Lots of water and a little bit of sunshine

Smalley Hill, Telford, Wednesday 4th April 2018

Water was a major theme of the day when we visited Smalley Hill. 

1) It was raining when we arrived

2) There are several pools on the site

3) It rained whilst we were on site

4) There are numerous boggy areas

5) There are hundreds of ruts in the ground where water accumulates

6) After a brief interlude of sun it poured down signalling our retreat to our homes.

Fortunately we had been warned about the water underfoot and advised to wear wellingtons. That was the best advice I have had in ages.

Our start was delayed as my directions to the meet point were not up to scratch and only I could find it (being helped by knowing where it was). But, eventually everyone arrived. After the initial greetings we set off, but not before investigating a box bush where we found the "box" anthocorid bug Anthocoris butleri.

On site we first made our way to the shelter of a narrow plantation where we investigated the gorse and kept out of the cool stiff breeze. A bug was beaten out of a scot's pine

Photograph: David Williams

This is Gastrodes grossipes a species that feeds on the cones of this tree.

Wandering through the plantation we found we were cut-off by a barbed-wire fence. Fortunately this was easy to get around but it left us on the wrong side of a pool, in which some frogs had been enjoying the joys of spring

And a very wet area that seemed to stretch to the far side.

We had no choice but to wade across. Our next obstacle was a gate. This was locked. And as we could not see a stile nearby we had to climb it.

Curiously we found frog spawn in a tree!!

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

A kestrel was seen flying from an owl box

As you can see from the above photograph I managed to capture the owl box but the kestrel was long gone!

Invertebrates were very hard to find. We tried looking, we tried beating, we tried sweeping and we tried vacuum sampling but not much was poking its head above ground. However, we were not discouraged - we looked for somewhere to lunch.

On the way we came across a large patch of Cladonia lichens

Close by we saw a hopper. However, it defied all attempts to pot or even sweep it so was left in peace and unidentified.

We lunched in the lee of a large gorse bush. The sun came out and spread a little warmth.

Lunch over we all made our way to a pussy willow that was in flower to see what the sun had brought out. There were several bees nectaring on the tree, most of them near the top, but we managed to identify four - honey bee (Apis mellifera), tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), early bumble bee (Bombus pratorum) and buff-tailed bumble bee (Bombus terrestris). As we were about to leave a hoverfly was seen on a catkin. This was Eristalis intricarius and it was content to pose for a while enjoying the warmth of a hand.

The rain returned. This was one shower too many and we decided to return home.

My thanks to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust for permission to do what we enjoy doing, to Veolia for allowing us to park on its property and to David Williams and Jim Cresswell for the photograph.

Valley of the Pseudoscorpions

Lake Vyrnwy RSPB Reserve - Wednesday, 28th March 2018

Sue, a regular member of our group last year, has now taken up a position at Lake Vyrnwy RSPB Reserve and she invited us to visit her at the reserve. We were very happy to accept. 

We met in the car park close to the dam head and RSPB's Visitor Centre. After a joyful reunion we started our visit in the bird hide where our host has the early morning task of filling up the feeders. 

A good number of birds were taking advantage of her largesse including a good number of siskins, a bird I had not seen for quite some time. They used to be regular visitors to our garden in the winter but have long since gone elsewhere.

Photograph: David Williams

Competing for the food with the siskins were chaffinches, various tits, nuthatches and probably others that I cannot recall. Underneath the feeders pheasants were picking up the scraps. A great spotted woodpecker was investigating nearby trees and a couple of squirrels were scurrying around but not attempting to get to the feeders.

Photograph: Peter Hodgkinson

We could have stayed there all day but we were also keen to see other areas of the site. Our host had arranged for us to look at a couple of fields that the RSPB planning to turn into wildflower meadows. 

As the fields were a fair way around the western edge of the lake we used cars to get us and our equipment to the sites. 

The first field had been grazed by sheep. These had been removed but their presence was very evident in the short sward and droppings. I believe the plan is to see what happens if the field is left to develop naturally rather than seed it.

A brief pause to take in the view of the lake and its distinctive pump house.

Photograph: Margaret Mitchell

A hawthorn in the field attracted our attention as it was laden with lichens.

Usnea this and Usnea that declared our lichenologist who was very impressed by the variety and abundance on show. The following picture is of some Usnea florida that was found on the ground (not taken from the tree).

At this point our lichenologist turned drone pilot as he bought out his latest gadget (with permission I must add). 

Lift off.

The drone is in the top right hand corner - Photograph: Peter Hodgkinson

The drone has a camera which records a video of the flight and it is possible to capture pictures from this. Here are a couple of views of the lake that you will not see unless up in the air.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Photograph: Bob Kemp

To bring us down to earth here is a more conventional view from ground level, albeit up the slope at the top of the field.

Photograph: David Williams

And also to bring us down to earth what did we find? Unfortunately the answer is very little - a few spiders, a springtail or two, a couple of woodlice and a millipede. Still, better than nothing. And it is not a good time of the year for finding wee beasties. (Well that's our excuse!)

Lunch beckoned. Rather than picnic in the field we made our way to the top of the lake and the Centenary Hide. This commanded a view over what looked like an isolated pool as it was surrounded by trees with a pleasant backdrop provided by the surrounding hills.

Photograph: David Williams

Whilst we lunched we kept an eye out for birds. There were not many about but we did spot a chiffchaff, robin, long-tailed tits, goldcrest and a little grebe. Every now and then the water would ripple as a fish swam near the surface.

After lunch we made our way to the second site. The grass in this field was longer, not eaten to the ground by sheep, but there was a pony on it. It came to greet us when we arrived but quickly lost interest and was indifferent to our activities.

One of the group picked up a moss covered log from a log pile and exclaimed "PSEUDOSCORPION".

This caused tremendous excitement (had we never seen one before?) and some of us crowded round to look and marvel how the finder had managed to spot a brown 2mm long insect in a forest of moss.

Photgraph: Peter Hodgkinson

A tiny froghopper was also found. This caused no excitement other than to myself. I later identified it as a female Delphacodes venosus.

As the grass and other vegetation were lusher here I was hopeful that we would find more and, employing "moth-vac" we did. Four more pseudoscorpions (never before had we found so many) and a couple more Delphacodes venosus.  To be fair the pseudoscorpions are cute, especially their ability to sprint backwards when threatened. We believed that all four were the same species and one was later identified as Neobisium carcinoides. 

Both photographs: David Williams

After all this excitement we needed refreshments. We returned to the tea room for a well deserved cup of tea/coffee/chocolate before making for our homes.

On the way home, in the absence of a Welsh speaker, we decided that Vyrnwy must mean "Valley of the Pseudoscorpions"!

My thanks to Sue for arranging the visit and to the RSPB for permission to do what we do. My thanks also to the photographers for supplying so many excellent photographs - sorry that I could not include them all.

And finally! One more shot from the air.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Two hundred and nine feet tall

Telford Town Park, Wednesday 15 November 2017

Little did I suspect that a visit to Telford's Town Park on a grey day in mid-November would be so appealing. When we had assembled in the car park by Grange Pool at the south end of the park there were a baker's dozen folk within the group, including three newcomers (welcome all) and a couple who were re-appearing after a period of ill-health (welcome back).

I have long understood that my suggestions for where to go on the day are ignored so I plunged straight in ....

"Where do you want to go?"

"Stirchley Chimney" was the immediate response.

So with little further ado we set off and marched to the aforementioned feature of the park.

As we marched along I looked at the vegetation verging the path. Should I pause and do a bit of beating, or should I continue blinkered like the others. 

Sorry, but I could not resist. I beat (halfheartedly) some ivy and out popped a small earwig with no visible wings and distinctive male claspers. I thought I knew what it was but I called our earwig expert for an expert identification. Yes ... I was right ... a Lesne's earwig.

Photograph: David Williams

There are very few records of this earwig in the county so this was a good start to the day.

By now the rest of the group were so far ahead that they sent someone back to find out where we were.

We quickly rejoined the group in the grounds of the Stirchley Chimney.

 

What is a chimney doing in the middle of a park? Fortunately a helpful information board held the answers.

(Remember you can click on the photograph to open it in a new window so that it can be enlarged for reading.)

As you will see we did  not need to measure the height of the chimney, the board informs us that it is approximately 209' high, built in 1873 by the Old Park Iron Co. using Randlay brick.

Then I got a bit of a shock. As I looked around the site I saw a building that I had no idea was there. Not just a small building but a huge construction.

One of the group had worked with the archaeologists involved in investigating the site so he gave an impromptu guided instructional tour.

A major attraction of this area was the presence of three picnic tables around which we established our encampment while we explored the site.

An early find was a Woolly milkcap.

Another find was the springtail yet to be given an official name

Photograph: David Williams

This attractive small beast is known as Katiannidae genus nov. species nov. a in the British list (http://urweb.roehampton.ac.uk/collembola/taxonomy/) but is Katiannidae genus nov.1 species nov.1 in the "world" list (http://www.collembola.org/frset.htm). In the British list it is described rather affectionately as a " spotty alien found in Richmond park.". Well it has spread from Richmond Park and  has turned up in several sites in Shropshire.

The vacuum sampler was put to good use and its catches minutely examined.

The chimney is enclosed by a small semicircular wall with various shrubs planed on top. One was in flower.

I have no idea what it is but for once my attempt to photograph a flower was reasonably successful so I have included it to provide a bit of balance between the flora and fauna.

Lunch was taken (at the picnic tables) then we moved on to an area known a Fletcher's Pool and the meadow that leads down to it. 

A couple of the group were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher as it flew across the pool, the rest of us had to make do with another view of the chimney.

After looking around the meadow and searching the accessible part of the pool edge we made our way back towards the car park but by a circuitous route that took us by the side of Grange Pool.

As we looked across the pool a duck landed amongst the mallards that was clearly not a mallard. Binoculars were employed and it was identified as a Mandarin duck.

The swan families nearby were not impressed and just got on with their lives.

We returned to our cars and home to get on with our lives.

My thanks to Telford and Wrekin Council for allowing us to pursue our interest in the Town Park and to David Williams for the additional photographs.