newsletter COVID-19 SPECIAL SUMMER NEWSLETTER

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1 RSPB Wokingham and Bracknell Local Group Summer newsletter The RSPB is the country s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. June 2020 COVID-19 SPECIAL SUMMER NEWSLETTER Birdwatching in the lockdown and beyond I am writing this on Saturday 30th May and it will shortly be June. We are coming into summer and where did the time go?! When we entered lockdown, chiffchaffs were just coming in and the first blackcaps were beginning to appear, writes Patrick Crowley. Now, the blackcap that has been singing in my neighbour s garden has gone quiet, and the nuthatch has stopped calling. I have seen my pair of robins feeding a youngster on bits of fat ball from my feeder, and juvenile great tits are calling endlessly in the large oak trees on our boundary. Many of our resident birds are now starting on their second brood, particularly the thrush family which will have three or four chicks in each brood, and may have a third brood if the weather is suitable. Birds like blue and great tits do it in one bash, having only one brood with 8 10 chicks in Sadly, in all species there is significant predation, reducing the numbers that survive. Nightjars have been here for a few weeks now and may already be on eggs. I went out a couple of nights ago for some nocturnal exercise, and found a number of nightjars churring well by 10pm. What an amazing sound it is! Swifts have been here nearly a month, and with their short breeding season will be on eggs. I think they are still declining, but they make a wonderful sight wheeling high in the air, making their screaming calls. But what of the future? Regretfully we have now cancelled our scheduled 40th Anniversary Celebration on the 9th July, and are wondering where we will be by September. This of course all depends on how relaxing the lockdown goes, but we are really hoping that we may be able to do some outside birdwatching as a group in September. We think we could run our monthly birdwalks at Dinton Pastures, and some local field trips, by splitting into small groups and socially distancing, but the RSPB will tell us what we can and cannot do. We have an evening meeting programme for all planned, and will plan a programme of field trips, and will let you know what we can do as soon as we hear from the RSPB. We hope to be able to you a provisional programme in August, on the understanding that we may have to change it month by month. Before I go, we have been having our committee meetings on Zoom for a while, but have just had a Zoom meeting which was open to any group member. 13 members joined the committee for a chat about what they had been doing, and a discussion of ideas for improving the newsletter, and what more we could do as lockdown eases. It was judged a success by all. Sonnet to Spring Spring! Fast changing Season of fickle mood, Hesitant sun and sharp, fleeting showers When life stirs from Winter s long solitude, Aroused by these lengthening daylight hours. Now, when the Season turns and Winter spent, Sudden colour blossoms on budding trees. The daffodil blooms and young Spring s sweet scent Is gentle carried on the evening breeze. Migrating birds return on sun warmed wings And the regal swan sails to summer nest. As nights shorten and the first Cuckoo sings And the honey bee wakes from Winter rest, By shaded wood the pale yellow primrose Shows and all around Nature s beauty grows. B. Stebbings 2017 Do join us for the our next Zoom. In the meantime, do keeping tuning in to the world of birds, enjoy the birdsong and the weather, and enjoy your June. Funding for the future The RSPB is continuing to lobby the government of the UK to ensure that the funding of EU LIFE programme is replaced with an equivalent funding for conservation and environmental protection, once the United Kingdom leaves the European Community at the end of From this fund has provided 3.4bn euros for conservational work across the whole of the UK. Covid-19 will reboot the World s priorities now, focusing on human health and wealth; our lives will revert to a community prescient, becoming more insular in our outlook. There s a growing concern that the environment may take a back seat in our future plans as we come to terms with the affects of this pandemic. The RSPB as with other nature charities will have to face the uncertainty as many of the vast majority of other businesses who are in the same predicament, knowing that the financial future for them all is indeterminate. No love for Covid-19 It s not all doom and gloom with the current lockdown with the coronavirus, there is a ray of hope to eliminate the mundane, whether you are a fan or not, Love Island, ITV2 series won t return until 2021!...Hurrah for small mercies! The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales No: , Scotland No: SC037654

2 The early bird by Eve Chilton On National Dawn Chorus Day, 3rd May I decided to take my hour s permitted exercise early. Very early. No need to set the alarm. The combined choir of strong singers such as blackbird and thrush woke me at first light well before 5am, and it was pure magic to enjoy this overture in the privacy of the back garden, with the added delight of being joined by a busy, snuffling hedgehog. As the only early riser in our house, I was a bit nervous of who else may be wandering around the Earlswood Public Open Space in the half-light. (Imagine the ignominy of meeting the dawn patrol: So, madam, you say you are Up for a lark? No officer, I said I was Up with the lark and I don t mean that sort of a lark either ). There was a blackbird singing from every other rooftop on the way through the housing estate whilst on the field itself, crows and woodpigeons lacking the charisma of the songsters, were trying to bawl them out instead. The ears soon re-tuned to the strong song of a blackcap (seen) and another warbler (unseen), (Ed: probably garden warbler) in the shrubbery round the pond. Momentary alarm at a red fiery glow between the houses was London burning? No, this was the dawn proper, a thin stripe of colour on the horizon of a cloudy sky. In the far corner by the phone mast, a thrush and chiffchaff kept up a duet for the duration. Photography during self-isolating Barry Stebbings gives us another insight into his daily photographic activities whilst self isolating. Sunday 5th April 2020 As the local RSPB sites and other areas have now been closed it is difficult to find places to photograph. The entire roadside parking around Dinton Pastures has been coned off. Unless some of these restrictions are lifted it will be difficult to produce a photographic diary for a while. A green woodpecker was flushed out practically underfoot, and yaffled its indignation, whilst a greater spotted drummed from the woodland. Overhead a group of large stiff winged gulls were on their regular early fly-by, calling. Several robin and blackcap territories noted, a fleeting glimpse of possibly a sparrowhawk. It was now 6.30am. A red kite was surveying the scene from on high, as a posse of starlings arrived on site, and goldfinches were reclaiming the rooftops. Earlswood Public Open Space map I walked around Sandford Lake this evening, how many more evenings will this be possible before they close all of the entrances? Watching some Canada geese on Black Swan Lake, the birds where illuminated on their backs by the rays of the setting sun. Saturday 11th April 2020 I walking again into Dinton Pastures. Further restricted as the roadside parking in Sandford Lane has been stopped by appearance of traffic cones. I saw this goldfinch in my neighbours beech tree this afternoon. The first Waitrose delivery lorry of the day had arrived, and I had well overstayed my allotted hour. No larks, and with social distancing rules thankfully unchallenged, the porridge pot was calling from home. Had I remembered my door key? Time to alert tthe slumbering one to what they had missed. BROWSE ALONG THE BOOKSHELVES SKY DANCE by John D Burns, a novel. Nature Reserve and Rewilding Project verses the Shooting Estate and dastardly Lord Purdey next door. Much to inform your opinion on Should we ban grouse moors? and a rattling good yarn to boot. BOTHY TALES Footsteps in the Scottish Hills, by the same author, another enjoyable read. BLUE LIGHTNING by Ann Cleeves. A novel, 4th in the Jimmy Perez detective series. When a woman s body is discovered at the renowned Fair Isle bird observatory, with feathers threaded through her hair It s a read all-in-the-one-go pageturner, lots about the consequences of fanatical twitching, and do you know what a stringer is? Also worth a visit is Ann Cleeves website Her husband Tim Cleeves was a renowned Ornithologist (and joint author with Peter Holden of the RSPB handbook of British Birds) who sadly died in December A must is to visit britishbirds.co.uk>article to read about this remarkable man. THE ART OF COARSE SAILING by Michael Green first published 1962, secondhand copies still available on Amazon. My copy is falling to bits after an umpteenth re-read. It s a short gleeful tale of epics under sail on the Broads and Breydon Water (as featured in Ken s article). Mishaps and the idiosyncrasies of the crew humorously told. Eve Chilton

3 Bats at RSPB Hazeley Heath In a wooded area towards the northern end of RSPB Hazeley Heath reserve we maintain a small number of bat boxes, writes Elaine Charlson. Bat surveys and walks in the area show that there are at least five species of bat present on the reserve; common & soprano pipistrelle, Daubenton s, noctule, and brown long-eared bats, with a known roost of brown long-eared bats. Six Kent type boxes and another, sealed, single chamber box were installed in May 2017, and a further six Schwegler boxes of varying types were added in April Schwegler boxes are made of woodcrete and are therefore warmer and more durable than the wooden Kent boxes. Some of the Schwegler boxes were placed on the same trees as the original boxes to give the bats more choice according to weather conditions and time of year. It is also possible that the newer boxes might attract species other than pipistrelles, such as noctules and brown long-eared bats. The Schwegler boxes are only checkable when a ladder is available, and this is quite a rare occurrence, so they have only been checked once so far, when a single male soprano pipistrelle was found. We started checking the six Kent boxes monthly from May 2018 by shining a torch from below into the boxes. Although we can tell that the bats found so far have all been pipistrelles, it is not possible to determine whether they are common or soprano pipistrelles, although the face colour would suggest common. Without handling the bats, it is also not possible to determine age or gender. There has been very good take-up, with one pipistrelle present in a box at the very first check, and varying quantities after that. In a reversal of the usual expectations, very few bats are found over the summer months, which could be due to female bats forming large maternity colonies elsewhere, but greater numbers over the winter, with a maximum of 17 in March Every Kent box has been used at least once. We continue to monitor the Kent boxes monthly, and the others whenever a ladder is available and, so far, it has been proved well worthwhile to provide the bats of Hazeley Heath with extra roosting possibilities. NB. Please note that a Class 2 Bat Licence from Natural England is required to check bat boxes, and we are very careful to keep any disturbance of roosting bats to a minimum. Getting twitchy under lockdown? #GOOSECAM No fowl play in the case of the disappearance of the York Station Goose. The bird has returned and is now incubating 4 eggs. LNER who manage the station have set up a web cam, see #GOOSECAM. Eve Chilton Ed: Reduced train travel has given these birds the opportunity to attempt breeding in the station s planter. When I acquired my first pair of binoculars and began to take birdwatching proper nearly 10 years ago now, the internet was a mine of information. Favourite websites were hosted by individuals or groups and were area based, such as Staines Reservoir, Northumberland, and The Lothians. Content on these sites was news, sightings, and photo archives going back decades. Imagine. Infinite versions of a Bickerton quiz in guess the bird without looking at the caption. Overall these webpages were a cracking way to discover where to go birding and what to look for once there. Apart from the Hampshire Ornithological Society, these sites have all but disappeared, like the station goose updates, onto Facebook, Twitter, and apps. During lockdown, the world has been staying connected, sharing information and doing marvellous things via these mediums, WhatsApp, Zoom and the like, all beyond my ken. To today s children these things are their norm. Do I need to wise up to it all now, I ask myself, to be ready for the day when we all link up on Zoom for Patrick to Chair the proceedings, followed by Ian s presentation 30 Years of Birding in Norfolk, or we all take part in an interactive version of Guess the bird before we have the caption? Eve Chilton

4 s to the Editor What an amazing newsletter, thank you so much. Vanessa and Laurence Forster. Just curious, why just about birds, since the RSPB is now supposed to be about all nature? I know that RSPB Hazeley Heath is a little out of the area, but it is our closest RSPB reserve and I wondered whether our members had heard about the serious fire we had there about two weeks ago, destroying about 15 hectares of the best area of the heath, including several parts (the woodlark nesting area, several Dartford warbler & stonechat nest sites, the main reptile area, and an area restored for silver-studded blue butterflies) that the volunteers had been working on for the last five years.since Hazeley is a very wet heathland, it is suspected that the fire was of human origin. Stay well. Elaine Charlson Hello Tom, I like the layout, especially the use of print on blocks of colour. I think that works well. Tried the quiz but not much good at it. I like the abstract pictures but too difficult for me. Barry Stebbings RSPB s response to the Prime Minister s Sunday briefing from People Director, Ann Kiceluk I wanted to update you on our plans following recent announcements by the UK Governments about easing lockdown restrictions. In summary, nothing is changing for now. Our initial response All our nature reserves remain closed to the public for now. We will only reopen a reserve when we have everything in place to keep our members, visitors, employees and you safe. We will make sure that the wildlife on our reserves is ready to receive visitors after a couple of months completely on its own. With rare species nesting on and near busy paths, we will need some time to make sure they are safe. We will be taking a co-ordinated, gradual and phased approach over the coming weeks. This is likely to mean that different sites reopen at different times, and with different levels of access and facilities. Hi Tom The newsletter looks really good. You have done an excellent job enhancing the articles. It s a great read. Garden birdwatcher paying off here. First swifts today and a cuckoo calling last weekend. Much quieter with no Heathrow traffic. Take care everyone Steve Ormerod Thanks Tom, it's a good mix isn't it! Cheers Sue Ashwell Half read the newsletter it is a good one lots of interesting stuff. Really like the abstract quiz have got about half I think so far, but will go back to it. The duck quiz is difficult for me but again will go back to it later. The duck quiz at first sight looked difficult but once I got thinking I knew some of the answers and was able to work out a few more. The abstract quiz was brilliant, a real challenge but I did get a few correct. I spent all afternoon getting my brain around the symbols, patterns and colours, stopping and coming back to it. It was not going to beat me. I m not bad!! 20/28. Marianne Eagles We are managing differences in approach to coming out of lockdown across the four countries of the UK, and possibly between regions too. We will be working with other environmental non-government organisations where appropriate. Ken White s joy s of spring Early purple orchid at a remarkable height of 500mm high in our neighbours bluebell wood. The photo quiz em, well!, I have to confess, what was that all about? My head just does not get it, which says a lot for my IQ! Although for me it was not so much challenging, more a non-starter, that doesn't reflect badly on the idea or its worthiness, and having at some point understood an explanation, I ll know for next time, eh. You re an education, Bickerton! The second half, I am going to do properly when I have ticked a few worthy items of my today s to do list... Eve Chilton Hilary Glew writes Hi Tom Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the latest Newsletter. I read bit by bit, rather than in one go and in that way it made it so much more interesting, thanks to you for putting it together, but moreover to the people who sent you their pieces. The quiz part about the peregrine, I guessed a few right answers, but it was only a short time ago, that I happened to listen to book of the week and it was David Attenborough narrating The Peregrine not that I ll remember it all, but it may be a thought to provide that on one of our away items to see how much we can recall! Please keep us up to date with the black hairstreak egg happenings. Kind regards and keep well, especially for Marianne Ps: Wilding I truly enjoyed too and then watched a 15min video about Knepp Estate, When the unlock happens its on my list to walk some of the public footpaths on their estate. If you no longer wish to hear from RSPB Wokingham & Bracknell Local Group, please contact RSPB Wokingham and Bracknell rspbwokinghamandbracknell@ gmail.com, confirming your name and address and stating that you wish to unsubscribe from the RSPB Wokingham & Bracknell Local Group s communications. All illustrations by Dan Powell, Mike Langman and Mike Busby. All photographs RSPB Wokingham & Bracknell Group Members 2020 Unless otherwise credited all articles written by Thomas Bickerton

5 Fire setback for butterflies We are delighted to include in our June newsletter an article from Dave Braddock, volunteer warden at RSPB Farnham and Hazeley Heath Reserves. Hazeley Heath is a small RSPB reserve of around 110 Ha (272 acres) on the borders of Hampshire and Surrey, purchased in 2012 by the RSPB. Although a heathland reserve, there is around 35 Ha of good heathland habitat. Due to years of neglect, the habitat has reverted to a mixed landscape of scrub and woodland. Heathland environment is a precarious habitat; in hot, dry weather the vegetation can become a tinderbox. In April around 15 Ha of prime heathland habitat was lost due to a fire. Several woodlark and Dartford nests were lost, as well as a multitude of invertebrates. Although scrub and woodland are important habitats, Hazeley Heath holds important populations of heathland specialities such as woodlarks, Dartford warblers and nightjars. Notable non- bird species are adders, silver-studded blue and grayling butterflies. Dave Braddock 2020 Silver-washed fritillary Argynnis paphia We will be increasing the heathland cover and lessening the scrub and woodland over the next few years. A 60/40 split would be an idea solution. As well as for birds, the remaining tree and scrub areas will be managed for butterflies. Hazeley has an annual butterfly list of 31 species so we have been creating scrub edges and butterfly glades over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, the fire and Covid-19 virus has put us back a year and our summer plans have been delayed. Dave Braddock 2020 Silver-studded blue Plebejus argus We have increased silver-studded blue numbers from around 25 individuals to over 400 individuals at present. Graylings are now approaching the 100 mark from an initial count of 15; silver-washed and the dark green fritillaries are well into double figures from a low count of six to eight individuals. Hopefully, the lockdown will lift a bit so we can start to monitor the butterflies again this year to see how they are faring. Dave Braddock Volunteer Warden Farnham and Hazeley Heath Reserves

6 Losing the plot by Eve Chilton After much thought, and after nearly 19 years on site, I am giving up my allotment despite all the plus points in favour of keeping it on. It s very demanding in time, energy and physically just look at what happened to Brian May whilst gardening (shredded gluteus maximus, unrelenting pain, in the backside, poor old chap). However, it was Ken White s article on Suffolk that was the decider. With an opening line of A trip was arranged to coincide with a full moon s daytime high tide How evocative is that? Post lockdown I want to be free as a bird, to head to the Kent marshes or Thames Estuary whilst I still have the wits to get there and find my way back afterwards As for the Newbury peregrines, we ve all got supermarket envy now Ken, though I wondered how many click and collect trips for monitoring purposes can be done on a minimum spend without stockpiling loo rolls? IMAGE OF THE MONTH BY MARIANNE EAGLES Covid-19 reduces scrabbled eggs Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) Looking down from a raised platform by the edge of the pool, this female duck caught my attention. I knew it wasn't a tufty but wasn t sure exactly what. Not helped by its frequent diving, I eventually managed an upright shot. As it turned out I had seen this North American species before two years ago on a reserve in Somerset. The ring-necked is not the most colourful of the duck species but a close up view gives the chance to study the subtle markings that help define its beauty. Natural England s approval of licences to take eggs from the nests of the amber listed black-headed gulls, to supply gourmet restaurants and fine food merchants, in and around London, because of the virus this lucrative harvest seems to have ground to a halt. With restaurants closed and their customers told to stay at home, the black-headed gulls have had something of a reprieve this year.

7 Newbury s peregrine update by Ken White We are pleased to confirm that the male tiercel Black 69 brought in a juvenile pigeon for breakfast this morning (15th May) directly to the high ledge. The female Mrs Newbury took it straight down to the nest area the same as last year s location and stayed down there. She was either caching the food or feeding chicks. Black 69 then perched on the top of the new nest box for a while, and we suspect that she has nested directly underneath it. More photos can be viewed on my Twitter RSPB investigates birds of prey The RSPB s Investigations Unit has been overrun with reports of birds of prey being illegally killed in recent weeks. Mark Thomas, RSPB Head of Investigations UK, said: Since lockdown began, the RSPB has been overrun with reports of birds of prey being targeted. It is clear that criminals* on some sporting estates both in the uplands and lowlands have used the wider closure of the countryside as an opportunity to ramp up their efforts to kill birds of prey. Spring is the time when birds of prey are most visible and therefore vulnerable, as they put on courtship displays, build nests and find food ready to breed. It is clear the criminal actions are targeted and malicious in nature, taking out birds before they have the opportunity to breed, often in areas where they have previously faced persecution. We welcome the fact that the public is remaining vigilant and encourage any suspicious incidents to be reported. But please observe government guidelines at all times. *It is unproven who the perpetrators of these crimes are and whether they were carried out on or near shooting estates. Mass poisoning of common buzzards The largest single poisoning of 23 common buzzards in County Cork, has just been reported, this incident is Ireland s largest poisoning since legislation was amended to ban the use of poison meat baits in The buzzards were recovered at the scene last December and were sent for testing under the Raptor Protocol, which subsequently has just confirmed that all the birds had died due to ingesting the highly toxic and banned substance, Carbofuran. Carbofuran It is a systemic insecticide banned root crop pesticide that continues to be used to deliberately kill predators and birds of prey. In December a landowner discovered dead buzzards on his property, near Timoleague, County Cork and contacted the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). A staggering number of dead common buzzards were found during subsequent searches of the adjacent land. This is the biggest illegal act against birds of prey in Ireland, over the last two decades. Carbofuran exhibits toxicity mediated by the same mechanism as that of the notorious V-series nerve agents and presents a severe risk to human health. Ken White s joy s of spring Orange-tip roosting on one of the last of the camassia flowers

8 Rare butterfly reintroduced to Hampshire The black hairstreak is the rarest of the UKs hairstreaks, an elusive butterfly in England, surviving in just 40 or so colonies, principally between Oxford and the east midlands, The adult butterflies of this single-brood (univoltic) fly s in June, writes Thomas Bickerton. As with all butterfly species the mortality rates from egg to adulthood is extremely high with as much as a 97% level of mortality. Up to 80% of black hairstreak chrysalises, are predated before they can emerge as butterflies. The pupa resembles bird droppings, located in plain view usually on top of a blackthorn leaf, and as a defence strategy you would think that to imitate something which is unpleasant to eat would be the ideal solution. The majority of avian predators are fooled by this except the migratory spring warblers. These birds are not easily convinced by the butterflies cunning disguise and are more adept at discovering a chrysalis; the farm is not short in any way of leaf warblers. The chrysalis is an absolute wonder to behold, about eight millimetres long, about the diameter of a penny coin and is shaped and coloured to resemble a bird dropping, which it mimics with incredible accuracy. The chrysalis is attached on the upper side of a leaf or to a small twig and is a real challenge to find. Marianne and I plan to financially support the black hairstreak project; this includes every year the reintroduction of a new gene pool into the colony. The raising of these butterflies to date has been pretty easy, and it s astonishing why the black hairstreak is not more commonly seen throughout the countryside. Reintroductions of this scale are fraught with anxiety, initially we had to choose the correct patch of blackthorn hedgerows for this project, and on the farm we have a multitude of suitable site. I had chosen this particular hedgerow for many reasons, it was in a field where the cows had not been, south facing, wind protected, a mixture of hedgerow plants, such as oak, ash, bramble, thistle, honeysuckle, and germander speedwell, overlooking a wild flower meadow and to my good fortune which I didn t realise at the time a cherry tree was also growing in the hedgerow. The real work starts now with these butterflies, we need to really understand what and why will be the extent of our ambition with this reintroduction. The starting point is to understand the mortality rates from egg to pupa, we can verify this by counting using a microscope the number of hatched eggs. We then can count the number of chrysalis, not an easy task, sticking your head in a blackthorn bush with netting all around, as well as finding the fantastic disguised chrysalis. From this point it s a numbers game, I m looking forward to a bright, cold December day, armed with soup and rolls to count the eggs on the blackthorn, hopefully I m successful. It s at this point we can calculate some of the data, we had a control (this years netted sleeves), which we can compare against the natural dispersion of next years eggs. Continued on next page

9 It will be at this point all of us who are involved will sit down to decide whether to take some of these eggs to secure and protect again in netted sleeves. This will also be the process with the spring chrysalis, my view at present would be to remove and protect from predatory birds a percentage of next years stock. Depending on the success rate, at present I have no intentional plans for redistribution of the black hairstreak to other parts of the farm, the establishment of a major colony is the main purpose of this project. What I hope for is that in three years time, we can swop eggs with others to increase the gene pool across the UK. Why have black hairstreak declined? The butterfly requirement is dense habitat, mature but not deteriorating blackthorn thickets, with suitable accompanying plants and trees, the hairstreaks does not require specialist plants or treatment, all it needs is the hedgerows to be left alone from our preoccupation desire for hedge trimming and the ludicrous management obsession for tidying-up the fields. The traditional old hedgerow coppicing techniques were perfect, allowing the butterfly to move around suitable areas as old patches of blackthorn became unsuitable. Modern coppicing uses a faster cycle with modern machinery, flailing the hedgerow to within an inch of its life does not permit either the blackthorn or the butterflies to recover. Even a light trim of a hedge can be disastrous, as, all of our hairstreaks were located at the tip end of the blackthorn, and trimming not only will remove the caterpillar, but the very tender buds and leaves they require, opening a pathway for predators. Black hairstreaks emerge in late May or early June, flying into July. Like other hairstreak species they spend the winter in the egg, emerging in spring to feed on the freshly unfolded blackthorn leaves, although rare this species is not threatened. The black hairstreak is one of our rarest butterflies and one of the most recently discovered, due to the similarity with its close cousin, the white-letter hairstreak. This species was first discovered in the British Isles in 1828 when a Mr. Seaman, an entomological dealer, collected specimens from one of the most famous sites for this species Monk s Wood in Cambridgeshire. These were thought to be specimens of the white-letter hairstreak until Edward Newman, a Victorian entomologist of note, declared them to be a new species the black hairstreak. (More to follow in the July newsletter).

10 Aussie owl makes a comeback from the brink On a remote Australian island, two owl chicks have survived to fledglings, the first to do so in more than a decade. The Norfolk Island morepork owl has an estimated world population of only 45-50, making this pair of young birds one of the world s rarest owl species. The first Norfolk Island morepork owl chicks in more than a decade have survived to the fledgling stage. In the 1980s the owl population declined to a single female. A decade has since past, and a pair of Norfolk Island morepork owl chicks has been located. Rohan Clarke, an avian ecologist from Monash University, said the chicks represented the future of the species, given there were less than 50 individuals left on Earth. It's super exciting, it s the best outcome we could have hoped for. Dr Clarke said. Back from the brink Researchers have worked for more than 40 years to save the dark, spotty owl species. Work began in the 1980s after the island s population declined, leaving all-but one female. We knew we had to save it and there follows an incredible history, Dr Clarke said. In 1989, the last remaining owl was successfully paired with a male from a New Zealand subspecies. The cross-tasman relations meant that all subsequent generations of moreporks on Norfolk Island were now a unique hybrid. Now, as far as we know, the entire population on Norfolk have descended from that pair, Dr Clarke added. Is this virus like any other coronaviruses? The new coronavirus, called Sars-Cov-2, which causes the Covid-19 disease, appears to spread in basically the same way as other coronaviruses. But what makes it distinct is the how ill it makes you and the number of deaths it causes through human transference Dr Michael Head, at the University of Southampton, said the development and impact of the novel coronavirus was clearly very different from the existing common cold type coronaviruses. It remains to be seen as to whether Covid-19 cases will decline in response to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, he said. There is at present no clarification by government or the health and science organisations on the immunity diagnostics to conclude whether once infected by virus the human body will automatically generate it s own immune anti-bodies.

11 Of course there s more to a mushy! Fly agaric Amanita muscaria var. muscaria

12 Marianne Eagles recounts her Mushroom Identication Course Identification of fungi is challenging. Too many times have I returned from a day s photography only to be frustrated by the inability to confidently name that mushroom, writes Marianne Eagles. Shaggy parasol Chlorophyllum rhacodes I am not interested in foraging, the fear of poisoning would make that far too stressful, but I do like to learn a bit about the species. With this in mind, I attended an excellent Field Studies Council course last September. The three-day course consisted of two mornings in the field in search of fungi, time in the laboratory observing what we had collected, interspersed with a few lectures. The first morning was spent at Oswestry racecourse and the second at Nescliff Country Park. By day two I had learned my lesson that, in spite of the numerous specimens available, it was sensible to gather only a few at a time. The process of identifying each one involved several hours of work. It was the first time I had picked mushrooms. I usually don t like to touch them or break them but the tutor assured us that collecting one of a group was not considered to be a conservation issue and was necessary for an accurate identification in a great number of species. After a quick health and safety talk, basically wash your hands before touching eyes, mouth and food etc, we were advised of relevant points to note such as associated trees and whether the fungi were growing on bark, moss, grass or earth. Smell was important and characteristics such as a change in colour on touch. Taking photographs in the field was extremely helpful in the gathering of information. Due to the lack of rain I was not expecting to find too much, it was amazing to watch the tutor pointing out one specimen after another everywhere we went. Back at base we followed a process of describing and drawing the specimens and taking spore prints. This information enabled us to use keys leading to identify the correct species. For some species however, identification can only be certain with features confirmed on spores at microscopic level and this was demonstrated too. Aniseed cockleshell lentinellus cochleatus Very little is known about fungi. They are a kingdom of their own entirely different than plants and animals but as with all nature intricately combined with them both too. The connection between trees and fungi is vital for the survival of both. We only see the fruitbodies responsible for reproduction of the species but underground there is a vast network of mycelium connecting tree to tree helping them and the fungi to thrive. Dead moll s fingers Xylaria longpipes

13 Wild peregrine eyases to be taken from eyries For the very first time, Natural England, the government s wildlife watchdog, will allow the taking of six eyases from peregrine nests per year under licence to help falconers establish a lucrative new studbook of British falcons, writes Thomas Bickerton. Peregrine were threatened with extinction as a breeding bird in the 1960s. Numbers have now recovered to over 826 breeding pairs in England. Cathedrals and the tall buildings in our cities are now the falcon s preferential breeding sites, where they are free from persecution. The RSPB said it was urgently seeking answers from Natural England about how it has made its decision and feared the licence could open the door to more applications. Mark Thomas, the RSPB s head of investigations, said: The cultural value of these birds is that they are free, wild and available to all. The application will therefore be regarded by many as selfish it should be reconsidered in light of alternative solutions, and in the context that peregrines suffer from illegal persecution, trade and loss of breeding range. Licensing the removal of eyases for falconry is permitted under wildlife laws. Falconers argue that their current captive birds are not verifiably British birds and EU regulations permit the sustainable use of species for cultural purposes. Unesco recognises falconry as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity and the ancient practice is increasingly lucrative, with birds changing hands for as much as 6,000 to supply the sport of falcon racing in the Middle East. Three falconers will remove chicks from nests in England, although they will not be allowed to do so in parts of northern England where the peregrine is still threatened. Natural England said its licence would only allow an eyases to be taken from a nest where there were three or more eyases present. The falconers must only take the smallest, weakest eyases, which would not ordinarily survive in the wild. NE said it would be closely monitoring the operation and could revoke the two-year licence at any time. One falconer behind the attempt to establish a captive population of indisputably British birds said that there was no commercial interest in the scheme, which would be costly for falconers to establish. Until the introduction of DNA testing of captive birds in the 1990s, peregrines were regularly and illegally taken from the wild. Someone will be making money from this, it validates the idea that the peregrine is not a species in decline and we can take from the wild whenever we desire. Falconry is described as an ancient tradition, taking birds from the wild, but, it should be seen for what it is just an outdated practice, especially as there is a large stock of captive breeding birds. The practice of taking any animal from the wild should be consigned to history, and is certainly not something that should be supported by Natural England. Dr Gordon Mellor, chairman of falconry organisation the Hawk Board, argues: Falconers across the world have controlled access to wild populations of raptors following the principles of sustainable use. In this respect UK authorities are following established conservation practice. UK wildlife legislation is predicated upon the need to conserve and protect wild populations. Given that the peregrine population is currently buoyant, the taking of limited numbers will have no impact upon the wellbeing of that species in the wild. Conservationists have condemned the decision to allow falconers to take wild peregrine falcon young from nests as selfish and sending the wrong message.

14 Call of the wild at garden centre This time last year I was in a similar state of lockdown confined to garden and home for a couple of months after a hip replacement, so it s made it relatively easy to adjust to new circumstances, writes Sue Ashwell. What took me completely surprise was just how fabulous it was to sit in the garden in endless sunshine and be entertained by the activities of birds, especially fledglings. They put on a different show for me each day and I swear nothing has more cuteness appeal than baby blue tits. Sometimes there would be seven of them lined up on the garden fence all at the time. It s been great to enjoy endless guiltfree time in the garden again. Even the weather has been glorious. The difference from last year has obviously been no family or friends calling round at all now. But I m able to drive my car this year, and can hop, skip and jump through the house at high speed and that s a big plus. Birdwatching friends were a real blessing last spring, intent on keeping up my spirits with visits, phone calls, cake, flowers, books, gossip, and even taking me to hospital for an appointment one day. And we all love parking at the Royal Berks hospital don t we? It was Lorraine who decided it was time for me to start getting out and about, and with some trepidation on my part (nothing to do with her driving I must add) she took me to Hosehill Lake to listen out for nightingales and treat me to lunch. Leaving the security of your home for the first time after an operation can be quite scary. We enjoyed a slow walk/hobble around the lake, and just when we completely gave up on the nightingales and it started drizzling, we heard them. Result. A really lovely day out. And we ll overlook the Stolen Crutch Incident. This was to be the first of a number of birdwatching adventures with Lorraine which all involved incidents of one kind or another, making the trips quite memorable. I thought going birdwatching was all about watching birds. But no, I m realising it s about many other things too apart from enjoying being out of doors, walking, and good company. I mentioned some trepidation on my part on my first trip out with Lorraine. The trepidation still exists but for different reasons. So here is just one of the various incidents which have occurred over one year: The Garden Centre, Bo Bo, and Puffins Incident I thought I d tell you a little more about the Garden Centre, Bo Bo, and Puffins Incident. Lorraine, Hilary, Dave and I enjoyed a sunny day walking along Jubilee River in Windsor and Dorney Wetlands, followed by lunch at Dorney Court Kitchen Garden centre. They were all in a euphoric haze having recently visited Skomer on separate trips to see the puffins. They asked me if I knew what the puffin s call sounded like, and I said no I had no idea. Lorraine and Hilary said it was quite a funny strange call and would I like to hear it? We were standing in a fairly secluded part of the garden centre at that time oohing and aahing at all the lovely purchases we could make but wouldn t for one reason or another, similar to National Trust shop experiences. Lorraine and Hilary checked there was no-one in sight and then they both stood up straight and took deep breaths. Dave quickly stood to one side out of the way. He s sensible. And then they both made the most peculiar sounds that apparently puffins make. I was quite astonished both at the puffin calls and Lorraine and Hilary s bravery at putting on this show, especially when I noticed the man in a dark suit who seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Lorraine and Hilary had their backs to the man so didn t notice him. The expression on his face was priceless. I laughed. Wouldn t you? And I suggested Lorraine and Hilary move closer to the large blue Hydrangeas of the Bo Bo variety standing on a table, without telling them why. They had just about finished making their puffin calls now, and shielded by the Bo Bo Hydrangeas were safely out of sight of the man. We then wandered into the walled garden (the garden centre had once been a part of Dorney Court, a Tudor Manor house) giggling like teenagers saying that really retired people shouldn t be allowed to leave their homes Ironically that does seem now to be the case. So if you re a birdwatcher rather than a twitcher you must expect the unexpected and not be of a nervous disposition. Thank you Lorraine and friends for funfilled adventures over the past 12 months.

15 The first of two articles on W&B RSPB member s experiences whilst visiting the Isle of Skomer. If you have an interesting visit to relate, then please forward an article to me for inclusion Tom Bickerton There are 6,000 puffin breeding in holes in the cliffs of Skomer There are 12,000 razorbills breeding on the cliffs of Skomer

16 A day on Skomer a wildlife experience What a difference a year makes! It was this time last year that Hilary and I were planning a short break to Pembrokeshire with the intention of including a day trip to Skomer to see the puffins and of course the other auks and birds and wildlife. I had been on a day visit to Skomer three years before in mid April 2016, writes David Flain. There were a couple of tentative June dates we pencilled in the diary subject to weather checks closer to the time. Those that have been on a trip to Skomer will know that the boat landing point is precarious in the best of weather conditions and just not usable during strong winds or tides. The Dale Princess the boat that takes you to the island has to moor for disembarkation up against rubber tyres hanging from the rocks and then there is a steep climb to the top of the cliff. Definitely not to be tried in any sort of rough weather. We were of course looking for forecast dry sunny weather as well as no winds and closer to the time both of our June possible dates failed the weather check. So a new date in July was pencilled in and success. We travelled to Wales the day before and to Skomer on 9th July for an unforgettable day. Having been to Skomer before I thought I knew the system for getting tickets. However it had got much busier and popular since then and of course the National Trust car park which had been free was now 5 for the day. That s progress! Queues for tickets now start very early. Tickets can t be bought in advance and we got there before 8 to join of a very long queue to get tickets from the Lockley Lodge Visitor Centre. The numbers of visitors to the island is carefully managed by the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales and landing tickets are strictly limited to a maximum of 250 per day. Fortunately for us the Wildlife Trust had arranged two extra boats that day to get to the 250 maximum and we were lucky and got on the last boat. So we boarded the Dale Princess on our adventure. Having safely landed and listened to the wardens quick introductory talk we started to climb the steep cliff side path to be immediately rewarded with close sightings of guillemot and razorbill. Our best views of these cliff nesting birds. Having reached the top we headed towards the Old Farm in the centre of the island with its interesting collection of history displays and artefacts of the island. With so much wildlife on and around the island it was difficult to know where to look or go next. Along with razorbills and guillemots on the cliffs, waders such as the oystercatchers, various gulls, not to mention the seals and dolphin offshore our choice was endless. However it s really a puffin story so we headed to The Wick where you become entranced, surrounded by and almost part of the puffin colony. On my previous April visit it had been nest building and egg laying time so I was looking forward to seeing some puffins with beaks full of sand eels this time. We were not disappointed. We did see some puffins with fish arriving back and with one belly bounce go straight into their burrows to avoid the scavenging gulls waiting to try to steal them. However the puffin highlight of the visit was being able to walk amongst these sea birds pottering around on land. On the path in front of you, landing with fish and waddling around on the grassy banks before disappearing down their burrows. Also of course making their unique growling aaar noise. A call that Hilary There are 25,000 guillemots packed together on the cliffs of Skomer and Lorraine have learnt to imitate perfectly. However that s part of a different story retold by Sue. You can t help smiling at the circus of little clowns with their bright, colourful iconic beaks. So clumsy on land it s difficult to understand that they are like torpedoes underwater diving deep to catch their food and that they spend most of the winter in the North Atlantic flying long distances. Only the need to breed brings them back to the same patch of land to somehow find their lifetime mate in amongst the thousands in the colony. And all of that to lay and incubate just one egg. So it was a fantastic day. I had tried to explain the Skomer experience to Hilary before we went but as she said afterwards words can t explain that type of experience and it totally exceeded her expectations. A trip to be repeated sometime in future when the current strangely surreal times have past. What a difference a year makes! It must be for the puffins too; they must be puzzled where are all the humans they normally have to negotiate round. But for us it s the memories of a wonderful wildlife experience to recall and help us through the lockdown.

17 Marianne Eagles reflects on her visits to the Isle of Skomer lying less than a mile off the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast. Skomer is the largest of Pembrokeshire s islands at around 730 acres. It is owned by NRW (Natural Resources Wales), and managed by The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. Razorbill on the cliff at The Wick

18 Visiting Skomer a few years ago was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I was quite new to birdwatching and to observe so many different species for the first time in one place was a delight. This small island just off the Pembrokeshire coast is packed full of wildlife and flowers, writes Marianne Eagles. No surprise that the purpose of my visit back then was to see the Atlantic puffin and I was happy to find they were everywhere. Even as the boat sped towards the island there were so many on the water, some bobbing around, a few flying down off the cliffs and my favourite, their running take-off as they shot away from us. Once on the island, particularly around an area called The Wick, puffins were in and out of their burrows at very close proximity to us, unfazed by their admirers. They come to Skomer to breed usually between April and July and the rest of the year they spent at sea. The female lays one egg and the parents take turn either incubating or fishing. I spent hours there watching the clowns of the sea or sea parrots, it was hard to see them struggle to return home when a predator was waiting by their burrow. They couldn t fight back with a mouth full of sand eels, they just gave up, ran down the cliff, over the edge for a circuit returning to try again and again. It is good news that numbers of this species on Skomer appear stable, the estimated population in 2019 was over 24,000 puffins. Skomer also holds another important breeding colony, that of the Manx shearwater. An overnight stay was needed to observe these seabirds as they only come back to their burrows at night. Predation, primarily by great black-backed gulls means they need the cover of darkness to give them a fair chance. The Manx are noisy though, their wailing calls are heard all around as they signal return to their partner, often followed by a thud as they hit the ground and waddle to the correct burrow. One of the numerous puffin s on the Isle of Skomer I was very privileged to briefly hold one of the birds, I clearly remember how soft and velvety its feathers felt, while an island researcher applied a tracking device. The research team were monitoring where the birds were going for food during the breeding season, the location, time taken and distance travelled. That evening may have been the one and only time I see a glow worm in the flesh too. The beauty of Skomer for me was that its size, the island is only 1½ miles wide by 2 miles long, meant I could easily walk around the coastline and along its central paths without getting lost. The Wildlife Trust limit daily visitor numbers to 250 so it never felt crowded. At every turn there was something new to find but I felt at home there. I spent much time at the cliff edges observing the colonies of razorbills, guillemots and fulmar, watching out for the peregrine. Ok I didn t see the Montague s harrier that was reported but I did find the little owl and the short-eared owl. I missed out on the pufflings and jumplings. I just may have to go back. Adult Manx shearwater Thought you may be interested to find out about a number of celebrity birdwatchers who enjoy doing what we do, being out with the birds. You may be surprised who is on this list. Alan Carr; Comedian. Trudie Goodwin; Actress the Bill. Alison Steadman; Actress. Franklin Roosevelt; US politician. Margaret Atwood; Author, The Handmaidens Tale. Jeremy Clarkson; Top Gear Petrol Head. Rory McGrath; Comedian and Presenter. Jarvis Cocker; Rock star in Pulp. Made an album for the National trust all about trees and birds. David Bailey; Photographer. Ken Clark; Politician. Jimmy Carter; US President. Alex Horne; Comedian band player. Sean Bean; Actor. Damon Albarn; Rock Star, Blur. Wes Craven; American Horror writer. Samuel West, Actor and Director. Others include, Sir Paul McCartney, Bill Oddie, Bill Bailey, Albert Einstien, Prince Phillip. Lorraine Beaven

19 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N UKs WATERCOLOUR BIRD IDENTIFICATION QUIZ

20 O P Q R S T U W V S TO THE WATERCOLOUR PICTURE QUIZ AND THE BIRD QUIZ ARE ALL ON THE LAST PAGE OF THIS NEWSLETTER. PLEASE DO NOT GOOGLE = Very Good = Not bad Below 10 = You should have Googled?

21 WOKINGHAM & BRACKNELL RSPB BIRD QUIZ 1. What is between the greater coverts and primary coverts on a bird s wing? A. Tertials B. Scapulars C. Alula c 9. The Black Brant is a vagrant visitor from where? A. Russia B. Asia C. North America c 2. A typical songbird has how many primaries feathers? A. 7 B. 8 C. 9 C 10. Where do Pale Bellied Brent Geese breed? A. Greenland B. Siberia C. Scotland A 3. A typical songbird has how many secondaries feathers? A. 7 B. 8 C. 12 A 11. Where do most Red-breasted Geese winter? A. Danube area Eastern Europe B. Northern Portugal peninsular C. Ghana in Africa A 4. Scolopax rusticola is better known as which brd? A. Black-tailed godwit B. Woodcock C. Snipe b 12. I n late summer what sea area do most western Shelduck migrant to moult? A. Fair Isle B. Waddenzee C. Bay of Biscay B 5. A female ruff is know as what? A. Ree B. Reeve C. Faeder b 13. The preferred breeding situation for Wigeon is? A. In a colony B. In a tree C. In isolation c 6. What is the bill colour of a juvenile Bewick s Swan? A. Pink, black and whitish B. Yellow, grey and black C. yellow, white and pink a 14. Two species of duck are the basis of most domestic ducks, one is the mallard the other? A. Muscovy B. Gadwall C. Tufted a 7. Dimorphic means? A. Active at night B. Having two forms C. Systematic shedding of feathers b 15. In breeding plumage the drake s Gadwall s bill colour is what? A. Dark green B. Black C. Grey with orange B 8. What is the common name for the goose Anser fabalis? A. White fronted Goose B. Bean Goose C. Brent Goose B 16. The breeding drake s Shoveler duck eye colour is what? A. Yellow B. White C. Blue A

22 Most people think climate change is as serious as Covid-19 Before the Covid-19 crisis, we accepted the dominance of traffic noise as an inevitable consequence of modern day living. But now, we have sampled an alternative urban ambience and we like this new world s order. A recent survey gave a new perspective on how as a society we wish to continue. The public have little desire to return to the state of affairs before lockdown. World 71% China 85% Mexico 80% France 75% UK 62% USA 55% Governments currently face a bleak choice: to financially bail out polluting businesses, using that as leverage to impose environmentally-minded reforms, or let them return to their carbon-intensive activities as an economic quick fix. The effect of this virus has pressurised the financial markets around the world. Governments, like Germany and the UKs, have offered hand-outs to polluting industries without imposing green conditions. For over a century we have financially benefited as the revenue from oil and gas industry have paid our pensions, share dividends and funded our life styles. The UK's oil and gas industry warns that 30,000 jobs could be lost because of the pandemic and the current low oil price. But why would governments support a commodity that s fuelling the climate crisis, which is judged by the UN to be deeper than the Covid-19 crisis? Coronavirus milky away Dairy farmers have thrown away thousands of litres of fresh milk due to disruption to the supply chain caused by coronavirus. There is concern that some dairy farms may go out of a business, which could result in a public milk shortage. The National Farmers Union has called for a crisis meeting with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to take immediate steps to ensure the sustainability of the dairy sector. Plastics get a new lease of life with Covid-19 It s funny how views can quickly change over a month of two! Plastic was a dirty word, the environmental press had a field day, this synthetic material we mass manufacture spelt doom for the mankind. We produce far too much, it s a pollutant, it s harmful to wildlife, the environment, and do we really need it? But Covid-19 has turned all the anti-feeling on its head, suddenly the world has gone sterlising mad, we want everything bottled, sanitised for our own safety, packaged in such a manner that it secures our very health. And what has the world turned to in an effort to save itself from this virus, yep plastic! The nation has gone from never washing its hands after a visit to the loo, to now being obsessed with the manic scrubbing of the natural oils from our skins. Supermarket plastic bags are no longer inducing disapproving condemnation looks of disgust from fellow shoppers; everyone has gone back to using them for the convenience of Covid-19 shopping. We now want our food sealed and packaged in such a way as to prevent contamination from human hands; the nation has developed the Howard Hughes syndrome of hyper-cleansing. Plastics have had a new lease of life, to paraphrase the government, it has helped save the NHS, and us along with it. Will we go back to hating the stuff probably, but only when Covid-19 is a thing of the past. Road to nowhere The current Covid-19 crisis has given us a glimpse of how much we need to do to change our dependence on fossil fuels to correct climate change. Despite the vast alterations we have all made in our lives, global carbon dioxide emissions are likely to reduce by only about 5.5% this year. A UN report shows that to stand a reasonable chance of avoiding 1.5C or more of global heating, we need to cut emissions by 7.6% per year for the next decade. Travelling less helps, but not enough. To make the necessary cuts we need structural change. This means an entirely new industrial policy, created and guided by government. Car sales are down New car sales have plunged by a record 97.3% in April compared to April 2019, coronavirus has had a dramatic affect on the motor industry the society of motor manufacturers and traders (SSMT) said 4,321 new vehicles were registered a new record low for the sector. That figure comes to that figure compares to 161,000 for the same month last year, the lowest sales since The industry body said it now expects 1.68 million new car registrations in 2020 compared with 2.3 million in UK car manufacturers have started to return to work this week, although the start of full production is a long way off. Turtle s happy together baby boom Thailand s Covid-19 locked-down beaches have had a baby boom of the largest living turtle the leatherback sea turtles. The director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, said that since November they have found 11 nests, the highest number in the past 20 years. In late March, staff at a Phang Nga National Park found 84 hatchlings after monitoring eggs for two months. Recent estimates of global nesting populations of leatherbacked sea turtles are that between 26,000 to 43,000 females nest annually, which is a dramatic decline from the 115,000 estimated in A widely worldwide distributed species the Atlantic Ocean population ranges across the entire region as far north as the North Sea and to the Cape of Good Hope in the south. Catnap Veterinary scientists have recommended cat owners to keep their pets indoors to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But the British Veterinary Association said, owners should not worry about any risk of infection from their pets. There isn t a single case of a pet dog or cat infecting a human with Covid-19, said a spokes person.

23 Butterfly reintroduction is a devil of a job by Thomas Bickerton The marsh fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, is a widely distributed butterfly across the Palearctic region from Ireland to Russia. A complex species, divided into distinct taxa or subspecies, with varying appearances, and different ecological requirements. Local, or regional populations specialise on, or adapted to, different host pants. For example, in the British Isles marsh fritillaries usually only feed on devil sbit scabious, Succissa pratensis, whereas in the southern parts of its European range the larvae will also feed on field scabious, Knautia arvensis, small scabious, Scabiosa columbaria, giant scabious (Cephalaria leucantha) and honeysuckles, Lonicera implexa and Lonicera etrusca. In the Spanish northwest Iberian Peninsula, the larvae are said to feed on common honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum, Small Scabious, Scabiosa columbaria and Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. The question to be asked is feeding on the Lonicera species only an Iberian specialisation? Marsh fritillaries exist in a patchwork of interconnected colonies, known as meta-populations. The butterflies need to be able to move from one patch to another to ensure that the whole population persists into the future. Although both sexes can be fairly sedentary, not moving more than 60 metres they can also fly at least half a kilometer if required. Scientists have worked out that this species needs large areas of 70ha (173 acres) plus of suitable habitat. Devil s-bit scabious Devil s-bit scabious grows in a range of habitats including neutral, calcareous and acid grasslands, purple moor-grass and rush pasture, fens and damp woodlands. The plant will tolerate a wide range of habitats from arid to bog; it prefers poor soils without competition. The plant is widespread across Scotland, Wales and England. It has a patchy distribution in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain (2005) and the Irish Red Data Book (1988) do not list devil s-bit scabious and it is considered to be common, not specifically protected under any law in any of the countries. Continued on next page

24 Devil s-bit scabious is a slow-growing perennial and may take several years to reach maturity and flower. Devil s-bit scabious can be grown as plug plants for transplantation into the grassland or additional seed could be directly sown, success rates on both these procedures can vary dramatically. It is recommended that seed be sown in the autumn, which is the usual time that wildflowers naturally shed seed. The decline of the plant has been associated with an increase in agricultural production and intensification of management on grasslands, including changing from traditional management to silage production which often involves over- seeding with fastergrowing nitrophilous grasses and legumes, fertilising meadows and using herbicides to reduce agronomic weeds. Wetter habitats have often been subject to drainage prior to agricultural improvement, particularly purple moor grass and rush pasture. Lack of management is also a factor. The decline of livestock grazing on wetter pastures allows the build-up of grasses that, over time, out-compete and shade-out the wildflowers including devil s-bit scabious. The farm s management for devil s-bit scabious Devil s-bit scabious is a late flowering plant and usually starts to bloom when other wildflowers are setting seed. As a consequence, hay cutting, which is usually taken in July or early August, may remove the flower heads preventing the species from setting seed and over time it will decline in most hay-cut meadows. The farm s plants are all allowed to set seed. Having read as much as I could on the plant s reintroduction, my decision was to experiment with my own version of reintroduction for the marsh fritillary. All the literature recommended large areas of land, this was not a problem in conjunction with the farm, but the main problem was that devil s-bit scabious was no longer present anywhere on the farm. So a programme of seed growing was undertaken four years ago, and the initial planting was carried out in March Most marsh fritillary reintroductions start with the plug planting of the scabious plants into grass meadows or chalk meadows, this is fine if management of the grasses is maintained, but over time the scabious has to complete with the growth of grasses, and although grazing and cutting may help, they are not a fool s proof method for success. I decided on something different, my idea was to clear the soil of any competition, I called it my bare-earth policy and plant a crop of devil s-bit scabious, similar to growing plants in a wide flower border. This technique has worked. I had taken the idea from the work being carried out in Europe where small pockets of suitable habitat were maintained for the butterfly. The huge advantage for this procedure was that the scabious freely self-seeded on the bare-ground, whereas in a grass meadow environment these seeds are lost through competition. My aim now is to continue tray sowing the seeds and transplanting into location. The marsh fritillary larva proved to be quite contrary in their preferred food options. Totally ignoring the scabious plants we put in their cages, they demolished all of the honeysuckle instead. This has revised our thinking, as with any rewilding theories the unexpected is always encountered. This has made me rethink my strategy as one of the plants, which is ever increasing throughout the farm s landscape, is honeysuckle and it is a plant growing all around the planted scabious. The marsh fritillary will be an on-going project that we will continue to learn just what procedure suits these butterflies the best. (More to follow in the July newsletter).

25 A new bird for Les s weekly BTO garden survey mallard(s) We were working in the front garden when Les remarked that a female mallard and her eight ducklings had just waked down the sideway into our back garden. I thought he was either joking or hallucinating, writes Carol Hopperton. I went to look in the back garden but couldn t see anything, surely they couldn t disappear that quickly from our fenced back garden. Les came to search too and their cheeping gave them away. They were huddled in the corner by our log store. Mother mallard was terrified and flew over the 4ft fence into next doors paddock. No way the chicks could follow and they ran around like headless chickens! We dug a hole under the fence and ushered them that way, three chicks got the idea instantly and disappeared under the fence. The remaining five just would not brave it, so we decided we would have to catch them. I chased them through the bluebells, flowerbeds, behind the shed. They are fast. Les meanwhile being more resourceful had got a fishing net. Gradually we caught them one by one and drooped them over the fence that was our hour s unexpected exercise for the day. The very early life of a blue tit in 2020 My old nest box camera is still working, even though the clarity is not great. We have eggs in stage 1, chicks in stage 2 and ready to go in stage 3, writes Les Blundell. Stage 1: 25th April 2020 Stage 2: 15th May 2020 Stage 3: 22nd May 2020

26 Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) The buff-tip is a medium-sized moth that is on the wing at night from late May to July. It is quite a common moth in parks and gardens, as well as along woodland edges and hedgerows. The caterpillars are striking: large, hairy and yellow, with a black head and a ring of short black stripes on every segment. They often gather together in large numbers, eating the leaves of lime, birch, hazel and willow trees. This moth pupates on the ground and overwinters as a chrysalis.