 17/03/2008 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 25/03/2008 | 11 | ||
| 18/03/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 27/03/2008 | 23 | |||
| 20/03/2008 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 28/03/2008 | 10 | ||
| 21/03/2008 | 8 | 0 | 29/03/2008 | 61 | ||||
| 22/03/2008 | 8 | 0 | ||||||
| 23/03/2008 | 8 | 0 | TOTAL | 593 | ||||
| 24/03/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 25/03/2008 | 8 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 26/03/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 27/03/2008 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 28/03/2008 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| 29/03/2008 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 11 | ||||
| 31/03/2008 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| 01/04/2008 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | Signs of toads returning across road, crossing removed | |||
| TOTAL | 284 | 58 | 362 | |||||
| Sex of toads may be inaccurate as it was only recorded when females were either paired with males (in amplexus)or obviously female due to large size. Small or young females may have been identified as males.
Dates relate to the morning of collection. |
Morning of 30th we counted 63 toads dead in the road. A lot of these were in front of the fence, indicating they were on the way back to the wood. | |||||||
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 36
FLOODS 2007
There are two interesting illustrated accounts of the Great Flood in Wyre Forest on 19th June 2007 published in the Wyre Forest Study Group Review 2007. Of the two summer floods the June event was the greater in Wyre. The water was 50 mms lower at Knowles Mill at the peak of the July flood!
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AVERILL MA. 2007. The Great Flood of 2007. Wyre Forest Study Group Review 2007. volume 8:10-12 |
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SHELDON S & BRADLEY C. 2007. Floods in the Dowles Valley. A personal account of floods in June and July 2007. Wyre Forest Study Group Review 2007. volume 8:13. |
For information on Wyre Forest Study Group and the Review contact Rosemary Winnall at secretary@wyreforest.net.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 11
SEASIDE IN LITTLE COMBERTON OR ERODIUM MARITIMUM ON A VILLAGE DRIVEWAY.
Harry Green (writer) Brett Westwood (who saw it first), Bert Reid (who confirmed the sighting)
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| Erodium maritimum, Little Comberton, 2.5 cm across |
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| Erodium maritimum, Little Comberton, 4.5 cm across Pictures © Harry Green |
I was standing on weedy gravel patch where we park our cars at home in Little Comberton on 15th May 2008 and chatting to Brett. when he suddenly became very excited about small flat plants at our feet! His diagnosis was of Sea Stork’s-bill Erodium maritimum which has not been seen in Worcestershire VC37 for over 50 years. In the past it was a species of the sandy heaths and fields around Kidderminster. These old populations are, as far as we know, now extinct, despite considerable searches for the plant by the Worcestershire Flora Project. The latter explains Brett’s enthusiasm and instant diagnosis as he had searched for the plant on many occasions in recent years in its old haunts. Nowadays the distribution of the plant is almost entirely coastal with a few inland sites where it has accidentally been introduced.
So how did it arrive on my drive in Little Comberton? We shall never know for sure but it is growing near the spot where a car is parked that has often been to the Pembrokeshire coast in recent years. The seed may have been carried on or in the car and fallen on the parking place and germinated. The drive consists of hard packed gravel etc and is weedy in many places. Brett also found Cerastium diffusum, another plant of dry open sandy places, common around the coast but scarce inland. Although occurring in parts of north Worcestershire it is scarce in the south and this is the first record for SO94.
Bert Reid confirmed the identity of both these plants.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 12
TORTULA AMPLEXA, AN “ALIEN” BRYOPHYTE IN VC 37 (WORCESTERSHIRE)
Dr Ann Hill
Tortula amplexa (Clay screw-moss) (Lesquereux) R.H. Zander, Syntrichia amplexa (Lesquereux) R.H. Zander, Barbula amplexa (Lesquereux)
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| Habitat of Tortula amplexa on banks of River Stour at Wilden Marsh Reserve in Worcestershire. |
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| Tortula amplexa growing on bank of River Stour at Wilden marsh Reserve in Worcestershire. |
The Worcestershire Bryophyte Group visited Wilden Marsh, a Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Reserve on 11 November 2007. During the day, Mark Lawley discovered the tiny acrocarp moss Tortula amplexagrowing on the banks of the River Stour. This is a very exciting find for Worcestershire with only a few sites of the species known in the UK.
T. amplexa was originally discovered in the UK on recently disturbed clay at Moira quarry, Leicestershire and was seen there on at least five occasions between 1973 and 1988 (Porley and Hodgetts 1995). Subsequent visits to the same site in 1993 failed to find the moss: there had been substantial disturbance to the site. However, in 1994 a few small patches and a number of isolated shoots were re-discovered. In December 2006, whilst undertaking a bryophyte survey of a sand and gravel pit in Shropshire, Mark Lawley collected a puzzling acrocarp that was later determined as T. amplexa(Bosanquet, Godfrey, Lawley and Motley 2007). Prior to the 1973 discovery, the moss was only known from North America (Side and Whitehouse 1974). It was fortunate that Mark Lawley (who is one of very few British ,or European, bryologists to be familiar with the species in the field) was with us that day and found T. amplexa. However, the sample collected was too juvenile to have produced any tubers to allow positive determination. Therefore, in December 2007 a few of the group re-visited Wilden Marsh to obtain a better specimen of T. amplexa for determination. A fresh sample was discovered which was subsequently found to be identical to that which was found in Shropshire in 2006.
T. amplexa forms dense green tufts, reddish brown below, and up to 6 mm high. It has large leaf cells, recurved margins below and a nerve ending just below a rounded leaf apex (Smith 2004). The plant has abundant pale brown rhizoidal gemmae present. The main substrate for the species is soil (disturbed clay) and the normal habitat is extractive industry sites (Hill, Preston, Bosanquet and Roy 2007). However, with so little known on the species it may be that riverbanks are also a favourite habitat. The species is considered intolerant of even mild competition from other plants, so that it will apparently only grow in very disturbed habitats, such as riverbanks. The species is thought to spread by rhizoidal propagula through inadvertent human agency (Side and Whitehouse 1974). For more detail on the species please refer to the on-line British Bryological Society field-guide at http://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/ where there is an account of the species with excellent photographs.
The banks of the River Stour do fit well with T. amplexa having made its way out of disturbed clay pits and into the wider countryside. Has it spread down the River Stour as a result of the 2007 floods? The long term future for T. amplexa at Wilden Marsh is uncertain and it is doubtful whether there are any management options. As an introduction, perhaps the species is a curiosity that does not merit commitment of a large amount of resources and conservation? Is it an alien? The status and distribution of T. amplexa in Worcestershire (and in the UK) needs future research and survey and it would make an interesting bryological project to search for it up and downstream along the River Stour, and along other Midland rivers too, in order to assess how well distributed the species currently is.
References:
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BOSANQUET, D.S., GODFREY, M.F., LAWLEY, M. AND MOTLEY, G.S. (2007). Tortula amplexa in a sand-and-gravel pit in Shropshire. Field Bryology, 91, 8-10. |
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HILL, M.O., PRESTON, C.D., BOSANQUET, D.S. AND ROY, D.B. (2007). BRYOATT: Attributes of British and Irish Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts. NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Countryside council for Wales, Huntingdon, UK. |
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SIDE, A.G. AND WHITEHOUSE, H.L.K. (1974). Tortula amplexa (Lesq.) Steere in Britain. Journal of Bryology, 8, 15-18. |
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SMITH, A.J.E. (2004). The Moss Flora of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. |
Electronic references
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http://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/ |
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http://www.efloras.org/florataxon |
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 5-6
THE WORCESTERSHIRE ANCIENT TREE PROJECT
Becky Lashley. Ancient Tree Project Officer, 01905 759759, becky@wbrc.org.uk
Ancient tree records are now coming in thick and fast from people all over the county who are taking part in the project. The number of trees entered onto the Register has now reached 1474 and I have records waiting to be put on that I am sure will tip us over the 1500 mark. This is a fantastic achievement by all the volunteers taking part in the project, and a great total with which to celebrate the projects first birthday in July. We set ourselves a target of having surveyed and recorded 2000 trees by the time the Lottery money runs out in April 2009 and we are well on the way to doing that! A list of the current top 20 trees (by size of girth) with photographs of the biggest three is shown below.
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Tree |
Parish |
Species |
Girth (m) |
Tree form |
Hollow |
| 203A | ASTLEY AND DUNLEY | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
12.75 |
NATURAL POLLARD | HOLLOW |
| 92A | HANBURY | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
10.9 |
LAPSED POLLARD | HOLLOW |
| 208A | FINSTALL | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
10.4 |
LAPSED POLLARD | HOLLOW TRUNK |
| 31A | BEWDLEY | SWEET CHESTNUT |
9.6 |
MAIDEN | SOLID |
| 66A | CROOME D’ABITOT | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
9 |
LAPSED POLLARD | HOLLOW |
| 53A | ELMLEY CASTLE | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
8.8 |
MAIDEN | SOLID |
| 70A | HARTLEBURY | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
8.8 |
MAIDEN | SOLID |
| 215A | ALFRICK | COMMON LIME |
8.6 |
LAPSED POLLARD | SOLID |
| 244G | LITTLE MALVERN | COMMON ALDER |
8.6 |
COPPICED | HOLLOW TRUNK |
| 312A | ALVECHURCH | SESSILE OAK |
8.4 |
COPPARD | SOLID |
| 132C | ARROW WITH WEETHLEY | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
8.25 |
LAPSED POLLARD | SOLID |
| 243B | LITTLE MALVERN | SESSILE OAK |
8.12 |
MAIDEN | HOLLOW TRUNK |
| 120A | EARL’S CROOME | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
8 |
LAPSED POLLARD | HOLLOW |
| 107A | LITTLE MALVERN | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
7.95 |
LAPSED POLLARD | |
| 8F | BERROW | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
7.8 |
LAPSED POLLARD | HOLLOW |
| 16AE | BUSHLEY | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
7.8 |
LAPSED POLLARD | HOLLOW |
| 48B | CUTNALL GREEN | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
7.8 |
LAPSED POLLARD | |
| 83J | KIDDERMINSTER FOREIGN | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
7.8 |
MAIDEN | |
| 141E | BUSHLEY | COMMON LIME |
7.8 |
COPPICED | PARTIALLY SOLID |
| 53E | ELMLEY CASTLE | PEDUNCULATE OAK |
7.7 |
MAIDEN | HOLLOW |
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| Great Witley oak – 12.75 metres girth |
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| Temple Oak, Broughton Green – 10.9 metres girth |
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| Finstall oak – 10.4 metres girth |
There is now a page on the WBRC website (www.wbrc.org.uk) dedicated to the ancient tree project and a spreadsheet of records is updated every month or so, with records sorted according to the parish within which they fall making it easy for tree recorders and other interested parties to see what has been recorded in their local area. This spreadsheet is now accompanied by interactive mapping, making good use of the free software available from Google Maps, that allows you to zoom in and out and move around the county to see where the trees are positioned – John Partridge has put a lot of work into this, see his article in this issue for more information. Can I stress that many of the trees so far recorded are on private land and have been surveyed with the permission of the landowner. Inclusion on the database does not imply right of access for a closer look.
Work has also been going on in the WBRC office to validate the records inherited by the project and those contributed by current volunteers. This involves checking the accuracy of grid references by finding the trees on the aerial photographs. This work is almost complete and so we can also now begin to revisit those few records where a tree cannot be seen on the photograph!
Next recording season we are very keen to target the area of countryside stretching between Worcester and Tenbury. If you live in or visit this area and would be willing to help search out the ancient trees hiding within the woods and valleys we would be pleased to hear from you.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 34-35
LEIGH & CRADLEY BROOK FLOOD JULY 20TH 2007
Garth Lowe
This event would appear to be one of the most severe since another documented flood in 1852. During the intervening years there have been other times when this brook badly overflowed its banks, such as the Easter flood of 1998, when a total of 81.8 mm (3.2 ins.) fell at Old Storridge, over the 8th and 9th April, but did not rise to quite the same peak as this event.
The spring had started with a glorious April with only half an inch of rain recorded, but from the second week in May something akin to monsoon conditions set in, and by the start of this event a total of 337 mm (13.25 ins.) had fallen since May 6th. This resulted in the land being completely saturated, so that all this extra heavy continuous rain went straight into the nearest streams. This extremely unusual wet spell left the countryside looking like it does in the depths of winter, with muddy conditions everywhere, and had the writer continuously wearing wellingtons, when out walking.
The fact that these three months totalled up an incredible 65% of the annual average rainfall, made it look as if the whole years rainfall would eventually be a record. This in fact did not happen, when rainfall fell back to less than normal from Aug. to Dec. and the year although a wet one at 957.5 mm, did not pass the record for Old Storridge of 978.6 mm in 2000. The 40 year average was 726.5 mm up to 2002, but with all the years included to 2007, this has changed to 731.9 mm from 1962-2007.
The Meteorological Office had for some days before July 19th, been forecasting falls of four or more inches of rain and they proved to be exactly right in their predictions. Following this major event, an enquiry to an ongoing local study into rainfall in the Malvern area run by a Mr Frank Hill, found that the upper Leigh Brook catchment had four recording sites. Each rain gauge had recorded over four inches as a total amount for the period, with one site having just less than five inches! All these sites were from Old Storridge to Colwall, and it was inevitable that these sorts of figures would cause untold damage all along the watercourse. One small relieving fact was that the brook reached its peak before darkness fell, and those having to escape inundation, were able to leave their homes in daylight.
The fact that this event was on a Friday, meant numerous people were at work and children were at school, leading to many having great difficulty returning home, and some even having to find alternative accommodation for the night. Severe road congestion took place where the brook flowed over the busy A4103 in Cradley, instead of under it, causing many motorists to be stranded for the night!
Vehicles were abandoned all over the area; some had to be left in the floodwater, when the engines died. At Stiffords Bridge, on the A4103, in Cradley one car floated up and was left suspended on a low wall. Much to everyone’s surprise this car started perfectly well after the flood and it was driven away! At Mousehole Bridge, on the Alfrick and Suckley Parish boundary, a similar thing happened when another abandoned 4×4 vehicle broke down and was later washed a hundred yards across a large field by the force of the rising waters.
In Old Storridge one kind family, when they were prevented from getting home, gave their house to the flood victims from a brookside cottage called Nightingale Bower. In 1998 at this same cottage, which is situated at the end of the Knapp and Papermill Reserve, the floodwater removed the domestic gas tank and swept it a half a mile, to eventually leave it upright on Pivany Bridge also in the reserve. It was then eventually replaced on a firmer concrete base but even this was not enough in the latest flood. It was eventually lifted including the base, and taken a shorter distance leaving it just below the old ford, but on its side this time. It was eventually removed, but the concrete base was left for future passers by to guess as to its origin, in this remote part of the valley.
This watercourse also passes through the older part of Cradley village, where it is actually called the Cradley Brook or an even older name was the River Rundle! Here it was the half timbered village shop and post office that suffered the worst with water entering the store, unheard of before in living memory. On the opposite side of the village near the end of Chapel Lane, other dwellings were badly damaged.
Numerous other buildings down the length of the brook were flooded out and also brought out the fact just how many public houses are close to the stream. These were the Cliffey Arms at Mathon, which was closed at the time, the Red Lion and the Prancing Pony at Stiffords Bridge. The Red Lion was hit very badly and was unable to be opened until after Christmas. Its nearby inn was luckier in only having eight or so inches with the cellar flooded, and was able to open much earlier. Another property opposite the Red Lion also suffered when a retaining wall collapsed affecting the structure of the building.
Although there are numerous road bridge crossings over this watercourse, only one suffered partial damage. This was an old stone bridge on a narrow lane near to Beanhouse Mill, where half the down stream parapet was flattened by the force of the water. All the other road bridges were overwhelmed but stood up to the onslaught, although none of them were passable at the height of the flood. One footbridge was lifted off its foundations and tipped into the streambed near Nightingale Bower, and another wooden footbridge was washed away at Linley Green, but this was on a swollen tributary of the Leigh Brook. A number of other footbridges down the length of this turbulent brook thankfully did survive, but had quantities of debris piled up on them.
In the Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve in Alfrick, just a few short hours of the actual flood was enough to change many parts of the brook. In some places the bank was washed away, and in others such as just below the weir, stones were scoured from the bed by the turbulence over the weir and left as a new feature, some two to three feet higher than before. Gates along the main pathway adjacent to the stream were completely removed taking the gateposts with them, some to be left high and dry elsewhere and recovered afterwards. Pivany Bridge itself was badly damaged this time, when the force of the water peeled off the upstream parapet stones and then in places took the two arches down to the single original brick archway. A huge tree trunk had to be removed from the bridge before an inspection could take place. It was passable after the flood but pedestrians had to keep to the centre of the bridge.
Historically the watermills always got hit in floods and this time was no exception. Beanhouse Mill in Cradley suffered badly, and being rather set apart, the occupants had to struggle vainly with the rising waters. Tundridge Mill site in Suckley faired much better following the construction of a flood defence following the 1998 flood. In the 1852 flood here, a report stated “chairs were left hanging on bacon hooks in the beams!”
Bridges Stone Mill near Alfrick Pound also suffered, with water getting in the Mill itself, now converted to a dwelling. The old Mill House nearby suffered badly and its elderly lady resident had to move to the converted Clover Mill nearby, also originally part of this mill complex. Parts of the adjoining stone garden walls of the garden were demolished above the bridge, and the excess floodwater that was unable to pass under the single archway of the road bridge, poured down the drive from the Mill. This had the resulting effect of lifting very large patches of complete tarmac, leaving them as a temporary hindrance in the highway. Both the brick gate posts were flattened and the post box containing some letters, which had been posted earlier, was left at a drunken angle. The letters were not recovered!
The Brook Cottage just a little further downstream also flooded, when the low wall built to keep the waters out after the 1998 flood, was flattened. This was later reconstructed to try and minimise the force of future floodwater against it. Continuing further, Hopton Court also had an ingress of water, but suffered no major damage.
Major flooding also occurred near Leigh Church, with five houses being damaged around the road bridge area. One garden had the greenhouse swept away, and it was reported that although some properties here were flooded in the 1998 event, one property had not as far as the residents knew, been inundated since the 1852 flood.
This local flood was of course only a small part of widespread devastation, with other parts of the county and its neighbours recording similar catastrophes. This was the writer’s worst flooding event here in over sixty five years of being in the parish and wonders if this was anything to do with climate change! The only hope is it will not be witnessed again in his lifetime.
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| Pivany Bridge Due for repair in Summer 2008, the bridge was badly damaged when the force of the water peeled off the upstream parapet stones and then in places took the tow arches down to the single original brick archway © Garth Lowe | Bridges Stone Mill The flood waters were too great to go under the road bridge, so came out from the entrance to the mill and lifted up sheets of tarmac © Garth Lowe |
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| Knapp footbridge It was just usable until taken away! © Garth Lowe |
Big Meadow on the Knapp & Papermill Reserve. This is where the floods swept the gates open wide © Garth Lowe |
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 21
A MASON WASP NEW TO WORCESTERSHIRE SYMMORPHUS CONNEXUS (CURTIS, 1826) (VESPIDAE: EUMENINAE)
Kevin McGee
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| Symmorphus cannexus (male) © Kevin McGe |
I netted this small ‘Mason Wasp’ while it was in-flight amongst low trackside vegetation in the middle of Tiddesley Wood on 4th July.2007. I keyed it out as Symmorphus connexus (male) but upon discovering the scarcity of this species I sought a second opinion from Geoff Trevis. He agreed with my determination but decided to send the specimen to Mike Edwards who has now confirmed that it is S. connexus.
The national status of this species is listed as very rare by M.E.Archer. There are recent records from Kent, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. Symmorphus species nest in existing cavities in a variety of situations ranging from dead plant stems to old walls. Prey items are placed in the modified cavity alongside which an egg is laid and the resulting larva then feeds on the prey and pupates in the nest chamber. The prey collected by S.connexus are the larvae of the micro moth Gracillaria stigmatella (Fabr.) and the chrysomelid beetle Zeugophora subspinosa (Fabr.). Both of the latter feed on Aspen foliage. Z.subspinosa is actually rather a localised leaf-beetle, I have just one record of an adult collected from Tiddesley on 12th June 2006 which was determined by P.F.Whitehead. Woods in the county with records of the hosts may contain as yet unknown populations of this rare wasp.
References:
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EDWARDS, R. 2000. Provisional Atlas of the aculeate Hymenoptera of Britain and Ireland. Part 1. BWARS |
Acknowledgements:
With thanks to Geoff Trevis and Paul Whitehead for their expertise.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 22
A MICRO MOTH NEW TO WORCESTERSHIRE PAMMENE TRAUNIANA (DENIS & SCHIFFERMULLER, 1775) (LEP: TORTRICIDAE)
Kevin McGee
I photographed a distinctive but rather worn little Tortrid moth which I disturbed along the edge of the main ride at Tiddesley Wood on 18th June 2007. Two days later on 20th June 2007 I photographed the same species on foliage of Field Maple Acer campestre L. alongside Mill Rough, Drakes Broughton. This specimen was also a little worn. I thought the species may be Pammene regiana, a common Tortrid associated with Acer species, but I couldn’t be sure due to the faded colouration, so I asked the opinion of Dr.A.N.B.Simpson. He has confirmed that my photographs are of Pammene trauniana, a Red Data Book species with a national status of pRDB3. The larval food plant is Field Maple. These are the first records for Worcestershire.
Pammene trauniana. (Photo’, K.McGee).
A Google search led to several recent reports and pictues of P. trauniana from Somerset, Suffolk and Hampshire, but of particular note is a report of two from an old Field Maple in Herefordshire by Michael Harper in 2003.
Acknowledgements
With thanks to Dr.A.N.B.Simpson for his expertise.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 21
A NOMAD BEE NEW TO WORCESTERSHIRE NOMADA FERRUGINATA (LINNAEUS, 1767) (APIDAE: ANTHOPHORINAE)
Kevin McGee
I collected this bee from low vegetation alongside Mill Rough, Drakes Broughton on 22the May.2006. The site is a field boundary footpath along the southern edge of a block of deciduous woodland dominated by mature Oaks and Ashes typical for this part of Worcestershire. During sunny spring weather this area is a rich site for many species of ‘nomad bees’, but something seemed sufficiently different about this one so I took the decision to capture it. Nomada species are brightly coloured bees sometimes mistaken for wasps that are cleptoparasites of mining bees, typically Andrena species. Most Nomada species are host-specific. The host species of N. ferruginata is Andrena praecox (Scopoli). I keyed my specimen out as N.ferruginata (male), but I asked a second opinion from G.Trevis when I became aware of the scarcity of this species. Geoff agrees with my determination. The national status is listed as rare by M.E.Archer.
A.praecox is a rather local mining bee but is widely distributed in areas containing sufficient Willows as females are very dependent on Willow catkins for pollen in March and April. In Warwickshire there are currently three known sites for N.ferruginata, all have healthy populations of the host which nests in small aggregations in dry soils. There is a wealth of information written by Steven Falk found by following the links on the Warwickshire wildlife trust website.
Nomada ferruginata (male). Picture K.McGee.
References:
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EDWARDS, R. & TELFER, M. 2002 Provisional Atlas of the aculeate Hymenoptera of Britain and Ireland. Part 4. BWARS |
Acknowledgements:
With thanks to Geoff Trevis for his expertise.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 11
ODONTAEUS ARMIGER (SCOPALI 1772) COLEOPTERA: GEOTRUPIDAE AT ASTLEY BURF
Dave & Jane Scott
We found an exciting little dung beetle in our garden Monday night (23rd July 2007) and would be grateful if you could let me know whether it has become more common in the last few years. Fortunately it is so distinctive there is no doubt about the identification and, even better, it’s the only member of the genus in Central and Northern Europe. Illustrative sketch from Dave’s notebook
Odonteus (= Odontaeus) armiger has a long horn on the head, movable at the base, which is very distinctive. Extracts from the entry on the RECORDER database as follows
Large black ‘dumbledore’ type beetle, confined to the south and east of England. Associated with underground fungi. Adults fly in daylight and at dusk. Very rare, categorised as NOTABLE A. Odonteus armiger (Scopoli, 1772). Formerly known as: Odontaeus armiger (Scopoli, 1772), Odontaeus mobilicornis(F., 1775).
Distribution: Recorded from North Somerset, South Wiltshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, South Hampshire, North Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, East Kent, West Kent, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Suffolk, East Norfolk, West Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, East Gloucestershire and West Gloucestershire before 1970 and South Hampshire, East Kent, West Kent, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, West Suffolk, West Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Radnorshire from 1970 onwards.
Habitat and ecology: Grassland and heathland on chalky or sandy soils. Subterranean, occasionally found in and around rabbit burrows. Possibly feeds on subterranean fungi. This species has been found under dry cow dung and sheep droppings. Adults fly in the evening in hot weather, in cooler weather they have been noted flying in the afternoon. Adults have been found from May to November, though most records are from June and July. A high proportion of records of this beetle are from light traps.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 36-41
NOTES ON BIRDS IN THE SEVERN AND AVON VALES (THE “SEVERN HAMS”), GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND SOUTH WORCESTERSHIRE, JULY – SEPTEMBER 2007
Mike Smart
General introduction
The main sites are (from the north):
Upton Ham (Worcs), the Upper Ham, a hay meadow south of the town, is an SSSI and is the best conserved of the riverside hams in botanical terms; south of the old railway embankment is the Lower Ham; across the river is Ryall Gravel Pit, still being exploited, and a magnet for many waterbirds, notably waders.
Longdon Marsh (Worcs), a nearly enclosed basin north of the M50 motorway, flowing via the Longdon Brook to the Severn above Tewkesbury.
Avon Meadows (on either side of the Avon north of Tewkesbury), along the border between Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and including: the restored gravel pits at Bredon’s Hardwick (Worcs); Upham Meadow (sometimes called the “Great Hay Meadow”) and Summer Leasow at Twyning (Glos); Rectory Farm Meadows, across the Avon from Upham Meadow (Worcs); Strensham Pits, sludge pools below the waterworks at Strensham (Worcs); further north along the Avon is Gwen Finch Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Reserve near Nafford (Worcs), an area of shallow lakes by the Avon. Just to the east is Kemerton Lake (Worcs), a restored gravel pit in the valley of the Carrant Brook, which flows through Cowfield Marsh into the Avon just above Tewkesbury.
The “Severn Hams” between Tewkesbury and Gloucester, in which the main wetland areas are: Ashleworth and Hasfield Hams; Coombe Hill Canal and Meadows (including Cobney Meadows at the western end); and the Leigh Meadows alongside the River Chelt and Leigh Brook above Wainlodes; Barrow Ponds are beside the Chelt, east of the A 38. Ashleworth Ham and Coombe Hill are Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserves, and are particularly well-watched. This area also includes: the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury; the Severn between Lower Lode and Haw Bridge; and the Severn from Wainlodes, past Ashleworth Quay and Sandhurst, to Gloucester. The River Leadon flows into the Severn just above Gloucester, but its valley, extending back past Newent, has been little prospected. Near Sandhurst and Maisemore there are a number of abandoned overgrown riverside brick-pits. Maisemore Ham is now largely converted to arable farming.
Sites on the edge of urban Gloucester, once flood meadow: Port Ham and Castlemeads on Alney Island, Sudmeadow, and the Gloucester Landfill Site (GLS). Port Ham has recently been restored and some shallow scrapes dug; at the southern end of Port Ham is Lower Parting where the two arms of the Severn meet again; Sudmeadow is immediately south of Lower Parting; GLS attracts large numbers of gulls, and has a pond attractive to passage and some resident waterbirds.
Minsterworth Ham, on the west bank of the Severn below Gloucester, poorly covered in this period.
Walmore Common, on the west bank of the Severn below Gloucester; also the little marsh at Rodley (Wilmore Common), west of Walmore, along the stream west of Boxbush Farm.
Elmore Back, on the east bank of the Severn below Gloucester, opposite Walmore, also poorly covered.
Most of these sites are marshes which flood when the level of the Severn is high (either because of water coming down from North Wales, or because of high tides downstream; or more often a combination of both), thus preventing local streams from reaching the Severn, so that they back flood. When there is a major Severn flood, with water coming over the flood-banks along the river, there may be extensive floods over the whole floodplain area. The major Severn tributary, the Avon, does not have flood-banks in many places and so floods easily above Tewkesbury. The River Chelt holds running water, and is small enough to have muddy edges and mud banks. Coombe Hill Canal is a long disused and overgrown canal, which runs through the centre of Coombe Hill Meadows. Bredon’s Hardwick gravel pits, Mythe Hook, Sandhurst and Maisemore brick pits, and Walham Pools are all artificial excavations in the floodplain or along the rivers. Barrow Ponds are created by the artificial damming of a small tributary of the Chelt.
Weather and flooding: general
The weather in July was exceptionally wet, parts of Gloucestershire receiving 320% of the July average rainfall for the last thirty years and creating two massive floods, one continuing from late June, the second from 20 July a one-in-200 year event, higher than the March 1947 flood, hitherto considered as the nec plus ultra of Severn floods. August was morose until the last ten days, when a period of dry, settled anticyclonic weather begun lasting nearly until the end of September, which was unusually dry and cool.
In the first half of July, the weather continued cloudy and damp, with frequent showers brought in by Atlantic depressions. The Azores anticyclone failed to extend to Britain and instead linked with the Mediterranean high; furthermore the July jetstream, instead of passing north of UK, passed well to the south. These two factors created a heatwave in the Mediterranean and a deluge in UK. On 20 July, warm air arriving from the southeast (essentially from the vast high over the Mediterranean) met a northwesterly front coming from the Atlantic, producing huge downpours with two or more times the average monthly rainfall for July falling in less than 24 hours; some of the highest figures recorded nationally were at Brize Norton on the Cotswolds (121 mm between midnight and 17.00hrs on 20 July, a sixth if its normal annual rainfall) and Pershore on the Avon received 124 mm in 24 hours. The weather continued unsettled with more rain, sometimes heavy, until the end of the month. The month of July was not the wettest July on record; averaged across England and Wales, the total monthly rainfall was 133m – 232% of the average, and there have been 16 wetter Julys in the last 240 years; but Pershore had a monthly total of 255 mm, five times the average. The period from May to July as a whole had the heaviest rainfall since records began in 1766, a total of 396.5mm.
In August the weather was cold, dominated for the first three weeks by fronts from the Atlantic, with more rain (fairly heavy on 18/19 August), and only occasional periods of sunny weather. From about 21 August until mid September, the Azores anticyclone extended across western Britain, bringing dry, fine, mainly sunny weather, though with cool north-westerly breezes and frequent high cloud. From mid September, some fronts began to move round the eastern side of anticyclone, bringing north westerly winds with light rain, the first for a month, on 16 and 17 September; in late September the anticyclone weakened gradually and drifted south fitfully, allowing some westerly Atlantic depressions to move in, a particularly strong one on with considerable rain on 23/24 September, but after that rainfall was light, with winds mainly going round the anticyclone and coming from the north.
The late June flooding (in itself the heaviest for 39 years) persisted into the first ten days of July, and was slow to recede because, while the Severn level dropped, the outlets from meadows to river are small and only allow a slow getaway of accumulated floodwater (Severn at Haw Bridge on 9.95 on 5 July, 9.50 on 7 July, 7.49 on 13 July). Practically no hay was cut after the silage cuts in late May and early June; much stagnating vegetable matter and dead invertebrates remained in the meadows, while water flowing from the Chelt and other outlets into the Severn was black from lack of oxygen.
On 20 July, torrential rain, falling on already very wet fields, provoked a second massive flood, this one higher than those of November 2000 and late June 2007, and higher even than the March 1947 flood. Water poured down from the Cotswolds on 20 July via the Chelt and minor streams like the Horsebere and Hatherley Brooks, causing immediate and extensive flooding on the west bank of the Severn and adding to the main rush of water coming down the Severn; the Severn was overtopping both banks at Haw Bridge (level read as 11.08 at midday on 21 July; it in fact went much higher but the bridge was inaccessible and the level could not be read); the highest reading from Hasfield in the next few days gave a level of 12.2 metres, and the maximum on the Severn at Lower Lode just below Tewkesbury was 12.7! These high Severn levels caused the bank to slip below Lower Lode, covering some of the beach. On the Avon, Evesham was devastated; on the Severn, Upton and Tewkesbury were cut off, Gloucester nearly so, with huge damage to houses and buildings; the waters were at their peak in Tewkesbury on 23 July, Gloucester on 24 July. As the waters receded in August, a scene of desolation was left, with hedges dead to a height of five or six feet, meadows covered by a mat of dead hay and only the odd dead dock plant showing through. Standing hay (which had not been cut because of the earlier flood) was flattened by the flood and formed a muddy brown thatched mat; the question was how to deal with this dead mat: simply leave it and hope that winter frosts, rain and flooding would break it down? Or try to cut it and break it down (difficult, because it was so short and the ground underneath was so wet). After the floods receded in mid-August, grasses, sedges and other meadow plants did in fact begin to grow through gaps in the mat; in September many fields were “topped” (cut with a light mower to remove docks and break up the mat), but it proved difficult to cut low enough to remove much mat and some fields were just left for nature and winter frosts and floods, to take their course.
Conditions at the main sites
Upham Meadow, Twyning: Totally flooded on 24 July, with water partly covering Summer Leasow.
Ashleworth/Hasfield Hams: Ham Road still closed by flooding for first week of July and hide still inaccessible; Ham Road open again by about 12 July, but water levels on the reserve were extremely high for the time of year even before the second flood; the long standing high water on the meadows caused vegetation to rot, giving off a foul smell and turning the water black, contrasting with the muddy brown of the Severn. The second flood completely submerged the whole area, with the Haw Bridge, Ham and Red Lion roads impassable till early August; hundreds of dead fish and worms at Hasfield on 13 August. Still a lot of surface water on Hasfield Ham (field 23) on 25 August and fair amounts on 16 September. All July Constant Effort Site ringing sessions had to be cancelled, and the first two August ringing sessions produced respectively only five and seven birds, but 60 on the final August visit; (CES ringing did continue at Sudmeadow, where the ringing site is slightly above the floodplain, and the habitat was less affected by the flood); non-CES ringing continued into September. No hay crops were taken anywhere, but some fields on SSSI topped; no fields on the reserve had been topped by 24 September.
Coombe Hill: Flood levels remained high on the meadows (the level at the outflow to Severn was still over nine metres on 8 July, though flowing out); at the outlet to the Severn at Wainlodes, the level in the meadows was still 9.34 on 7 July, though some boards were removed before 15 July, but the Grundon Hide was still inaccessible till mid-month; when the waters began to drop they too were discoloured black by lack of oxygen and gave off a foul smell; the anaerobic waters led to the deaths of many fish and earthworms. The second even more massive flood from 21 July submerged everything again. By 21 August, most of the flooding had gone, but there was still some stagnant standing water, and the area had a general smell of decay, with the fields brown and abandoned: no hay, no cattle feeding; the scrapes still held plenty of water, but many invertebrates must have died. The meadows were drying out by early September, with plenty of water still in the scrapes; some fields on and around the reserve were topped about 6 September; water in scrapes dropped by mid-September, the vegetation around edges being destroyed by flood.
Leigh Meadows: Still extensive flooding on meadows on 8 July; Red Lion road still closed, though Chelt flowing out strongly on 8 July, until 13 July. Even when floods receded, much surface water, lack and stinking, on meadows in mid July. The whole area was reflooded from 21 July by the second flood.
Walmore Common: Also affected by flooding, which had dropped by 24 August, though flashes still full and Common very wet; drying out on 27August.
BIRD RECORDS
Grebes
Little Grebe: Many more records than usual because of the flooding; they may have bred successfully at coombe hill despite the flooding. At Ashleworth, one on 12 August, two on 18 August. At Coombe Hill, two calling from Long Pool on 14 & 15 July between the two floods; after the second flood, up to four from 6 August (with at least two adults and one immature), and throughout September. At Walmore, five on 2 August, one on 11 August
Great Crested Grebe: Records at the height of the flooding. At Bredon’s Hardwick (Where they have bred in previous years), up to six throughout the period, plus four juveniles on 10 August. At Ashleworth, one on 8 and 13 August. At Coombe Hill, two on 15 July, three on 6 August. At Barrow Ponds, two on 16 July.
Cormorant, herons, egrets
Cormorant: Following the second flood, Cormorants became much more frequent in the area, fishing in the floodwater before it receded and for a short time adopting one of the electric pylons at Hasfield Ham as a roosting and loafing site: 28 on the pylons on 7 August, six on the pylons on the evening of 22 August, but not afterwards. On the Leigh Meadows, three perched on a tree by the Chelt on 18 July. At Barrow Ponds, two roosting on evening of 13 July, three on 16 July. At Bredon’s Hardwick good numbers throughout the period: maxima of 18 in the first half of July, 32 in August, 32 in September. After the floods receded, usual records of small numbers moving through the area: one flying over Ashleworth on 29 September.
Night Heron: A juvenile at Ashleworth on 17 July, a time when there were large numbers of Grey Herons and Little Egrets in the aftermath of the flood.
Little Egret: Unusually high numbers occurred after the first flood event, no doubt attracted by the large numbers of dead fish, and roosting locally. At Longdon Marsh, one on many dates from 10 August to 2 September. At Bredon’s Hardwick, two on 12 August. At Cobney Meadows, three by the floodwater on 10 July, then 16 on 11 July, two along Coombe Hill canal on 14 July, 13 on 15 July. They seem to have gone to roost at Barrow Ponds: six were seen flying towards Barrow Ponds on the evening of 12 July, 21 found roosting in trees on the island there on 13 July, 12 on 16 July; but the roost appears to have dispersed when the floods rose again after 20 July: only one bird on the evening of 24 July, which did not stay to roost, but flew at dusk off towards the Severn. Only small numbers after the second flood, presumably since the fish were already dead: at Coombe Hill, one on 6 and 11 August; at Ashleworth, one on 11 August. At Longford, one on 30 July, seven on 1 August. At Port Ham/ Sudmeadow, further down river, one to three throughout September; one feeding, disturbed by the rising tide, on 13 September. At Walmore, two on 2 August
Grey Heron: Both flood events attracted exceptionally high numbers, which came to prey on stranded and dying fish. At Longdon Marsh, two on 19 July, five on 10 August, four on 5 September. At Bredon’s Hardwick, up to four in July, up to seven in August and up to three in September. At Lower Lode brick-pits, five on 28 August. At Ashleworth, at least 31 on the reserve in high water conditions after the first flood on 15 July; many were young of the year and one was identified by its wing-tag as a juvenile ringed at Frampton in April 2007; these high numbers were recorded for two or three days; the concentration was no doubt provoked by birds eating fish that were floating dead in the water for lack of oxygen; only six left on 17 July. At the Wainlodes end of Coombe Hill, ten on flood water on 11 July, 19 at Coombe Hill on 15 July. Similar short-lived high concentrations were recorded after the second flood in early August: 17 at Longford on 30 July, 24 at Wainlodes on 4 August, 60 at Ashleworth on 7 August, 30+ on 11 August, but only one in late August and September. At Coombe Hill, eight on 6 August and seven on 21 August, but one on 25 August, and up to five on various dates in September. At Leigh Meadows, three on 18 July. At Barrow Ponds, one roosting on trees on evening of 13 July, two on 16 July, three on 24 July. At Walmore, two on 24 August.
Swans
Mute Swan: At Bredon’s Hardwick, seven on 5 July, three on 23 September. One of the pairs that had nested at Ashleworth still had six cygnets in late August and 20 September. The pair that nested at the Wharf, Coombe Hill, was on floodwater with six cygnets on 10 July, was back on the canal with six cygnets on 1 September, but had lost all cygnets on 20 September. The pair from Apperley still had seven cygnets on 21 August. The pair at Walmore had three cygnets on 27 August. The non-breeding flock at Coombe Hill numbered 12 on 25 August.
Geese
Greylag Goose: At Bredon’s Hardwick, maxima of 26 on 12 August and 18 on 6 September no doubt included offspring of local breeders. Much movement of the local flock between Coombe Hill, Ashleworth and Barrow Ponds: at Ashleworth, 25 coming from the south at first light on 26 September; at Coombe Hill, up to 40 in late August, 53 on 1 September, 80 roosting on 20 September flew off early in the morning to the northeast, 90 on 25 September; at Barrow Ponds, 30 on 16 July, including several locally born goslings; 23 on 24 July including some coming in to roost from NW.
Canada Goose: At Bredon’s Hardwick, maxima of 95 on 12 August and 110 on 16 September no doubt included offspring of local breeders. At Tirley Court Lake, 30 on 24 July, 20 on 21 August. At Barrow Ponds, 20 on water on 13 July, 55 (perhaps including goslings born this year) on 16 and 24 July. At Ashleworth, two with broken wings spent the whole summer in situ. Numbers at Coombe Hill began to build up in August: 120 on 6 August, noticeably brown-stained; 140 on 21 August, 166 roosting on 28 August, 240 roosted on 20 September, flying out early in the morning to southwest.
Barnacle Goose: At Tirley Court Lake, the surprising number of 12 adults (none ringed) with two goslings on 24 July; on 21 August, three pairs there, two with four full-grown goslings each; don’t recall previous records of breeding here: are they feral or tame birds? At Coombe Hill, as is often the case, one occasionally seen with the Canada flock in late August and September.
Ducks
Shelduck: At Kemerton Lake, a pair of Shelducks tried to nest but were harassed by gulls and failed. At Ashleworth, three were on the floodwater on 10 July, after an absence of several months, and three (same birds?) over Leigh Meadows on 14 July. At Coombe Hill, a juvenile (born where?) on 11 August. At Sudmeadow, a flock of 13 flew north on 23 August.
Ruddy Shelduck: A group of six (two adults) at Bredon’s Hardwick on 16 August had been tracked across the country from Suffolk to Worcs and were considered by some observers to be genuine wild birds.
Surface-feeding ducks:
Wigeon: Winter visitors beginning to arrive in September, after some early records in August. At Nafford, five on 23 September. At Bredon’s Hardwick, one on 2 September and three on 23 September. At Ashleworth, one, just able to fly, on 28 August. At Coombe Hill, three on 8 August, one on 26 August, 15 on 29 September.
Gadwall: At Coombe Hill, two on 6 August; four on 15 September, one on 29 September.
Teal: The first birds often re-appear in July: between the two floods, six at Coombe Hill on 15 July and three on 6 August. At Ashleworth and Coombe Hill, the wet conditions attracted above average numbers of early returning migrants, the same birds probably moving back and forth: at Ashleworth, 26 on 14 August, 60 on 20 August, 120 on 28 August; at Coombe Hill, 70 dibbling in mud for seeds on 21 August, September monthly maximum 60. At Nafford, 26 on 23 September. At Walmore, 30 on 22 August, 60 on 27 August.
Mallard: At Longdon Marsh, 30 on 17 July, eight on 11 August. At Bredon’s Hardwick, maxima of 30 in July, 45 in August, 78 in September. At Ashleworth, at least 10 on floodwater on 10 July, about 80 on 21 August, 150 (a good number for recent years) on 28 August. At Coombe Hill, 100 on 25 August, 70 on 20 September. At Walmore, 150 on 22 August.
Pintail: As usual, only small numbers in late summer: at Coombe Hill, one upending on scrapes on 1 September, up to four later in the month. At Walmore, an early bird with Mallard in August.
Garganey: At Coombe Hill, three (two adult males and a female or juvenile) on 6 August (the ones seen earlier in the summer?) and on 11 August.
Shoveler: This species also seems to have been attracted early by wet conditions. At Nafford, 15 on 2 September, six on 23 September. At Bredon’s Hardwick, seven on 6 September. At Ashleworth, four on 11 August, 15+ on 13 August. At Coombe Hill, three on 15 July, 20+ on 6 August, 14 on 1 September, 50 (!) on 18 September and 25 September. At Walmore, 30 on 2 August.
Diving ducks:
Pochard: At Kemerton Lake, a pair of Pochard nested, losing their first brood of nine to predation, though an adult with one duckling was seen later. At Bredon’s Hardwick, one on 16 August. At Coombe Hill, five on floodwater on 6 August, three on 11 August; a female was seen on the ditches throughout August and September.
Tufted Duck: At Bredon’s Hardwick, three on 5 July, 24 on 23 September. At Ashleworth, a pair was present on 14 July, singles in late August. At Coombe Hill, this species had again been proved to breed before the floods rose, and good numbers were seen on the floodwater (perhaps locally produced young and opportunist arrivals): about 30 from 7 to 15 July after the first flood, up to 17 in mid-August after the second flood, maximum of seven or eight from late August to late September. At Barrow Ponds a male was seen on 24 July. At the GLS pool, not affected by flooding, breeding was proved again this year: a female with five tiny ducklings on 5 July, and a second female with a brood a few days later.
Raptors
Marsh Harrier: A female over the flooded meadows at Hasfield on 7 August; rarely recorded in autumn.
Hen Harrier: At Ashleworth, a male (probably second year) apparently roosting on 26 September, seen again on afternoon of 27 September.
Goshawk: At Walmore an adult male on 22 August.
Merlin: Only one record of this elusive species, at Ashleworth, a male was seen chasing pipits, the preferred prey species, on 22 September.
Hobby: A particularly good number of records, probably because successful local breeders were easily seen as they tended young birds. At Ashleworth, one flew over on 17 July; up to three noisy birds were seen regularly on trees and pylons from 10 August to 22 September, thought perhaps to be a newly-fledged young bird with its parents, calling to be fed. At Coombe Hill, one on 15 July; one harrying hirundines on 21 August, and singles on 8, 15 and 29 September. At Longford, one on 30 July, at Twigworth, one on 30 August. At Walmore, the species was also reported to have nested successfully; one seen on 11 August, two on 2 September, two juveniles on 16 September.
Peregrine: At Ashleworth, one recorded on the pylons on 17 July, then regularly from late August the end of September. At Coombe Hill, one on 6 August and one all through September.
Gamebirds and Rails
Water Rail: At Ashleworth, one heard on 7 August. At Coombe Hill, one on 14 July, three on 15 July, up to three seen and heard regularly from the Grundon Hide in August and throughout September, notably by observers looking for the Spotted Crake.
Spotted Crake: A specially obliging individual of this species, rarely recorded in the county, showed itself, mostly in the early morning or late evening, right in front of the Grundon Hide at Coombe Hill, from 28 August to 6 September.
Moorhen: Common throughout the area, perhaps more obvious during the flood when the vegetation in which they normally hide was submerged: at Ashleworth up to three on late August, at Coombe Hill up to ten in late August; a tiny newly-hatched chick on 28 August; 15 on 1 September, up to five in the rest of September. At Walmore, five on 27 August.
Coot: Recorded in modest numbers at most sites, but no proof of breeding: at Bredon’s Hardwick, one on 5 July, two on 10 August. At Ashleworth, up to ten in August, two on 16 September. At Coombe Hill, at least ten on floodwater on 10 July, 15 on 21 August, three on 20 September.
Waders
The smaller May flood had already had serious adverse floods on ground-nesting waders, and few produced young. For many which tried to re-nest, the late June/early July floods eliminated any replacement broods in most places. From July, as usual, a particular point of interest was the southward passage of migrant waders, returning from northern breeding grounds; in the aftermath of the flood in August and September, conditions in the meadows were much wetter than usual, and so these species tended to stop in the Hams rather than flying straight “over the top”; numbers of Snipe were particularly high, but there were also many records of species like Greenshank and Green Sandpiper, with records of Curlew Sandpiper, familiar on the estuary, but an infrequent visitor to the Hams.
Oystercatcher: The species bred north of Worcester at Grimley and Upton Warren. At Kemerton Lake, one pair had lost its first young to gulls, but later reared two young. At Bredon’s Hardwick, where the first nest had been predated, the pair probably tried to re-nest: one on 5 July and two (perhaps nesting?) on 19 July, but were flooded out shortly afterwards.
Little Ringed Plover: At Clifton Gravel Pits, one pair was present but produced no young; juveniles seen in August and September were migrants from outside of the area. At Ryall Pits, eight pairs nested, seven of them successfully. At Coombe Hill, none bred this year and the only records were of southward migrants: one dropped in briefly on 11 August, there were five on 8 August, a juvenile on 26 August and one on 8 September. At Walmore, one on 22 August.
Ringed Plover: More records than usual of autumn migrants at Coombe Hill: one on 8 August, two on 28 August, one on 8 September, seven on 9 September, five on 10 September.
Golden Plover: Once again, records of small numbers of southward migrants at Coombe Hill: one flew southwest, calling, on 26 August, another seen on 28 August, two flew south on 2 September. At Walmore, one on 16 September.
Lapwing: Most breeding birds had already failed earlier in the year, losing their first brood to the May flood, and any replacement broods to the flooding which began in late June. Practically all records therefore refer to post-breeding assemblies. At Longdon Marsh up birds were seen feeding on the receding waters of the June flood: 20 on 10 July, 40 on 14 July, 45 on 17 July, 12 on 19 July. At Kemerton Lake, five pairs tried to nest but failed because of predation by gulls and corvids; 20 pairs nested elsewhere in the Carrant catchment with greater success. At Bredon’s Hardwick maxima of 26 on 12 July, 24 on 16 August and 22 on 16 September. At Ashleworth, ten, clearly migrants on the edge of floodwater on 10 July, 70 on 8 August, seven on 30 August. At Coombe Hill, no sign of the local breeders (washed away by floodwater) in early July, but 28 (21 adults and seven flying birds of the year), clearly passing migrants, on 10 July and up to 38 later in the month; 34 on 6 August were the only waders present, 60 on 8 August; up to 20 later in August, not more than seven in September. At Leigh Meadows, two on a muddy maize field (more like a mudflat!) on 18 July, were no doubt passing migrants. At Walmore, 80 on 24 August.
Dunlin: Trickle of birds passing through Coombe Hill: an early one on 15 July, then more (likely to be juveniles) in late August/September: six on 29 August, ones and twos from 6 to 29 September.
Curlew Sandpiper: Rarely recorded in the Severn Vale: at Coombe Hill, two juveniles on 9 September, a moulting adult on12 September.
Little Stint: At Coombe Hill, two juveniles 5 to 9 September. Another juvenile at GLS on 28 September.
Ruff: Only a few records of passing migrants at Coombe Hill: two on 15 July; one on 21 August, two on 25 and 26 August, one on 29 and 30 August.
Snipe: The conditions after the second flood attracted spectacular numbers, much higher than usual, no doubt passing migrants, which would normally have gone “straight over the top”, but were attracted by wet conditions in late August and early September: At Nafford, four on 12 August. At Ashleworth, there were up to 15 from 10-31 August, 80 (!!) on 9 September, the eight to 15 for the rest of the month. At Coombe Hill, 21 were seen on 10 August, up to 25 for the rest of the month up to 12 in September. At Walmore, just one on 2 August, then in ideal conditions, very soft and wet underfoot, a series of unprecedented figures: 60+ on 11 August, 165 on 19 August, 80+ on 22 August, 270 on 24 August, 70 on 27 August, 125 on 2 September, down to 28 on 16 September.
Black-tailed Godwit: Perhaps surprisingly, none seen after the flock of nine on 26 June.
Curlew: Normally, early July is the prime time for young Curlews to fledge in the hay meadows; but most, if not all, must have been washed out by the late June flood, and most adults seem to have departed for the estuary before the second flood rose; rather few passage Curlew are recorded in autumn. At Ashleworth, two on 7 July, but no sign of Curlew on 10 July. At Leigh Meadows, two on 7 July. At Coombe Hill, no sign of the local breeders, but one solitary adult at edge of floodwater at Wainlodes on 10 July; two on 15 July. At Longford, one on 30 July. At Walmore, two on 22 August.
Whimbrel: As usual, no autumn records.
Spotted Redshank: An unusual late summer/autumn visitor: at Coombe Hill, one dropped in briefly (with a Greenshank) on 11 August.
Redshank: At Kemerton Lake, Redshank did not breed this year. At Coombe Hill, local breeders had been washed away by floodwater in late June; one, no doubt a passing migrant, on 10 July.
Greenshank: A small but regular stream of records of passing migrants, mainly in August and early September (so probably young birds). At Ashleworth, one on floodwater’s edge, no doubt a migrant, on 10 July. At Coombe Hill, migrants dropped in briefly, first on 10 August, three on 14, then singles on many dates to 30 August, the one from 22 to 26 September. At Plock Court, just north of Gloucester, four flew over the floodwater, heading southwards, on 21 August. At Walmore, three on 2 September.
Green Sandpiper: The first returning migrants had already occurred, as is the case in most years, in late June. They continued to be recorded in small groups at many riverside sites throughout July, August and September, with most in late August. At Ashleworth, one on 22 September. At Wainlodes, one by the Severn on 17 July. At Coombe Hill, one on 10 July, two on 15 July, the two from 10 to 25 August, three on 28 August, three from 5 to 12 September. At GLS, three on 19 July. At Lower Parting and Sudmeadow, seven on 16 August, singles 22 to 29 August, three on 30 August, two on 6 September, five on 8 September. At Walmore, one on 16 September.
Wood Sandpiper: Sadly, none found this year among Green Sandpipers.
Common Sandpiper: Another wader which regularly appears on return passage in autumn, sometimes on beaches along the Severn itself. Some early birds (probably adults) in July: at Port Ham, one on 2 July, one at Coombe Hill on 15 July, and one at GLS on 19 July, at Longford, three on 30 July and 1 August. At Plock Court, two on floodwater on 22 August, one on the beach at Haw Bridge on 22 August, one the beach at Lower Lode on 28 August, at Coombe Hill one or two on the scrapes from 25 August to 1 September.
Gulls and Terns
Mediterranean Gull: Not often recorded this far upstream. At Ashleworth, an adult flying over en route to the estuary with Black-headed Gulls on the evening of 17 July. An adult at Leigh Meadows on 4 August.
Black-headed Gull: At Bredon’s Hardwick up to 70 in August. At Ashleworth, at least 300 (no juveniles) round floods on 10 July. At Coombe Hill, at least 1,000 round edge of floodwater on 10 July, 1,200+ on 11 July, 1,600+ on 14 July. At Leigh Meadows, 200 on floodwater on 13 July.
Lesser Black-backed Gull: At Kemerton Lake, a flock of 500 non-resident gulls caused serious predation of duck and wader chicks; one pair of Lesser Blackbacks nested and was seen to feed young on Coot chicks. At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of 240 on 19 July, 170 on 10 August, and 30 on 27 September. At Coombe Hill, at least 1,000 round edge of floodwater on 10 July, 100+ on 14 July. At Leigh Meadows, at least 700 on floodwater on evening of 13 July, en route to estuary roost.
Yellow-legged Gull: Frequent at GLS from July onwards.
Herring Gull: At Bredon’s Hardwick, up to half a dozen throughout the period.
Great Black-backed Gull: At Bredon’s Hardwick, where they nested until a couple of years ago, two on 16 August, the first record for some time.
Kittiwake: Most unusually a first summer bird at GLS on 5 July, coincidentally (?) the day after an adult Gannet, another seabird, was seen over Cheltenham.
Common Tern: At Bredon’s Hardwick, two on 12 July and 19 July, perhaps re-nesting on latter date? But the second flood prevented success. At Coombe Hill, one on 14 July.
Pigeons
Turtle Dove: No observations whatsoever of this fast-vanishing bird, apart from late records of birds singing in May at Bow Bridge and Brockeridge Common near the Severn just north of Tewkesbury (Ted Rice).
Passerines
Skylark: At Ashleworth, still one or two singing on 10 July, before the second flood, but notably absent at Ashleworth on in late August and the first half of September, but though singles passing over on 17 and 22 September; also absent at Coombe Hill on 30 August and the first half of September, but about 12 passing over to south on 25 September. At Walmore, five on 27 August.
Sand Martin: The riverbank colonies were submerged by the June flood and, after levels had dropped, no birds were in evidence on 8 July; a couple at Coombe Hill on 10 July were perhaps refugees from the colonies. The July flood seems to have provoked a small landslip along the bank by the Lower Lode colony; no birds there on 28 August. No ringing at any of the colonies this year.
Meadow Pipit: More attention was given to southward autumn passage this year, and considerable efforts devoted to catching them for ringing, by attracting them to nets in open fields with recordings of their song. The first passage birds were noted over Apperley on 9 September, about 100 at Ashleworth on 11 September, 26 caught, exclusively juveniles; small passage of 15+ to SE on 12 September, 200 on 16 September, when four (all juveniles) were caught; at least 200 on 17 September, 60 caught, all juveniles again; at least 100 passing on 20 September; about 300, 58 caught (all juveniles) on 22 September; at least 50 roosting on morning of 27 September; 32 caught on 29 September included the first five adults to be caught. At Coombe Hill, 20 on 20 September, steady southwest passage all morning (about 200 birds) on 25 September, 20+ on 26 September.
Yellow Wagtail: Some passage (often with other wagtails) was noted, mainly in late August and early September of this species, which has almost disappeared from the meadows as a breeding bird: at Coombe Hill, two on 21, four on 28 and 30 August, one to the south on 1 September, one on 9 September. At Longford, 2 or more on 30 July. At Sudmeadow, one on 30 August, the first there since May 2002. At Walmore, there were eight on 22 August, two on 24 August and five on 27 August.
Nightingale: At Sudmeadow, where the species is most unusual, a juvenile was trapped on 18 July, the first since 1994.
Redstart: At Coombe Hill, two on 15 July were probably still breeding, and one was giving the e alarm call on 21 August. At Ashleworth, where good numbers breed in the heads of old pollarded willows, there was a series of September records: one seen on 9 September, a male seen on 12 September, a juvenile caught on 16 September, another seen on 17, a juvenile caught on 22 September. At Walmore, where they are less frequent, two on 2 September.
Sedge Warbler: It is thought that this widespread vale breeder suffered severely from the May and late June floods, which must have destroyed many nests and young birds in long grass. The floods played havoc with the long term monitoring of this species at Ashleworth, since no ringing was possible for much of July and August. Despite probable losses of nests and young to flooding elsewhere, a juvenile was caught at Sudmeadow, the first indication of breeding there for several years.
At Kemerton Lake, the highest count of singing males this year was five, with five more at other sites. Between the two big floods, one singing on Port Ham on 2 July, only one heard singing on 10 July between Haw Bridge and Ashleworth Quay, but up to six singing along Coombe Hill canal on 14 July. At Ashleworth, two juveniles caught on 29 August, none on 11 September, but one juvenile on 22 September. At Coombe Hill, two seen on 28 August.
Reed Warbler: At Kemerton Lake, where large numbers breed in the reed-beds, the season’s highest count of singing males was 27. In general a less common breeder than Sedge Warbler because of the shortage of reed beds (though it nests in withies and other vegetation at Ashleworth and Coombe Hill), but those that did try to breed must also have been affected by the floods. One singing at Sudmeadow on the evening of 6 July. On 10 July, one singing by the Severn at Wainlodes, a site where they had not previously been recorded, after the first floods; and one singing at Coombe Hill by the Long Pool on 14 July. One singing at Port Ham and another singing at Over on 19 July. At Walmore, two or three skulking in reeds on 27 August.
Reed Bunting: At Kemerton Lake, the highest count of singing males was three males with two at other sites. At Sudmeadow, two pairs were considered to have bred and a juvenile was caught on 18 July. At Ashleworth, this was another species hard hit by flooding: still a couple singing on 10 & 21 July; local birds seemed to disappear after the second big flood, but four caught on 20 August including retrap adults from previous years and some juveniles, none seen on 25 August, two found on 28 August after much searching; on 11 September thirty caught thanks to use of tape lure, mainly unringed juveniles (hence probably moving in from outside area), but a few retrap adults and juveniles; on 16 September 13 caught, all juveniles, a few recent retraps; on 17 September six caught (one adult, rest juveniles); at least five seen on 20 September; on 22 September, 14 caught included two retraps and three new adults, rest new juveniles, a higher number; on 27 September, at least 30 roosting early morning; on 29 about a dozen caught including a couple of new adults. At Coombe Hill, still five singing along canal on 14 July before the second flood; but not a single one found after this flood receded on 21, 25 & 30 August; just one on 1 September, two females on 9 September, none found on 18 September, but about five on 25 September, one or two on 26 September. At Port Ham, one singing on 2 July. A juvenile male was caught at Sudmeadow on 6 September, and an adult male on 22 September. At Walmore, none on 27 August.
Corn Bunting: No records at all in the hay meadows: the floods must have played havoc with their nesting too.
These are unconfirmed records, compiled by M. Smart from his own observations and those of David Anderson, Gordon Avery, Les Brown, John Clarke, Mervyn Greening, Andy Jayne, Ted Rice, John Sanders, Lawrence Skipp and Andy Warr, with some cherries picked from the Gloucester Birder website.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 41-47
NOTES ON BIRDS IN THE SEVERN AND AVON VALES (THE “SEVERN HAMS”), GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND SOUTH WORCESTERSHIRE OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2007
Mike Smart
General introduction
The main sites are (from the north):
Along the Severn in Worcestershire, there are a series of well-watched gravel workings which attract many water birds, notably waders; these are (from the north): Grimley (on the west bank just north of Worcester), Clifton (on the east bank just south of Kempsey); and Ryall (on the east bank opposite Upton). Upton Warren Nature reserve is north of Droitwich and is outside the area of the present report, but is occasionally mentioned as it attracts many significant birds.
Upton Ham (Worcs), the Upper Ham, a hay meadow south of the town, is an SSSI and is the best conserved of the riverside hams in botanical terms; south of the old railway embankment is the Lower Ham.
Longdon Marsh (Worcs), a nearly enclosed basin north of the M50 motorway, flowing via the Longdon Brook to the Severn, just above the Mythe north of Tewkesbury.
Avon Meadows (on either side of the Avon, going north from Tewkesbury), along the border between Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and including: the restored gravel pits at Bredon’s Hardwick (Worcs); Upham Meadow (sometimes called the “Great Hay Meadow”) and Summer Leasow at Twyning (Glos); Rectory Farm Meadows, across the Avon from Upham Meadow (Worcs); Strensham Pits, sludge pools below the waterworks at Strensham (Worcs); further north along the Worcestershire Avon is the Gwen Finch Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Reserve near Nafford (Worcs), an area of shallow lakes by the Avon; between Pershore and Fladbury is Lower Moor. Just to the east of Bredon is Kemerton Lake (Worcs), a restored gravel pit in the valley of the Carrant Brook, which flows through Cowfield Marsh into the Avon just above Tewkesbury.
The “Severn Hams” between Tewkesbury and Gloucester, in which the main wetland areas are: Ashleworth and Hasfield Hams; Coombe Hill Canal and Meadows (including Cobney Meadows at the western end); and the Leigh Meadows alongside the River Chelt and Leigh Brook above Wainlodes; Barrow Ponds are beside the Chelt, east of the A 38. Ashleworth Ham and Coombe Hill are Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserves, and are particularly well-watched. This area also includes: the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury; the Severn between Lower Lode and Haw Bridge; and the Severn from Wainlodes, past Ashleworth Quay and Sandhurst, to Gloucester. The River Leadon flows into the Severn just above Gloucester, but its valley, extending back past Newent, has been little prospected. Near Sandhurst and Maisemore there are a number of abandoned overgrown riverside brick-pits. Maisemore Ham is now largely converted to arable farming.
Sites on the edge of urban Gloucester, once flood meadow: Port Ham and Castlemeads on Alney Island, Sudmeadow, and the Gloucester Landfill Site (GLS). Port Ham has recently been restored and some shallow scrapes dug; at the southern end of Port Ham is Lower Parting where the two arms of the Severn meet again; Sudmeadow is immediately south of Lower Parting; GLS attracts large numbers of gulls, and has a pond attractive to passage and some resident waterbirds.
Minsterworth Ham, on the west bank of the Severn below Gloucester.
Walmore Common, on the west bank of the Severn below Gloucester; also the little marsh at Rodley (Wilmore Common), west of Walmore, along the stream west of Boxbush Farm.
Elmore Back, on the east bank of the Severn below Gloucester, opposite Walmore.
Most of these sites are marshes which flood when the level of the Severn is high (either because of water coming down from North Wales, or because of high tides downstream; or more often a combination of both), thus preventing local streams from reaching the Severn, so that they back flood. When there is a major Severn flood, with water coming over the flood-banks along the river, there may be extensive floods over the whole floodplain area. The major Severn tributary, the Avon, does not have flood-banks in many places and so floods easily above Tewkesbury. The River Chelt holds running water, and is small enough to have muddy edges and mud banks. Coombe Hill Canal is a long disused and overgrown canal, which runs through the centre of Coombe Hill Meadows. Bredon’s Hardwick gravel pits, Mythe Hook, Sandhurst and Maisemore brick pits, and Walham Pools are all artificial excavations in the floodplain or along the rivers. Barrow Ponds are created by the artificial damming of a small tributary of the Chelt.
Weather and flooding: general
A generally dry autumn after the massive flooding of the summer. Weather patterns were generally anticyclonic in early October, with high pressure over Europe extending eastwards to the UK and easterly winds at the beginning of the month; occasional Atlantic fronts got through however, with fair amounts of rain on 9 October. Westerly depressions continued until 16 October, when there was heavy rain all day; then, until 19 October, a few days of cold weather, clear night skies with a hint of frost and easterly winds. The weather in late October and the first half of November was generally dry and mild, with light north-westerly winds, but there were short periods of easterly winds, with a sharp frost on 5 November. Nationally, November was dry (only 22 drier Novembers in the last 100 years), and temperatures were slightly above average. Heavy rain fell on 18/19 November, with even a light dusting of snow on the hills, and very cold with sharp overnight frosts on 22 and especially 23 November; mild with westerly winds till end of November. December was relatively dry, with the mean temperature near average. The weather turned wintry from 1 December, with strong cold westerly winds and fairly heavy rain on 2 and 5 December; then, for the next fortnight, the weather was dominated by a huge anticyclone over Europe, with cold easterly winds, frequent frost overnight and some fog by day; the anticyclone finally declined gradually, giving way to frontal weather from the Atlantic from 22 December until the end of the month, with the first rain for some time on 22 December, and quite heavy showers round Christmas.
Severn levels were low in October and early November, with little or no flooding on the meadows; however, water often hung about on the surface, partly because of the high water table after the summer floods, partly because these floods had drowned most of the earthworms, so that the topsoil was poorly drained. Levels rose after the rain of 18/19 November, causing local streams to back up and a slight rise in levels on meadows, but dropped again from 22 November. The rain of early December caused the Severn level (and in turn local ditch levels) to rise, with quite extensive flooding on meadows from 4 December, peaking 9-12 December, dropping by 15 December. The heavy showers round Christmas raised water levels from 26 December onwards.
Conditions at the main sites
Ashleworth/Hasfield Hams: The three pools on the GWT reserve were still full of water in early October, but water levels were otherwise low; the main reserve fields were mown at last in early October (mowing was impossible earlier because of the summer floods); young willows at the southern end of reserve were cut back and the brash was burnt in October, and another 30 metres of hedge along Ham Road were re-laid. There was little flooding until Ashleworth reserve and Hasfield Ham were lightly flooded by the rain of 18/19 November; the first three boards were inserted in the Ashleworth sluice on 18 November to maintain these water levels, and the fourth board on 23 November, resulting in a rise in water levels on the reserve, with the main area of the reserve covered with a thin film of water for the first time this autumn in the last week of November, then rising again in the first few days of December, with extensive flooding in the middle of the month; after this flood had dropped, a final board was inserted in the sluice on 15 December bringing water levels to their winter norm by 22 December; they rose again slightly from 26 December. With low autumn water levels, ringing of passerines continued until late October.
Coombe Hill: In early October, the scrapes and Long Pool were still full of water, which had lasted all summer; most vegetation round the scrapes had been killed off by the summer flooding; young willows on the islands in the scrapes were cleared to improve nesting conditions for waders next year. Water levels remained constant at this level until late November, then rose in early December, with extensive flooding from 9 to 12 December, then dropping again; slightly more water on scrapes from 26 December, and scrapes submerged on 29 December.
Leigh Meadows: No surface flooding in October/November, surface water on fields in early December, and flooding in mid-month, dropping again by 22 December; River Chelt high again on 31 December.
Walmore Common: No flooding in October; very light flooding on 21 November, following local rain, had dropped again by 28 November, more light flooding following rain of 2 December, and quite extensive shallow flooding on 9 December, which receded by mid-month.
BIRD RECORDS
Grebes
Little Grebe: At the Gwen Finch reserve there were up to two throughout the period and, at Kemerton, 14 on 11 October, seven on 21 December.
At the Mythe, one on 21 December. At Ashleworth, odd singles from 26 October to 7 November and on 11 & 29 December. On the Severn near Sandhurst, two on 17 December. At Coombe Hill, one on 3 October and 7 November.
Great Crested Grebe: At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of seven on 18 October, eleven on 25 November, two in late December.
Cormorant: At Bredon’s Hardwick, the main loafing and fishing spot, monthly maxima of 19 on 18 October, 41 on 25 November, 38 on 24 December. At least ten along the Severn above Tewkesbury on 30 November. Most other records were of birds flying up and down the Severn on their way to or from Bredon’s Hardwick: at Wainlodes, one over the river on 16 October; at Coombe Hill, three flew over on 27 November, six to north on 29 December.
Little Egret: As usual, numbers petered out in autumn and there were very few winter records: singles at: Grimley on 31 December; Lower Moor on 17 October; Kemerton on 14 October; Hasfield Ham on 13 November; and in flight over Sudmeadow on 18 November.
Grey Heron: At Gwen Finch, one or two from October to December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, one or two from 14 October to 24 December. At the Mythe, ten together on 30 November. At Ashleworth, singles October to December. At Coombe Hill, up to three, from November to December. At Walmore, one on 28 November.
Mute Swan: On the Avon Meadows, the wintering flock of 27 on 29 November included a couple of ringed birds that had been seen at Coombe Hill in the summer, 25 on 30 December. At Mythe brick-pits, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, two adults with four full-grown cygnets on 17 October. At Coombe Hill, 3AY and mate (which had nested there in summer) were still present from October to December, while a flock of eight Mutes were grazing with Whoopers on the only really fresh grass on the southern meadows from 27 November to 4 December, before the flood; at Leigh Meadows, a family party of four (two full-grown cygnets), grazing on fresh grass on 4 December, were joined after the flood by up to 20 Mutes and the Whoopers at the end of December. These Mutes returned to roost on the Coombe Hill scrapes, 16 were seen roosting on scrapes, then going to graze on the meadows on 22 December. At Walmore Common, a family party of five from late November, seven on 6 December, nine on 9 December, 15 (five cygnets) on 31 December.
Whooper Swan: With little water at Ashleworth, the first arrivals went straight to the estuary as they had done in 2004/05 and 2005/06; two were seen on the early date of 18 October at Slimbridge, and then disappeared. A quite separate group of three adults and five cygnets were on the water at Upton Warren on 18 November until 09h30 when they flew south. What must have been the same birds were in the Teme Valley near Bransford Bridge, close to Worcester, from 19 to 23 November, but were not found again anywhere else. Where did they go?
There were occasional sightings of two birds in the Coombe Hill area in mid-November (very probably the birds first seen at Slimbridge in October), though none were found feeding in the usual preferred site on the Leigh Meadows; two on 11 November and again on 19 November (when they landed on the scrape in mid morning with some Mutes). Two were seen briefly in flight over Slimbridge at 09h30 on 21 November, but not found there again. Two were seen at Coombe Hill (again with Mutes) at mid morning on 23 November; then from 27 November until 4 December, two adult Whoopers were found feeding with Mutes in secluded fields on the southern meadows, not used in previous winters; these were fields from which the mat of dead grass left by the summer floods had been removed, and were clearly more palatable to the swans; to judge by their behaviour on 27 November, (very relaxed and unconcerned by passing farm workers), they had probably been there for some time, perhaps since the beginning of the month. Two were seen coming to roost on the scrape at Coombe Hill on the evening of 27 November, and heard leaving the scrapes at first light on 1 December. The two birds remained grazing on the same southern meadows until water levels began to rise around 9 December; they were not found there after 15 December, presumably because the floodwater had affected the quality of the grazing and because sheep had grazed the grass down; two were on fields near Ashleworth on 17 December, then were seen grazing on another field of agriculturally improved grass with no dead mat on Leigh Meadows in the last week of December. It seems certain that all these records refer to the same two birds.
Bewick’s Swan: Autumn counts from the Netherlands indicate that summer 2007 was a very poor breeding season on the tundra, the second worst on record with only 3.8% young (1997 was the worst with 2.3%). First arrivals at Slimbridge were six, including a pair (the same individuals that have been the first to arrive for the last three years) on 18 October, following clear skies, cool temperatures and easterly winds. On 20 October, the seven birds present left Slimbridge at 08h10; what must have been the same birds were seen flying south over Ashleworth at 09h35 and were back at Slimbridge at 10h40; seven were seen again on the water at Coombe Hill early on 24 October; so, as in previous years, newly arrived Bewick’s seem to reconnoitre the situation in potential feeding areas in the neighbourhood soon after arrival; they will have been disappointed to find it so dry this year. These two October records were the only ones in the Severn Hams until the last few days of the year. By 31 October, 31 different individuals had visited Slimbridge. Six were seen flying low over Gloucester towards Slimbridge after dark on 14 November. The first pair with cygnets arrived at Slimbridge on 15 November. By 30 November, 61 birds (still only one juvenile) were present, out of 93 individuals recorded so far this winter. There was little or no indication of any use of other feeding sites in the area, because they were all so dry. The easterly winds and cold weather in mid-December led to a considerable influx: the maximum on the reserve was up to 68 on 17 December, increasing sharply to 114 on 17 December and to 172 on 21 December, by which date 211 individuals had been recorded (only nine cygnets).
At Walmore, where Slimbridge birds regularly go to graze, two adults plus a cygnet were seen briefly on 17 November, two on 18 November. But records there were few and far between: no more in November or early December; then eight (six adults and two cygnets) on 23 December; 17 (all adults, highest count so far) on 26 December; nine (eight adults and a yearling, all unringed) on 29 December, 17 (including one yearling and two cygnets) on 30 December, eleven (all adults, none ringed) on agriculturally improved grassland on 31 December.
At Leigh Meadows, one yearling (wearing yellow ring 675) was seen with Whoopers and Mutes from 26 to 31 December. Interestingly, this was a bird which had not yet visited Slimbridge this winter, and must have found its way to the Severn Hams directly, without going to Slimbridge.
Geese
Pink-footed Goose: An unusual record of one with Canada Geese at Lower Moor from 17 December to the end of the year. In the previous days prior, a strong movement had brought good numbers of Pinkfeet into the North & East Midlands. This bird was presumably a straggler from this influx, as there had been no known feral or escaped birds anywhere in the area earlier in the year. This scenario has been seen in other years, the vagrant joining the local feral geese flocks, and becoming imprinted on the habits and lifestyle of the wild birds, possibly explaining the extended stays.
Greylag Goose: At Bredon’s Hardwick, 92 on 1 October, 195 on 14 October (apparently the highest ever count in Worcs), 110 on 4 December, 55 on 30 December. At Ashleworth, eight had roosted on 5 December. At Coombe Hill, a lone bird with a broken wing present from October till the end of the year; six flew in on 16 October.
Canada Goose: The usual winter influxes along the Avon and Severn. At Lower Moor, 150 on 16 December. At Gwen Finch reserve, 47 on 24 December. At Kemerton, 274 on 1 October, 330 on 11 October, 500 on 8 November. At Bredon’s Hardwick, 44 on 30 December; on the Great Hay Meadow, 80 on 14 October, 160 on 30 December. The above records probably refer to the same birds moving about.
At Ashleworth, two with broken wings had summered and were present throughout the autumn. The usual winter build-up occurred with a lower peak, due no doubt to the dry conditions: ten were seen on 15 October, 35 on 22 November; 60 had roosted on 5 December; 75 flew in from Coombe Hill on 8 December; 180 roosting on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, 150 had roosted on 16 October, then flew off after feeding round scrapes; 160 had roosted on 27 November, 170 on 26 December, 240 on 29 December; most flying off to north (to feed where – on the Avon?), some to south. There is much interchange between Coombe Hill and Ashleworth, so the above records will certainly refer to the same group, and there may indeed also be interchange with birds from the Avon.
Barnacle Goose: A single, seen with the flock of Canada Geese, at Ashleworth on 8 December, and at Coombe Hill on 16 October and 29 December.
Egyptian Goose: At Bredon’s Hardwick, two on 10 & 14 November, and on 21 & 30 December.
Ducks
Shelduck: As in most years, small numbers began to appear towards the end of the year. At Gwen Finch reserve, seven on 24 December, eight on 30 December. On the Great Hay Meadow, an early bird on 14 October. On the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury, four on 21 December. At Coombe Hill, a single, the first of the autumn, on 24 November; two on 29 December. At Walmore, two on 3 December, six on 9 December, two on 31 December. At Rodley, four on 2 December and a party of five, already lekking, on 3 December.
Hybrid Shelduck: At Rodley, one on 3 December, probably the Australian x Paradise cross seen there on 5 January.
Mandarin: A drake at Kemerton on 28 November. A female at Walmore on 22 October.
Surface-feeding ducks
Small numbers in October and early November, mainly at Coombe Hill because Ashleworth was dry. With increased water levels at Ashleworth in the last ten days of November and in mid December, numbers built up there.
Wigeon: At Gwen Finch reserve, two on 14 October, six on 25 November. At Kemerton, 42 on 14 November, 60 on 4 December, 125 on 13 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of 92 on 14 October, 120 on 25 November, and a brief peak (which must have included all the Wigeon in the vales) of 1,150 on 24 December. At Mythe Brook, 60 on 30 November. At Ashleworth, five on 15 October, 30 on 20 November, 140 on 22 November, 250+ on 5 December, 300 on 8 December, 500 on 24 December, 350 on 27 December. At Coombe Hill, 27 on 3 October, 18 grazing round scrape on 16 October and decoying towards a passing fox, 62 (monthly maximum) on 24 October; 150 on 20 November, much smaller numbers in the first three weeks of December (41 on 4 December, only 12 on 22 December), but 950 on 18 December, 340 on higher water on 29 December. Much exchange between Ashleworth and Coombe Hill.
Gadwall: At Gwen Finch reserve, one on 14 October. At Ashleworth, maxima of five in November, seven in December. At Sandhurst, eight at on 17 December.
Teal: At Gwen Finch reserve, 72 on 14 October, 85 on 8 November, 260 on 24 December. At Kemerton, 50 on 21 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, maxima of two in 14 October, 20 on 25 November and 28 on 30 December. At Mythe Brook, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, 127 on 24 November, up to 200 throughout December. At Coombe Hill, 50 on 3 October, 60 on 27 November, about 200 on 18/22 December. At Walmore, 11 on 7 October, 100 on 28 November, 166 on 9 December, 200 on 31 December.
Mallard: At Gwen Finch reserve 55 on 8 November, 35 on 24 December. At Kemerton, up to 145 in 14 November. At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of 54 on 14 October, 50 on 8 November, 25 on 30 December. At Mythe Brook, 20 on 30 November. At Ashleworth, 30 on 29 November, 55 on 8 December. At Coombe Hill, 65 on 10 October (monthly maximum), 50 on 16 October, 30 in late November and December. At Leigh Meadows 20 on 4 December. At Walmore, five on 28 November, 66 on 9 December.
Pintail: The rather dry early part of the winter did not produce the flocks of several hundred seen in some wet autumns, and numbers remained low until the light flooding of early December.
At Grimley New Workings, two on 21 November; at Clifton GP a drake on 25 November. At Bredon’s Hardwick, single figures on many dates in December, but 28 on 17 December. At Kemerton, a male on 1 October, three on 17 December.
At Ashleworth, one on 22 November, five on 23 November, then 18 on 29 November and, with increasing water levels, 31 on 4 December, 70 on 8 December, 90 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, one on several dates in October, 120 on 12 December, 32 on 29 December. At Walmore, four on 9 December.
Shoveler: At Gwen Finch reserve, up to 19 November and December. At Kemerton, 14 on 1 October.
At Ashleworth, 20 on 22 November, 58 on 27 November, 75 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, 30 on 3 October, 40 on 10 October, 45 on 10 November, then much smaller numbers until 60 on 8 December, 50 on 15 December. At Walmore, six on 29 December.
Diving ducks
Pochard: At Kemerton, 25 on 13 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, six on 14 October. At Coombe Hill, the solitary female present since late August stayed throughout the autumn until at least 27 December.
Red-crested Pochard: A drake was seen near Grimley from 9 – 17 October, at Grimley New Workings on 6 November, at Bredon’s Hardwick on 11 November, then at Lower Moor from 30 November until the end of the year; presumably the same bird in all cases.
Tufted Duck: At Gwen Finch, one female on 30 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, nine on 9 October. At Mythe brick-pits, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, one on 24 December.
Goldeneye: Recorded regularly in Worcestershire, but not in Gloucestershire. At Grimley New Workings, up to four, including an occasional drake from 30 October until the end of the year; at Kemerton, a female on 14 November and 4 December; at Bredon’s Hardwick, a male and a female on 25 November.
Goosander: Most records again from Worcestershire (this species is recorded in numbers on reservoirs in the north of the county): at Clifton GP, a female on 11 November; at Bredon’s Hardwick, up to three (normally redheads but including an occasional drake) on several dates from 11 November until 6 December. At Kemerton, two redheads on 28 November, one on 4 December. A redhead at Coombe Hill on 27 October and 10 November.
Ruddy Duck: At Kemerton, one on 14 November.
Raptors
Goshawk: At Coombe Hill, one performing a gliding flight (almost like display) on 20 November.
Hobby: A late juvenile at Lower Moor on 23 October.
Merlin: Records from Worcestershire are strikingly more frequent than Gloucestershire. A male at Ryall GP on 30 December. A male near Lower Moor on 30 November, and in December. A female at Gwen Finch on 23 November. At Walmore, an adult male on 29 December.
Peregrine: At Grimley one on 7 December. At Clifton GP, two on 17 November and 22 December, one 29 December. At Longdon Marsh, one on 15 November. At Gwen Finch, two on 17 December.
At Ashleworth, one (often on the pylons on the Hasfield side) from 3 to 27 October, (noted as a male on 18 October), and throughout November and December (at least two different birds). At Coombe Hill, one resting on a tree near the canal on many dates from 3 October to late December (at least two different birds involved, one male, one female, probably the same birds as at Ashleworth). At Leigh Meadows one on 29 December. At Walmore, one on 11 November (immature) and 9 December.
Gamebirds and Rails
Water Rail: At Kemerton, two on 24 October & 14 November. At the Mythe, two calling on 21 December. At Ashleworth, one was calling on 29 November. At Coombe Hill, one heard and/or seen regularly from 24 October, through November and into December. At Sudmeadow Marsh, one on 11 & 17 December. At Walmore, one heard on 22 October, two on 11 November.
Moorhen: Regular in fair numbers. At Ashleworth, two on 8 December. At Coombe Hill, five on 27 November, three on 1 December.
Coot: At Gwen Finch reserve up to eleven throughout the period, but 126 at Kemerton on 21 December. In Gloucestershire, much less numerous than Moorhen in early winter. At Mythe Brick-pits, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, up to three in 24 December, none at Coombe Hill.
Waders
There were a few records of late migrants passing through but, as usual in recent years, numbers of waders wintering in the Severn Hams, particularly in dry years like this one, have been very low.
Oystercatcher: At Grimley, one on 22 December.
Golden Plover: In Gloucestershire, wintering Golden Plover have for some years deserted the Severn Vale to winter in large numbers on the estuary. But some clearly stay in south Worcestershire: 250+ with 300 Lapwing near Smite Farm, north of Worcester, on 22 November; at Ryall GP 200+ on 10 November; regular records west of Fladbury in the Lower Moor area on many dates, e.g. 82 on 7 October, 95 on 13 October, 218 on 23 October, 186 on 8 November, 160 on 30 November, 170 on 12 December & 27 December.
Other records perhaps relate to passing migrants: at Gwen Finch 22 on 1 October, nine on 9 October; at Ashleworth, one migrant flew south on 8 October.
Lapwing: At Kemerton, 215 on 1 October, 61 on 31 October.
Numbers wintering in Gloucestershire were very low, with no appreciable flocks before Christmas apart from cold weather movements down the Severn. At Gwen Finch, six on 14 October; at Bredon’s Hardwick, 22 on 18 October, 40 on 29 November, 35 on 24 December. There were weather movements on 20 November, when 180 flew southwards over Coombe Hill, on 17 December, when 160 flew southwest over Sudmeadow in cold weather, and 24 December when 300 flew south over Ashleworth; then a flock of 180-200 between Ashleworth and Coombe Hill on 27/29 December. Otherwise, at Ashleworth, ten on 22 November, 15 on 26 December; at Coombe Hill, 10 on 29 December; and at Walmore, 38 on 9 December.
Knot: One, well out of its normal estuarine wintering area and habitat, at Bredon’s Hardwick on 19 November mirrored a similar record on 5 October 2006.
Dunlin: Most records were of straggling autumn migrants, but the occasional individual turned up in December: at Grimley, one on 13 November, and 16 December; at Gwen Finch, two on 1 October; at Bredon’s Hardwick, seven on 21 December; at Coombe Hill, one from 3 to 17 October, then four on 8 December.
Little Stint: Again mainly late migrants, no doubt largely juveniles: at Grimley, a juvenile from 14 to 17 October, and at Coombe Hill, one on 3, 10 and 17/18 October (noted as juvenile on latter date).
Ruff: Occasionally occurs in winter floods, but most of these records were no doubt late passage migrants: at Grimley two on 3 October, one on 7 & 9 October; at Ryall GP, one on 19 October; at Longdon Marsh, a juvenile on 3 October; a juvenile male at Gwen Finch on 10 October. At Coombe Hill, one was recorded from 3 to 11 October.
Jack Snipe: The number of records and individuals was distinctly higher in Worcestershire than in Gloucestershire. At Grimley New Workings, up to six from 20 October, up to three in November, and as many as twelve on 16 December; at Castlemorton Common, one on 28 October and five on 27 December; at Clifton GP, singles on 11 November, and 26 & 31 December. At Ryall GP, 4 on 10 November, one on 30 December. At Gwen Finch, one on 3, 9 October. At Kemerton, nine on 9 November, five on 12 December, nine on 27 December.
At Ashleworth, one on 30 October; two on 3 November, one on 14 November; one at Hasfield on 22 & 24 December. At Coombe Hill, less than usual, perhaps because of the high water levels retained in the Long Pool (formerly the preferred site in the Severn Hams): seven on 3 October, one on 13 and 30 October; one on Cobney Meadows on 27 November. At Longford, one flushed from Hatherley Brook on 17 December was taken by a Sparrowhawk. At Walmore, one on 3 December.
Snipe: At Kemerton, 18 on 24 October, 21 on 18 December. On the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury, 34 on 21 December. At Ashleworth, two on 8 October, many calling at first light on 15 October, ten on 30 October, 40 on 13 November; only five over whole area on 29 November, 12 on 5 December, 20 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, three on 8 October, five on 30 October and 20 November; with deeper water on the Long Pool at Coombe Hill, Cobney Meadows seems to have become the preferred winter spot for this species: 15 on 27 November, 40 on 22 December and 60 on 29 December. At Leigh Meadows, ten on 27 December. At Sandhurst, three on 17 December. At Port Ham, one on 19 October, three on 20 October, one on 11 November. At Walmore, smaller numbers after the huge quantities in August: ten on 7 October, five on 22 October, six on 11 November, five on 28 November, twelve on 3 December, fourteen on 29 December.
Woodcock: At Castlemorton Common, one flushed on 14 December. Near Lower Moor, three on several dates from 1 to 12 December. At Kemerton, one on 12 November, with birds reported from more than 15 sites on the Kemerton estate. Two at Sudmeadow on 6 December, one on 11 December.
Curlew: As usual in winter, when breeding birds move to the estuary, not a single record.
Greenshank: At Coombe Hill, one late migrant from 3 to 6 October.
Redshank: Few records of this species which also deserts the meadows in winter: two at Grimley from 17 to 29 December; one at Clifton GP from 29 to 31 December; one at Lower Moor on 23 October; unusually, one at Coombe Hill on 17, two on 19 November, one on 20 and 27 November, 8 December.
Green Sandpiper: This species occurs in the vales not only as a frequent autumn passage migrant, but fair numbers stay throughout the winter, particularly in areas where there is running water, with records from Worcestershire much more numerous than those form Gloucestershire. At Grimley New Workings, up to four throughout October, up to three in November and one or two in December. At Clifton GP, four on 28 October, up to seven in 17 November, with one or two on many dates in December. At Ryall GP, two on 30 December. At Lower Moor, one on 12 December, two on 27 December.
At Mythe Brook, one on 30 November. At Ashleworth, two on 8 October, one on 11 October and 9 November. At Coombe Hill, one or two in October, one or two on many dates in November and December; one on Cobney Meadows from 27 November to 22 December. At Leigh Meadows, one on 26/27 December. At Sudmeadow, two on 2 December, one on 6 December.
Gulls and Terns
Few gulls (and no terns) recorded on the meadows, though they are regularly seen passing over between the estuary roost and landfill sites where they feed by day.
Great Black-backed Gull: Unusually, three on floodwater with other gulls at Coombe Hill on 29 December; two at Bredon’s Hardwick on 30 December.
Owls
Barn Owl: At Kemerton, one on 4 December, two on 12 December. At Gwen Finch, one on 3 October. At Ashleworth, one calling at first light on 8 and 15 October.
Long-eared Owl: One flushed from a new roost on 11 December, presumably a recent arrival following cold weather. Report of up to four at traditional sites.
Woodpeckers
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: No records.
Passerines
Skylark: Fewer records than usual of this species which must have been hard hit by the summer floods. At Mythe Brook, one or two on 30 November. At Ashleworth, meagre passage: one over to the southwest on 8 October and five on 15 October. A single bird was seen in the whole area on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, two or three migrants flew over on 16 October. Only one was found on 27 November; heard over Cobney Meadows on 22 December. At Leigh Meadows, four on 4 December. At Walmore, 50 on 7 October (mostly migrants overhead), only one on 28 November.
Meadow Pipit: The usual autumn passage (mainly of juveniles), some being caught for ringing at Ashleworth; smaller numbers stayed to winter.
At Grimley, a high figure of 450 on 7 October (joined by a Richard’s Pipit!). At Mythe Brook, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, 60 on 3 October, 75 over to southwest on 8 October (15 of them caught, including two adults); on 15 October, 25 flew over (two juveniles caught); 40 flew over on 16 October; 25 roosting on 17 October, 20 on 3 November was monthly maximum, 40 on 5 December, 10 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, 60 on 3 October (monthly maximum) 40 on 30 October; 35 feeding on wet field on 20 November with wagtails (monthly maximum); only five on 1 December, 15 on 22 December. At Leigh Meadows, two or three on 4 December. At Port Ham, 30 on 9 October. At Sudmeadow, 30 on 17 December. At Walmore, 105 on 7 October, 30 on 22 October, 48 on 28 November, 40 on 6 December. At Rodley, ten on 28 November.
Water and Rock Pipits: Both in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, small numbers of Water Pipits were recorded, the first for 22 years at Grimley and probably the first ever in the upper Severn Vale in Gloucestershire. All the Worcs Water Pipit records came from Grimley and seemed to relate to a single individual seen regularly from 9 November until the end of the year. In Gloucestershire up to five were found, generally feeding with Meadow Pipits and wagtails, from late October with most records in November: at Ashleworth, one on 31 October/1 November, two on 2 November, three on 3 November, one on 4 November, 2+ on 8 November, two to five on 9 November, three on 13/14 November, one on 20 November, four on 24 November, one on 11 December. At Coombe Hill, two associating with 35 Meadow Pipits on 19 November, two on 21 November. At Walmore, still 80 on 3 December.
In addition up to six Rock Pipits, a species noted only on the estuary in Gloucestershire, were recorded at Grimley from 3 to 20 October.
Given these records, the heavy passage of Meadow Pipits, and observations in the last two years of Richard’s and Red-throated Pipits, more attention should certainly be paid in future to pipits.
Grey Wagtail: At Kemerton, two on 3 November. One on the Great Hay Meadow, on 25 November. At Ashleworth, two on 17 November, one on 29 November. At Wainlodes, one on 4 & 22 December. At Coombe Hill, singles in October and November, two on 17 October, 13 November, one on 1 December. At Leigh Meadows, one on 26 December. At Sudmeadow, two on 22 October. At Llanthony Weir in Gloucester, three on 22 October, one in late October. At Rodley, one on 28 November.
Cetti’s Warbler: At the Mythe, one on 21 December.
Great Grey Shrike: One at Defford airfield (Worcs) on 16 October was not found on 18 October. Possibly the same bird was at Hasfield Ham from 17 October to 29 November, probably the first for the reserve.
Starling: The traditional roost at Kemerton held 1,400 birds on 14 November; waves of birds were seen moving southwest from that direction at Mythe Brook on 30 November and at Coombe Hill on 1 & 4 December. Another roost in Gloucester near Barton Street held about 10,000 birds on 16 December. At Ashleworth, good numbers on damp fields throughout autumn, with maxima of 2,000 on 22 November and 1,000 on 5 December. At Coombe Hill, 100 on 27 November. At Leigh Meadows, 200 on 4 December. At GLS sharp increase to 1,450 on 22 October.
Lapland Bunting: Two records of this infrequently recorded species, both on the same day: one at Grimley, one at Walmore on 7 October (date of the Richard’s Pipit at Grimley!).
Corn Bunting: Recorded only from Worcestershire, where the species seems to be much more numerous: at Lower Moor, two on 9 December, 11 on 12 December, 10 on 17 December.
These are unconfirmed records, compiled by M. Smart from his own observations and those of David Anderson, Gordon Avery, Les Brown, Colin Butters, Mervyn Greening, Andy Jayne, Julia Newth and Lawrence Skipp, with some cherries picked from the Gloster Birder and Worcester Birding websites.
NOTES ON BIRDS IN THE SEVERN AND AVON VALES (THE “SEVERN HAMS”), GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND SOUTH WORCESTERSHIRE OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2007
Mike Smart
General introduction
The main sites are (from the north):
Along the Severn in Worcestershire, there are a series of well-watched gravel workings which attract many water birds, notably waders; these are (from the north): Grimley (on the west bank just north of Worcester), Clifton (on the east bank just south of Kempsey); and Ryall (on the east bank opposite Upton). Upton Warren Nature reserve is north of Droitwich and is outside the area of the present report, but is occasionally mentioned as it attracts many significant birds.
Upton Ham (Worcs), the Upper Ham, a hay meadow south of the town, is an SSSI and is the best conserved of the riverside hams in botanical terms; south of the old railway embankment is the Lower Ham.
Longdon Marsh (Worcs), a nearly enclosed basin north of the M50 motorway, flowing via the Longdon Brook to the Severn, just above the Mythe north of Tewkesbury.
Avon Meadows (on either side of the Avon, going north from Tewkesbury), along the border between Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and including: the restored gravel pits at Bredon’s Hardwick (Worcs); Upham Meadow (sometimes called the “Great Hay Meadow”) and Summer Leasow at Twyning (Glos); Rectory Farm Meadows, across the Avon from Upham Meadow (Worcs); Strensham Pits, sludge pools below the waterworks at Strensham (Worcs); further north along the Worcestershire Avon is the Gwen Finch Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Reserve near Nafford (Worcs), an area of shallow lakes by the Avon; between Pershore and Fladbury is Lower Moor. Just to the east of Bredon is Kemerton Lake (Worcs), a restored gravel pit in the valley of the Carrant Brook, which flows through Cowfield Marsh into the Avon just above Tewkesbury.
The “Severn Hams” between Tewkesbury and Gloucester, in which the main wetland areas are: Ashleworth and Hasfield Hams; Coombe Hill Canal and Meadows (including Cobney Meadows at the western end); and the Leigh Meadows alongside the River Chelt and Leigh Brook above Wainlodes; Barrow Ponds are beside the Chelt, east of the A 38. Ashleworth Ham and Coombe Hill are Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserves, and are particularly well-watched. This area also includes: the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury; the Severn between Lower Lode and Haw Bridge; and the Severn from Wainlodes, past Ashleworth Quay and Sandhurst, to Gloucester. The River Leadon flows into the Severn just above Gloucester, but its valley, extending back past Newent, has been little prospected. Near Sandhurst and Maisemore there are a number of abandoned overgrown riverside brick-pits. Maisemore Ham is now largely converted to arable farming.
Sites on the edge of urban Gloucester, once flood meadow: Port Ham and Castlemeads on Alney Island, Sudmeadow, and the Gloucester Landfill Site (GLS). Port Ham has recently been restored and some shallow scrapes dug; at the southern end of Port Ham is Lower Parting where the two arms of the Severn meet again; Sudmeadow is immediately south of Lower Parting; GLS attracts large numbers of gulls, and has a pond attractive to passage and some resident waterbirds.
Minsterworth Ham, on the west bank of the Severn below Gloucester.
Walmore Common, on the west bank of the Severn below Gloucester; also the little marsh at Rodley (Wilmore Common), west of Walmore, along the stream west of Boxbush Farm.
Elmore Back, on the east bank of the Severn below Gloucester, opposite Walmore.
Most of these sites are marshes which flood when the level of the Severn is high (either because of water coming down from North Wales, or because of high tides downstream; or more often a combination of both), thus preventing local streams from reaching the Severn, so that they back flood. When there is a major Severn flood, with water coming over the flood-banks along the river, there may be extensive floods over the whole floodplain area. The major Severn tributary, the Avon, does not have flood-banks in many places and so floods easily above Tewkesbury. The River Chelt holds running water, and is small enough to have muddy edges and mud banks. Coombe Hill Canal is a long disused and overgrown canal, which runs through the centre of Coombe Hill Meadows. Bredon’s Hardwick gravel pits, Mythe Hook, Sandhurst and Maisemore brick pits, and Walham Pools are all artificial excavations in the floodplain or along the rivers. Barrow Ponds are created by the artificial damming of a small tributary of the Chelt.
Weather and flooding: general
A generally dry autumn after the massive flooding of the summer. Weather patterns were generally anticyclonic in early October, with high pressure over Europe extending eastwards to the UK and easterly winds at the beginning of the month; occasional Atlantic fronts got through however, with fair amounts of rain on 9 October. Westerly depressions continued until 16 October, when there was heavy rain all day; then, until 19 October, a few days of cold weather, clear night skies with a hint of frost and easterly winds. The weather in late October and the first half of November was generally dry and mild, with light north-westerly winds, but there were short periods of easterly winds, with a sharp frost on 5 November. Nationally, November was dry (only 22 drier Novembers in the last 100 years), and temperatures were slightly above average. Heavy rain fell on 18/19 November, with even a light dusting of snow on the hills, and very cold with sharp overnight frosts on 22 and especially 23 November; mild with westerly winds till end of November. December was relatively dry, with the mean temperature near average. The weather turned wintry from 1 December, with strong cold westerly winds and fairly heavy rain on 2 and 5 December; then, for the next fortnight, the weather was dominated by a huge anticyclone over Europe, with cold easterly winds, frequent frost overnight and some fog by day; the anticyclone finally declined gradually, giving way to frontal weather from the Atlantic from 22 December until the end of the month, with the first rain for some time on 22 December, and quite heavy showers round Christmas.
Severn levels were low in October and early November, with little or no flooding on the meadows; however, water often hung about on the surface, partly because of the high water table after the summer floods, partly because these floods had drowned most of the earthworms, so that the topsoil was poorly drained. Levels rose after the rain of 18/19 November, causing local streams to back up and a slight rise in levels on meadows, but dropped again from 22 November. The rain of early December caused the Severn level (and in turn local ditch levels) to rise, with quite extensive flooding on meadows from 4 December, peaking 9-12 December, dropping by 15 December. The heavy showers round Christmas raised water levels from 26 December onwards.
Conditions at the main sites
Ashleworth/Hasfield Hams: The three pools on the GWT reserve were still full of water in early October, but water levels were otherwise low; the main reserve fields were mown at last in early October (mowing was impossible earlier because of the summer floods); young willows at the southern end of reserve were cut back and the brash was burnt in October, and another 30 metres of hedge along Ham Road were re-laid. There was little flooding until Ashleworth reserve and Hasfield Ham were lightly flooded by the rain of 18/19 November; the first three boards were inserted in the Ashleworth sluice on 18 November to maintain these water levels, and the fourth board on 23 November, resulting in a rise in water levels on the reserve, with the main area of the reserve covered with a thin film of water for the first time this autumn in the last week of November, then rising again in the first few days of December, with extensive flooding in the middle of the month; after this flood had dropped, a final board was inserted in the sluice on 15 December bringing water levels to their winter norm by 22 December; they rose again slightly from 26 December. With low autumn water levels, ringing of passerines continued until late October.
Coombe Hill: In early October, the scrapes and Long Pool were still full of water, which had lasted all summer; most vegetation round the scrapes had been killed off by the summer flooding; young willows on the islands in the scrapes were cleared to improve nesting conditions for waders next year. Water levels remained constant at this level until late November, then rose in early December, with extensive flooding from 9 to 12 December, then dropping again; slightly more water on scrapes from 26 December, and scrapes submerged on 29 December.
Leigh Meadows: No surface flooding in October/November, surface water on fields in early December, and flooding in mid-month, dropping again by 22 December; River Chelt high again on 31 December.
Walmore Common: No flooding in October; very light flooding on 21 November, following local rain, had dropped again by 28 November, more light flooding following rain of 2 December, and quite extensive shallow flooding on 9 December, which receded by mid-month.
BIRD RECORDS
Grebes
Little Grebe: At the Gwen Finch reserve there were up to two throughout the period and, at Kemerton, 14 on 11 October, seven on 21 December.
At the Mythe, one on 21 December. At Ashleworth, odd singles from 26 October to 7 November and on 11 & 29 December. On the Severn near Sandhurst, two on 17 December. At Coombe Hill, one on 3 October and 7 November.
Great Crested Grebe: At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of seven on 18 October, eleven on 25 November, two in late December.
Cormorant: At Bredon’s Hardwick, the main loafing and fishing spot, monthly maxima of 19 on 18 October, 41 on 25 November, 38 on 24 December. At least ten along the Severn above Tewkesbury on 30 November. Most other records were of birds flying up and down the Severn on their way to or from Bredon’s Hardwick: at Wainlodes, one over the river on 16 October; at Coombe Hill, three flew over on 27 November, six to north on 29 December.
Little Egret: As usual, numbers petered out in autumn and there were very few winter records: singles at: Grimley on 31 December; Lower Moor on 17 October; Kemerton on 14 October; Hasfield Ham on 13 November; and in flight over Sudmeadow on 18 November.
Grey Heron: At Gwen Finch, one or two from October to December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, one or two from 14 October to 24 December. At the Mythe, ten together on 30 November. At Ashleworth, singles October to December. At Coombe Hill, up to three, from November to December. At Walmore, one on 28 November.
Mute Swan: On the Avon Meadows, the wintering flock of 27 on 29 November included a couple of ringed birds that had been seen at Coombe Hill in the summer, 25 on 30 December. At Mythe brick-pits, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, two adults with four full-grown cygnets on 17 October. At Coombe Hill, 3AY and mate (which had nested there in summer) were still present from October to December, while a flock of eight Mutes were grazing with Whoopers on the only really fresh grass on the southern meadows from 27 November to 4 December, before the flood; at Leigh Meadows, a family party of four (two full-grown cygnets), grazing on fresh grass on 4 December, were joined after the flood by up to 20 Mutes and the Whoopers at the end of December. These Mutes returned to roost on the Coombe Hill scrapes, 16 were seen roosting on scrapes, then going to graze on the meadows on 22 December. At Walmore Common, a family party of five from late November, seven on 6 December, nine on 9 December, 15 (five cygnets) on 31 December.
Whooper Swan: With little water at Ashleworth, the first arrivals went straight to the estuary as they had done in 2004/05 and 2005/06; two were seen on the early date of 18 October at Slimbridge, and then disappeared. A quite separate group of three adults and five cygnets were on the water at Upton Warren on 18 November until 09h30 when they flew south. What must have been the same birds were in the Teme Valley near Bransford Bridge, close to Worcester, from 19 to 23 November, but were not found again anywhere else. Where did they go?
There were occasional sightings of two birds in the Coombe Hill area in mid-November (very probably the birds first seen at Slimbridge in October), though none were found feeding in the usual preferred site on the Leigh Meadows; two on 11 November and again on 19 November (when they landed on the scrape in mid morning with some Mutes). Two were seen briefly in flight over Slimbridge at 09h30 on 21 November, but not found there again. Two were seen at Coombe Hill (again with Mutes) at mid morning on 23 November; then from 27 November until 4 December, two adult Whoopers were found feeding with Mutes in secluded fields on the southern meadows, not used in previous winters; these were fields from which the mat of dead grass left by the summer floods had been removed, and were clearly more palatable to the swans; to judge by their behaviour on 27 November, (very relaxed and unconcerned by passing farm workers), they had probably been there for some time, perhaps since the beginning of the month. Two were seen coming to roost on the scrape at Coombe Hill on the evening of 27 November, and heard leaving the scrapes at first light on 1 December. The two birds remained grazing on the same southern meadows until water levels began to rise around 9 December; they were not found there after 15 December, presumably because the floodwater had affected the quality of the grazing and because sheep had grazed the grass down; two were on fields near Ashleworth on 17 December, then were seen grazing on another field of agriculturally improved grass with no dead mat on Leigh Meadows in the last week of December. It seems certain that all these records refer to the same two birds.
Bewick’s Swan: Autumn counts from the Netherlands indicate that summer 2007 was a very poor breeding season on the tundra, the second worst on record with only 3.8% young (1997 was the worst with 2.3%). First arrivals at Slimbridge were six, including a pair (the same individuals that have been the first to arrive for the last three years) on 18 October, following clear skies, cool temperatures and easterly winds. On 20 October, the seven birds present left Slimbridge at 08h10; what must have been the same birds were seen flying south over Ashleworth at 09h35 and were back at Slimbridge at 10h40; seven were seen again on the water at Coombe Hill early on 24 October; so, as in previous years, newly arrived Bewick’s seem to reconnoitre the situation in potential feeding areas in the neighbourhood soon after arrival; they will have been disappointed to find it so dry this year. These two October records were the only ones in the Severn Hams until the last few days of the year. By 31 October, 31 different individuals had visited Slimbridge. Six were seen flying low over Gloucester towards Slimbridge after dark on 14 November. The first pair with cygnets arrived at Slimbridge on 15 November. By 30 November, 61 birds (still only one juvenile) were present, out of 93 individuals recorded so far this winter. There was little or no indication of any use of other feeding sites in the area, because they were all so dry. The easterly winds and cold weather in mid-December led to a considerable influx: the maximum on the reserve was up to 68 on 17 December, increasing sharply to 114 on 17 December and to 172 on 21 December, by which date 211 individuals had been recorded (only nine cygnets).
At Walmore, where Slimbridge birds regularly go to graze, two adults plus a cygnet were seen briefly on 17 November, two on 18 November. But records there were few and far between: no more in November or early December; then eight (six adults and two cygnets) on 23 December; 17 (all adults, highest count so far) on 26 December; nine (eight adults and a yearling, all unringed) on 29 December, 17 (including one yearling and two cygnets) on 30 December, eleven (all adults, none ringed) on agriculturally improved grassland on 31 December.
At Leigh Meadows, one yearling (wearing yellow ring 675) was seen with Whoopers and Mutes from 26 to 31 December. Interestingly, this was a bird which had not yet visited Slimbridge this winter, and must have found its way to the Severn Hams directly, without going to Slimbridge.
Geese
Pink-footed Goose: An unusual record of one with Canada Geese at Lower Moor from 17 December to the end of the year. In the previous days prior, a strong movement had brought good numbers of Pinkfeet into the North & East Midlands. This bird was presumably a straggler from this influx, as there had been no known feral or escaped birds anywhere in the area earlier in the year. This scenario has been seen in other years, the vagrant joining the local feral geese flocks, and becoming imprinted on the habits and lifestyle of the wild birds, possibly explaining the extended stays.
Greylag Goose: At Bredon’s Hardwick, 92 on 1 October, 195 on 14 October (apparently the highest ever count in Worcs), 110 on 4 December, 55 on 30 December. At Ashleworth, eight had roosted on 5 December. At Coombe Hill, a lone bird with a broken wing present from October till the end of the year; six flew in on 16 October.
Canada Goose: The usual winter influxes along the Avon and Severn. At Lower Moor, 150 on 16 December. At Gwen Finch reserve, 47 on 24 December. At Kemerton, 274 on 1 October, 330 on 11 October, 500 on 8 November. At Bredon’s Hardwick, 44 on 30 December; on the Great Hay Meadow, 80 on 14 October, 160 on 30 December. The above records probably refer to the same birds moving about.
At Ashleworth, two with broken wings had summered and were present throughout the autumn. The usual winter build-up occurred with a lower peak, due no doubt to the dry conditions: ten were seen on 15 October, 35 on 22 November; 60 had roosted on 5 December; 75 flew in from Coombe Hill on 8 December; 180 roosting on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, 150 had roosted on 16 October, then flew off after feeding round scrapes; 160 had roosted on 27 November, 170 on 26 December, 240 on 29 December; most flying off to north (to feed where – on the Avon?), some to south. There is much interchange between Coombe Hill and Ashleworth, so the above records will certainly refer to the same group, and there may indeed also be interchange with birds from the Avon.
Barnacle Goose: A single, seen with the flock of Canada Geese, at Ashleworth on 8 December, and at Coombe Hill on 16 October and 29 December.
Egyptian Goose: At Bredon’s Hardwick, two on 10 & 14 November, and on 21 & 30 December.
Ducks
Shelduck: As in most years, small numbers began to appear towards the end of the year. At Gwen Finch reserve, seven on 24 December, eight on 30 December. On the Great Hay Meadow, an early bird on 14 October. On the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury, four on 21 December. At Coombe Hill, a single, the first of the autumn, on 24 November; two on 29 December. At Walmore, two on 3 December, six on 9 December, two on 31 December. At Rodley, four on 2 December and a party of five, already lekking, on 3 December.
Hybrid Shelduck: At Rodley, one on 3 December, probably the Australian x Paradise cross seen there on 5 January.
Mandarin: A drake at Kemerton on 28 November. A female at Walmore on 22 October.
Surface-feeding ducks
Small numbers in October and early November, mainly at Coombe Hill because Ashleworth was dry. With increased water levels at Ashleworth in the last ten days of November and in mid December, numbers built up there.
Wigeon: At Gwen Finch reserve, two on 14 October, six on 25 November. At Kemerton, 42 on 14 November, 60 on 4 December, 125 on 13 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of 92 on 14 October, 120 on 25 November, and a brief peak (which must have included all the Wigeon in the vales) of 1,150 on 24 December. At Mythe Brook, 60 on 30 November. At Ashleworth, five on 15 October, 30 on 20 November, 140 on 22 November, 250+ on 5 December, 300 on 8 December, 500 on 24 December, 350 on 27 December. At Coombe Hill, 27 on 3 October, 18 grazing round scrape on 16 October and decoying towards a passing fox, 62 (monthly maximum) on 24 October; 150 on 20 November, much smaller numbers in the first three weeks of December (41 on 4 December, only 12 on 22 December), but 950 on 18 December, 340 on higher water on 29 December. Much exchange between Ashleworth and Coombe Hill.
Gadwall: At Gwen Finch reserve, one on 14 October. At Ashleworth, maxima of five in November, seven in December. At Sandhurst, eight at on 17 December.
Teal: At Gwen Finch reserve, 72 on 14 October, 85 on 8 November, 260 on 24 December. At Kemerton, 50 on 21 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, maxima of two in 14 October, 20 on 25 November and 28 on 30 December. At Mythe Brook, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, 127 on 24 November, up to 200 throughout December. At Coombe Hill, 50 on 3 October, 60 on 27 November, about 200 on 18/22 December. At Walmore, 11 on 7 October, 100 on 28 November, 166 on 9 December, 200 on 31 December.
Mallard: At Gwen Finch reserve 55 on 8 November, 35 on 24 December. At Kemerton, up to 145 in 14 November. At Bredon’s Hardwick, monthly maxima of 54 on 14 October, 50 on 8 November, 25 on 30 December. At Mythe Brook, 20 on 30 November. At Ashleworth, 30 on 29 November, 55 on 8 December. At Coombe Hill, 65 on 10 October (monthly maximum), 50 on 16 October, 30 in late November and December. At Leigh Meadows 20 on 4 December. At Walmore, five on 28 November, 66 on 9 December.
Pintail: The rather dry early part of the winter did not produce the flocks of several hundred seen in some wet autumns, and numbers remained low until the light flooding of early December.
At Grimley New Workings, two on 21 November; at Clifton GP a drake on 25 November. At Bredon’s Hardwick, single figures on many dates in December, but 28 on 17 December. At Kemerton, a male on 1 October, three on 17 December.
At Ashleworth, one on 22 November, five on 23 November, then 18 on 29 November and, with increasing water levels, 31 on 4 December, 70 on 8 December, 90 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, one on several dates in October, 120 on 12 December, 32 on 29 December. At Walmore, four on 9 December.
Shoveler: At Gwen Finch reserve, up to 19 November and December. At Kemerton, 14 on 1 October.
At Ashleworth, 20 on 22 November, 58 on 27 November, 75 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, 30 on 3 October, 40 on 10 October, 45 on 10 November, then much smaller numbers until 60 on 8 December, 50 on 15 December. At Walmore, six on 29 December.
Diving ducks
Pochard: At Kemerton, 25 on 13 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, six on 14 October. At Coombe Hill, the solitary female present since late August stayed throughout the autumn until at least 27 December.
Red-crested Pochard: A drake was seen near Grimley from 9 – 17 October, at Grimley New Workings on 6 November, at Bredon’s Hardwick on 11 November, then at Lower Moor from 30 November until the end of the year; presumably the same bird in all cases.
Tufted Duck: At Gwen Finch, one female on 30 December. At Bredon’s Hardwick, nine on 9 October. At Mythe brick-pits, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, one on 24 December.
Goldeneye: Recorded regularly in Worcestershire, but not in Gloucestershire. At Grimley New Workings, up to four, including an occasional drake from 30 October until the end of the year; at Kemerton, a female on 14 November and 4 December; at Bredon’s Hardwick, a male and a female on 25 November.
Goosander: Most records again from Worcestershire (this species is recorded in numbers on reservoirs in the north of the county): at Clifton GP, a female on 11 November; at Bredon’s Hardwick, up to three (normally redheads but including an occasional drake) on several dates from 11 November until 6 December. At Kemerton, two redheads on 28 November, one on 4 December. A redhead at Coombe Hill on 27 October and 10 November.
Ruddy Duck: At Kemerton, one on 14 November.
Raptors
Goshawk: At Coombe Hill, one performing a gliding flight (almost like display) on 20 November.
Hobby: A late juvenile at Lower Moor on 23 October.
Merlin: Records from Worcestershire are strikingly more frequent than Gloucestershire. A male at Ryall GP on 30 December. A male near Lower Moor on 30 November, and in December. A female at Gwen Finch on 23 November. At Walmore, an adult male on 29 December.
Peregrine: At Grimley one on 7 December. At Clifton GP, two on 17 November and 22 December, one 29 December. At Longdon Marsh, one on 15 November. At Gwen Finch, two on 17 December.
At Ashleworth, one (often on the pylons on the Hasfield side) from 3 to 27 October, (noted as a male on 18 October), and throughout November and December (at least two different birds). At Coombe Hill, one resting on a tree near the canal on many dates from 3 October to late December (at least two different birds involved, one male, one female, probably the same birds as at Ashleworth). At Leigh Meadows one on 29 December. At Walmore, one on 11 November (immature) and 9 December.
Gamebirds and Rails
Water Rail: At Kemerton, two on 24 October & 14 November. At the Mythe, two calling on 21 December. At Ashleworth, one was calling on 29 November. At Coombe Hill, one heard and/or seen regularly from 24 October, through November and into December. At Sudmeadow Marsh, one on 11 & 17 December. At Walmore, one heard on 22 October, two on 11 November.
Moorhen: Regular in fair numbers. At Ashleworth, two on 8 December. At Coombe Hill, five on 27 November, three on 1 December.
Coot: At Gwen Finch reserve up to eleven throughout the period, but 126 at Kemerton on 21 December. In Gloucestershire, much less numerous than Moorhen in early winter. At Mythe Brick-pits, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, up to three in 24 December, none at Coombe Hill.
Waders
There were a few records of late migrants passing through but, as usual in recent years, numbers of waders wintering in the Severn Hams, particularly in dry years like this one, have been very low.
Oystercatcher: At Grimley, one on 22 December.
Golden Plover: In Gloucestershire, wintering Golden Plover have for some years deserted the Severn Vale to winter in large numbers on the estuary. But some clearly stay in south Worcestershire: 250+ with 300 Lapwing near Smite Farm, north of Worcester, on 22 November; at Ryall GP 200+ on 10 November; regular records west of Fladbury in the Lower Moor area on many dates, e.g. 82 on 7 October, 95 on 13 October, 218 on 23 October, 186 on 8 November, 160 on 30 November, 170 on 12 December & 27 December.
Other records perhaps relate to passing migrants: at Gwen Finch 22 on 1 October, nine on 9 October; at Ashleworth, one migrant flew south on 8 October.
Lapwing: At Kemerton, 215 on 1 October, 61 on 31 October.
Numbers wintering in Gloucestershire were very low, with no appreciable flocks before Christmas apart from cold weather movements down the Severn. At Gwen Finch, six on 14 October; at Bredon’s Hardwick, 22 on 18 October, 40 on 29 November, 35 on 24 December. There were weather movements on 20 November, when 180 flew southwards over Coombe Hill, on 17 December, when 160 flew southwest over Sudmeadow in cold weather, and 24 December when 300 flew south over Ashleworth; then a flock of 180-200 between Ashleworth and Coombe Hill on 27/29 December. Otherwise, at Ashleworth, ten on 22 November, 15 on 26 December; at Coombe Hill, 10 on 29 December; and at Walmore, 38 on 9 December.
Knot: One, well out of its normal estuarine wintering area and habitat, at Bredon’s Hardwick on 19 November mirrored a similar record on 5 October 2006.
Dunlin: Most records were of straggling autumn migrants, but the occasional individual turned up in December: at Grimley, one on 13 November, and 16 December; at Gwen Finch, two on 1 October; at Bredon’s Hardwick, seven on 21 December; at Coombe Hill, one from 3 to 17 October, then four on 8 December.
Little Stint: Again mainly late migrants, no doubt largely juveniles: at Grimley, a juvenile from 14 to 17 October, and at Coombe Hill, one on 3, 10 and 17/18 October (noted as juvenile on latter date).
Ruff: Occasionally occurs in winter floods, but most of these records were no doubt late passage migrants: at Grimley two on 3 October, one on 7 & 9 October; at Ryall GP, one on 19 October; at Longdon Marsh, a juvenile on 3 October; a juvenile male at Gwen Finch on 10 October. At Coombe Hill, one was recorded from 3 to 11 October.
Jack Snipe: The number of records and individuals was distinctly higher in Worcestershire than in Gloucestershire. At Grimley New Workings, up to six from 20 October, up to three in November, and as many as twelve on 16 December; at Castlemorton Common, one on 28 October and five on 27 December; at Clifton GP, singles on 11 November, and 26 & 31 December. At Ryall GP, 4 on 10 November, one on 30 December. At Gwen Finch, one on 3, 9 October. At Kemerton, nine on 9 November, five on 12 December, nine on 27 December.
At Ashleworth, one on 30 October; two on 3 November, one on 14 November; one at Hasfield on 22 & 24 December. At Coombe Hill, less than usual, perhaps because of the high water levels retained in the Long Pool (formerly the preferred site in the Severn Hams): seven on 3 October, one on 13 and 30 October; one on Cobney Meadows on 27 November. At Longford, one flushed from Hatherley Brook on 17 December was taken by a Sparrowhawk. At Walmore, one on 3 December.
Snipe: At Kemerton, 18 on 24 October, 21 on 18 December. On the Severn Ham at Tewkesbury, 34 on 21 December. At Ashleworth, two on 8 October, many calling at first light on 15 October, ten on 30 October, 40 on 13 November; only five over whole area on 29 November, 12 on 5 December, 20 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, three on 8 October, five on 30 October and 20 November; with deeper water on the Long Pool at Coombe Hill, Cobney Meadows seems to have become the preferred winter spot for this species: 15 on 27 November, 40 on 22 December and 60 on 29 December. At Leigh Meadows, ten on 27 December. At Sandhurst, three on 17 December. At Port Ham, one on 19 October, three on 20 October, one on 11 November. At Walmore, smaller numbers after the huge quantities in August: ten on 7 October, five on 22 October, six on 11 November, five on 28 November, twelve on 3 December, fourteen on 29 December.
Woodcock: At Castlemorton Common, one flushed on 14 December. Near Lower Moor, three on several dates from 1 to 12 December. At Kemerton, one on 12 November, with birds reported from more than 15 sites on the Kemerton estate. Two at Sudmeadow on 6 December, one on 11 December.
Curlew: As usual in winter, when breeding birds move to the estuary, not a single record.
Greenshank: At Coombe Hill, one late migrant from 3 to 6 October.
Redshank: Few records of this species which also deserts the meadows in winter: two at Grimley from 17 to 29 December; one at Clifton GP from 29 to 31 December; one at Lower Moor on 23 October; unusually, one at Coombe Hill on 17, two on 19 November, one on 20 and 27 November, 8 December.
Green Sandpiper: This species occurs in the vales not only as a frequent autumn passage migrant, but fair numbers stay throughout the winter, particularly in areas where there is running water, with records from Worcestershire much more numerous than those form Gloucestershire. At Grimley New Workings, up to four throughout October, up to three in November and one or two in December. At Clifton GP, four on 28 October, up to seven in 17 November, with one or two on many dates in December. At Ryall GP, two on 30 December. At Lower Moor, one on 12 December, two on 27 December.
At Mythe Brook, one on 30 November. At Ashleworth, two on 8 October, one on 11 October and 9 November. At Coombe Hill, one or two in October, one or two on many dates in November and December; one on Cobney Meadows from 27 November to 22 December. At Leigh Meadows, one on 26/27 December. At Sudmeadow, two on 2 December, one on 6 December.
Gulls and Terns
Few gulls (and no terns) recorded on the meadows, though they are regularly seen passing over between the estuary roost and landfill sites where they feed by day.
Great Black-backed Gull: Unusually, three on floodwater with other gulls at Coombe Hill on 29 December; two at Bredon’s Hardwick on 30 December.
Owls
Barn Owl: At Kemerton, one on 4 December, two on 12 December. At Gwen Finch, one on 3 October. At Ashleworth, one calling at first light on 8 and 15 October.
Long-eared Owl: One flushed from a new roost on 11 December, presumably a recent arrival following cold weather. Report of up to four at traditional sites.
Woodpeckers
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: No records.
Passerines
Skylark: Fewer records than usual of this species which must have been hard hit by the summer floods. At Mythe Brook, one or two on 30 November. At Ashleworth, meagre passage: one over to the southwest on 8 October and five on 15 October. A single bird was seen in the whole area on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, two or three migrants flew over on 16 October. Only one was found on 27 November; heard over Cobney Meadows on 22 December. At Leigh Meadows, four on 4 December. At Walmore, 50 on 7 October (mostly migrants overhead), only one on 28 November.
Meadow Pipit: The usual autumn passage (mainly of juveniles), some being caught for ringing at Ashleworth; smaller numbers stayed to winter.
At Grimley, a high figure of 450 on 7 October (joined by a Richard’s Pipit!). At Mythe Brook, five on 30 November. At Ashleworth, 60 on 3 October, 75 over to southwest on 8 October (15 of them caught, including two adults); on 15 October, 25 flew over (two juveniles caught); 40 flew over on 16 October; 25 roosting on 17 October, 20 on 3 November was monthly maximum, 40 on 5 December, 10 on 24 December. At Coombe Hill, 60 on 3 October (monthly maximum) 40 on 30 October; 35 feeding on wet field on 20 November with wagtails (monthly maximum); only five on 1 December, 15 on 22 December. At Leigh Meadows, two or three on 4 December. At Port Ham, 30 on 9 October. At Sudmeadow, 30 on 17 December. At Walmore, 105 on 7 October, 30 on 22 October, 48 on 28 November, 40 on 6 December. At Rodley, ten on 28 November.
Water and Rock Pipits: Both in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, small numbers of Water Pipits were recorded, the first for 22 years at Grimley and probably the first ever in the upper Severn Vale in Gloucestershire. All the Worcs Water Pipit records came from Grimley and seemed to relate to a single individual seen regularly from 9 November until the end of the year. In Gloucestershire up to five were found, generally feeding with Meadow Pipits and wagtails, from late October with most records in November: at Ashleworth, one on 31 October/1 November, two on 2 November, three on 3 November, one on 4 November, 2+ on 8 November, two to five on 9 November, three on 13/14 November, one on 20 November, four on 24 November, one on 11 December. At Coombe Hill, two associating with 35 Meadow Pipits on 19 November, two on 21 November. At Walmore, still 80 on 3 December.
In addition up to six Rock Pipits, a species noted only on the estuary in Gloucestershire, were recorded at Grimley from 3 to 20 October.
Given these records, the heavy passage of Meadow Pipits, and observations in the last two years of Richard’s and Red-throated Pipits, more attention should certainly be paid in future to pipits.
Grey Wagtail: At Kemerton, two on 3 November. One on the Great Hay Meadow, on 25 November. At Ashleworth, two on 17 November, one on 29 November. At Wainlodes, one on 4 & 22 December. At Coombe Hill, singles in October and November, two on 17 October, 13 November, one on 1 December. At Leigh Meadows, one on 26 December. At Sudmeadow, two on 22 October. At Llanthony Weir in Gloucester, three on 22 October, one in late October. At Rodley, one on 28 November.
Cetti’s Warbler: At the Mythe, one on 21 December.
Great Grey Shrike: One at Defford airfield (Worcs) on 16 October was not found on 18 October. Possibly the same bird was at Hasfield Ham from 17 October to 29 November, probably the first for the reserve.
Starling: The traditional roost at Kemerton held 1,400 birds on 14 November; waves of birds were seen moving southwest from that direction at Mythe Brook on 30 November and at Coombe Hill on 1 & 4 December. Another roost in Gloucester near Barton Street held about 10,000 birds on 16 December. At Ashleworth, good numbers on damp fields throughout autumn, with maxima of 2,000 on 22 November and 1,000 on 5 December. At Coombe Hill, 100 on 27 November. At Leigh Meadows, 200 on 4 December. At GLS sharp increase to 1,450 on 22 October.
Lapland Bunting: Two records of this infrequently recorded species, both on the same day: one at Grimley, one at Walmore on 7 October (date of the Richard’s Pipit at Grimley!).
Corn Bunting: Recorded only from Worcestershire, where the species seems to be much more numerous: at Lower Moor, two on 9 December, 11 on 12 December, 10 on 17 December.
These are unconfirmed records, compiled by M. Smart from his own observations and those of David Anderson, Gordon Avery, Les Brown, Colin Butters, Mervyn Greening, Andy Jayne, Julia Newth and Lawrence Skipp, with some cherries picked from the Gloster Birder and Worcester Birding websites.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 p. 20
GREEN WOODPECKERS ATTACKING BEEHIVES
Michael Southall.
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| Site of woodpecker damaged beehives |
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| Woodpecker damage to beehive |
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| Two views of the damaged honeycomb seen through the woodpecker hole |
On February the 18th this year I was working in a field close to Hartlebury Castle. As I approached a row of beehives I noticed a Green Woodpecker fly away from them. On closer inspection it could be seen that the bird had made a hole in the side of one of the hives large enough for it to enter. A considerable amount of comb and honey had been either eaten or removed. Several of the other hives had been visited with some drilling damage.
I reported this to Harry Green who mentioned the attack a few years ago on a hive at Wilden Marsh, and also a wooden shed which had been perforated near Cleeve Prior. I mentioned to him that my concise Birds of the Western Palearctic made no mention of this feeding behaviour. He wrote back and said that the full version of BWP states “that in one hard winter in England there were numerous attacks on hives of bees: large holes drilled in the wood but apparently no bees eaten; birds apparently attracted by humming noise of bees (Ellement 1953) the ref is to the Bedfordshire Naturalist.” I promised to monitor the hives and take some photographs.
I next looked at the hives on the 1st March 2008. The Woodpecker or Woodpeckers had continued to damage the hives. Out of the twelve hives, nine had been damaged, seven had holes, which penetrated, into the hives and two of these had significant holes and interior comb damage. The hive with the large hole had continued to be damaged, with half the comb missing.
When I next looked in early April the beekeeper had visited the hives. He had shortened the hives by removing a section and also done some repair work. The worst affected hive had been left un-repaired, and as I turned to leave a familiar laughing cry rang out from nearby.
I happened to be talking to a local beekeeper, who mentioned that he had suffered from a Green Woodpecker attack this year. A single old-fashioned hive had been situated at Sytchampton, and was fine when he last visited in January. On his next visit he found that a Woodpecker had made a hole in the top of the hive. This had allowed water to enter, which had killed off the colony. I asked if I could photograph the hive, but he had already disposed of it.
Looking at various beekeeping websites, attacks by Green Woodpeckers are mentioned. They say that attacks most often occur during February and that they can be avoided by covering the hives in either chicken wire or plastic sheeting.
The reduced number of over-wintering bees requires a store of honey to see them through until spring. This can be helped by the beekeeper, who supplies a saturated sugar solution to the hives. The weight of the hive can determine whether the hive has enough food. More food can be supplied if it becomes light.
There is still some doubt as to what exactly the birds are doing. Are they feeding on the bees, the honey or the comb, or maybe all three?
Possibly the Honeyguides (Indicatoridae) offer a clue. They are a peculiar bird family mostly confined to Africa, and are famous for leading humans or animals to bees’ nests. They apparently do this mainly in order to eat the beeswax rather than the honey or larvae.
It will be interesting to hear whether any more hives have been attacked locally.
References
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CRAMP S (Ed) 1985. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume IV 824-837. |
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GREEN H. 2006 Woodpecker Work. Worcestershire Record 20:27 |
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GREEN H. 2006 Woodpecker Work. Worcestershire Record 21:21. |
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HOCKEY PAR, DEAN WRJ & RYAN PG. 2005 Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. New Holland Publishers |
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 31-33
WEST MIDLAND BUTTERFLY TRANSECTS 2007
John Tilt
I have now collated the 2007 transect results and sent them off to Head Office to be included in the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. A group of experts will then do some analysis to give population trends. I have included some of 2006 results to show some national trends. So how did we do in the West Midlands? 28 Transects were walked – most of these over 26 weeks from 1st April to 30th September. I estimate something over 1000 man hours of work. On top of the recording the results are keyed into the Transect Walker Software and sent to head office. So a big thank you to all those who have taken part. 31 species of butterfly were observed on the transects and over 2000 butterflies counted. Table 1 shows how 2007 compares with 2006. To compile this table I have:
Selected the transects which were done in both years Adjusted the counts to allow for missed weeks (holidays etc) Then calculated the % loss and gains from 2006.
It will of no surprise to anyone who observes butterflies that 2007 was not a good year largely due to the strange weather patterns. A mild winter – warm and sunny spring – followed by an extremely wet summer. Some of the over-wintering butterflies such as Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell showed good results but Brimstone and Comma did not show the same trend. It has to be born in mind the 2006 was the warmest year on record. But generally it can be seen that butterflies were down by 23% in the West Midland Transects. It will be interesting to see if the national results compare. Table 2 Shows the National Trends 2005/2006. One of the most important purposes of Transect recording is to monitor the best sites for BAP species (Biodiversity Action Plan). Table 3 shows how many sites were monitored for BAP species over the last 5 years. It would be useful to monitor far more sites in the West Midlands. If anyone would like to take part in this scheme please contact John Tilt – 01386 792 458 or john.tilt2@btopenworld.com
| Table 1 – Sum of Adjusted Total | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | % change | |
| Meadow Brown | 6571 | 5409 | -17.68 |
| Ringlet | 4897 | 3747 | -23.48 |
| Gatekeeper | 4895 | 2207 | -54.90 |
| Peacock | 879 | 2014 | 129.13 |
| Green-veined White | 1028 | 1370 | 33.20 |
| Speckled Wood | 1709 | 1160 | -32.10 |
| Wood White | 875 | 949 | 8.49 |
| Small White | 1625 | 938 | -42.31 |
| Marbled White | 960 | 653 | -32.05 |
| Large White | 835 | 593 | -29.01 |
| Brimstone | 555 | 499 | -10.17 |
| Small Tortoiseshell | 430 | 474 | 10.22 |
| Small/Essex Skipper | 453 | 457 | 0.99 |
| Large Skipper | 484 | 432 | -10.61 |
| Silver-washed Fritillary | 381 | 409 | 7.51 |
| Orange-tip | 429 | 409 | -4.83 |
| Red Admiral | 471 | 407 | -13.58 |
| Small Skipper | 427 | 360 | -15.71 |
| Comma | 573 | 303 | -47.08 |
| Common Blue | 797 | 184 | -76.89 |
| Pearl-bordered Fritillary | 109 | 128 | 17.38 |
| Small Copper | 319 | 124 | -61.22 |
| Large Heath | 190 | 122 | -35.79 |
| Holly Blue | 52 | 116 | 123.67 |
| White Admiral | 228 | 106 | -53.51 |
| Small Heath | 165 | 59 | -64.02 |
| Painted Lady | 392 | 51 | -87.09 |
| Green Hairstreak | 32 | 33 | 3.16 |
| Small Pearl-bordered Frit | 17 | 23 | 35.94 |
| Brown Argus | 48 | 22 | -53.27 |
| Purple Hairstreak | 109 | 19 | -82.66 |
| Grizzled Skipper | 16 | 17 | 7.09 |
| Essex Skipper | 22 | 12 | -43.57 |
| Dingy Skipper | 6 | 10 | 58.70 |
| White-letter Hairstreak | 13 | 9 | -36.46 |
| Dark Green Fritillary | 18 | 7 | -57.73 |
| Brown Hairstreak | 10 | 2 | -83.38 |
| Clouded Yellow | 34 | 1 | -96.78 |
| Wall | 124 | 1 | -99.15 |
| Grayling | 1 | -100.00 | |
| Grand Total | 31178 | 23838 | -23.54 |
| Sites |
| BLACKMINSTER |
| CASTLEMORTON COMMON |
| CHADDESLEY WOOD NEW |
| CHASE_END HILL |
| COPPETT HILL. |
| DOLEY COMMON |
| EWYAS HAROLD COMMON |
| GRAFTON WOOD |
| HAUGH_WOOD_SOUTH |
| HONEYBOURNE |
| KNAPP AND PAPERMILL |
| MONKWOOD |
| OLD HILLS REVISED |
| ST WULSTANS LNR |
| TEDSMERE |
| TITTERELLS |
| WEST MALVERN |
| WESTHOPE |
| WHIXALL FENNS MOSSES |
| WIGMORE ROLLS |
| WINDMILL HILL |
| WYRE FOREST EAST |
| Table 2 National Results | 2005 all-sites index | 2006 all-sites index | % change down | % change up |
| Small / Essex Skipper | 73 | 45 | 38 | |
| Silver-Spotted Skipper | 313 | 305 | 3 | |
| Large Skipper | 72 | 76 | 6 | |
| Dingy Skipper | 92 | 69 | 25 | |
| Grizzled Skipper | 86 | 61 | 29 | |
| Clouded Yellow | 452 | 1890 | 318 | |
| Wood White | 64 | 18 | 72 | |
| Brimstone | 118 | 129 | 10 | |
| Large. White | 108 | 88 | 19 | |
| Small White | 81 | 93 | 14 | |
| Green-veined White | 90 | 62 | 31 | |
| Orange tip | 108 | 85 | 22 | |
| Green Hairstreak. | 98 | 81 | 18 | |
| Purple Hairstreak | 109 | 61 | 45 | |
| White-letter Hairstreak | 58 | 38 | 36 | |
| Brown Hairstreak | 282 | 137 | 51 | |
| Small Copper | 75 | 111 | 47 | |
| Small Blue | 135 | 110 | 19 | |
| Silver-studded Blue | 83 | 137 | 64 | |
| Brown Argus | 122 | 157 | 29 | |
| Northern Brown Argus | 57 | 58 | 2 | |
| Common Blue | 103 | 127 | 23 | |
| Chalkhill Blue | 144 | 163 | 13 | |
| Adonis Blue | 255 | 252 | 1 | |
| Holly Blue | 195 | 137 | 30 | |
| Duke of Burgundy | 68 | 68 | 0 | |
| White Admiral | 82 | 132 | 60 | |
| Purple Emperor | 201 | 179 | 11 | |
| Red Admiral | 163 | 239 | 47 | |
| Painted Lady | 49 | 618 | 1153 | |
| Small Tortoiseshell | 45 | 33 | 26 | |
| Peacock | 92 | 78 | 15 | |
| Comma | 172 | 210 | 22 | |
| Small Pearl-bordered | 81 | 70 | 13 | |
| Pearl-bordered Fritillary | 72 | 44 | 39 | |
| High Brown Fritillary | 41 | 37 | 11 | |
| Dark Green Fritillary | 194 | 274 | 42 | |
| Silver-washed Fritillary | 158 | 303 | 92 | |
| Marsh Fritillary | 135 | 235 | 74 | |
| Heath Fritillary | 31 | 122 | 293 | |
| Speckled Wood | 147 | 137 | 7 | |
| Wall Brown | 66 | 42 | 36 | |
| Scotch Argus | 110 | 78 | 29 | |
| Marbled White | 102 | 151 | 48 | |
| Grayling | 83 | 94 | 13 | |
| Gatekeeper | 118 | 89 | 24 | |
| Meadow Brown | 120 | 104 | 14 | |
| Large Heath | 196 | 206 | 5 | |
| Small Heath | 99 | 86 | 13 | |
| Ringlet | 136 | 139 | 2 |
| Table 3 Sites monitored for BAP species | |||||||
| Species | Data | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Grand Total |
| Brown Argus | Sum of total | 7 | 4 | 16 | 42 | 14 | 83 |
| Count of site | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 18 | |
| Brown Hairstreak | Sum of total | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Count of site | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Dark Green Fritillary | Sum of total | 2 | 17 | 7 | 26 | ||
| Count of site | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |||
| Dingy Skipper | Sum of total | 1 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 41 |
| Count of site | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| Grayling | Sum of total | 1 | 6 | 7 | |||
| Count of site | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Green Hairstreak | Sum of total | 5 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 24 | 73 |
| Count of site | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 | |
| Grizzled Skipper | Sum of total | 11 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 75 |
| Count of site | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |
| Large Heath | Sum of total | 190 | 122 | 312 | |||
| Count of site | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Pearl-bordered Fritillary | Sum of total | 104 | 106 | 174 | 87 | 106 | 577 |
| Count of site | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 23 | |
| Silver-washed Fritillary | Sum of total | 152 | 228 | 227 | 350 | 307 | 1264 |
| Count of site | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 41 | |
| Small Heath | Sum of total | 84 | 117 | 120 | 156 | 59 | 536 |
| Count of site | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 38 | |
| Small Pearl-bordered Frit | Sum of total | 27 | 14 | 27 | 17 | 17 | 102 |
| Count of site | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | |
| Wall | Sum of total | 3 | 84 | 3 | 61 | 1 | 152 |
| Count of site | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 13 | |
| White Admiral | Sum of total | 90 | 134 | 179 | 222 | 93 | 718 |
| Count of site | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 31 | |
| White-letter Hairstreak | Sum of total | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 21 | |
| Count of site | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | ||
| Wood White | Sum of total | 431 | 691 | 742 | 581 | 763 | 3208 |
| Count of site | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 18 | |
| Total Sum of total | 920 | 1422 | 1535 | 1788 | 1554 | 7219 | |
| Total Count of site | 41 | 44 | 49 | 62 | 62 | 258 | |
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 25-27
MOLLUSC AND OSTRACOD FAUNAS FROM HURCOTT POOL AND ITS RIVER STOUR TRIBUTARY FEEDER STREAM, CHURCHILL AND BLAKEDOWN (SO87).
P. F. Whitehead
Introduction
The biota of the tributary streams of the River Stour that rise to the north-east of Kidderminster is interesting due to major anthropogenic impacts to their regimes. The streams, which drain Bunter Sandstones, consequently frequently have sandy beds, and eventually join the River Stour to the north of Kidderminster. I was first invited to visit the Hurcott Pool area of Churchill and Blakedown on 26 April 1980. The pool sits in a shallow valley and is mostly wooded to its margins at about 45 m O.D., the valley sides attaining 85 m or so in places.
The River Stour tributary stream that feeds Hurcott Pool has a long-extended history of management, most notably during the seventeenth century when water-powered mills and forges were a feature of the tributaries. Hurcott is cited as an early medieval berewick of Kidderminster, and its role and contribution to rural economy was certainly significant by then. At the end of the nineteenth century Hurcott Pool and other nearby pools were systematically dredged by traction engines working in tandem (anon., pers. obs., April 1980), and such management practices had presumably been in place for some time. A water bailiff was engaged during the twentieth century.
During the early spring of 1981, the sluices that held back the waters of Hurcott Pool were knocked out and the resultant fall in water level, by at least 1.6 m, reduced the surface area of the pool from about 53000 m2 to about 39000 m2. The rapid loss of such a volume of water provided no opportunity for aquatic molluscs to retreat, and the sequentially zoned habitats in the hydrosphere were immediately lost. It also prevented resident Great Crested Grebes from breeding, and Tufted Ducks abandoned the site.
I visited Hurcott Pool on 17 April 1981, and walked out from its margin on the south side for a distance of 16 m to the new water level, identifying stranded molluscs within reach of either side of the walked line, the total area covered being about 16 m2. The transect passed through rich fen and marsh communities, upper reed swamp dominated by Carex acutiformis Ehrh., with a water depth of 2-20 cm, lower reed swamp dominated by Typha latifolia L. with a water depth of 30-60 cm and then to open water up to 1.6 m deep with Nuphar lutea (L.) Smith. The width of the upper reed swamp was 2.5 m, of the lower reed swamp 5 m, and of the open water Nuphar zone 8.5 m. The bed of the pool consisted of >65 cm of coarse buff sand covered by up to 33 cm of glutinous black organic silt with plant detritus, foliage, twigs and branches in various stages of decomposition, amongst which were observed a few melanic frogs Rana temporaria (L.). Fig 1 represents the mollusc and ostracod fauna of the reed swamp and open water zones. Sampling difficulties were encountered from the mid-open water zone down, due to the presence of many small ostracod valves, mostly hinged, and small Pisidium shells, held in a matrix of glutinous sludgy organic silt impossible to manipulate in the field. The numbers of ostracods shown in Fig. 1 are extrapolated, roughly, from counts (hinged valves and separated valves divided by two) from a bulk sample of 100 gm of this silt washed through fine sieves. The Pisidium were not identified but represented only one or two species.
A spot sample from the bed of the feeder stream 450 m upstream of Hurcott Pool was also collected and its mollusc and ostracod fauna compared with that of the pool.
Observations on the lacustrine fauna of Hurcott Pool (Fig. 1)
The mollusc fauna of the reed swamp zones is composed of a number of typical species of catholic tastes, often tolerant of restricted habitats or reduced oxygen levels. The numbers of the freshwater limpet Acroloxus lacustris no doubt increased from their ability to cling to submerged twigs and branches from trees overhanging the shallower water, the network of which it preferred. The large gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis was one of only two species (Fig. 1) occurring across all water depths, but only juveniles were observed in the reed swamp; there was no field evidence to imply that exposed adults had been predated, and many of the stranded molluscs died slowly in situ. Although L. stagnalis is a pulmonate air-breathing species it is able to respire cutaneously in deeper water.
The deeper water was dominated by the widespread bivalve molluscs Anodonta cygnea and Unio pictorum, the larvae of which are fish parasites. Adults burrow into organic sediments which is why they prefer still or slow-moving water bodies. Most of the species of molluscs imply hard water.
The more intrinsically interesting species included large numbers of mud-dwelling ostracods in the open water zone. Those of the genus Candona prefer organic silty muds amongst which Candona neglecta is a relatively deep water ‘cool climate’ species, in reality probably intolerant of rapidly vacillating water levels. Pseudocandona rostrata is associated with submerged macrophytes, in this case Nuphar lutea. The large Herpetocypris chevreuxi is a clambering species which has been found, for example, in lily-ponds in Oxford (Dr E. Robinson, in litt., 24 April 1981), and is largely intolerant of moving water. Interestingly, it has a long-extended history in the region with records extending back in time 120,000 years (P.F. Whitehead, pers. obs.). Unsurprisingly, the pulmonate gastropods are scarce in the deeper water, and the relative frequencies of Radix auricularia (Fig. 1) reflect this. The total absence of the widespread gill-bearing gastropod Valvata piscinalis (Müller) is noted, as is the absence of ostracods from the reed swamp zones, although small numbers of their often very small valves would have been overlooked if buried.
Fig.1. Hurcott Pool, Churchill & Blakedown, 17 April 1981. Molluscs and ostracods (C. neglecta, P. rostrata) from three water depths: reed swamp 0-60 cm overall divided into two depths (grey and black columns), and open water 60-160 cm with Nuphar lutea (white columns). Arrangement is alphabetical by genus.
Observations on the fluvial fauna (Fig. 2)
The removal of the sluices also impacted on the flow regime of the shallow feeder stream, originating in the Clent Hills west of Birmingham. The stream was devoid of aquatic vegetation at the sample point, and had resorted its bed sediments and rafted coarse sand and shells against wood lodged in its bed. A sample of the coarse sand was collected and passed through fine sieves until 60 gms of dry material remained, the mollusc and ostracod evidence being retained for identification. The limited fauna lacks diversity and is of the expected type; the ostracod Herpetocypris chevreuxi probably derived from emergent herbage in quieter or humanly modified locations along the stream’s sinuous course. Pisidium amnicum, which prefers basic, clean, running water is represented by one juvenile shell, whilst Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a now widespread nineteenth century introduction, dominates the fauna. The absence of Valvata spp. reflects the scarcity of well-developed aquatic vegetation in the stream and the total absence of small Pisidium spp. in the sample is noted.
Fig.2. Churchill & Blakedown, 17 April 1981. Molluscs and ostracods (H. chevreuxi) from sandy bed of Hurcott Pool feeder stream. Arrangement is alphabetical by genus.
Conclusion
Although the Pisidium fauna of Hurcott Pool was not studied in detail (Fig. 1) the fluvial Pisidium amnicum and Potamopyrgus antipodarum found in its feeder stream do not occur there. The absence of small Pisidium spp. in the stream sample has been noted and, in contrast to the pool, Bithynia tentaculata is poorly represented. No large unionids occur in the stream fauna. The two faunas therefore, existing some 450 m apart, mirror the changes in flow rate, bed conditions and vegetation between the primary fluvial and secondary lacustrine man-made biotope developed from it. The increase in numbers of herbivorous molluscs in the pool, especially the planorbids and lymnaeids, reflects positively on anthropo-impacts in this instance, as does the proliferation of more or less exclusively mud-dwelling or lacustrine ostracods.
Footnote on marginal communities
The terrestrial systems flanking Hurcott Pool are also of some interest including woodland, carr and fen communities with their characteristic plants including Cruciata, Ribes rubrum L., Lamiastrum, Chrysoplenium and Caltha. On 17 April 1981 the carr supported the predatory carabid beetles Carabus nemoralis Müller and Cychrus caraboides (L.), and the arionid slug Arion silvaticus Lohmander.
Acknowledgements
In addition to people mentioned in the text I thank Mr H.J. Davies of Wyre Forest District Council and Mr P. Dwight of Kidderminster Museum, for comment on the medieval history of the River Stour valley area. I also thank the landowners for permission to visit the site.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 23-24
THE HABITAT QUALITY OF THE BOW BROOK AT DEFFORD DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BASED ON MOLLUSCAN EVIDENCE
P.F. Whitehead
The Bow Brook rises in the Himbleton area of Worcestershire and runs for some 35 km before reaching the River Avon at Defford. It drains the Jurassic clay solid geology and also the permeable Quaternary sediments derived from the activity of the River Avon throughout that time.
If one accepts that the impacts of modern agricultural regimes on fluvial biotas began in 1960, it is reasonable to assume that the evident subsequent impoverishment of those biotas is due in large part to that. That process includes the radical canalisation and dredging of watercourses with its dramatic impacts on entire systems and processes.
There is plenty of available evidence for the structure and composition of fossil aquatic mollusc faunas in Britain extending over several hundred thousand years of time. This has been gained from study of fluvial sediments long since abandoned by their rivers, but it is much more difficult to gather knowledge of recent faunal change in riverine systems due to the difficulties of dating submerged sediments.
On 3 March 1974 a major dredging operation took place on the Bow Brook in the Defford area of Worcestershire (SO9243, 14 m O.D. the site is given as Defford but the Bow Brook forms the physical boundary of Defford and Birlingham parishes). Although this practice has been repeated since, the 1974 dredging was more aggressive than anything preceding it. Features removed included ancient rock-built fords, and at one spot quantities of intensely black peaty silt, the organic basal deposits of the brook, were exposed. A bulk sample of 1.9 kg was collected and passed through successional sieves, the molluscs and ostracods being retained for identification (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Bow Brook, Defford, Worcestershire, 3 March 1974. Nineteenth century molluscs and ostracods (C. neglects, E. ornata) from 1.9kgs. bulk sample of organic bed sediment. The species arranged aphabetically by genus.
The age of the sample
Fortunately, it proved possible to date the sediment fairly precisely by reference to:
a) fragments of distinctive forms of glass bottles in use between 1780 and 1860
b) the presence of four very large examples, 6.5 mm long, of the antipodean gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum, which was unknown in Britain before 1852. This is significant because the presence of so few examples of what is now a numerous species, in such a diverse fauna, is indicative of their earliest colonisation of the region, probably about 1870
c) the presence of the orb mussel Musculium transversum, a Nearctic species first observed in Britain in 1856, and which subsequently spread rapidly but is now rare and little-known in the region
The sample represents bed sediments likely to have developed over some time, in an episode of stability, up to at least 1890. Changes in bed sedimentology at this location after that are likely to have resulted from a variety of anthropogenic impacts, initially minor, but accelerating after 1960. To forestall any notions that the sample sediments are modern and that the four P. antipodarum represent a species subject to negative selection pressure (e.g. absence of exposed pebbles) in the Bow Brook now, it is observed that the extant fauna of the Bow Brook has P. antipodarum in plenty, and that the composition of the mollusc fauna in it is now different and relatively impoverished.
The biota
Forty two species of molluscs were identified, represented by 2169 individuals, the bivalve count being given as the number of valves divided by two. The shells are well preserved, with many juvenile shells, and the assemblage is autochthonous. The two species of the genus Bithynia are lumped together for juvenile shells <0.6mm in length, and their opercula, which were fewer in number than their shells, have been excluded from the counts. Two species of ostracod were identified. Only one shell of the large bivalve, Unio pictorum, was noted, that being a juvenile nepionic shell. The molluscs represent both the aquatic habitat and terrestrial edge habitat which supported Vertigo pygmaea, Vallonia pulchella, Trichia hispida sensu lato and Zonitoides nitidus. The bank sides were evidently largely stable and well vegetated; Galba truncatula, an amphibious marginal species was present in good numbers. Vertigo pygmaea can be mildly hygrophilous, occurring for example in Typha litter, and there is no evidence of either inwashed xeric species or shade tolerant terrestrial species, such as Clausilia bidentata (Ström) and Aegopinella nitidula (Draparnaud).
The aquatic mollusc fauna clearly demonstrates the quality of the fluvial habitat over 150 years ago, with the occurrence in numbers of fastidious species, some of which are now scarce or absent in Worcestershire. These include Bithynia leachii, which accepts pristine habitats with plenty of vegetation in optimal condition. It is further attested to by high numbers of the planorbids Gyraulus albus and Gyraulus crista, and by the presence of Valvata cristata and Stagnicola palustris in numbers. The impression is of a well-vegetated, well-oxygenated, clean, clear system, with an organic bed, free of negative impacts, and with a slow flow. The two ostracods Candona neglecta and Eucypris ornata confirm these conditions. The system had probably remained more or less stable for much of post-glacial time. There is a single example of the planorbid Gyraulus laevis which, although sometimes appearing in pioneer communities, seems to abandon sites that have passed through a number of seral successions. This species could usefully be researched in the region, especially in old gravel pits, since there are few regional records of it. Gyraulus laevis and the fastidious Bithynia leachii and Pisidium moitessierianum occurred in the Bronze Age River Avon at Pensham, Worcestershire (Whitehead, 2006) so they earn their place in the primary post-glacial fluvial mollusc fauna of the regional drainage. Both are likely to be sensitive to anthropo-factors leading to light-reduction or increased phytoplankton following eutrophication.
In 1820 the adjacent landscape is likely to have been much as it now. Plant macrofossils recovered from the sample indicate that willow Salix sp., and hawthorn Crataegus sp., grew along the valley as they still do on alluvium, and that there was an abundance of Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens L. on the nearby floodplain. Oenanthe fistulosa L. grew along the bank sides with Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag. The Nineteenth Century brook contained Potamogeton sp. and Yellow Water Lily Nuphar lutea (L.) Smith, along with abundant Bulrush Schoenoplectus lacustris (L.) Palla.
The extant biota
I returned to the find site at Defford on 30 April 1981 and although I did not conduct a meticulous survey, I could find no evidence of some of the Nineteenth Century species in the modern mollusc fauna. The biologically impoverished watercourse supported Physa fontinalis, Galba truncatula, Radix peregra, Gyraulus albus and Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a somewhat featureless association of widespread species that might occur in any minor lowland watercourse in England today. Sphaerium corneum persists at the present time and Vertigo pygmaea remains numerous amongst Phragmites litter on upstream alluvium protected from adjacent agricultural practice. Changes in the aquatic vegetation have been marked. There has been a particular reduction in Ranunculus subgenus Batrachiumin the past 40 years (P.F. Whitehead, pers. obs.), to the point of obliteration. Potamogeton is now absent and Schoenoplectus lacustris also no longer occurs upstream near the find-site.
Conclusion
Molluscan evidence indicates that the Bow Brook supported an exceptional assemblage of aquatic molluscs as recently as 150 years ago and that the diverse fauna included what are now temporal relicts, some of which occurred in high numbers. Sometime after 1880, human interference, both close by and from a distance, began to impact negatively on the biota and habitat, and progressively reduced the quality of the aquatic environment to what now remains. It should not be assumed that aquatic biotas of this richness survived for so long in the region wherever they once existed, or even that they existed widely or uniformly (Shotton, 1972). Particular factors, such as, for example, the damming effect of the pre-industrial, pre-navigable, nearby River Avon on the hydrosphere of its tributaries, needs to be considered.
Acknowledgements
Dr Katherine Courtledge, during her time at the University of Sheffield, kindly helped with difficult Pisidium spp., some of which were also checked by Dr M. P. Kerney. Dr Eric Robinson identified the ostracods.
References
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SHOTTON, F. W. 1972. A comparison of modern and Bronze Age mollusc faunas from the Warwickshire-Worcestershire Avon. Proceedings of the Coventry and District Natural History and Scientific Society, 4:6:173-182. |
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WHITEHEAD, P. F. 2006. The alluvial archaeobiota of the Worcestershire River Avon. Worcestershire Record, 20:34-42. |
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 27-28
CONCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY FIELD MEETING TO ARCHENHILLS AND MILL COPPICE, NEAR SUCKLEY, WORCESTERSHIRE (GR SO709517) 13TH OCTOBER 2007
Rosemary Winnall
| Mollusc records from Archenhills Wood |
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Acanthinula aculeata L |
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Aegopinella nitidula |
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Aegopinella pura |
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Ancylus fluviatilis L |
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Arion ater agg L |
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Arion distinctus L |
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Arion distinctus L |
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Arion intermedius L |
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Arion subfuscus L |
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Carychium tridentatum L |
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Cepaea hortensis |
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Cepaea nemoralis L |
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Clausilia bidentata L |
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Cochlicopa lubrica L |
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Cochlicopa lubrica seg L |
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Deroceras reticulatum |
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Discus rotundatus |
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Ena obscura |
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Euconulus fulvus L |
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Lehmannia marginata L |
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Limax maximus L |
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Macrogastra rolphii L |
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Nesovitrea hammonis L |
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Oxychilus alliarius |
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Oxychilus alliarius |
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Oxychilus cellarius |
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Oxychilus helveticus |
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Pisidium nitidum L |
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Punctum pygmaeum L |
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Tandonia budapestensis L |
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Trichia hispida |
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Vitrea crystallina L |
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Vitrina pellucida L |
(This is a slightly edited version of an article Rosemary wrote for Mollusc World, the newsletter of the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, issue no. 16, March2008. Working together national and local members of this society have gathered many records in Worcestershire in recent years. Ed)
We gathered at the Talbot Inn at Knightwick and it was good to meet friends we had not seen for a while, and to make the acquaintance of new ones! We commiserated with Harry Green who was not well enough to attend and lead the outing this time. We shared cars to drive round to the interesting old and moated Suckley Court, from where we set off over the fields to the oak woodland, with kind permission of the owner Mr. Edward Hollaway. A family of Ravens Corvus corax noted our arrival and watched our progress from their look-out in the tall hedgerow trees.
We gained the edge of the wood and soon unearthed a number of different slugs, which provided discussion about the variation within the taxa and the care required to check for juveniles. Limax maximus, Deroceras reticulatum, Tandonia budapestensis, Lehmannia marginata, Arion ater agg., Limax maximus, Arion intermedius, Arion subfuscus were identified. We spotted evidence of recent pheasant feeding nearby and we became concerned that many of the woodland molluscs might have already been eaten by these rapacious birds!
A careful search around at the bottom of some trees and on the mossy banks, produced the snails Cochlicopa cf. lubrica, Nesovitrea hammonis, Trochulus hispidus (formerly Trichia hispida), Vitrea crystallina, Discus rotundatus, Oxychilus alliarius, Oxychilus helveticus, Cepaea nemoralis, Vitrina pellucida, and Euconulus fulvus during the morning. Then someone shouted ‘Land Caddis’, and we stopped to admire the recently vacated tube made meticulously of sandy grains. (Enoicyla pusilla, the Land Caddis, were found in these wood several years ago by Harry Green & Brett Westwood and continuing records are always useful). The ash trees near here were bespeckled with many resting Clausilia bidentata, as well as the occasional Merdigera obscura (formerly Ena obscura). David Long usefully discovered a single Macrogastra rolphii which we were able to compare with the former species.
The lunch stop area proved less interesting for molluscs, but we were pleased to discover that we were sitting next to a few Broad-leaved Helleborines (Epipactis helleborine)! A few fungi were spotted too, including Pluteus salicinus on sallow and the poisonous Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina which gave some colour to the winter woodland floor.
The afternoon amble began with one of us flushing a Woodcock Scolopax rusticola which provided another record for the wood. Cepaea hortensis and Arion distinctus were added to the list before we slithered down a steep bank into a stream valley which we thought might yield a few more species. Potomopyrgus antipodarum and Pisidium nitidum were discovered in the brook, in spite of the light being very poor. We were delighted to find a leech which was identified later by John as Glossiphonia complanata. We searched for and eventually found the delicate Ancylus fluviatilis on one of the rocks in the stream bed. Some leaf litter was collected and the snails Acanthinula aculeata, Carychium tridentatum and Punctum pygmaeum were later identified by Rosemary Hill and Ron Boyce and added to the species list for this site.
We climbed back up the slope to search around the base of some veteran oak trees where eventually we located Aegopinella purawhich we were able to compare with A. nitidula. We returned through the outgrown hawthorn scrub passing badger latrines on the way. We were interested to discover a range of plant galls including those caused by gall wasps Neuroterus albipes and Neuroterus anthracinus in oak leaves, and by flies Dasineura urticae in nettle and Phytomyza glechomae in ground ivy Glechoma hederacea.
On the way back to the cars we stopped at a pool in the corner of a field. Whilst Ellen was dipping her net into the water, Rosemary Hill spotted some late hoverflies Eristalis pertinax on ragwort and John Meiklejohn found 3 mite galls – Aculus tetanothrix on Salix alba, Eriophyes laevis on alder and Phytoptus avellanae on hazel. We disturbed a late Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea which skimmed slowly off across the water. The Backswimmer Notonecta glauca was recorded from the pond, and Radix balthica and Oxychilus helveticus were collected from poolside plants.
As we wandered back over the fields after another interesting day in the countryside with friends, the Ravens serenaded our departure and we started sharing conchological plans for 2008!
Group members were Ron Boyce, Rosemary Hill, Terry Knight, David Long, John Meiklejohn, Ellen Pisolkar, Richard Watson and Rosemary Winnall.
Worcestershire Record No. 24 April 2008 pp. 28-29
NEWS FROM THE REMOTE CAMERA
Rosemary Winnall
In my last article I mentioned that I was thinking of changing from using CCTV cameras (to record wildlife remotely) to a Stealth Camera that saves movies and images to a memory card. For some years Stealth Cameras have been used in America by game hunters, but they are not often seen in the UK. There are several different makes on the market, and you can see some at:
http://www.hunting-fishing-gear.com/article-display.php3?ID=2007
I eventually tracked down one importer in this country for the camera that I decided to buy. This is a Moultrie Stealth Camera, and I purchased the 4MB infra-red model (although I would have liked to have been able to afford the 6MB version!) You can see details at:
http://www.ultrasecuredirect.com/acatalog/Portable_Recording_Outdoor_Camera_System.html
The camera is in a waterproof housing, and can be attached to a tripod or strapped to a tree or post. In the daytime it takes colour still pictures and 15 seconds of video, and at night it uses infra-red light for five seconds of movie followed by a still image. (A flash would give a better quality picture, but would scare the creatures and draw attention to the camera, which is why I decided on an infra-red model). It has a heat sensor which activates the camera only when an animal moves across in front of the screen. This means that you don’t get hundreds of pictures with nothing on – only a few! The camera runs on 6 D batteries and these last for months as they are only in use when the camera is taking pictures, which it does silently which is another advantage.
It is possible to programme the camera with various options such as Multi Image when it will take up to three pictures in quick succession, and Image Delay from one minute to 60 minutes. There is potential here for time-lapse photography, but I haven’t tried that yet! An additional feature is that the time, temperature and phase of the moon are recorded on each still picture. This is particularly useful when studying animal behaviour.
I have been using my camera for three months and it is so much easier to set up, view the pictures, and edit the video, compared to CCTV. The quality at night, however, is not as good as the CCTV system I had, but is certainly adequate to identify what is there. I can leave the camera out in the middle of the forest, and do not have to consider the power source, although there is a solar panel that can be purchased as an accessory to power the camera for long periods if this is necessary.
One drawback with this camera is that it has no viewfinder, so the composition cannot be checked. But I soon got used to judging the angle of view. There is, however, a laser beam which can be directed to the area required. The camera has been designed to take pictures of animals the size of deer, and so it is not close focus. three metres is the recommended distance for setting the beam.
To check the pictures taken and angle of view in the field, I take my laptop computer and download directly from the camera. There is 32MB of memory, but I have a 4GB SD card (you can tell I’m an optimist!)
I have included some infra-red pictures taken at night to demonstrate the quality and usage:
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Badger at a badger sett – there is lots of potential here (see picture 1) 6/1/08 |
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It was interesting to see infra-red shots of the buzzards feeding when it was almost dark – early morning and into late dusk, and to note the time! (See picture 2 taken 25 minutes after official sunset time). 25/1/08 |
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At home I set the camera up at night on our hedgehog box in the shed (we’d taken in a tiny baby hedgehog in November and been feeding it as it was too small to survive hibernation). It was also interesting to see where it went when it rambled off into the garden at night before returning to the shed – it went straight to the bird-feeding area! (See pictures 3 and 4). 7/12/07, 31/12/07 |
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A Fallow Deer buck and prickets at a regular feeding area in the Wyre Forest (pictures 5 and 6) 25/3/08. |
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The most exciting footage was in the first week, just before Christmas. I’d seen otter prints on private land in the Wyre Forest, and I thought I’d try the camera out. Having gained permission, I baited the site with fish pieces, set up the camera and left it for three days. I was really pleased, as you can imagine, to discover that I had some video footage of the otter on my first attempt! (See pictures 7 and 8 of camera and otter). 23/12/07 |
I can recommend this camera if you are as curious as I am about what is out there and what it is doing!
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| Picture 1: Badger at sett © Rosemary Winnall | Picture 5: Fallow buck © Rosemary Winnall |
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| Picture 2: Buzzard at Whimperhill © Rosemary Winnall | Picture 6: Fallow prickets © Rosemary Winnall |
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| Picture 3: Hedgehog © Rosemary Winnall | Picture 7: Otter haunt with camera in place © Rosemary Winnall |
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| Picture 4: Hedgehog © Rosemary Winnall | Picture 8: Otter © Rosemary Winnall |
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