News archive 2009

The Friends of Leap Valley and Avon Wildlife Trust are working with the children at Bromley Heath Junior School to plant an orchard. Leap Valley is a public open space near the school and old maps show that there were several orchards nearby, belonging to Baugh Farm, which grew old varieties of apple and plum trees. Over the years these have been lost under housing and roads. With the help of Ruth Worsley, Community Education Officer from Avon Wildlife Trust, the children will be visiting Leap Valley during the week of November 23rd to learn more about wildlife in the valley and the importance of trees. They will then help to plant the regional variety fruit trees which will form the new Leap Valley Community Orchard. Ruth said, 'The education team at Avon Wildlife Trust are delighted to be involved in a project which brings children closer to nature by being able to explore, discover the wealth of wildlife literally on the doorstep at Leap Valley and at the same time to get actively involved in improving the site for wildlife with the orchard planting.'

Mary Lewis from the Friends of Leap Valley says, ‘By involving local children and helping them to understand the benefits of eating locally grown fruit and to appreciate the local heritage and importance of fruit trees we hope that they will look after and enjoy the orchard in the future.’

Marcus John, Head teacher at Bromley Heath Junior School, says ‘This represents a great opportunity for our children to participate in improving their local nature reserve and to learn about local history and food production. Our children already grow food in eight raised beds at school and this will add another dimension to their understanding of sustainable food production.”

The project has been funded by a South Gloucestershire Council Environment Grant and expertise on planting and management of the orchard has been given by Graham White of Mr Fruit.

October 2009

Batty hangups!


	greater horseshoe bat

The Trust is celebrating the discovery of a rare greater horseshoe bat in a purpose-builtcave in our Weston Big Wood nature reserve.

"We couldn't believe it at first," said Craig Stenson, who helped to design the bat `cave' at reserve close to Portishead. "We built the artificial cave - or hibernaculum - two years ago because we know bat species such as greater horseshoe bats are in the area and we wanted to see if we could provide a place for them to roost to help the local population."

The greater horseshoe bat is one of the UK's rarest bats - it's estimated that there are only 5000 in the whole country, and at this time of year lone male bats are on the lookout for small sites where it's safe to hang out.

"It's almost certainly a lone male," confirmed Craig. "They're very territorial and need to get their own space sorted before going out on the tiles to mate. The lucky female might well share the roost with him during winter hibernation, after which she'll go off to a maternity roost - but bats are often faithful, and this cave could become a well-established mating roost!"

The hibernaculum was designed by the Trust's Ecological Consultancy to provide the correct humidity and temperatures for successful long-term roosting, including hibernation.

Bat fact: in January 2000 Craig was part of a small team that discovered Boris, at 28 years old the second-oldest recorded greater horseshoe bat in the world in a disused stone mine at another Avon Wildlife Trust nature reserve, Brown's Folly outside Bath.

October 2009


	Stephen and Mark - markcarwardine.com

Last chance to see

We’re delighted to let you know that we’ll be hosting a talk by Mark Carwardine on 6 November 2009 at 7.30pm at the QEH Theatre in Bristol. Mark’s new BBC-TV series Last Chance to See began broadcasting on 8 September, and he’s giving members a special insight into this fascinating series.

Twenty years ago, he teamed up with the late Douglas Adams (author of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and together they embarked on a groundbreaking expedition, travelling the globe in search of some of the world’s most endangered animals. Now Mark has teamed up with comic genius Stephen Fry to see how all those animals have been faring in the years since. In the BBC-TV series Last Chance to See, we follow the unlikely duo on six separate journeys which take them from the steamy jungles of the Amazon to the ice-covered mountain tops of New Zealand and from the edge of a war zone in Central Africa to a sub-tropical paradise in the North Pacific. Along the way, they search for some of the weirdest, most remarkable and most troubled creatures on earth: a large, black, sleepy animal easily mistaken for an unusually listless mudbank, a parrot with a song like an unreleased collection of Pink Floyd studio outtakes, a rhino with square lips, a dragon with deadly saliva, an animal roughly the length of a Boeing 737 and the creature most likely to emerge from the cargo doors of a spaceship. In this behind-the-scenes look at the TV series, Mark will talk about their hilarious, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking journey - and will offer a unique insight into the disappearing world around us.

Tickets are £10 (£8 concessions/children) and available from the Trust office (cheques payable to Avon Wildlife Trust). Please enclose an SAE. Write to:

Last Chance to See, Avon Wildlife Trust, 32 Jacobs Wells Road, Bristol BS8 1DR


	starling - D Kilbey

September 2009

Star Starling flies into Folly Farm

The first photography course in the new Folly Farm course Programme teams up with bird film experts John Waters and Lloyd and Rose Buck to provide a unique opportunity to photograph magnificent birds of prey close up - as well as introducing participants to Arnie the famous starling.

Arnie'll be featuring in a major horror film next year and will be joined at Folly Farm by other feathered friends including Lucy the peregrine falcon, who has been filmed whilst Lloyd base-jumps and sky-dives alongside.

John Waters, renowned wildlife cameraman and photographer will be on hand to give tips he has picked up from his wealth of experience, including his filming work with Planet Earth, Natural World and other David Attenborough BBC series. Lloyd and Rose will also share their experiences of raising and training birds for film and TV - including their famous base jumping with Lucy the peregrine falcon and microlighting with a flock of geese.

This is a practical day with plenty of opportunity to use your camera to get close up stunning photographs of the birds as well as pick up some new tips and share some exciting stories.

For this and other exciting courses at Folly Farm this Autumn and Winter please do visit W: www.follyfarm.org E: info@follyfarm.org T: 01275 331590.

Course Details:
Title: John Waters; Introduction to Bird Photography
Date: 20th September 2009
Times: 1pm – 5pm
Cost: £45 booking essential

Contact:
Jo Morris, Folly Farm Programme Manager
Folly Farm Centre, Avon Wildlife Trust, Stowey, Pensford, Bristol, BS39 4DW
Telephone: 01275 331590
Email: jomorris@follyfarm.org

August 2009


	white-clawed crayfish

New homes for our threatened crayfish!

The Avon Wildlife Trust is a partner in a vital project to save the UK’s only native crayfish species from extinction here in the south west.

The project sees the translocation of the white-clawed crayfish into safe havens or "Ark" sites in an attempt to save them from a complete takeover by the aggressive, disease-carrying American signal crayfish.

The effort is a partnership between the Trust, Bristol Zoo Gardens, the Environment Agency, Bristol Water and Buglife with funding from Natural England.

The rare white-clawed crayfish is the UK’s largest freshwater invertebrate and plays a vital role in aquatic ecosystems. However, there has been around a 95% decline in the number of populations in the south west and the species faces extinction from UK waters within 30 years unless new populations can be established and protected in safe, isolated waters.

White-clawed crayfish were abundant and easy to find until invasive non-native crayfish species, in particular the notorious American signal crayfish, were illegally released or escaped into our watercourses in recent decades. The American species not only out-competes native crayfish for resources, but it also carries a disease, nicknamed 'crayfish plague', which is fatal to all white-clawed crayfish and can be transferred easily between watercourses easily such as on damp fishing equipment or just wellington boots. We now believe that three quarters of native crayfish populations in the Bristol Avon catchment area have been wiped out.”

Natural England has provided funding for the partner organisations to set up the South West White-clawed Crayfish Conservation Project to carry out the largest strategic translocation effort in the UK to date.

The first translocation day which was led by Lydia Robbins from the Trust and saw staff and volunteers from the Trust, the Environment Agency and Bristol Zoo Gardens move a number of crayfish from South Gloucestershire to two new ‘safe’ sites in North Somerset and Somerset.

The crayfish had to be moved carefully in chilled containers to their new homes where they were released and will be monitored carefully to determine how they are getting on forming new, secure populations for the future.

For further information contact Lydia Robbins, Ecologist at Avon Wildlife Trust.

See more information about White Clawed Crayfish on the Environment Agency website.

August 2009


	Severn Estuary

Wave and tidal power essential say The Wildlife Trusts
But don’t make wrong sacrifice – say ‘No’ to Cardiff-Weston

The Wildlife Trusts welcome the publication of the Government’s Renewable Energy Strategy, which sets out a plan to deliver 15% of the UK’s energy from renewable sources by 2020, a nearly sevenfold increase on current use. The conservation organisation also welcomes the Climate and Energy White Paper (the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan).

The Wildlife Trusts are pleased to see the UK government leading the way in the development of renewable energy and encouraging local communities to make a contribution to the reduction of CO2 levels. The Wildlife Trusts also welcome the announcement of further funding for research into ‘wet’ renewable energy initiatives. A third document, published alongside the White Paper and Strategy, is the Government’s response to the Severn Tidal Power Phase One Consultation.

Joan Edwards, head of Living Seas for The Wildlife Trusts, commented: “Our view is that wave and tidal power are an essential part of moving to a low carbon power sector. We support the exploration of how to harness the considerable tidal power resource of the Severn Estuary, to contribute to emissions reductions beyond 2020. We believe that the Severn tidal power feasibility study could be a golden opportunity to crack the problem of how to harness the Severn’s tides in a sustainable way.

“However it is vital that, in the rush to develop the Severn’s power, the Government does not overlook the huge importance of the natural estuary - both in its own right as an internationally-important wildlife haven, and also for its role in combating and addressing climate change. The natural environment of the estuary allows wildlife the space and diversity of habitats needed to adapt in the face of climate change. Natural systems such as the Severn Estuary absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide.”

Commenting on the short-listed options for developing Severn tidal power, Joan Edwards, head of Living Seas for The Wildlife Trusts, said:

“The Wildlife Trusts say ‘No’ to Cardiff-Weston. With the information available now, we believe the Cardiff-Weston barrage - proposed to stretch from Brean Down to Lavernock Point – goes way beyond what might be considered an environmentally acceptable loss of habitats and wildlife within the estuary.”

The Cardiff-Weston barrage is predicted to result in over three times more intertidal habitat loss than any other option, a total of 80% lost. And it would result in considerable mortality of the internationally-protected fish populations.

At this stage The Wildlife Trusts welcome further investigation into the remaining options, including those more innovative measures (eg tidal lagoons and fences), in order to identify an option which presents the best solution - both in terms of the environment and our energy requirements.

For further information please contact Anna Guthrie, media & PR manager on 07887 754659

July 2009

What a bustard!


	Great bustard at Puxton Moor

A great bustard was seen recently at the Trust's Puxton Moor nature reserve.

The bird is R28 (see the red 8 wingtag) and is a female that was released last year along with 16 other birds as part of the Great Bustard Group project to establish a self - sustaining population in the UK (this was the fifth annual release). It was seen fairly regularly after its release in September through to early January but had not been reported by anyone since then - 5 months! The bird was seen in January in Hampshire, near Fordingbridge, and shortly before that in several locations in Dorset. Hopefully, like all other Bustards that have been released, it will return to Salisbury Plain next spring, if not before.

It now seems to have left the area.

July 2009

Outdoor living tips for happy camping!


	Wild about camping

With the summer holiday season underway Avon Wildlife Trust is using the outdoor living expertise of its staff, members and course leaders to help make sure that time spent under canvas is happy for people and wildlife.

The Trust has just added an information sheet to its website, providing a guide to the wild plants and animals which may bewitch, bother or bewilder novice campers, add natural zest to campfire cooking or provide a pickable pick-me-up.

Tim Curley, Avon Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves manager, says: "There’s a mile-high pile of research now that says getting closer to nature brings benefits for people of all ages. Camping is a cheap and chilled way to check out exactly how being out-of- doors eases stress, inspires well-being and encourages resourcefulness. But anyone who is heeding the call of the wild for the first time needs to be aware that sometimes the wild calls back! So, we’ve asked our team to share their top tent-life tips and turned them into a free-to-download online guide."

Contributors to the round-up include naturalists, green play leaders and some of the tutors who will be leading activities throughout this year at the Trust’s Folly Farm Centre, at Bishop Sutton, on topics as diverse as bushcraft, bat identification, badger watching, herbal remedies, wild food foraging and fungi gathering.

Tim adds: "We’re lucky in this area. There’s a huge choice of campsites within easy reach of Bristol and Bath, lots of fascinating wildlife sights to enjoy, and it’s all mostly hazard-free. If only campers use our tips and remember to respect the plants and animals they encounter, then time spent under canvas can be time remembered happily for ever."

Download the full guide here: Top Tent Tips (PDF).

Simple tips for tent dwellers

Our top tent-life tips

(tips taken from the guide)

Picking a pitch

Pitches close to gurgling water aren’t recommended. The sound may soothe you to sleep, but only until the midges and mosquitoes, which favour damp places, decide (a) it’s snack time and (b) you’re the snack.

Think about what’s on the ground that’s going to be under your ground-sheet. Moles can produce a surprising bump in the night and wood ants - black with red middles – are inclined to deal aggressively with invaders.

Unwelcome visitors

If a wasp gets into a tent – don’t panic. Simply back away quietly, leaving the tent flaps wide open. Flailing around and attacking will only encourage the wasp do likewise. And even if the wasp is walloped, there’s no guarantee you’ll find its corpse, with its still working sting

Beware of the…..

There’s not much SW wildlife that will cause lasting harm; the biggest hazard is actually very small: parasitical ticks often found on deer and which can jump to humans. They appear as a jet black full-stop, usually where the body is warmest (armpits, groin), growing larger as they suck in blood. To remove, grip the tick firmly, twist anti-clockwise and then pull, using tea tree oil or Vaseline as a lubricant if available. If an infection, or flu-like symptoms, develops, see a medic immediately.

The adder is Britain’s only poisonous snake – shy, rarely seen, not usually aggressive but capable of striking if disturbed. Overgrown southern slopes, e.g. on the Mendips, are favoured sunbathing spots. The adder’s bite is painful, rather than deadly, but will need immediate medical attention.

Camp kitchens

Mix blackberry juice with seasoned vinegar or lemon to make an interesting salad dressing.
Pick out and crack open the dark and shiny seeds from the ripe fruit of wild burdock (Arctium lappa) for a tasty outdoor snack.
Hedgerow first aid

Forget dock leaves. Nature’s best remedy for nettle stings and bug bites is plantain – the big, well-ribbed, broad-leafed English wild plant, that is, not the Caribbean relative of the banana. Plantain juice is an antiseptic and anti-histamine. To extract it, fold, crush and rub a leaf vigorously then dribble the liquid over the affected area.

Entertaining tonight

Who whoooooo’d? Night time is the right time to give each other points for correctly identifying wildlife noises. Don’t expect a ‘too wit to woo’, though. There are five species of owl in Britain but none has learned its call from a nursery book. The most common – the tawny owl – will have a stab at a “hoo ..... hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo” but “kew-wick” is more usual.

Campfires and lanterns will attract ghostly flights of apparently suicidal moths. Put up white sheets to shield them from flames, then sit back and count how many of Britain’s 2,500 moth species you have saved.

Shop locally

Buying local produce adds a sense of place, reduces fuel miles, traffic and pollution and encourages farmers to manage their land in wildlife-friendly ways. It usually tastes good, too.

For BBQs, look for charcoal from local woodlands (especially that sold by the local Wildlife Trust!).

Leave only footprints

Take care to clean up carefully when you strike camp. Abandoned cans, plastics, cloths, rope, rubber footwear, lost tent pegs and the like can kill or seriously injure wildlife, especially if the waste is swallowed, impales or gets wrapped around limbs

Find out more about outdoor life

Avon Wildlife Trust runs regular walks, talks and courses for people who want to know more about local wildlife and/or outdoor living. For more info, see the online guide

June 2009

Blue tits nearly ready to fly the nest

The blue tit babes will fledge any day now, just in time to celebrate the Bristol Festival of Nature on 6 and 7 June 2009. The Trust is a partner in the Bristol Natural History Consortium which organises the Festival of Nature. The BNHC arranged the placing of the nest box in the orchard at Folly Farm.

The week before last was a dramatic one for the blue tit family in the nest box in the orchard. Since the eggs started to hatch the parents have been busy brooding over the large family of 10 chicks - and all of this online!

The alarm sounded when a distressed caller alerted the Folly Farm team that a woodpecker was attacking the box. Programme Manager, Jo Morris said "I checked outside and saw that the mum had come back to feed so I thought drama over. The next morning - carnage! Wood chippings all over the babies - unfortunately my woodpecker guard (a triangle of metal plating I attached outside the hole) did not put off whatever wanted those babies - and it has cut a chunk out of the box underneath the guard with its beak. At one point I watched in horror as it got within millimetres of the chicks!"

Although rarely witnessed, woodpeckers attacking the nest and feeding on the chicks is a common threat to blue tits and the Trust's first dilemma was whether we should interfere with the natural order - nature tooth and claw!

Pat Ellingham, Director of Communications at Avon Wildlife Trust said " It 's been fascinating to have such a close insight into the natural world through the webcam in the nest box, but since we've encouraged the blue tits to our box, which is a little more exposed and vulnerable than a natural nesting site, we thought we should intervene and offer some level of protection."

With careful planning and sensitivity staff reinforced the front panel of the bird box - only to witness the return of the woodpecker who made further holes in the roof and sides of the bird box! An online viewer described the drama:

Very dramatic indeed, poor mum put up a great fight. My wife couldn't watch and shut the laptop! By the time I got to the upstairs PC mum had gone, so we didn't know if she was OK or not. The woodpecker stayed around for some time reaching into the box but couldn't quite reach the chicks, just tugging at some of the nesting material. Also it was getting dark, so I guess it just gave up. Dad was first back with some food and good to see Mum back in one piece too now. Amazing viewing, thanks for the live feed, fantastic. Beats the TV hands down!

Jo Morris has managed now to drape chicken wire around the box and both parents seemed undisturbed by the reinforcements. She said " it is wonderful to realise just how many people are watching and enjoying the development of the blue tit family. We have heard from concerned schools with whole classes watching regularly, individuals viewing across the country and even international viewers."

May 2009


	Hebridean sheep at Goblin Combe

Rare breed sheep help restore important grassland in Goblin Combe

After months of effort including the erection of more than a kilometre of fencing a small flock of Hebridean sheep have been introduced onto the Trust's Goblin Combe nature reserve at Cleeve in North Somerset.

The project was initiated by the Avon Biodiversity Partnership and was funded through the SITA Landfill Trust Communities Fund.

Goblin Combe's important limestone grassland was being encroached by scrub spreading from the adjacent woodland. Greenmantle Contractors were employed to clear the scrub consisting of birch, hawthorn, and turkey oak, which enabled fencing contractors Ian Morgan Fencing to install more than a kilometere of fencing to contain the sheep. Some traditional wooden post and wire fencing has been used but because of the steep rocky nature of parts of the site special high tensile metal fencing which requires much fewer supports and less boring into the rock. This fencing is widely used in New Zealand due to similar problems with thins soils on rocky slopes.

The Trust will be monitoring the grassland over the next few seasons and expects the grassland diversity to quickly improve now that the scrub is being controlled.