summer 2011
DESCRIPTION
OUWG Newsletter Summer 2011TRANSCRIPT
OXFORD WILDLIFE
NUMBER 90 NEWS SUMMER 2011
This grass snake in our pond, having feasted on the tadpoles it succeeded in catching frogs in its mouth . . . .
luckily they were too big for it to eat.
NEWS FROM BOUNDARY BROOK NATURE PARK
ne interesting sighting at Boundary Brook were two green hairstreak butterflies and a marbled white. Alan is on the look-out for the adult
Brown Hairstreak which we hope successfully developed from the eggs we found in our winter search. There are kites overhead and many dragonflies and damselflies over the ponds.
OThe Kitchen Garden is currently being renovated and the sensory bed in the Demonstration Wildlife Garden is going to be re-planted. The “Cornfield” has done really well this year with a colourful show of corncockle, cornflower and poppies as well as a sprinkling of corn for authenticity!
We have had visits from a group of boys, getting work experience, from the neighbouring St Gregory the Great School; we are most grateful for their help. In addition they visited us at the end of May to present us with a generous donation of £125 to thank OUWG for letting them come to Boundary Brook and also for the help given by Alan. The money was raised solely by the boys making and selling cakes. We could spend the money on what we like but it has to be something for the nature park.
We suggested that we would spend the money on two floating safety ropes for the ponds, a new water meter and gardening gloves which they have agreed to.
EVENTS
Past . . . e have had a series of good events this spring. The Open Days at Holywell and Boundary Brook in April went well and being blessed with good weather they
attracted a number of interested visitors. However, the warm spring weather meant that by the time we had the fritillary survey the flowers at Osney Mead had all gone. Luckily, using one of the modern accurate GPS devices, we could track down the area quite precisely where we’d found flowers last year and then we could count the plants and the seed heads where this year’s flowers had been. The heavy downpours on our June Open Day meant that not many people came and, in spite of the gazebo, many of our visitors as well as the displayed material got sodden. Pond dipping, however, was again a major attraction.
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Again Oxfordshire Goes Wild was a resounding success with the usual crowd of interested adults and children, including many foreign visitors. We had our mini-pond dipping again as well as other puzzles for children and books and leaflets for adults. We have learnt to bring mopping up cloths but luckily they were not needed much!
Ivan and Jacqueline Wright and Bonny Collins gave us an excellent tour of Shotover and Brasenose Wood in May. Although we thought the warm spring might mean the bluebells would be over, there were still some around as well as many other spring flowers including some on the rare plants register. They showed us some impressive ferns such as the shuttlecock-like broad buckler fern and we were surprised find a toad nestling in its cup-like base of one. There was an interesting coppicing experiment to see how high a stump must be left to keep it out of the range of nibbling deer. One large oak had a pair of connected holes housing a thriving colony of bees which had used this space continuously for over 6 years. As we watched the bees continually entering and leaving one hole a large queen hornet went in presumably to prey on the bees’ young. It later emerged from the lower hole.
One apparently healthy oak puzzled us because of the myriads of small shoots sprouting in parallel bands from its trunk (see picture). Can anyone suggest a reason?
Future . . .Archaeology
ome and join in a mini-excavation as part of the on-going archaeological work at Boundary Brook with the East Oxford Archaeology Project. Learn excavation techniques and how to record all the work they do. We may also do some survey
work - high and low tech approaches. On both days, Wednesday 6th July and Thursday 7th July we will be there from 10.00am to 3.30pm. You can come for a morning or an afternoon, or for the whole day. Bring a packed lunch if you stay all day, stout shoes or boots, waterproofs and clothes you don't mind getting dirty. It may be hot so hat, plenty of water and sunscreen, too. You are also welcome to just come and visit and see what we are doing. During the work we will up-date you on the exciting findings the Project is making across East Oxford at about 11am and 2.30pm on both days. There is no limit to people coming to watch but if you would like to take an active part contact Jane Harrison on [email protected] or ring her on 01865 724153 to book as places will be limited.
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Boundary Brook and other eventsWe have our traditional summer events at our Nature Park - our July Open Day, a summer picnic and a Craft Day and we will also join in some local events see p12 for details.
Cover photo: Grass Snake by Nicola Warnock – winning photo in our competition see page 5.
GRANT from Oxford City Council
e are most grateful to Oxford City Council for their continued recognition of the work done by Oxford Urban Wildlife Group especially during the current financial climate. They have given us a grant for this financial year of £2250 to be spent on running costs for the group. This is particularly valuable as other grants usually only
cover new projects, not running costs. This is principally for the expenses involved in maintaining Boundary Brook Nature Park for example seeds and plants, fencing, volunteer expenses, insurance, rent and skip hire to remove the rubbish we dig up – that is of course after rescuing the fossils, the valuable Victorian jars and stone beer bottles.
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A new way to explore wildlife in East Oxfordhe St Mary and St John Churchyard Group, in partnership with Wildknowledge and Oxford
Brookes University, are creating four interactive, educational nature and history trails around the 2 acre churchyard off the Cowley Road. The themes of the trails, which are designed with 9-12 yr olds in mind but aimed to be used by all ages, are: a Flora Trail, a Wildlife and Conservation Trail, an Historical Trail and a Combined Trail (incorporating sections of each of the other three).
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The trails will be available from September 2011 as a smartphone application. Users will be guided round the churchyard to 10 or so “Designated Interest Points”. At each “interest point” there will be educational text information, photographs, trivia and a quiz question. Each trail will also be supported by downloadable and printable Word versions of the text, trivia and quizzes for use before and after a visit.
It will be possible to access the trails via a smartphone.
For schools, 3 or 4 hand-held devices will be available with the trails already downloaded. Either way, the intention is to provide the local community with the opportunity to explore the wildlife in the churchyard, and especially to provide local students with a fun and educational experience.
There will be more detailed information in due course, but anyone wishing to discuss how the trails might be used can already contact Ruth Conway: [email protected] or 01865 723 085
Some elements of the trails will be tried out on the afternoon of Carnival, 3 July. Visits and ideas will be very much welcomed.
Events of a different kind will be organised later in the year, including a Moth & Bat evening in August and a Planting day in September. Details from either Ruth Conway (as above) or Ruth Ashcroft: [email protected] or 01865 248 344.
Update from Summertown
Was our little visitor the same that had called when snow fell here before Christmas? He or she seemed a little bigger now that June was here, scurrying across the lawn to our pond, then pausing near our garden sacks for some urgent grooming. On the way to an important date perhaps?
The houses in our area often get rain on their roofs and sometimes snow, but as evening fell last month through the failing light we saw something we'd never seen before. Up high on the roof ridge of a neighbour's house, webbed feet planted
firmly, stood a duck.
A friend of ours (a world expert on the birds of Asia and well informed about birds in general) put the incident in context: "These female mallards do seem to turn up in strange places at this time of year when prospecting for nest sites." Another friend emailed: "Oh dear! There was one trying desperately to get into the Ferry Centre last week. I think she'd spotted the pool and thought it would do!" Annette and David Bygott
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
e have many jobs to be done here from simple gardening to much more complex ones. A selection of jobs will be available. Regular tasks include checking invasive brambles, nettles and grasses, work on organic vegetable plots,
mowing of paths and general maintenance of the nature park. WWe provide all tools and equipment. Bring your own gardening gloves if possible and wear sensible/stout shoes. This is a chance for you to help us and yourself by keeping fit and learn about conservation. Ring Alan Hart on 07979608013 for further details.
Questions and Answers
Questionan any member identify the culprit likely to be responsible for this
'rotovation' of part of our lawn on one night in May?
CSuggestions are rabbits, squirrels, deer and a badger digging for something. And the likely something are chafer grubs. We live adjacent to Shotover Estate in Wheatley and all of the above animals wander across to our garden from time to time. There were no tell-tale rabbit droppings however.
Answer - The Missing Birdsteve Nicholson sent us some interesting information which may help to explain why people reported
seeing fewer birds than usual this winter. He says: S “It may be caused, ironically, by more people helping but accidentally harming them, see this possible cause http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders/a/whycleanfeeders.htm.
“I am on my third lot of bird feeders due to mould developing more easily on some types. For example wooden feeders soak up rain causing them to become mouldy more quickly, other plastic types have hard to clean eating trays etc. and very large feeders possibly allow the seed to absorb damp before birds get to eat the seeds etc. allowing mould to develop. The reason I've taken all this trouble is that I've noticed periodic declines in bird activity in my garden then found mouldy bits and pieces in the feeders. They also need to be squirrel proof, some are chewed up easily, letting in damp. My latest peanut feeder is stainless steel, which means it is easy to clean in the dishwasher, previous ones were plastic and got chewed by squirrels and were hard to clean by hand. Once cleaned, or replaced, the birds eventually come back.
“I think that feeding birds 'little and often' seems best, this means that the food should get used up before problems develop, and then you don't have to empty feeders to
clean them as the birds would empty them for you and there’s less to clean anyway.
“One thing I noticed was that when I bought some very cheap fat balls (not suet) they lasted far longer and got much less attention from the birds. I have wondered since if there is a temptation by some manufacturers to add unwise ingredients? When I threw away the suspect fat balls and replaced them with 'RSPB' approved ones, far more birds seemed to visit.
“Suet balls are popular but fall apart very easily and don’t last as long. This means they are relatively more expensive, even if cheaper to actually buy. So I prefer the 'approved' fat balls because there is less risk to the birds and they prefer them. Also when fat ball feeders are full, i.e. 4 balls, there is lots of 'mobbing' from larger birds which keeps the smaller ones away, so I restrict fat balls to one or two and the larger flocks spend less time, giving smaller birds a chance.
“The best fat-ball feeders have metal loops at the top to prevent squirrels biting through. So far my best birdseed feeder is the plastic attachment type that goes on an empty plastic coke / pop bottle. But the hanger part shouldn't be used as it means putting holes into the bottle which could let in water, so I use duct tape suitable for outside and an old metal coat hanger to suspend it.”
Solution to the Crossword in our last issue
Across: 5 Boundary Brook, 9 grouse, 11 pike, 12 shed, 13 tit, 14 dab, 15 OUWG, 18 smew, 21 tern, 22 clover, 23 gnat, 25 bat, 26 vixen, 27 swarms, 28 oat, 29 stamen, 33 bog, 36 dioxide, 39 petrel, 41 tooth, 42 Habitat, 44 chub, 45 posts,48 mulch, 50 Douglas Fir, 53 pods, 55 migrate, 60 idealistic, 65 do, 66 leaf litter,67 rail, 68 plover, 69 primrose, 70 spindle.
Down: 1 mole, 2 snap, 3 lark, 4 roosts, 6 bunting, 7 Keene, 8 broadleaf, 10 stonechat, 16 granite, 17 stake, 19 mature, 20 worms, 24 Newt, 27 saliva, 30 amphibians, 31 oxlip, 32 beetle, 34 OPT, 35 pea, 38 moth, 40 Trap, 43 weedkillers, 44 Clumps, 46 strim, 47 fulmar, 49 hop, 51 fig, 52 dog, 54 dodo, 56 earthed, 57 waller, 58 Milvus, 59 spruce, 60 idler, 61 see, 62 tarn, 63 if, 64 clasp.
An interesting sight
here is a length of hedge near Gainfield where I saw, as I drove past, a large patch of what appeared to be a sheet of torn material draped over the hedge. A bit further on there were many more large patches covering a section of hedge. I stopped and had a closer look and it looked like giant cobwebs but in amongst the sticky mesh there were not
spiders but small caterpillars moving about. I tried to see what they were feeding on but they had stripped the entire bush of its leaves and as it was a mixed hedge it was difficult to find out what these tasty leaves must have been. When I looked it up it seems likely to have been ermine moth caterpillars. There are many different species in the UK, one of which lives on spindle, another on hawthorn as well as large trees such as oak, bird cherry, willow. Sometimes there is a population
Texplosion as seen here when whole trees are covered in a tent-like web and stripped bare.
Janet Keene
A length of hedge Close up of the web
Photographic competitionThe committee voted on the photos we received and their first choice was Nicola Warnock’s picture of a grass snake (see front cover). She receives a book token. She narrowly beat John Gorrill’s lovely Yellow Arum Lily beside Elterwater in the Lake District, lit by the morning sun of 12th April 2011 (see below left) and our third choice was the Comma butterfly by Darren Griffiths (below right) he said that he took it in Shotover Park adding “It was very patient, waiting for me till I got this great shot.”
As always we do wish we could reproduce photos in colour – one day advances in technology may allow colour printing to be cheap enough to use for our newsletters.
Yellow Arum Lily: Comma butterfly: John Gorrill Darren Griffiths
Carry On Up The Food-ChainRed kites will be the death of me! I've been up my ladder clearing moss from gutters and felt lured into looking
skywards by these majestic birds gliding over Marston. You may have seen the same: kites being mobbed by crows, kites circling overhead with just the twitch of a tail to steer a course, kites calling Kee-wee-wee above your garden in spring. Perhaps they'll become so common that we don't notice them anymore, just like gulls living inland instead of by the coast. Other species adapt themselves to our interfering human ways without help and that's part of their evolutionary success. The Red Kite has had a more direct boost however, and the story has its quirks.
The kite was persecuted to extinction in England and Scotland by Victorian gamekeepers who saw it as vermin to be killed by shotgun or poisoned bait. The habit still lingers, as you'll see later. In the 1980s there was a plan to re-introduce the birds in Windsor Great Park but the agreement with the landowner fell apart. In stepped Sir Paul Getty or John Paul Getty Junior as he was then. Yes, the son of an American oil tycoon had bought Wormsley Park in the Chilterns in 1984 then set about restoring the 18th Century mansion and 2,500-acre estate. You may have heard that he also became a cricket fanatic and built a full-size replica of The Oval in his garden. Protecting Red Kites became part of his philanthropic mission as well as donating to art galleries, museums and so on. The kites were not just released like racing pigeons and left to get on with it. Sir Paul apparently paid for security guards to prevent the nesting sites being disturbed and the eggs from being stolen. A breeding pair of birds from Wales and three pairs from Sweden were the forebears of kites you see over Oxford now. Their benefactor died in 2003.
The first kites I saw in Oxfordshire were circling over the M40 near the chalk cutting through Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve nearly ten years ago. As carrion-feeders, the road-kill beside the motorway became a regular food source for them. For the Red Kite, the sky above our motorway network could be the UK's highest and longest wildlife corridor. Our gardens have probably become a feeding-ground as young kites have had to find new territories further and further out from the Wormsley release site. If I could fit young birds with wing-tags or tracking devices and had great patience, I'd explore the idea of birds spreading outwards via motorway routes. I can't and don't, so I'll leave it as a theory.
Another food source is people putting out scraps of meat in their gardens. If you have internet access, you can watch this on Youtube - one video clip was filmed in a garden near High Wycombe. The kites don't land and feed on the ground but swoop, grab the meat in their talons and soar upwards to clear a garden fence. Sometimes a bird misses the food and flies round again for another go. The problem here is that to form strong bones a Red Kite needs a balanced diet of meat with fur and feathers attached. A chicken leg from Tesco doesn't have that, so some fledgling kites have apparently broken a wing bone on first leaving the nest and died helpless on the ground. We kill them with kindness.
How much natural carrion is there in our countryside? I don't usually go looking for dead animals but in March I went walking around Otmoor to see what I could find. I took my camera, I spent three hours and you may be surprised at the results.
A dead fox – Carrion on Otmoor
The list of the dead was one male badger, a fox, remains of three brown Soay sheep which graze around Beckley Park (a historic house) and one Fallow Deer - a stag with large antlers. There were plenty of Red Kites circling overhead. The problem for them is lack of cutting-power because they can't pierce the skin of a corpse. They must wait for another creature such as a raven or a fox to make the opening bite. If you're squeamish then look away now, but the first parts of a body to be eaten are the eyes because they have no fur or thick covering to shield them. The Red Kite's flying prowess comes at the expense of body weight and muscle. With a wingspan of nearly six feet but weighing under three pounds, the kite will forever be second at the feast What killed these animals on Otmoor?
More carrion – A dead badger
he UK's 9th and final release of kites happened last year in Grizedale Forest, Cumbria. It's not a remote and secret place but a Lake District attraction well
known for its sculpture trail, mountain biking and a visitors' centre. I suspect that the Forestry Commission who hosted the birds and their release pens have an eye to their value in public relations. The Commission used to be famous for sitka spruce in block-shaped plantations but now they present a softer image: guardians of wildlife, champions of public
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access and (in Cumbria) saviours of the Red Kite. In a hand-out called 'Grizedale Red Kites', the Commission stresses that 'the bulk of the...diet is made up from scavenging, rodents and invertebrates.' This I think is a coded message to gamekeepers and farmers: your pheasants and your lambs are safe from our birds. You can find out more at www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale.
Thirty birds were released in August 2010 and six are now known to be dead. Three bodies went for post-mortem, finding that two died from 'persecution' and one from natural causes. I saw a news report of one dead kite being found in the Yorkshire Dales with shotgun pellets in its body. On a happier note, bird number 4 has reached Dumfries and Galloway, 120 kilometres away from the release site. Thirty more birds will arrive in June and thirty more next year. They are brought from a forest in Northamptonshire soon after hatching. These 'Cumbrian' birds are genetically compatible with Oxford's birds of Welsh and Swedish origin. As the populations spread, meet and mate, most of the UK will become a habitat for kites.
The remains of a sheep – only skin and bone is left
Releasing non-native or formerly native species into the wild is illegal in England for you and me under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 and the Destructive Imported Animals Act of 1932. Mink, muntjac deer and grey squirrels were all imported and, given the damage they do, you can see why laws are needed. The Forestry Commission are able to release the formerly native Red Kites under a licence granted by Natural England. An application to them can take six months or more to consider because they have to assess what effect the 'new' species will have on other wildlife. With the Red Kites in Cumbria, Natural England noted that competing against ravens for food was probable but not likely to be a serious problem. There was a different proposal to re-introduce the White-tailed Sea Eagle to East Anglia. That caused an outcry because this eagle has a wingspan of up to eight feet and a body weight approaching fifteen pounds. The application was withdrawn.
The deer skull and antlers with a newsletter for scale
The law in Scotland is different and you may have heard of beavers being re-introduced to the Knapdale Forest in Argyll in 2009 and 2010. Forestry Commission Scotland allowed this 5-year trial release to go ahead on their land. Beavers have been extinct in Britain for about 400 years because hunters killed so many for their fur. After the 2009 release of 11 beavers, one was found shot dead and two simply disappeared. If the others do well without harm to their surroundings, there is a plan to release more beavers in remote areas of both Scotland and Wales. The law in Ireland is different again. Twenty White-tailed Sea Eagles were released in the south-west, followed by seven deaths by poisoning and two by shooting. You can see that re-introducing wildlife is not a simple matter with a happy ending guaranteed.
When a bird flies high in public esteem, its name gets used in contexts far removed from wildlife conservation. For example Kestrel is a lager, Kingfisher is the company that owns B&Q while Penguin can be a book or a biscuit. Firms using the Red Kite name are a minibus builder in Dorset, a glazier’s in Wales and a yurt-maker in Scotland (that's tents not yoghurt). There's also a pram with the Red Kite brand-name, an advertising agency and a finance house. There are Black Kites too by the way but they are very scarce in Britain, so their name has less value for publicity.
Finally, if you're walking along a Scottish river and want to spot the most careless and lazy beavers - that's easy: they're the ones that don't give a dam.
Lye Valley/Hogley bog newsLast August I received a report from a local enthusiast that at least twelve baby common lizards and five adults had been seen at one time, mainly near the main
boardwalk pathway through the North Fen area. Some were sunning themselves on top of tree stumps, and didn't seem bothered by people walking close by! This is the highest
number that has so far been seen at once on this site. This population is one of only two known colonies of Common Lizard (sadly no longer common) within Oxford City and the North Fen area also has good populations of Slow-worms and Grass Snakes, which are also declining species. The valley is one where Glow-worms are still to be found, which is also very unusual within a city.In December last year a consultation on possible sites for new housing in Oxford threw up the unwelcome news that area No. 69 'Garage and Land East of Warren Crescent’ owned by Oxford City Council was in line for consideration. This is immediately adjacent to the West side of the North Fen, so I and the few people I could reach put in objections to this land being developed on the grounds that it would reduce the water flow to the important springs supplying the fen and the nearness of housing would provide unwelcome disturbance to the lizards, slow worms, grass snakes and brown hairstreak butterflies found adjacent to the possible housing. This area is not off the list for future housing so it looks as though we will have to object all over again. You can object if you want to help. The consultation is open until 22nd July 2011.
This spring the good news is that the rare Brown Hairstreak butterfly has again been recorded as eggs (5 found) on blackthorn in the valley for the third year running. This is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species of high conservation concern that has been slowly spreading into the city wherever there is suitable blackthorn. Not often that sites gain rare species rather than losing them!
Further good news is that I was very impressed at the way the Hospital Trust dealt with the invading Himalayan Balsam along the Boundary and Lye Brook corridors last summer. It was extensively strimmed before flowering, which looked bad at the time, but it will have reduced the seed production markedly (as it is an annual) so let’s hope there is less this year. Currently this pink invader has reached halfway up the Lye Brook towards the North Fen, but is not yet within reach of it. I’m keeping a sharp eye to make sure it does not get there and will encourage pulling by volunteers if it looks as if it is making progress in that direction. Last year’s efforts removing this plant from the South Fen made good progress, but it will be back! I and a few others will be pulling up the plants that appear in the South Fen this year on the afternoon of Saturday 25th June from 3.30pm.
A red letter day for the Lye Valley SSSI fens happened in late February this year. Natural England Officer for the area, Alison Muldal, told me that all private owners of the South Fen and the Oxford City Council (who own the North Fen) had signed up to a ‘Conservation & Enhancement Scheme agreement’ so that grant money is now available for essential management of the vegetation on both North and South fens over the next few years. Work has started already in the South Fen area where some of the large willows that had been shading the fen surface have been pollarded. More trees will be tackled each winter in succeeding years. The agreement includes a grant for reed cutting and fen mowing as well of course – but this won’t happen until July/August. Excellent news for the marsh helleborines, marsh louseworts, bog pimpernel and grass of Parnassus which are all flowers
needing high light and which can be suffocated by dense vegetation. Hence I will not be asking you to come reed cutting in the South Fen this year!
Bad news follows. Sometime in January 2011 a serious sewage pollution event occurred, contaminating the Boundary Brook. The wooded corridor of the brook is a Local Wildlife Site and it runs past the South Fen SSSI. It was first reported to the Environment Agency on 25 th January 2011 and I reported it on 6th February. The bed of the brook was covered in whitish-grey cloudy growth known as ‘Sewage Fungus’ for over a kilometre. This so-called sewage fungus is actually a fluffy growth of bacteria and fungi can appear during organic pollutions, as it feeds on the organic nutrients within the pollutant. The whole watercourse stank of sewage. The Environment Agency investigation traced the sewage fungus to a surface drainage balancing pond which received road surface water from the Churchill Hospital site only. To prevent the pollution of the Boundary Brook the outfall from the balancing pond was blocked off and water and mud in the pond was tankered away by the EA to prevent it from overflowing. The pond was fully emptied on the 19 th
February to remove the contamination. Road water issuing from the Churchill site into this pond was pronounced to be now clean, but the source of the previous pollution has not been identified by the EA. On-going monitoring of water quality is going to be undertaken here as a precaution. The recent news is that the balancing pond has had to be emptied of mud yet again, although we are not sure why.
However, the Boundary Brook is now looking much cleaner, the sewage fungus has gone and the rocks in the stream bed can be seen again but I have no idea how long viruses (e.g. hepatitis?) from sewage may be active in it, so have refrained from getting in to check for the return of water life such as freshwater shrimps and caddis flies.
As I reported in the last issue briefly, on 9 th March I was on site near the North Fen and noticed a strong sewage smell from the road drain entering the Lye Brook up near the Girdlestone Road allotments. I immediately reported this to the Environment Agency and Thames Water, who are currently investigating. To date, this sewage pollution is still on-going a small way, but it is a lesser event than that suffered by the Boundary Brook. The EA have been trying to trace the source of this problem underground though the pipework and have found a couple of misconnections, but these have not yet been dealt with. So the Lye Brook is still being polluted, although it is not such a great amount as was entering the Boundary Brook from the Churchill. The EA are still working hard at this one. Misconnections happen during new house building or extensions when a foul sewer is wrongly connected underground to a pipe that is not a sewer, but to a road surface drain. Instead of rain water from roads entering the watercourse, raw sewage does.
You may remember that I reported on a site meeting in the Lye Valley specifically to look into the erosion problems the watercourses are experiencing with 5 representatives of Thames Water, the Natural England officer responsible for the SSSI fens and eco-hydrologist Curt Lamberth. Whilst doing this all members of the group experienced the sewage pollution in the Boundary Brook first hand. We viewed the serious erosion happening in the Boundary Brook near the South Fen and the fact that the bridge over the Boundary Brook used by golfers is being extensively undercut so that it
may soon need to be replaced. Subsequently Curt and I were asked if we had any photographs of bank erosion in the brooks over the last few years, so that crude estimates of the rate of loss could be made. Luckily we had quite a few photos stored, so could supply this information. Whilst we were all on site, we experienced the Boundary Brook sewage pollution first hand. Later in February we received the good news that Thames Water board had approved the money for a further study into the problems of erosion and pollution in both brooks. This is the first step to finding a solution!
The Friends of Warneford Meadow have become involved in the issues of erosion and pollution of the Boundary Brook and are considering calling a meeting with local City Councillors, EA, Thames Water, the Hospital Trust and CPRE on site. One of the main reasons for this is that two developments will be coming to the areas near the Boundary Brook and they are keen that neither should worsen the brook’s problems. The first development is the Maggie’s Centre for cancer patients for which construction is starting now just to the north of
the balancing pond that was contaminated. The second is the proposed re-development of the Oxford University buildings on the Old Road Campus site. Replacement buildings are proposed. I have attended the consultation and objected to the plans as I don’t think they show the run off from this site being sufficiently dealt with. There is not yet a planning application for this redevelopment. My view is that the redevelopment should not put any more road surface drainage into the Boundary Brook and increase its erosion problems. Indeed if they could make all hard surfaces permeable and infiltrate roof water into the ground, they could reduce runoff from this development and actually help the brook. Remember the Boundary Brook is already seriously eroding and drying out the South Fen SSSI.
Hope you found this round-up interesting. Please let me know of any interesting wildlife or other observations you make in the whole area. I will be continuing informal monitoring of species throughout this year whenever possible and will update you with findings.
Judy Webb (Tel. 01865 377487)
Hill End Field Study Centre - Invertebrate Identification Workshop 2011Sunday 25 Sept. – Woodlice, Centipedes & Millipedes Cost £35.00 Tutor: Steve Gregory (Northmoor Trust)
The workshop a combination of classroom/lab work and fieldwork at Hill End. Will run from 30am – 3.30 pm. It is for enthusiastic, adult beginners and will providing a basic introduction to the identification these invertebrate groups. Microscopes will be used but experience is NOT ESSENTIAL. Equipment will be supplied but, if possible, please bring a hand lens. Bring a packed lunch - coffee and tea are provided. Further information or to book contact Lawrence Bee or Kathy Smith, Hill End Centre, Eynsham Road, Farmoor, Oxford OX2 9NJ Tel: 01865 863510 Email: [email protected] [email protected]
Science Oxford Live EventsThe cost of all the following events is: Group ticket (4 or 5 people) £16.00 Individual ticket £5.00, SO Live Friends free Please note online bookings cannot be made after 12pm on the day of the event, instead please call 01865 810 000. Thursday 14 July: Stem cells: vision of the future. A feature-length documentary exploring the science of stem cells, and the realities behind hopes and fears associated with stem cell research. Scientists involved in making the documentary will be there to answer your questions. 7.30 pm Audience: 13+Wednesday 27 July: 11am, 2pm, 3.30pm. Teddy’s Tent. Teddy is going camping and wants to stay warm and dry. Can you help him make his tent and sleeping bag? Suitable for 4-7Wednesday, 3 August: K’nex Lighthouses 10.15am, 2pm, Come and build a working lighthouse out of K’nex. Our friendly staff will guide you in completing a series of lighthouse related challenges using the construction toy K’nex. Aimed at older children aged 8+.Wednesday 10 August: 11am, 2pm, 3.30pm Inventing Isobel. Our friend Isobel is a great inventor, or so she thinks. Help her to create something new. Suitable for 4-7Thursday 11 August: Risky Business. 7.30pm In April, Following the Japanese earthquake - one of the most powerful ever recorded, geohazard specialist Mike Clare will discuss how we assess the risks from geological hazards, and ask whether we will ever reliably predict such disasters. Suitable for 13+.Wednesday 17 August: 11am, 2pm, 3.30pm The Fire School. What do you need for fire? What happens when you
burn a candle at both ends? Are we really setting fire to money? The answer to these and other burning questions is in our fire show. Suitable for 8+.Wednesday, 24 August: 11 am, 2pm, 3.30pm Spy School. Can you defeat the evil Prof N Igmatic? Join our Top Secret Spy school and crack codes, read hidden messages, spot clues and solve puzzles. Suitable for 7+.Thursday 25 August: 7.30 pm. What is the universe made of? Atoms appear to make up a small proportion of the universe so cosmologists are trying to explain what the ‘missing’ 95% might be. Dr Jo Dunkley reports on the latest research. Suitable for 13+.Wednesday 31 August: 7.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm. Squishy Circuits. Modelling dough with a difference. Make light up decorations, animals and more, out of dough that conducts electricity. Suitable for 4+Thursday 1 September: Have I got Snooze for you 7:30pm. From the struggle to get up on a Monday morning to coping with jet-lag, the body has to carefully balance our need to be alert or to be at rest. But how does the brain control this? How much sleep do we really need? And why do flamingos sleep on one leg? Join genetics researcher, Dr Peter Oliver, to find out! Suitable for 13+
Full details on their website www.scienceoxfordlive.com1-5 London Place, Oxford OX4 1BD 01865 810 000
EVENTS FOR OTHER ORGANISATIONS (For contacts see next1page unless otherwise listed)JulySunday 3: Hethe, East Oxon (farmland) Meet at 9am in Hethe a village 3 miles north of Bicester to the west of the A4421. There is street parking in the general area of the War Memorial, the Church and the Whitmore Inn (SP594295).. The walk is about 4 miles in duration over fairly level ground in a quiet part of Oxfordshire. All are welcome. (OOS) Tuesday 5: Wytham Woods: Oxford's Woodland Laboratory Nigel Fisher (University of Oxford Conservator of Wytham Woods and co-author of 'Wytham Woods: Oxford's Ecological Laboratory' (OUP). His talk will cover the history, ecology and research activity within the Woods, one of the most researched areas of land in the world. The Old School Room, behind St. Peter's Church, First Turn, Wolvercote, OX2 8AQ. Parking in the playground of the current school. (ANSHO) Saturday 9 July: Alice’s Day Discovery Zone Trail. Use the Discovery Zone’s interactive science exhibits to help the White Rabbit find the fastest route to the tea party, make the Cheshire Cat disappear and solve the Mad Hatter’s riddles. 10 am No booking required £3.50pp/£11 Group/SO Live Friends Free Suitable for 5+ - see p 9 for other SOL events. (SOL)Saturday 9: BBOWT Information and Photograph Display. Photographs and other information about BBOWT will be on display throughout July. Visit Kidlington High St on Saturday 9 July when volunteers will be on hand to talk about the future plans of the Trust. Home-made cakes also on sale. Kidlington Library and High St, OX5 2BP. Free. Library opening times. Contact: Shirley Jarvis 01865 371297, [email protected] (BBOWT)Saturday 9: Ditch wildlife survey day at Aston’s Eyot. 10.30 - 12.30 with Rod d’Ayala and Robert Aquilina. Children welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at bridge in from the Kidneys Nature Park off Meadow Lane. More details see www.friendsofastonseyot.org.uk or contact Ruth Ashcroft 01865 248344 or [email protected] (FAO)Saturday 9: Aston Rowant with Dr Tim King 2.30–4.30 pm Following his June talk, he will point out particularly diverse chalk downland flora, orchids, ant-hills, management techniques, experiments, vegetation history, reversion from arable and attempts to establish and maintain juniper. Unsuitable for wheelchairs, no dogs. Members: Free, Visitors: £2 (ANHSO)Saturday 9: Guided Walk at Chimney Meadows nr Bampton, 2-4pm. Join a BBOWT staff member for a summer walk around Chimney Meadows to explore the fantastic wildlife of this grassland reserve and the exciting projects we're working on here. Booking essential. No dogs please. Meet: Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve public car park. OX18 2EH. Grid Ref: SP 354 013 Admission: Free. Contact: Andy Fairbairn 01367 870904, [email protected] (BBOWT)
Sunday 17: Plant Folklore walk through Marston Meadows. Meet at the bottom of Edgeway Road (near junction with Purcell Road) SP5247 0731. 2 pm to 4 pm. Everyone welcome to join in. (NMWG)
AugustWednesday 3 and Thursday 4: Family Fun at Sutton Courtenay - Wildlife Warriors See if you can complete our tasks and challenges. Explore and discover the sights, sounds and smells of our nature reserve. Fun activities to get the whole family excited about nature. 10am-4pm. Just drop in, there is no need to book. Activities take around two hours. Picnics welcome. No dogs please. Donation £3 per child. Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre OX14 4TE Contact: Katie Fenton 01235 862024, [email protected] (BBOWT)Saturday 6: Outdoor Adventure Day Join us for a day of exploration, excitement and mud! Build shelters, work as a team to find your way around the reserve using a compass and learn the skill of fire making. 10am-3pm. Children 8yrs+ welcome. Booking essential. No dogs please. Admission: £15 per child. . Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre OX14 4TE Contact: Katie Fenton 01235 862024, [email protected] (BBOWT)Sunday 7: Guided Walk at Chimney Meadows nr Bampton, Oxon 2-4pm. Details as July 9th. (BBOWT)Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11: Family Fun at Sutton Courtenay – Animal Olympics. 10am-4pm. Get warmed up for a day of animal athletics! Can you jump as high as a grasshopper or lift as much as a dung beetle? Activities to get the whole family excited about nature. Just drop in, no need to book. Activities take around two hours. Picnics welcome. No dogs please. Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre. Donation £3 per child. Details as Wed. 3rd. (BBOWT)Saturday 13: Nature's Mosaic – Adult Mosaic Workshop. Create your own fabulous, unique mosaic featuring wildflowers, butterflies or dragonflies inspired by the surrounding nature reserve. Wonderful colours and textures await on this hands-on introductory course to the ancient skill of mosaic-making. No experience necessary. 9.30am-5pm. Admission: £40. Booking essential. Sutton Courtenay. Details and contact as Aug 6th. (BBOWT)Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18th: Family Fun at Sutton Courtenay – Wild About Dinosaurs. 10am-4pm Come and meet Dennis our friendly dinosaur, go hunting for dinosaur eggs and make your own dinosaur footprint to take home. Learn more about their distant relatives who live on the reserve today. Activities to get the whole family excited about nature. Just drop in, no need to book. Activities take around two hours. Picnics welcome. Conditions, contact and details as Wed 3rd. Donation £3 per child. (BBOWT)Sunday 21: Bugs, Beasties and Flowers – Adult Cup Cake Workshop. Simple ideas for decorating cup cakes with a wildlife theme. Top-off the icing on your cake with fun sugary treats. No experience necessary. Booking essential. 9.30am-12.30pm or 1.30-4.30pm Admission: £25. Sutton Courtenay - conditions, contact and details as Wed 3rd. (BBOWT)Thursday 25: Family Fun at Sutton Courtenay – Wildlife Treasure Hunt Time. Solve puzzles and find clues to discover the hidden treasure. Activities to get the whole family excited about nature. Just drop in, no need to book. Activities take around two hours. Picnics welcome 10am-4pm. Contact and details as Wed 3rd. (BBOWT)Wednesday 31: Family Fun at Sutton Courtenay – Buzzy Bees. Fly your way around the reserve to learn more about fantastic buzzy bees. Activities to get the whole family excited about nature. Just drop in, no need to book. Activities take around two hours. 10am-4pm Donation £3 per child. Details as Wed 3rd. (BBOWT)
SeptemberTuesday 6: Effects of Higher Level Scheme funding for Oxfordshire farmers and other landowners by Dr Rebecca Tibbetts (Natural England). This scheme (HLS) provides opportunities for farmers to enhance their farms for wildlife and to contribute to local and national BAP and SSSI targets. Options and prescriptions will be demonstrated along with success rates. Rebecca Tibbetts has worked for Natural England for 11 years in both Land Use Planning, SSSI and wider landscape work and currently within the HLS area. She has a background in ecology working for consultancies for several years, prior to Natural England, and with the National Trust. Old School, Wolvercote Room, behind St. Peter's Church, First Turn, Wolvercote, OX2 8AQ. Parking in the playground of the current school. (ANHSO)Sunday 25: Tree identification walk. Time yet to be advised. Everyone welcome to join in (NMWG)
NEXT NEWSLETTER Please send your copy for the next newsletter as soon as possible to: Janet Keene, 7 Norwood Avenue, Southmoor, Abingdon, OX13 5AD or if possible email: [email protected]. The final deadline is by the end of August.
OXFORD URBAN WILDLIFE GROUP Website: www.ouwg.org.ukDon't forget that we are here to help. Please contact any member of the committee for help or advice on wildlife matters and we will attempt to help or to put you in touch with someone who can answer.
Kathy Chicken: Boundary Brook Nature Park Information Oxford 770742and Alan Hart (Warden) 07979608013Janet Keene: Newsletter Oxford 820522Pat Hartridge: Membership Secretary Oxford 874487Delia Twamley: Planning Oxford 554636
CONTACTS FOR OTHER ORGANISATIONSAshmolean Natural History Society of Oxfordshire (ANHSO): Alison McDonald 556651Botanic Garden: Oxford 286690British Trust for Conservation Volunteers 01296 330033
Butterfly Conservation: David Redhead Oxford 772520 Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE)
Christopher Gowers Oxford 512047City's Countryside Sites or Biodiversity in Parks Oxford 252240
email: [email protected] Forest of Oxford: John Thompson Oxford 513528Friends of Aston’s Eyot (FAE) Ruth Ashcroft 01865 248344Friends of CS Lewis Reserve (FoCSL) Helen d'Ayala Oxford 775476Friends of Oxpens Meadow (FOM) Margaret Maden Oxford 721372Friends of the Earth (Oxford): Jackie Walkden 07981 572629Friends of the Trap Grounds (FoTG) Catherine Robinson Oxford 511307
Friends of Warneford Meadow (FoWM) Sietske Boeles Oxford728153Local Wildlife Trust (BBOWT): Oxford 775476New Marston Wildlife Group: Curt Lamberth 07763-191072Oxford Conservation Volunteers www.ocv.org.uk (OCV):
Jo 07887 928115 Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum (ONCF): Oxford 407034Oxford Ornithological Soc. (OOS): Barry Hudson 01993 852028Oxford Tree Club (OTC): Ian Gourlay Oxford 245864Oxfordshire Badger Group: Julia Hammett Oxford 864107Oxfordshire Bat Group: David Endacott 01235 764832Rare Plants Group (RPG): Sue Helm 07774205972Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): Peter Wilkinson Oxford 452579Science Oxford Live (SOL) St Clements: Oxford 728953 Shotover Wildlife (SW): Chair: Ivan Wright Oxford 874423Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) Gavin Bird Oxford 815411
UNIVERSITY of OXFORD – Department for Continuing Education Day coursesSaturday 8 Oct 2011: Ponds This one-day course will provide an overview of pond ecology and the issues relating to their conservation. The course will focus on best practice principles for pond management and creation, including case studies and a workshop session. Ewert House. Fees from £55.00Saturday 5 Nov 2011: Trees & Woodlands of England: Past, Present & FutureForests 2011, with a day on the UK’s trees and woodlands. This event is organised in collaboration with the Sylva Foundation, and with contributions from Oxford University. Rewley House.
Weekly ClassesEcotourism: Fact or Fiction? 10 Weekly Classes at Ewert House Thu 6 Oct to Thu 8 Dec 2011 7.00-9.00pm. Considers the relationship of tourism with the natural environment and reviews the economic, socio/cultural and environmental impacts that accrue. Will highlight the role of ecotourism, conservation management and environmental impact assessment.
Online CourseShort Courses in Ecological Survey Techniquescontinuing professional development courses for graduate-level professionals. We offer online, tutor-led courses covering survey techniques for each of the main taxonomic groups: amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and vegetation.
For more information contact the Administrator, Day & Weekend Schools,01865 - 270380 or by email: [email protected]. Website:
OUWG EVENTS www.ouwg.org.uk
JULYJULY WORK PARTIES Sunday 3, 10, 17, 31: Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party between
10am and 1pm. Refreshments providedWednesday 6 and Thursday 7: Archaeological work party from 10 am to 3.30 pm. See details and
booking information on page 2. Come for half a day or all day. Book with Jane to take part.Wednesday 13: General Meeting at Boundary Brook. 7pm.Sunday 24: Open Day at Boundary Brook. 2-5 p.m. Come to see the summer flowers, butterflies,
the life in and over the ponds. The group will be leading guided walks and selling native wild plants and cottage garden plants and seeds to attract wildlife to your garden as well as booklets about wildlife. Children under 14 to be accompanied by an adult. Wheelchair access, admission free.
AUGUSTAUGUST WORK PARTIES Sunday 7, 14, 21, 28: Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party
between 10am and 1pm. Refreshments provided. Wednesday 17: Summer Picnic at Boundary Brook Nature Park. From 6pm. Have a picnic and a
chat, explore the Park with its new extensions and try some pond-dipping if you want to. Saturday 20: Elder Stubbs Festival (Allotments, Rymers Lane, Cowley) OUWG stall. Come and
enjoy the festival – food, stalls, entertainments, organic produce, willow sculptures, activities, etc. 12-5pm.
SEPTEMBERSEPTEMBER WORK PARTIES Sunday 11, 18, 25. Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party
between 10am and 1pm. Refreshments provided. Sunday 4: Craft/Activity Day at Boundary Brook Try your hand at a range of crafts – make a simple
bird feeder or a model dragonfly. An activities area is provided for children (puzzles, bug hunt, feely boxes, paper and crayons). Under 14s to be accompanied by an adult. Admission free but donations welcome to cover cost of materials. 2-5 p.m.
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11: Oxford Open Doors event at Holywell Cemetery 12-4pm.
BOUNDARY BROOK NATURE PARK. Come and help us to manage the Nature Park. You can choose your task from a variety of jobs. A warm welcome guaranteed. You need not come for the whole time. Please ring on the day of the work party to ensure it has not been cancelled through bad weather etc. Contact: Alan Hart 07979608013 or Kathy Chicken 01865 770742. There is usually someone working at Boundary Brook most days so, if you want to come at other times, find out who will be there and when by ringing Alan Hart 07979608013. We plan to have work parties most Sundays, weather permitting as there is so much to do but check before arrival.
Bus routes Cityline 4A, B or C; Stagecoach Route 3.
OXFORD URBAN WILDLIFE GROUP If you wish to contact OUWG or would like to become a member
write to the editor:
Janet Keene, 7 Norwood Ave, Southmoor, Abingdon OX13 5AD or phone/fax Oxford 820522. E-mail: [email protected] Registered charity no 1101126 Printed on paper from sustainable forests.