Grimpo Nature Notes from Pete Lambert

Grimpo Nature Notes July 2010

Recently my young family encouraged me to join them in a Canadian canoe trip down the Montgomeryshire Union Canal. Leaving the main waterway we diverted down a shady arm to fetch up in a long deserted basin and wharfage. The children called it the Rat Pool, I believe there was a bone factory there at one time, the rotting stumps of the docking stages the only evidence left of busier times. Hanging my hand over the side of the boat I could trail it through the warming water and more fun still scoop up tadpoles who were browsing on the broad water lily leaves that floated just below the surface.

Beneath the surface we could see water boatmen powerfully swimming to and fro. They have an adapted pair of legs with broadened ends like oars, to breathe some carry bubbles of air and some swim upside down surfacing occasionally to capture a breath. Busy above them cleverly skimming across the surface tension we spied Pond Skaters, Water Crickets and Measurers.

The real treat of this new water level perspective was the Mayflies, not only did they fill the sky in their adult flying form but there on the emerging vegetation we found the discarded skins of the aquatic larvae. Mayfly adults live so briefly, their ditched forms beloved of fish and painstakingly copied by anglers. Mayflies enjoy a long life span beneath the waters but above the un-feeding adults flourish so briefly earning the scientific name of Ephemeroptera. Amongst the emergent Mayflies we encountered Common Blue damselflies, many already joined in a romantic s-shaped breeding embrace clumsily still flying while guaranteeing the next generation’s place in the waterside calvalcade.

Earlier that day we had flushed a Heron lazily into the sky and on the more fly filled stretches were grateful for the work being done by the swooping feeding flight of swallows. A pair of swans hissed protectively as we gave them a wide berth and that evening whilst cycling at Rednal I stopped to take in the rising song of some very loud skylarks. The most exciting bird report over the last month was a Dipper at Weston Rhyn. This delightful chocolate brown and cream bird lives by rivers, foraging up and down it’s home reach. The Dipper has a unique ability to move about, even ‘fly’ underwater while looking for the aquatic invertebrates it feeds on. Dippers have declined in numbers in the UK due to declines in water quality affecting the range of river life available to eat, I do hope that these trends can be reversed. If you would like to set out to see your own Dipper a good start is the bridge parapet at Chirk and the clear waters of the Ceirog.

I am still getting reports of birds in houses, a lucky Blue Tit was carried to safety after entering one local home. Other features of the warmer lighter evenings include good views of feeding bats. We have Pipistrelles and Brown Long eared bats feeding outside the back door and an evening walk around Tedsmore lanes will also be accompanied by bats. Bats can be attracted to the back door by a low light which brings in insect prey and of course a well stocked wildlife friendly garden will also make a welcome feeding station for our most endangered British mammals.

I do hope you too find time to enjoy the summer buzz ,

Happy Wildlife Spotting, yours Pete.
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