Gloucestershire Branch, Butterfly Conservation would like to invite GNS members to an illustrated talk by Ken Newcombe our education co-ordinator being given at the Shurdington Community Centre on Tuesday 10th February 2026.
Further information available in the following files:
Thirteen members and friends met on a wet November morning to be led by Robert Cullen of Forestry England to a beaver enclosure in the middle of the Forest of Dean.
A fence was set up here in 2024 to enclose 12 hectares of mixed woodland cut through by the Perryhay Ditch. Previously this brook ran only in winter or after rains and was usually dry over the summer. The two beavers introduced here – the female from a Scottish release site and the male from Devon – quickly paired up and had three kits this year.
We did not expect to see beavers, but there was plenty of evidence of their presence. Within about 20m of the stream we came across frequent long poles with pointed ends lying on the ground. The beavers had felled small trees, gnawing round the base, stripping off the nutritious bark and nipping off the side branches. With this brash they had created about 10 dams along the brook using the twiggy material from the trees packed with mud. Thus the brook held water even through the drought summer of 2025.
Beavers need the pools not for the fish (they are strictly vegetarian) but so that they have a protected underwater approach to their dens.
Rob has kindly provided footage from the trailcams showing dam repair, an adult with kit eating bracken, the pair play-fighting (apparently beavers are quite capable of killing each other but this is just having fun, here watched by wild boar). The goshawk and squirrel footage was captured very shortly after the kits were born and the immediate thought was that one had been taken, so it was with some relief that it was seen to be a squirrel.
Juliet Bailey
The planned GNS field meeting at Ashleworth Ham at 9.30am on Sunday 14 December 2025 has been postponed for the moment because of forecasts by the Environment Agency of flooding in the area in the next few days. This flooding is likely to cause deep flooding on the Ham Road between Ashleworth and Tirley, and to make the Gloucestershire Wildlife Reserve at Ashleworth Ham impossible to reach. It is hoped to rearrange the field meeting at a later stage in the winter when the floodwaters have receded.
This was an evening meeting at the National Trust’s Sherborne estate using thermal imagers for night vision. Despite near-continuous drizzle (which degrades the images) we were able to spot badgers, a pair of Little Owls, other unidentified owl species and lots of rabbits.
Using the more traditional method of dazzling (like ‘lamping’ when hunting rabbits) two of our licenced bird ringers were able to capture and ring a Common Snipe.
Another device used was an ultra-violet torch, which showed up lichens and these Mycena fungi, probably M. inclinata.
Andy Lewis
This year, the winner of the GNS prize for best MSc student poster was awarded to Bec Smith (Applied Ecology MSc), for research on the value of large woody debris in freshwater habitats, particularly for bats. Well done Bec!
Monday 21st April at Stroud Lansdown Hall, 4-7pm.
Speakers: Mary Colwell (Curlew Action), Geoff Hilton (WWT) and our very own Juliet Bailey.
Come and see the Curlew mural by renowned street artist Mark Antony (“ATM”)
Details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-curlew-day-celebration-tickets-1277859093949
16 GNS members had an interesting tour around Glass Eels UK. Director, Peter Wood took us through the journey of the eel from its egg in the Sargasso Sea to the adult in county streams and lakes. We saw several tanks of carefully maintained glass eels and estimated numbers in 0.5kg. Sweepstake winner Barry will be sharing his winnings with those that attend his field meet later in the month.
We discussed problems faced both by eels and the company. The future doesn’t look bright for either!
Don’t forget the Society’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 26th March at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm). It will take place at the EdShed, at the back of the Folk of Gloucester museum.
At the end of Society business, you can vote for the overall winner of our photo competition from the winners of the individual categories.
This year’s speaker is Anna Field, who will give a talk “Raptor Monitoring in the Cotswolds: Goshawk, Hobby and Barn Owl”.
The EdShed is accessed from Quay Street GL1 2PG. Tea, coffee and pay bar. Free parking in the car park the other side of Quay Street.
As a follow-up to the GNS field meeting at the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Ashleworth Ham reserve on the west bank of the Severn last November, members took part in another field meeting at the Coombe Hill Meadows reserve on the east bank on 8 February 2025. Both sites are important wintering sites for surface-feeding ducks that breed in central and northern Europe and more than a thousand were present on the floodwater on a dull February day, with a Ring-necked Duck as an additional highlight. Full details in a future issue GNS NEWS.
Please note that there has been a minor change to the proposed meeting at the Beaver enclosure at The Pludds in the Forest of Dean. Please also note that it is essential to book a place if you intend to join us. Check the event page for further details.
