Month: June 2016

Nightjar evening walks 2016

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Following the success of previous year’s Nightjar evening walks in the Forest of Dean, I plan to do more this year, proposed dates are:

Thursday 30th June

Thursday 7th July

Thursday 14th July

If anyone is interested, please contact me by e-mail and let me know your preferred date.

As previously, the evening meetings will begin with a 9.30pm start and will be weather dependent. The chance of seeing Nightjars on cold, wet or windy evenings is poor, we will therefore be hoping for reasonably clear and still evenings and if necessary, will revise the dates.

I will send out full instructions ahead of the proposed dates to all who wish to attend.

Andrew Bluett, Membership Secretary – gnsmembership@btinternet.com

GNS Field Meeting, Saturday 11th June

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Field Meeting Edge Common IMG_1031

The next GNS Field Meeting is due to take place on Saturday 11th June – A Walk on Edge Common – to be led by Linda Moore (01452 389950). Edge Common is an area of unimproved limestone grassland with woodland and scrub, good for limestone vascular plants and other botanical gems. 11.00 am to 14.00 pm.

Meet at SO 846 095 on the road from Edge to Haresfield Beacon, parking is available in a number of places along the road but please take care, the road can be busy and traffic does not always travel at an appropriate speed.

Diamond-back Moth Migration

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We are currently on the receiving end of a large-scale migration of Diamond-back Moths (Plutella xylostella) into the UK.  I thought I was doing well with a count of 16 caught at dusk in my Cheltenham garden on 2 June, but have just heard from a recorder in the Stroud area who gave up counting at 100 in his moth trap.  The migration has been mentioned on Springwatch and there is a short video clip of one observer’s experience in Norfolk here:
http://www.norfolkmoths.co.uk/micros.php?bf=4640

It would be interesting to record the full scale of the migration in the county, both numbers and locations, so please send in any records.  The web page noted above has a good range of ID photographs; in essence the Diamond-back Moth is small (about 15 mm wingspan), pale in colour and probably in a garden or field near you!

R Homan, VC 33 Moth Recorder

Results of the Bioblitz 700 at The Park and Poor’s Allotment 25th – 26th July 2015

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Results of this bioblitz were assembled months ago. I did mention in the September 2015 issue of GNS news that they will be published on this website. I have been busy in the meantime but unfortunately this slipped my mind. So thank you Maris for the reminder!

Number of species found in each taxon group

Fungi
4
Mosses
52
Liverworts
12
Stonewort
1
Ferns
10
Flowering plants
223
Conifers
2
Millipedes
2
Woodlice
4
Spiders
3
Dragonflies & Damselflies
11
Grasshoppers & Crickets
3
True Bugs
7
Beetles
12
Scorpion fly
1
Moths
176
Butterflies
22
True Flies
42
Ants, Wasps & Bees
12
Molluscs
12
Amphibians
5
Reptiles
3
Birds
40
Mammals
16
Total677

As you can see we didn’t quite make the 700 species. The persistent rain on the second day dramatically reduced recording effort.
Here’s the full list:

Heathland 700 The Park & Poor’s Allotment Species list

Just as a reminder: there will be another bioblitz at Crickley Hill, the new Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserve and SSSI from Friday 8th to Saturday 9th of July. Here’s hoping for optimum conditions to hit a realistic target!

http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/events/2016/07/08/crickley-bioblitz?instance=0

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