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Contents
DECEMBER 2020 – JANUARY 2021
Bristol Naturalist News
Photo © David Hawkins
Discover Your Natural World
Bristol Naturalists’ Society
BULLETIN NO. 596 DEC. 2020 – JAN. 2021
BULLETIN NO. 596 DECEMBER 2020 – JANUARY 2021
Bristol Naturalists’ Society
Discover Your Natural World
Registered Charity No: 235494
www.bristolnats.org.uk
HON. PRESIDENT: Ray Barnett
CONTENTS
ray.barnett@bristol.gov.uk 3 SOCIETY ITEMS
Wed. 16 Dec. Society Talk, Darwin
HON. CHAIRMAN: Giles Morris 01275 373917 Wed. 20 Jan. Soc. Talk, Cotswolds
danesmorris@btinternet.com 4 Bristol Weather; Subscriptions for 2021;
Nature in Avon
HON. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVING EDITOR: 5 NATTY NEWS : Climate & Narwhals;
Dee Holladay, dee.holladay@tiscali.co.uk House Martins; Ancient Ecosystems;
Covid; Gentoos,, spiders & Gamebirds
HON. SEC.: Lesley Cox 07786 437 528 7 BOTANY SECTION Meeting Reports;
secretary@bristolnats.org.uk 9 Botanical notes;
13 GEOLOGY SECTION Fossil Fish;
HON. MEMBERSHIP SEC: Mrs. Margaret Fay Review: Introducing Hydrogeology
81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280
membership@bristolnats.org.uk 15 INVERTEBRATE SECTION
Notes for Dec.-Jan.; ‘Wasps in our Loft’
HON. TREASURER: Mary Jane Steer Thu. 10 Dec. Museum Winter
01454 294371 treasurerbns@winpenny.org.uk Lecture: Wildlife in the Warzone
17 LIBRARY News from the Library;
HON. PUBLICITY SECRETARY: Alex Morss
Books: History of Lower Woods NR
19 ORNITHOLOGY SECTION
BULLETIN COPY DEADLINE: 7th of month before 7.30pm Sun. 9 Dec., Talk:
publication to the editor: David B Davies, Chew Lake
51a Dial Hill Rd., Clevedon, BS21 7EW. 10am, Sun. 13 Dec.
01275 873167 daviddavies512@gmail.com Oldbury Power Station.
. 7.30pm Wed. 13 Jan. Talk:
“Orchard Song” (+AGM?)
10am, Sat. 23 Jan, Chew Lake
Field Mtg. Report; Bird Notes
Health & Safety on walks: Members 22 MISCELLANY Avon Organic Group;
participate at their own risk. They are
New book: Paintings by Annie Morris
responsible for being properly clothed and shod.
Dogs may only be brought on a walk with prior 23 Portishead Marina;
agreement of the leader. 24 Squirrels & Pine Martens
Cover picture: Ashton Court waxcaps –
see pp.10-11.
Bristol Naturalists’ Society
Discover Your 2Natural World
Registered Charity No: 235494
www.bristolnats.org.uk
SOCIETY ITEMS
Contents
SOCIETY TALKS
7.30pm, Wednesday, 16th December
The Bristol Naturalists’ Society
invites you to a fascinating Zoom talk on the subject of:
Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle
Speaker: Dr James Taylor, FRSA, former curator at National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
2020 marks the 200th anniversary of the launch of HMS Beagle at Woolwich, a ship that
has shaped all our lives. This talk reveals fascinating aspects of the family and influences
upon Charles Darwin and Captain Robert FitzRoy, the ship’s commander and their
participation in the celebrated voyage of 1831 to 1836 which enabled Darwin to collect vital
evidence for his ground-breaking publication On the Origin of Species. It also highlights
the importance of the Beagle’s first voyage to South America from 1828 to 1830. FitzRoy
paid for two artists, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martens, to paint people and places
encountered; these images underpin the seafaring stories.
To register for the talk contact Lesley, via secretary@bristolnats.org.uk
7.30pm, Wednesday, 20th January
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COTSWOLDS, AONB
Speaker: Mark Connelly, Land Management Lead
Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966 the Cotswolds
covers an area of 787 square miles. Imagine the complexity of managing the habitat of the
slopes, woodlands and grasslands of the Jurassic limestone hills to suit the birds,
mammals, reptiles and invertebrates to be found there. Mark Connelly is the Land
Management Lead of the Cotswolds Conservation Board and he will highlight the way in
which this delicate balance is achieved in this fully illustrated talk.
To register for the talk, contact Lesley via secretary@bristolnats.org.uk
3
Bristol Weather Contents
October 2020
In contrast to September, October 2020 saw a much wetter month with some significant
rainfall amounts. In total there was 163.1 mm of rainfall. This represents 164.7% of the 30-
year average (1981-2010). On the 3rd of October, in the middle of a very wet spell, the 24-
hour rainfall (09:00-09:00 hours GMT) total was 37.1 mm. This was the highest 24-hour
rainfall for the month since 41.5mm was recorded on 19th October 2001.
It was also a striking month with regard to the lack of sunshine compared with the
average. Obviously with a large amount of rainfall one would expect sunshine to be a
premium and this was indeed the case in Bristol during October. In 2020 October was the
2nd dullest since this data started in 2005 with only 29.6% of the maximum sunshine
actually being recorded. The only previously duller October was 2011 when only 28.3% of
the maximum sunshine was noted. The maximum hourly surface energy of 9.74 MJ/m2 on
the 6th of October was the lowest daily maximum since this data started in 2005.
Temperatures for the month were close to the 30-year average with a mean of 11.8°C
but the average maximum temperature was -0.4°C below average while the average
minimum temperature was 0.5°C above the average. The highest daily maximum
temperature of 17.5°C on the 20th was the lowest for October since 16.8°C was the
maximum on 1st October 1998. The highest daily mean temperature of 14.7°C on 31st was
the lowest since October 2nd 2000. There were a few low or ‘frost’ temperatures during
the month and again this is in keeping with the increased cloudiness and wetness of the
month.
Finally, pressure too was low with the average pressure at 09:00 GMT of 1007mb. This
was the joint lowest for October (with 2004) since records began in 1995.
Now with season moving firmly into winter we shall see what weather is to come our
way. One thing I feel for sure is that we will not all be able to predict it all correctly.
Barry Horton
SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL 2021
Subscriptions are due on 1 January
Rates: Single Membership £25 ‘Household’ £35 Student £10
Payment options:
• By cheque to ‘Bristol Naturalists’ Society’ (posted to Membership Secretary)
• Bank Transfer/Standing Order to:
• Lloyds TSB: A/c no: 00697372: Sort code: 30-92-13. Please quote your name as
reference otherwise there is no way to link the payment with your membership.
• N.B: If you don’t wish to renew your membership, please let me know.
This helps to reduce the administrative costs involved in reminders.
Many thanks for your continuing support.
Margaret Fay, Membership Secretary, 81 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UG
Email: mmfay@btinternet.com
Nature in Avon / Proceedings of the Society Contents
Contributions are invited for the next Nature in Avon 2020.
Many people have found themselves noticing natural history on their home patch
through lockdown in glorious weather. All articles of whatever length will be welcome for
consideration. Hopefully we will be able to reflect on an extraordinary year.
The deadline is 31 March 2021.
Please send to Dee Holladay, dee.holladay@tiscali.co.uk
4
NATTY NEWS Contents
Climate Change: The fate of the Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) was the subject of an article
published in Science in December 2017. Until recent declines in Arctic sea ice levels, Narwhals
have lived in relative isolation from human perturbation. Their resulting naivety has made this
cryptic, deep diving cetacean highly susceptible to disturbance, although quantifiable evidence has
been lacking. A University of California (Santa Cruz) team led by Dr. Terrie Williams found
alarming, paradoxical results when they deployed submersible animal-borne electrocardiograph-
accelerometer-depth recorders to monitor physiological and behavioural responses of East Green-
land Narwhals after release from net entanglement and stranding. The usual ‘fight, flight or freeze’
responses (each of which require different physiological responses) were not recorded. Instead,
escaping Narwhals displayed a paradoxical cardiovascular pattern of extreme bradycardia (low
resting heart rate) with a heart rate of 25 strokes per minute and energy costs three to six times the resting rate of energy expenditure.
This rapidly depleted onboard oxygen stores. In simple terms, Narwhals effectively freeze when
frightened or running away from a perceived threat, which challenges physiological homeostasis
(the state of steady internal, physical and chemical conditions maintained in living systems). The
Trump administration gave controversial permission for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic
Wildlife Refuge but it was judged to be unlawful without a law being passed by Congress.
However, pressure from oil and gas companies might turn the tide as far as Congress is concerned
and the fate of the Narwhal might be sealed. Read more in, Williams, et al., Paradoxical escape
responses by Narwhals (Monodon monoceros). Vol 358, Issue 6368 pp1328-31 Contents
House Martins: A study in IBIS (The International
Journal of Avian Science) published 26th October online
by the BTO entitled, Using Citizen Science to Assess
Drivers of Common House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Breeding Performance by Kettel, et al., reports that, as
we already know, ‘Many hirundine species (…) are
declining throughout their ranges. The Common House
Martin … is a migratory hirundine that breeds
throughout Europe but has shown recent declines in
some parts of the UK particularly in the south. We
conducted a […] study to assess how the breeding
Nest Sites Surveyed performance of House Martins, measured by the number
of attempted broods and nest success, is influenced by
nest specific, landscape and weather factors. Pairs in
eastern parts of the UK started breeding earlier than in
the west and breeding performance was higher in [the east]. There was no effect of latitude on
either aspect of breeding performance, so our measures of breeding performance alone do not help
to explain differences in population trends across the UK. The probability of attempting multiple
broods and producing successful nests was higher in previously used nests than in newly built nests
and in artificial nests than in natural nests [which saved the birds’ energy]. Nests built on plastics
soffits of buildings were less likely to be multi-brooded and less likely to be successful compared
with other materials. Suggested conservation measures therefore include discouraging the removal
of old nests and encouraging the installation of artificial nests, particularly on buildings with plastic
soffits. […] Although our findings do not show conclusively that breeding performance is the sole
driver of population trends, they go some way to explain the declines in House Martins and
ultimately provide information which may help conserve this species. The main factor governing
5
decline of the species is insect loss. In my area, House Martins prefer white, rendered buildings
from which, unfortunately, the owners remove nests when externally painted. Contents
Watch: More on Bird Brains. https://youtu.be/H59GcPgXXv4 Watch: Lloyd & Rose Buck helping
UoB Aerospace Engineers with Flight Patterns. https://youtu.be/aFXwI4-NRz8
Ancient Ecosystems: In ‘Deep drilling reveals massive shifts in evolutionary dynamics after
formation of ancient ecosystem’ published in Science Advances, 30 Sept. 2020, Wilke et al. write,
One of the fundamental questions in biology is what determines species diversity.
Macroevolutionary theory defines diversification as the interplay between speciation and extinction.
For isolated ecosystems, conceptual models assume that this interplay and the accumulation of in
situ species diversity over time typically lead to a flattening of the accumulation curve and a
(dynamic) equilibrium diversity (e.g., the general dynamic model of island bio-geography, the
concept of ecological opportunity and the concept of equilibrium speciation dynamics. In summary,
they write: The scarcity of high-resolution empirical data directly tracking diversity over time limits
our understanding of speciation and extinction dynamics and the drivers of rate changes. Here we
analyse a continuous species-level fossil record of endemic diatoms[single cell algae] from ancient
Lake Ohrid, along with environmental and climate indicator time series, since lake formation 1.36
million years ago. [...] As the lake deepens, we also see a switch in the macroevolutionary trade-off,
resulting in a transition from a volatile assemblage of short-lived endemic species to a stable
community of long-lived species. Our results emphasize the importance of interplay between
environmental/climate change, ecosystem stability, and environmental limits to diversity for
diversification processes. The study also provides a new understanding of evolutionary dynamics in
long-lived ecosystems.
SARS-Cov-2: In May 2020 Natty News, possible routes of transmission were identified as bats
to (possibly) pangolins to humans in the wet markets of Wuhan. The role ACE2 played as receptors
in that transmission was also identified. Bristol University has now identified a key factor that
might lead to amelioration of the disease. Watch: https://youtu.be/9JxnRJINn-o Meanwhile,
Denmark plans to kill 17,000,000 mink on its fur farms because of a mutation in the virus which has
been passed to humans.
Species News: 1) Research from the Milner Centre for Evolution reports that DNA shows
Gentoo penguins to be four species rather than one. Dr. Jane Younger, who led the study, said, For
the first time we’ve shown that these penguins are not only genetically distinct but … physically
different too. Gentoos tend to stick close to their home colonies and over hundreds of thousands of
years they have become geographically isolated from each other to the point where they don’t
interbreed …, even though they could easily swim the distance that separates them. Read more in,
Morphometric and genetic evidence for four species of gentoo penguin, in Ecology and Evolution,
5th November 2020. 2) A spider thought extinct since 1993 has been found on MOD land in
Surrey by Surrey Wildlife Trust. The Great Fox Spider (Alopecosa fabrilisis) is a critically
endangered, large member of the Wolf spider family. Nocturnal, it captures prey by chasing it down
over sandy soil, rocks, etc., before pouncing. It also has excellent eyesight with eight eyes. Watch:
https://youtu.be/ncqNSpvYgBw 3) Pheasant and Partridge are to be classified alongside
Japanese Knotweed and Grey squirrels as species that imperil UK wildlife. In future those who like
to shoot them will need a licence to release these non-natives near nature reserves. A legal challenge
was brought by Wild Justice. From 2021 Defra will require shoots to gain a licence to release these
birds within 500 metres of any protected area. Shooting groups have reacted with anger over the
restrictions but Mark Avery remarked, This is a good first step in bringing the unregulated shooting
industry under control.
Lesley Cox, 7th November 2020.
6
BOTANY SECTION
PRESIDENT:- Clive Lovatt clivemlovatt@gmail.com Contents
HON. SEC:- David Hawkins ecoteric@googlemail.com
MEETINGS
At the time of writing here in England we are now in lockdown 2.0 until after 2 December 2020, so that
the ‘rule of six’ has been replaced by something more like ‘two if you must’. This means that the
meeting we had planned for Sunday 22 November, Bryophytes of the Gully, Avon Gorge, to be led by
David Hawkins, unfortunately cannot now take place. Early applicants for places have been advised
accordingly. At the time of writing, we have no meetings planned for December and January.
The BSBI New Year Plant Hunt is expected to take place from Friday 1 January 2021 to Monday 4
January. As usual records will be made of plants in flower over a period of three hours on any day
selected. This can be done alone or with limited company according to the regulations in place at the
time. Do send me any photos of plants from the Gloucestershire half of the BNS area in flower during
those four days which you can’t quite name.
Hopefully, it will be possible to hold David’s third bryophyte meeting on another occasion, and
perhaps we can have another winter walk in Leigh Woods in February or March if we can have small
meetings by then. We would like to go to Trooper’s Hill in Spring.
FIELD MEETING REPORTS Contents
Lamplighters Marsh, Shirehampton, Thursday 22 October 2020 (Clive Lovatt)
We had a full group of six for this second Covid-limited field botanical meeting, with one
member on the waiting list. Jean and Lois who have joined me on occasional walks
reported in these pages came and it was good to see and chat with three other friends I
had not seen in person for absolutely ages. Let no-one imagine that the sole purpose of a
botany meeting is to look at plants!
We started at the Lamplighters Inn. We soon dispelled any thoughts of these strange
times as we walked past the slipway onto the sea bank. We could see the greyish
perennial Sea Purslane, Atriplex portulacoides, atop a muddy slope, and five of us dropped
down to examine another Atriplex, a yellow sprawling Orache. ‘Look at the big bracteoles’
Clive intoned, trying to explain what bracteoles are and how big (10mm) they have to be to
be interesting. They are a sort of paired green succulent wrapping around the seed and are
usually up to about 5mm in length. ‘There should be some with stalks’ he continued. And
so there were, less than 5mm so this was, as expected, the hybrid of the infrequent A.
longipes, Long-stalked Orache, and the common A. prostrata, Spear-leaved Orache, which
is called Atriplex x gustafssoniana. Similar plants with no stalked large bracteoles were
found there as well. Margaret was so intrigued that the next day she went to one of her
favourite spots, Sand Bay, and found the Long-stalked Orache below the Promontory close
to the car park, where both this species and/or its hybrid are recognised and recorded from
time to time.
Jenny, who lives nearby, had warned me that the encroaching scrub in the Local
Nature Reserve had been cut back recently, a good thing really because it opens up vistas
and allows the herbaceous plants space. We therefore looked hopefully for narrow-leaved
Docks (Rumex maritimus and R. palustris were here some years back) re-appearing in the
area by the storm water outlet in case they had been disturbed from their sleep, but we
found none … yet. Within the reserve we had a look at the Michaelmas-daisies. They are
generally regarded as too difficult to name but we had no trouble deciding there were
certainly two different sorts (Plate 1). Margaret took some home and determined the pale-
7
flowered one with broader upper leaves to be
Symphotrichum (formerly Aster) x versicolor, Late
Michaelmas-daisy. The darker-flowered one Clive thought
would probably turn out to be S. novi-belgii, Confused
Michaelmas-daisy or its rather similar hybrid S. x salignum,
Common Michaelmas-daisy. The English names are telling.
Further along, the opportunity was taken to look at three
local specialities of the reserve, a grass (Calamagrostis
epigejos, Wood small-reed), a sedge (Carex extensa,
Long-bracted Sedge, which has been here for about 20
years) and a rush (Juncus gerardii, Saltmarsh Rush). In the
stony ground at the north end of the reserve we found
Plate 1. Flower-heads of two sorts
many plants of the delicate and attractive blue-flowered of Michaelmas-daisy from Lamp-
Linaria repens, Pale Toadflax, which I had not seen there lighters Marsh Local Nature
before (it might have come in from the nearby railway), and a Reserve, 22 October 2020. See the
text for their names.
bonus casual Thlaspi arvense, Field Penny-cress, which is Photo © Margaret Webster
always interesting to see.
We needed to have a close look at the mayweeds here. They are not scented and are
therefore in the genus Tripleurospermum. They seemed to be perennial (as in the Sea
Mayweed, Tripleurospermum maritimum rather than annual and to a degree, larger rather
than small flowered (as in the weedy Scentless Mayweed, Tripleurospermum inodorum).
The telling feature is the shape of the ‘green eyes’ (glands) on one side (the inside surface)
of the achene. In the Scentless Mayweed, the eyes are round and in the Sea Mayweed
they are distinctly elongated by a factor of 2-3. The group found the ‘eyes’ difficult to find
and see, and the shape hard to resolve, but with the x20 lens that I use it was clear: they
are only slightly elongated or not at all. The species interbreed (to produce hybrids) and
back-cross (producing introgressants) so given that we are near the coast, where
unchallengeable T. maritimum can be found, I would say that these Lamplighters
mayweeds are probably derived from introgression, thus T. inodorum with some genes of
T. maritimum. I've seen similar plants about Avonmouth and Portishead.
Jenny showed some of us the sign boards. One has her name on it as the artist
responsible for the map and plant portraits. The other describes the current flood protection
works at the mouth of the Avon and northwards up the Severn. Here the banks will run
close to the river just north of the M5 bridge, then come inland and follow the line of the
railway, thus leaving the reserve on the river side of the new banks. I for one, look forward
to seeing what plants turn up after the works have been completed. After all, in 1884, JW
White when writing up the Flora of the Avon Bed in our Proceedings about the plants that
grew on river dredgings deposited in Black Rock Quarry (under Sea Walls) when it was
finally closed, suggested, ‘By and by…another motley throng of curious weeds will
arise…to claim attention from a botanical chronicler.’
V
Between the Bridges: or from Old Passage to New Passage, Contents
Monday 26 October 2020 (Clive Lovatt)
Anxious to get in another social botany walk before the advancing net closed in around us,
three BNS members (Jean, Lois and late as usual, Clive) met close to the site of the old
Aust Ferry to have a look at some of the unseasonably flowering hedgerow shrubs that
Lois had seen there and at New Passage. Clive suggested this could be combined with a
walk on the marshes with the photographically illustrated Salicornia (Glasswort or
Samphire) key in the latest Wild Flower Society Magazine and participation in their last
8
week of October one-day hunt for plants in flower. It proved to
be a successful and dry day out, even if all the Salicornia
seemed to be S. ramosissima, the common Purple Glasswort.
We recorded about 60 plants in flower, a similar number to
what I used to get at New Year around Shirehampton, padded
out with garden escapes. Our list included Hawthorn (Plate 2)
and Blackthorn at Old Passage, and Cherry Plum at New
Passage, Spartina anglica, Common Cord-grass, was in flower
on the marshes, Sagina maritima, Sea Pearlwort, in cracks in
concrete and the uncommon non-native creeping deep blue-
flowered Symphytum caucasicum, Caucasian Comfrey, is
persistent at Old Passage. Plate 2. Hawthorn, Crataegus
monogyna, flowering and
fruiting, near Cake Pill Gout,
On the marshes, Clive taught
26 October 2020 © CM Lovatt
Lois and Jean to recognise x
Elyhordeum langei (the hybrid – apparently signposted in Plate
3 – of Common Couch-grass and Meadow Barley) in the only
place in the world where it occurs in more than just occasional
patches, and hence is easily found. Looking at ergot
(Claviceps purpurea var. spartinae) that was affecting some of
the Cord-grass, Spartina, Jean found a salmon-orange fungal
Plate 3. A sign connected with the growth which she later identified as Gibberella gordonii
footpath diversion due to the new
tidal defence works south of Aust,
(formerly Fusarium heterosporum). Jean tells me it isn't often
‘take care when crossing the recorded, but on 6 November she also saw some more of it
road’; to botanists it appears to on the Spartina ergot on the
give warning that rare hybrid marshes at Portbury (Plate 4).
grasses are to be found beyond.
26 October 2020, © CM Lovatt. The NBN online map in fact has
only five records and none for
Somerset or Gloucestershire. It is well-known that ergots are
dangerously toxic, but apparently, so is the Gibberella.
Thus (after Swift’s famous poem about fleas – actually
more a dig against another sort of back-biter, literary critics):
Our naturalists observe a mould Plate 4. The salmon-orange
Gibberella gordonii growing on
With smaller mould that on it grows ergot (Claviceps purpurea var.
And this no doubt has smaller yet spartinae) growing on Spartina at
And on and on, to infinite Portbury,
BOTANICAL NOTES 6 November 2020 © Jean Oliver.
Except where otherwise stated, all notes are by Clive Lovatt with the assistance of the
named contributors of the records and images. Contents
Still more waterlily aphids, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae, this time in West
Gloucestershire
Whilst I was looking through some old BNS Bulletins, I spotted the cover of the September
2019 edition, showing a Small Red-eyed Damselfly at the University of Bristol Botanic
Garden’ on the occasion of a BNS entomological section meeting. On what was obviously
the surface of a waterlily leaf, there was a familiar-looking scattering of many waterlily
aphids, as described in the last two appearances of this column. David Hawkins has
confirmed my tentative identification. The NBN website has only two records, one in a
Bishopsworth (VC6) garden pond in August 2017.
9
White‐colour disease of Creeping Thistle in West Gloucestershire and North
Somerset Contents
Jean Oliver and I spotted white-topped creeping thistles on different Gloucestershire
commons at almost the same time, and we don’t recall seeing any
before. My first thought as I drove across Inglestone Common on
11 September, when I saw it in two places, was ‘They must have
been spraying weedkiller on the creeping thistles (Cirsium
arvense); it will be good if they manage to get rid of it’. My second
thought was ‘Should they be using weedkiller there?’ and the third
was ‘there must be a better explanation’.
Before I had told anyone about this curiosity, Jean emailed me
and told me of her like find on 12 September on Sodbury
Plate 5. Creeping thistle
affected by white-colour Common, and she provided the explanation (see below), in a
disease on the Severn report from 2009 on the Llanelli Naturalists website at
estuary south of Burnham, http://www.llanellinaturalists.org.uk/index.php/March-2009/the-
18 September 2020.
© CM Lovatt.
mystery-of-the-qwhiteq-thistles.html. On 18 September I saw
further diseased plants in N Somerset on the Severn estuary
south of the Brue near Highbridge and Burnham (Plate 5).
Apparently, white‐colour disease of creeping thistle (as the disease is known) was
found for the first time in Britain only in 2002, near Canterbury. It seems to have been
already known in Canada and the USA, where the host is known as Canada thistle. How
the disease reached Britain is not clear, but we have evidence here that it can be spread
on the blades of freshly infected shears. By 2009 it seemed to be predominantly coastal
and absent from agricultural land and was known in several counties in Wales (Anglesey,
Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan, and Pembrokeshire) and a few in England (Isle of Wight and
West Sussex). I have not been able to find any mention in 21st Century County Floras or an
up-to-date overview or distribution map showing the incidence of the disease. There are
records on the internet from Berkshire (2020), Dorset (2020) and Hampshire (2016) but it is
far from apparent that this distinctive and literally remarkable disease of a well-known
noxious weed is either widespread in Britain, or more than patchy in the places where it is
found.
The cause of the disease is a pathological strain (pathovariety tagetis) of the bacterium
Pseudomonas syringae (sometimes written as syringiae). Unsurprisingly perhaps, the
relevant strain was quickly patented as a potential biological control agent. The causative
chemical, tagetitoxin seems to be relatively non-specific, even bleaching wheat seedlings,
but this bacterial strain itself (there is another strain which infects peas, for instance) can
infect many members of the daisy family including sunflowers, marigolds, sow-thistles, and
dandelions. Has anyone else seen thistles or other plants affected in this way? [There is a
2013 record of Pseudomonas (of which there are many species) at Stoke Park, Bristol on
the NBN website but the basis of this BRERC record is not stated.]
The Waxcap fungi of Ashton Court Meadows (by David Hawkins)
Botany never really goes to sleep in wintertime, especially not in our mild south-western
climate plumped by the Gulf Stream and climate change. There is always much to do, both
in terms of seeing what's still about as well as in vegetative study and pondering the books,
swotting up and trying to memorize all those jumbles of Latinate syllables that make up the
scientific names. But nonetheless, it's easy for the hibernal eye of the botanist to be drawn
to other things. A recent trip to the reliably interesting Ashton Court Meadows, which I
10celebrated in these pages back in the spring for their famous colony of Green-winged
Orchids, provided a stunning reminder of this. Contents
The diversity of brightly coloured and curious fungi on
show in these neutral grasslands in late autumn is quite
amazing. Most striking are the waxcaps, the quintessential
grassland fungi, in all their range of hues. It was pretty
easy to find Parrot (Gliophorus psittacinus), Meadow
(Cuphophyllus pratensis), Crimson (Hygrocybe punicea),
Oily (H. quieta), Snowy (H. virgineus), Golden (H.
chlorophana) and Scarlet (H. coccinea) Waxcaps - almost
a whole rainbow (Plate 6)! Several other species have
been recorded on the site and for instance I was lucky to
see Fibrous Waxcap (H. intermedia) in July. Some species
only put up mushrooms from their subterranean mycelial
networks when the conditions have been favourable, so
there can be fallow years. Not so 2020, remarkable for so
many things, but not least as offering a November where it Plate 6. Clockwise from left: Snowy,
Golden, Oily and Crimson Waxcaps
looked like someone had emptied a jar of boiled sweets from Ashton Court Meadows.
across the meadows. 7 November 2020. © David Hawkins.
Copse Bindweed, Fallopia dumetorum,
still at Nailsea
As described in the Bulletin for October 2016, Liz
McDonnell and I found the England Red List
Vulnerable, Copse Bindweed, in a new site, on a
bracken covered slope on the edge of Nailsea. It
had only been found in one place in Somerset
before and had long been extinct. We went back
on 7 October 2020 and found it was still there
(Plate 7), setting loads of good seed, and we saw
some more scrambling shoots 30m away. Being
an annual, that makes it five consecutive years it
has been seen there. Long may it remain!
Plate 7. Copse Bindweed, Fallopia dumetorum, growing into a
hazel bush, Nailsea, 7 October 2020, © CM Lovatt
Senecio inaequidens, Narrow-leaved Ragwort on the M5 in Gloucestershire
This is an increasing plant, first noticed in Gloucestershire in 2003, which we have noticed
mostly in small quantities on waste ground or on roadsides and junctions, and in more
quantity on the railway just north of Temple Meads. There was one on the Portway under
the Suspension Bridge for a while a few years ago and Graham Balfry tells me there is a
lot in the vicinity of Ashton Gate.
I had been expecting to spot it on the Gloucestershire motorways, and suspected I had
seen it for several years in the central reservation close to Highnam Woods on the dual
carriageway over the Severn near Gloucester, but driving alone, I could never be sure until
this year, when I ‘got my eye in’ during October.
Jacobaea vulgaris (formerly Senecio jacobaea), Common Ragwort, must be common
along the motorway and its inflorescence is more or less flat-topped; its outline below is
11narrow. Senecio squalidus, Oxford Ragwort, is more scattered, and is a smaller more
bushy plant with rather bright flowers, and a dense mid-stem growth of leaves, and gives
the impression of being more plentiful in the vicinity of junctions. Senecio inaequidens,
Narrow-leaved Ragwort, is a much larger ‘bush’ (it can be a short-lived perennial), up to or
above the central barriers, and the narrow leaves can be inferred from the obviously less
dense leafage. The flowers are much more spread over the plant and the stem branches
wave in the breeze. Knowing all this, it can safely be recorded. I've seen it this year in
about a dozen places on the Gloucestershire M5, north and southbound, from the lower
slopes of the Avonmouth Bridge, to a few miles north of the Gloucester Services, perhaps
more usually in the central reservation than on the verges. I didn’t notice any during less-
frequent passes last month along the M5 in Somerset as far south as Junction 22, or on
the M4 and M48 between Almondsbury and Aust, and I haven’t recently driven along the
M4 east of Almondsbury or the M5 north of Gloucester Junction 11a and the A417.
Chapters from the History of Bristol Botany Contents
I've been writing short essays on the History of Bristol Botany for 15 years, almost entirely
in this monthly Bulletin. It may seem strange that the most prolific period was when I was
working overseas, up to mid-2011. At the moment few of these essays are accessible
online, and so cannot be googled by modern researchers. In Shakespeare’s words, they
have ‘fallen into the sere, the yellow leaf’: until the March 2012 edition they actually were
on yellow paper and the Bulletin was nicknamed accordingly.
I've tabulated the titles and locations of these essays in an excel file. There seem to be
well over 100 of them and I'm considering ways to make the material accessible as a single
narrative. In the meantime, I’d be pleased to let anyone have a copy of the spreadsheet
index. I have PDF copies of all of the Bulletins from 2006 (the editor has most of them
going back to April 2003, in Word or Publisher – easily made available in pdf format) and
also have many of the essays in the original Word and image files. I think the Society’s
Library has three paper sets.
Plant records
Thanks to all the plant recorders who have provided material for this report. If you’ve found
any interesting plants growing wild, please let me know or send an image of the plant and
its habitat. Please include the location, date, and Ordnance Survey grid reference, and any
useful notes about where you found it or its abundance. Keep well, everyone.
Clive Lovatt, Stroud, 7 November 2020
12GEOLOGY SECTION
PRESIDENT: Richard Arthur ukgeologist@gmail.com Contents
HON. SEC: Richard Ashley, richardwashley@gmail.com Tel: 01934 838850
Normally at this time of year Naturalists’ News would include notice of the Section Annual
General Meeting and Members’ Evening but as you will all be aware these are not normal
times. There seems to be little point in having a specially arranged ‘Zoom’ meeting for the
normally small amount of formal business to be conducted so when a suitable opportunity
arises the election of officers for 2021 will be attached to an online talk or incorporated into
the main Society AGM.
I would like to take this opportunity to send to all BNS members my good wishes for
Christmas and the New Year with the fervent hope that the present Covid pandemic will
subside to levels where we may once again be able to meet face to face and enjoy the
fellowship that is such an enjoyable part of the study of Geology. Meanwhile we still have
the opportunity to get out in the field and study the world around us.
Set out below is a contribution by Richard Arthur, the Geology Section President that I
am sure you will find extremely interesting.
Richard Ashley
FISH FOSSILS Contents
I am delighted that my fellow geology section member Richard Ashley has picked up on my
view that Bristol Nats should give more coverage to fish and mayflies, and has written
about Bristol Sharks. To continue this aquatic theme I am delighted to say that I have
managed to persuade Sam Giles to put on a Zoom lecture in the new year (date to be
announced). This is aimed at the geology section but It is hoped that this topic will
encourage the wider membership to become interested in geology and begin to realise that
geology underpins and controls all of nature past present and future.
Dr Giles is an eminent palaeo-biologist at the University of Birmingham. Her research
combines modern imaging with fossils to understand the evolution of life to rewrite the
vertebrate family tree. It is only from the study of fossils, and fish in particular, that we are
able to follow our own origins as vertebrates – from the most primitive creatures without
backbones - the chordates which arose in the Cambrian period, (and unbelievably are still
represented by some living creatures like Amphioxus); which evolved into, early jawless
fish which arose in the Silurian period (similar to lampreys) and then into fish with a jaw
bone in the Devonian Period and finally bony fish. From there it was another step to the
first animals– which made the tremendous leap from living purely in water to crawling out
onto land as lobe finned fish in the Carboniferous (similar to lungfish) and then on to – the
amphibians and reptiles in the Permian; which then evolved into those terrible lizards,
otherwise known as dinosaurs, which dominated life in the Jurassic and Cretaceous
periods. Finally the first mammals which miraculously survived the end Mesozoic extinction
become our direct ancestors in the Tertiary period, the rest as they say is history. This is
how evolution was seen back in the day my day and although it holds true today Dr Giles
will put a slightly different slant on the finer detail.
Of course we have our own fossil fish in the Bristol area, which are very occasionally
found in local Jurassic, Carboniferous and Devonian rocks. I well remember the then just
plain David Attenborough presenting ‘Life on Earth’, he split open a rock on the Portishead
13foreshore and revealed a perfectly preserved Devonian
fish, so we do indeed have fish in the Bristol area both
living and ancient, although all you are likely to find
today is the odd fish scale, and if we do not do
something to stop overfishing it won’t be long before
finding only scales will refer to fish that used to be alive
in living memory and not just those which
swam around 400 million years ago!!
Some may ask why as Geology President I am
promoting fish but although I am principally a geologist
I am equally a naturalist with an interest in all living
things – Why fish and rocks well I like the effort,
deduction and imagination needed to visualise in 4D
Fossil found on our 2017 USA eclipse trip
It was dug from Fossil Butte which I split below the surface. And it is this curiosity is what we
open in the field. © Richard Arthur should be instilling in the young.
I know fish are not everyone’s cup of tea but
perhaps this will help you see why naturalists really ought to give fish as much thought as
more ‘cuddly’ fluffy forms of life.
Richard Arthur
INTRODUCING HYDROGEOLOGY: Author: Nicholas Robins Contents
Price: £14.99 Dunedin Academic Press ISBN 978-1-78046-078-9
For most amateur geologists, like myself, the behaviour of water underground is out of
sight and out of mind. It is an area that we are for the most part content to leave to
professionals who are in a position to put down boreholes and study aquifers over a wide
area. Yet the presence or absence of underground water and its quality are vital to the
existence of almost everyone on the planet. The fresh component of the ground-water
store amounts to an incredible 99% of the global freshwater resource, while lakes, rivers,
ice caps and atmospheric water comprise the remaining 1%. Therefore as scientifically
literate people we need to have at least a basic knowledge of the science of hydrogeology.
This is what this book provides. As the preface states it is not intended as a textbook on
the subject but rather an introduction to the science of hydrogeology.
In addition to explaining the basics such as the nature and types of aquifers, recharge,
groundwater flow and discharge it covers many important topical issues such as climate
change impact, water scarcity, pollution and its prevention, fracking and storage of nuclear
waste.
I found it a very interesting book to read and it certainly filled in gaps in my geological
knowledge. The book is well laid out with clear diagrams and photographs and like all
Dunedin books in this series has a vey useful Glossary at the back. The book is very
modestly priced and I have no hesitation in recommending it to Naturalists generally or to
anyone who has a concern for the future of human life on this planet.
Richard Ashley
14INVERTEBRATE SECTION
PRESIDENT: Mike Hutchinson mike@mikehutchinson.com Contents
Hon. SECRETARY: Moth Broyles mothbroyles@gmail.com 07809 281421
INVERTEBRATE NOTES FOR DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021
As I write this, England prepares to enter Covid lockdown again from tomorrow. However,
this time round people will not be sitting in their gardens enjoying warm sunshine and so
may not be taking such a close interest in their gardens (should they have one). But there
is still plenty to interest the entomologist in the winter months. One simple way of sampling
some of the invertebrate life in your garden is to create a pitfall trap. All it takes is a
receptacle with steep slippery sides (eg a plastic cup) sunk in a hole so the top is level with
the soil surface. Place something over the top to keep the rain off but still leaving a small
gap so that beetles walking over the soil at night will fall in. Check the next day to see
what nocturnal creatures are still active in the winter.
Although there can be barren nights, running a light trap in the winter can also reveal
winter specialists, from December Moths to Winter and Early Moths. In addition, you may
find hibernating species tempted out on mild nights such as the Common Plume and
Twenty Plume Moths.
The winter months (and lockdown months) can also be a good time to collate those
sightings or photographs of invertebrates from across the last year. It is easy to think that
sending in sightings of common species is not worth the effort, but actually every record
can make a real difference. The records of all plants and animals submitted to the Society
passed on to the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC)
https://www.brerc.org.uk/ are then sent on to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas
https://nbnatlas.org/ and then on to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
https://www.gbif.org/ . In this way your sighting helps build up the global status of a
species – quite an achievement for relatively little effort. So please do send in any records
of sightings to me at ray.barnett@bristol.gov.uk so they can be used in this way as well as
potentially being referenced in the next volume of the Society’s annual Nature in Avon
publication.
Finally, keep looking not only for those winter specialists suggested above but for the
unusual appearances of species out of season. In recent years these types of occurrences
have been increasing as our climate changes. Such observations can be important and
revealing as to how our fauna is and will be changing in years to come.
Ray Barnett
04/11/20
15WASPS IN OUR LOFT Contents
We often have a wasp nest in our loft - by now activity has ceased and the wasps have all
died -The following spring Queens hatch out from the grubs that had overwintered. This
spring I noticed more queens than normal perhaps a dozen. However, this winter the nest
is still active but the most remarkable thing is that it is producing literally hundreds of
queens. Here is a sample of a few weeks’ worth and they are still coming!
In the spring I also noticed a few very small wasps in our bedroom - it took ages to find that
they were coming from a tiny 10mm perfectly circular hole in the plasterboard above the
window. I am afraid I had to spray
the nest as they do not make good
sleeping partners - especially as this
year I have had a rude awakening at
5 am by being stung by a full sized
wasp in bed while asleep - and being
retired I have no need of an alarm
clock! I taped over the hole but a
few weeks later they chewed through
again and a new hole appeared. I
have had an allergic reaction to
being stung by 7 wasp stings before
more spray was, I regret to say
administered with the desired result.
Fortunately Piriton quickly swallowed
seemed to do the trick - or perhaps
hopefully I am becoming immune.
R Arthur
WILDLIFE IN THE WARZONE Contents
Museum Winter Lecture: Thur. 10 Dec., free, on Zoom
Speaker: Dan O’Neill, independent wildlife filmmaker, presenter, and conservationist.
80% of the world’s armed conflicts in the past 50 years have been in areas of
extraordinarily high biodiversity. Join wildlife filmmaker and biologist Dan O’Neill on a
global journey to see how wildlife has been impacted and survived in some of most war-
torn places on Earth. Dan will explore the Soviet Union’s historical connection to snow
leopard poaching, extreme biodiversity loss caused by the Vietnam War, the wild refuge of
the DMZ between North and South Korea, guerrilla warfare’s role in protecting the
Colombian Amazon, and more. Register well in advance, to get your email Zoom invite.
https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on/winter-
lecture-wildlife-in-the-warzone/
16LIBRARY
BNS Library at Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery, BS8 1RL. Contents
LIBRARY COMMITTEE CHAIR: - Clive Lovatt clivemlovatt@gmail.com
HON. LIBRARIAN:- Jim Webster jim.bnslibrarian@gmail.com
The Library is open: Wednesdays 1.15pm-2.15pm, Saturdays 10.15am-12.15pm.
Tel. (opening hours only): 0117 922 3651. CLOSED on Saturdays connected with Bank
Holiday Mondays, and New Year, Christmas and Easter.
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY
As a result of the second phase lockdown in England for four weeks from 5 November to 2
December inclusive access to the Library is not now allowable, and at the time of writing it
is impossible to know what restrictions will necessarily apply over the winter months. We
are therefore still unable to make a firm commitment when the Library can re-open. We will
provide a further update in the February 2021 Bulletin, and should limited opening become
possible in the meantime, we will post a notice on the Society’s website. If you have a
particular interest in visiting the library for research or book borrowing in the early stages of
re-opening, please e-mail the undersigned.
In October, one of the committee visited the library to collect the old computer and he is
working on the transfer of the computer program and files to the new computer. Book
publishing has continued during the year and the Committee are considering which new
books should be purchased for the collection. Any member with suggestions other than
new books from the New Naturalists, British Wildlife Collection and the WILDGuides series,
please let the undersigned know.
Clive Lovatt
17Contents
A History of Lower Woods Nature Reserve
(Part II: The Timeline) by Mike & Jill Martin
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has given us a copy of this difficult to obtain work which
was published on behalf of the authors by the Hawkesbury Local History Society in 2014
(Plate 1). It is in A4 paperback full-colour format with 335 numbered pages and contains a
host of illustrations including documents, maps, the lodge and archaeological artefacts,
and photographs of the woods, woodsmen, and landowners, and visiting scientists,
naturalists, and dignitaries. It is a work of great scholarship and interest which so far as I
am aware, has not been noticed before in this Society’s Bulletin.
In the Hawkesbury Parish News for August 2012, the second author described the (then)
expected contents as follows. ‘Utilising material from over 15 years research, the book will
include all aspects of history and management of the woods: from Acts of Parliament to
Assarts; Badminton to Bark (oak); Commons to Coppices; Domesday to Drowning (yes,
the threat of!); Pershore to Paston; Romans to Royal Forests; Woodwards to Woodbanks,
to mention but a few. The story of ownership of Lower Woods will include a detailed history
of Horton, woodland life before the Dissolution, transfer of the woods to the Duke of
Beaufort (which has resulted in the survival of an invaluable archive of management
records) and the acquisition of the woods for a nature reserve by Gloucestershire Wildlife
Trust in 1996. We have learned a lot about the activities in Lower Woods during WWII (not
to mention the devastation caused
by removal of huge amounts of
timber for the war-effort) and have
had the pleasure of meeting local
people who worked in the woods
during that time and later.’
The Library lacks a copy of Part I:
The Names (2008) and the Lower
Woods Nature Reserve Guide and
Species List (2004, Plate 2, from
my copy). If any member has a
copy of either that they could give
to the Library, please let me know.
Plate 1. A History of Lower Plate 2. Wanted (with Part I of the
Woods Nature Reserve. Part II History): Lower Woods Nature
:The Timeline Reserve Guide and Species List
by Mike & Jill Martin (2014). edited by Mike Martin (2004).
Clive Lovatt, Stroud, 7 November 2020
18ORNITHOLOGY SECTION
PRESIDENT:- Giles Morris, 01275 373917 danesmorris@btinternet.com
HON SEC.:- Lesley Cox 07786 437528 fledglingnat@icloud.com Contents
Please note: We hope that our members are well and virus free. Our Section wants to
deliver as much pleasure from our talks as usual so our ornithological talks will be
delivered via Zoom during the winter months to keep members safe. Please register your
interests with the Section Sec. and download the free Zoom app (from Apple or Google). It
is a secure device through which to enjoy all the benefits of our Section Programme. We
look forward to welcoming all of our loyal members once more.
FIELD MEETINGS
The Government has ordered a second national lockdown in the face of rising Covid-19
cases. The end of the lockdown is scheduled for 2nd December so we hope that we can
resume after that date but there is a possibility the lockdown will be extended.
OLDBURY POWER STATION Sunday, 13th December
Leader: Alastair Fraser: (fieldtripsaf@gmail.com) 10am
Meet for 10am in the car park of Oldbury Power Station (Grid Ref: ST608 943, Satnav:
51.6462554, -2.5683443). We shall be looking for winter migrants along the coast of the
Severn.
If lockdown has ended, we assume that the rules (see below) will return to those of pre-
lockdown but check with the leader in case of changes.
1. The meeting is limited to 5 members plus the leader, so you must book your place
with the leader. E-mail: (fieldtripsaf@gmail.com)
2. Places will be allocated on a strict first come, first served basis.
3. You are responsible for your own safe transport. We cannot offer car shares.
4. Please bring a mask for use in any location where needed, e.g., toilets and a clean
polythene/plastic bag to keep it in when not.
5. Safe social distancing of 2 metres must be observed at all times.
6. Bring your own binoculars (and scope if you have one). Sharing of equipment is not
permitted.
7. Bring your own hand sanitiser.
8. Please check for any updates that might apply.
CHEW VALLEY LAKE Saturday, 23rd January
Leader: Mike Johnson. (07530 981 106 / Michael753@aol.com) 10am
We shall visit a number of sites around the Lake. If the office is open to buy our permits,
we will visit the hides but, if not, we shall be staying within the public areas. Once again,
there should be a good selection of ducks, gulls, waders, passerines and possibly the
occasional raptor, wherever we visit.
Meet for a 10:00 a.m. start at Bristol Water’s Woodford Lodge (Grid Ref: ST565607),
which is located off the B3114 road between Chew Stoke and West Harptree on the left-
hand side of the road just after leaving Chew Stoke.
Please contact Mike Johnson via (07530981106) or Michael753@aol.com if you plan to
attend. Many thanks.
If the lockdown has been lifted, we hope that the usual rules will apply, i.e.,
1. The meeting is limited to 5 members plus the leader, so you must book your place
with the leader. E-mail: Michael753@aol.com
192. Places will be allocated on a strict first come, first served basis. Contents
3. You are responsible for your own safe transport. We cannot offer car shares.
4. Please bring a mask for use in any location where needed, e.g., toilets, and a clean
polythene/plastic bag to keep it in when not.
5. Safe social distancing of 2 metres must be observed at all times.
6. Bring your own binoculars (and scope if you have one). Sharing of equipment is not
permitted.
7. Bring your own hand sanitiser.
8. Please check for any updates that might apply.
LECTURE MEETINGS
THE BIRDS OF CHEW VALLEY LAKE Wednesday, 9th December
Speaker: John Rossetti
John will be highlighting the birds and ecology of this wonderful site of major importance
through his magnum opus based on the observations of the highly respected ornithologist,
Keith Vinicombe. The site supports a plethora of flora and fauna which are too many to
mention.
John writes, I would like to thank the Bristol Naturalists’ Society for
supporting this book and I certainly hope that you will not be
disappointed with the result. The book The Birds of Chew Valley Lake
will be available to pre-order at a 20% discount which comes to £19.95
through this link https://tinyurl.com/ChewBirds However, in the light
of lockdown we have had to add £5 P&P for this superb 450-page
book to be shipped and tracked to your address. Please share this link
with friends, relatives and on social media. The book will be sent to
the printers at the end of November and we expect the book to be sent
out at the start December. The book is aimed mainly at birders but it is
suitable for anyone interested in nature, ecology and history.
ORCHARD SONG (and possibly AGM) Wednesday, 13th January
Speaker: Ben Macdonald
Ben is back to highlight British orchards and their wildlife. Our orchards have been a
traditional component of the British landscape for many centuries. However, subsidies
have led to the destruction of older, traditional orchards to make way for more intensive
farming and now only a fraction remain. The value of these orchards for wildlife has long
been underestimated. Ben spent six years visiting a traditional orchard across all seasons
observing its imperilled and overlooked abundance of life.
FIELD MEETING REPORT Contents
WWT Steart, 19/09/20
This was our first attempt at a Covid-restricted field meeting but, apart from the small
numbers attending (five) and everyone arriving in separate cars, it all felt refreshingly
normal. Masks were needed in the hides, but the hides at Steart have excellent viewing
screens outside, so little time was spent masked up.
Steart Marshes WWT reserve is the product of a massive coastal re-alignment project,
with both freshwater marshes and a huge area of salt-marsh created by landscaping and a
controlled breach of the sea wall. The reserve has enjoyed the successful breeding of a
pair of Black-winged Stilts this summer, but the last of the fledged birds had flown south
about a week before our visit.
20The trip was timed to coincide with the top of a big tide and I decided to start at Wall
Common to look for roosting waders. Sadly I had misjudged this and the paths here were
under water so we couldn’t reach the shingle bank where the birds were roosting. We
returned to the Mendip Hide having had only a tantalisingly distant view of the roost. The
main salt-marsh held a mix of ducks and just one circling flock of Dunlin, with a single
Great White for comparison with the more numerous Little Egrets. Contents
The Quantock Hide overlooks the freshwater Otterhampton Marsh and here we were
able to get better views of some waders, with Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Grey Plover
showing well and a single Greenshank flew in later to join them. Recent works to instal a
sluice here had perhaps kept the number and variety of birds on the marsh lower than
usual and also meant that the two visiting Spoonbills were tucked in the furthest SW corner
of the marsh, well away from the hide. They also remained resolutely tucked up and asleep
while we were around – most inconsiderate of them!
Other species of note during our walk around included Marsh Harrier, Buzzard and
Kestrel, a pair of Ravens, a distant Wheatear and a singing Cetti’s Warbler.
We finished with a walk up to Steart Point, where the tide was now well out and the
acres of exposed mud were speckled with Curlew and Shelduck. Walking through the
village it was pleasing to see the telegraph wires well loaded with gathering swallows. I
have heard many reports of a poor season for nesting swallows in the Bristol area, but the
number of young birds there suggested that in that part of Somerset they have not done
too badly.
Thank you to the select group for their company and my apologies for not starting the
morning at Steart Point for the top of the tide. Bob Buck knows best!
Giles Morris
Bird Notes Contents
October is traditionally the best month of the year for vagrant birds in Britain and 2020 was
no exception. Extreme rarities were found in the Outer Hebrides, Shetlands, Isles of Scilly
and Norfolk, giving some insight into the commitment required by those intent on
maximising their British list. The rare birds found in our area are not in the same league,
but we have had our moments.
One of the recurring questions when a rarity is in the news is: what happens to these
individuals? It is the unfortunate truth that many must perish due to the after-effects of a
long ocean crossing, or because they continue their errant journey into inhospitable
regions. This is not, however, the case for all vagrants.
There have been several local records this autumn of Yellow-browed Warbler and
probably more to come. The status of this species has shifted in recent decades from
national rarity to that of a scarce but regular migrant, which can be numerous at some
coastal hotspots. Studies in Iberia have revealed a small and growing population wintering
there instead of in south and south-east Asia. What has probably happened is that a very
small proportion of birds carried a mutation that caused them to migrate in the wrong
direction and that climate change has enabled these individuals to survive and enjoy a
competitive edge due to the shorter distance they cover. This suggests that vagrancy might
on occasion be a useful evolutionary strategy, particularly in a rapidly changing world.
We have also enjoyed visits from two waders from across the Atlantic: Pectoral
Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs. The outlook for these individuals is probably reasonably
good. Many vagrant water birds appear to reorientate to follow the same migratory routes
as related species. Some then return to the same area year after year and this has led to
21You can also read
