OXFORD WILDLIFE NUMBER 95 NEWS AUTUMN 2012 OTMOOR
A field pond on Otmoor
A bullock’s skull found on Otmoor
An abandoned horse-drawn hayrake
Not all waders are birds
NEWS FROM BOUNDARY BROOK NATURE PARK Work has not progressed as fast as we would have liked these last few months. For one thing Alan has been commuting from Newbury where he has been clearing and selling his sister‟s house and he is also in the process of moving so he has not been able to come to Boundary Brook as often as normal. An exceptionally wet summer has meant that the vegetation has grown at an unusually rapid rate, especially the brambles and nettles, so clearance has taken far longer than normal. We are hoping to get more done in the autumn although Alan and Jan made a massive effort before open day to clear the paths, the butterfly mound and make some paths safer.
organic methods of course, but using the produce for their own consumption. Do contact me (Janet Keene 01865 820522 or email keene@ouwg.org.uk) if you would like more details or if you would be willing to take on one of the plots. Even better would be if you would also help to do some of the preparatory work. We would appreciate any help you can offer at our work parties and remember there are large-scale jobs like mowing the hay meadow or easier jobs like preparing bamboo to put in the hibernation tower or weeding the green roof on the top. We are especially keen to clear the area in the new Northern Extension in preparation for the tree planting event early in the New Year. Always ring Alan (before you set off) to check that the work party has not been cancelled for some reason. If you are free at other times and would be willing to come and help please check with him.
As many of you know, we are going to re-vamp the kitchen garden. We will redo the paths, raise the wooden borders and put some fresh soil in the beds. When this is complete we wondered if any members would like to be part of a gardening group and adopt one of the beds in order to grow vegetables or some flowers and fruit, using
EVENTS Past . . . The Lye Valley Judy Webb led a most interesting walk through the Lye Valley in Headington. We walked down through the woodland which opened out into what is known as Bullingdon Bog, although in fact it is a rare fen habit (being alkaline rather than acid like a bog). They are alkaline because the rainwater, seeping through the limestone of the steep valley walls, trickles down to the flat base of the valley. Here, in the calcium-rich, waterlogged area, we saw a wonderful collection of rare marsh helleborines in flower. There were also many other plants here in this “Valley-head spring-fen”, several of which are on the Rare Plants Register for the country. This means that they only occur in less than ten sites in the county. Sadly, we also saw some less welcome plants such as the invasive Himalayan balsam as well as some Japanese
Future events. . .
knotweed. Judy explained the ecology, the management and the probable future of this beautiful valley.
AGM and Picnic On Monday 23 July we reconvened for a short AGM before the annual Picnic. As Ruth Jordan has retired from the Committee, at least for the present, we needed to appoint a new trustee and we are pleased to welcome Mark Franks who has been elected as our fifth trustee. We voted to re-elect existing officers for the year 2012-2013. We then enjoyed our picnic.
Autumn Open Day
On September 9th we had an Open Day in connection with Oxford Open Doors weekend. We had guided walks, book and plant stalls and the very popular pond-dipping. Chris Lewis coped masterfully all afternoon with the eager crowd of children who were queuing up for a turn with a net.
We heard that Warneford Meadow Apple Day has been cancelled because of lack of apples. Wolvercote Apple Day, on October 7th is still on although there are fewer apples and they are relying on all the other activities to make it a success. Please note that the Trout Inn have now introduced rather expensive parking charges. As usual we are having a stall at this interesting event and plan to sample the goodies on offer in between looking after our stall. We are again taking part in an activity in connection with CSV Make a difference Day. We are combining it with an open day on Sunday October 28 th including activities to attract children, and are hoping to gain volunteers through publicity via the CSV (Community Service Volunteers).
On 21 November Judy Webb will be giving us a talk on Fungi at Science Oxford Live Bring any specimens you find and she will identify them and tell us a bit about them. For a change, our Christmas get-together will be held in a member‟s home this year. Vicky Hallam has very kindly invited us to join her, starting at 6pm on Wednesday 5th December at her house – 5 Quarry Road in Headington (off Old Road). Please let her know if you would like to come so she knows how many to expect (Tel: 769780 or email: victh@btinternet.com). We will have a quiz and we will all bring some food and drink to share and some Christmas Punch will be provided. Also let her know if you would like a lift or, if you come by bus, number 4 buses stop in Masons Road - near Quarry Rd. The number 10 bus also stops nearby. Cover photos: John Gorrill
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Oxford City Council grant We needed to do a tremendous clearance task in the spring to clear the scrub which had grown up near the fencing between the northern extension and the flats. Alan, Jan and others worked long hours and in doing so unearthed a load of rubbish – concrete slabs, debris from the flats etc. Oxford City Council has given us a grant of £250 to contribute towards the skip hire needed to remove the large amount of rubbish, concrete and vegetation from the site before the Council could carry out the installation of the security fencing.
Charity of Thomas Dawson Trust We have had a very generous grant for £1000 from the Charity of Thomas Dawson. Half the income of the charity is for the upkeep and repair of the fabric of the parish church of St Clements, one quarter to the Parochial Charities of St Clements and one quarter to the designated fund for educational purposes. Because so much of our work includes educational activities (publications, advice and information at open days and stalls, hosting school groups etc.) we were recommended to the charity as being suitable for funding. We are very grateful for their generous award of £1000 towards our work.
How Bee Kind is your garden? Bumblebees rely on particular flowers for food throughout the year. By using the Bee kind tool from Bumblebee Conservation Trust, you can discover whether the flowers in your garden are bee-friendly HELPING OUR SOGGY BEES It has been a tough summer for our bumblebees, so those hardy individuals that are clinging on need our help more than ever if they are to mate successfully.
through the winter. So it is vital that there be flowers available for them to feast upon. If your garden is looking a little sparse then consider adding flowers like honeysuckle, lavender, sedum and teasel to help your local bumblebees.
The most effective thing we can all do to help is make sure that our gardens provide flowers until at least October.
For more planting suggestions, visit our Bee kind tool and filter the flowers by 'Month of flowering' http://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org/
At this time of year our bumblebee queens should be starting to produce male bumblebees and new queens. These individuals will leave the nest to mate with partners from other colonies. This is an energy intensive process so the bumblebees need a plentiful supply of nectar from the flowers in our gardens and the wider countryside. Once mated the new queens need to stock up their fat reserves in preparation for hibernation
We also have a section on our website dedicated to children where you will find information and a number of free activity sheets to download: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/get-involved/bumblekids/
Bioblitz – report from Science Oxford We had over 1200 species records, with around 700 unique species. So the first thing to ask is that if you have any more species records to send through then it will be great if you can do so in the next week or so.
The next step is for us to have a look at whether and how we might run the event again. As you can expect, there is a big question about money. . . So we are meeting over the next few weeks with some of our major partners to see whether there is an appetite to run another BioBlitz and, if so, who will pay for it.
From the public point of view, around 200 members of the public took part in our various activities, and that would undoubtedly have been significantly higher had we not lost Saturday evening to the weather. We had some excellent media coverage, and I hope that you had some positive encounters with local humans, as well as with representatives from other species in the area . . .
If you have any ideas on that front then please pass them on! Otherwise, we will get back to everyone in a month or so with a plan for how we proceed. Dom, Maya and Emma (Science Oxford)
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Moon Gardens for Bats Gardens stocked with the numerous flowers producing evening blooms are called Moon Gardens, great for people who work all day.
expect to attract predators like bats. Bats use huge amounts of energy so need to hoover up vast quantities of insects. If you try to grow plants native to Britain, you will attract native insects and native bats.
Moon Garden plants often are white, which reflects the moon‟s light even more, plus fragrant in the evening too. Foliage is also sometimes white which adds to the reflective quality of the garden.
Growing trees and shrubs in a linear fashion help bats find their way around as they memorize where the features are to help navigate. Removing one, breaking that line of growth may confuse them and they may not cross that void to get to the next tree. Often early flying bats don‟t like to break cover so losing part of a row of trees may disrupt their movements. Later flying bats are often more adventurous and fly in more open pastures, probably due to less predation from owls etc.
Evening Primroses, Yucca and Night Scented Stocks are good plants for evening enjoyment, in the herb garden mint, thyme and even basil often flower in the evening. Plants flowering and fragrant during the day usually attract daytime insects, but plants with evening and night interest attract insects that are on the wing or active in the evening too. So it‟s clear that the advantage of evening and night flowering plants having white flowers and foliage that stand out in the moonlight is that they are easier to spot by the pollinating insects.
So go on, have a go at Moon Gardening and watch the bats share it with you. Happy Gardening, Stuart Mabbutt
My point behind all this is that if you attract and keep these insects in your garden in the evening you can then
Wildlife Gardening Specialist, 01865 747243
Members’ observations Please continue to let us have some of your wildlife observations for the next issue, giving place and date.
Cuckoo and Geese (North Oxford)
down on to my lawn at the back to feast on ants. But not this year: it is completely absent and I miss its friendly yaffle. Nick Burrows
I heard a cuckoo near my home in North Oxford at 6.30am one morning in mid-May. I wonder who one should get in touch with if one has heard a cuckoo?
Unseasonal events (Stanford in the Vale) I‟ve noticed some unseasonal plant events: I have an oxlip plant that I bought early this year. It flowered in the spring and during August. Also, a shrub, Daphne pontica, that should flower in spring, flowered in December last year, I think due to the mild weather, then again in April or so, and now is flowering to some extent again in late August/ September. Rachel Fell
Can anyone explain how it is that every year - about this time of year (August/September) – I hear, and see, gangs of geese flying low overhead. They always come from the south-west (Port Meadow I assume and the Isis) and fly north-east to, I think, the Cherwell. Is always about the same time in the morning - that is between about 6.30 and 8.30; the numbers vary – this morning there were just seven birds whereas a few days ago there were two flights one having I think 15 birds in it. I always think that the Cherwell must be overpopulated and I really wondered why they do this and why they never seem to make the return trip. Or are they on a longer journey eastwards? And what triggers this migration? Delia Twamley
Bee Orchids (All Saints Convent, St Mary‟s Road) In July our mower needed attention and while it was away we left a grass border un-mown for nearly three weeks. Towards the end of this time we were surprised and delighted to find two bee orchids had grown up. Next year we plan to leave this grass un-mown to see whether any more spring up. Sister Helen Mary
Where is the Green Woodpecker? (North
Squirrel problems (Southmoor)
Oxford)
The squirrel which featured on the cover of the last newsletter was spotted on July 10th trying to climb the pole to the bird feeder which had been greased in lard. It slid down as it attempted to climb and was spotted eating the lard but apparently not enjoying it. Janet Keene
I have been living in north Oxford for 27 years, about 200 yards from the Wolvercote Cemetery and Recreation Ground. Every year until now, I have heard the Green Woodpecker which nests in the pine trees at the cemetery and which often flies across and sits on the top of a tall fir tree in my neighbours' garden. Sometimes it comes
Newsletter Online? As postage rates have gone up so much and we don‟t want to raise our annual membership to keep pace with it, we wondered if people would prefer to receive their copy folded (unless you keep the newsletters for posterity!) or read the online version instead. The advantage of the online version is that it is in colour, it is environmentally friendly – less paper and ink used, it saves OUWG money and we would contact you by email to remind you when the new newsletter is on our website (have a look at the recent issues www.ouwg.org.uk/newsletter.html). If you decide on either of these courses let me know your choice (email: keene@ouwg.org.uk or tel: 01865 820522)
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Long-eared bat Walking from my sitting room to my kitchen I saw something fluttering overhead, which I thought was the shadow of a large moth seen through a Velux window in the ceiling. When it fluttered overhead in the opposite direction I realised it was a bat - not in the garden but in the sitting room. As it refused to fly out of the open door into the garden my husband kept vigil by sleeping on the sofa so he could find it when it was light. At dawn it was found clinging to the curtain and he used a transparent plastic box lid to slide it down the curtain to the window sill, where it took about 5 minutes to wake up. Bat getting its bearings after release
It was a long-eared bat of which there have only been a few sighting in this area (slopes of Shotover Hill), and I discovered from various online sources that long-eared bats can navigate by sight as well as by „echo sounding‟ and often „graze‟ on insects stuck to windows, so it may have arrived via the open Velux in the kitchen.
Bat gazing wistfully out of the window after being unhooked from curtain. The ghostly effect is created by a plastic box which is behind it on the window sill Very ET „GO HOME‟ effect Pat Hartridge
INVERTEBRATE IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOPS 2012 At Hill End Field Study Centre, near Eynsham Saturday 17th, Sunday 18th and Saturday 24th November Mosses Identification Course. Oxford 9am-4.30 pm Cost £95 waged. Students £75. Pre-booking only. Contact t jawright@shotover-wildlife.org.uk A practical course for beginners with no previous experience of mosses. Held near Oxford with field sessions at local reserves. Tutor: Jacqueline Wright (County Recorder of bryophytes for Oxfordshire and Berkshire) THE AIM OF THE COURSE The aim of the course is to develop both the skills and knowledge required to identify mosses and liverworts. No previous experience of bryology will be assumed but a basic knowledge of plant identification is expected. COURSE CONTENT The course consists of a combination of indoor lab sessions with microscopes and outdoor field visits. Content includes: structure of bryophytes, terminology, bryological microscopy techniques, microscope calibration, identification using microscopes and keys, building field identification skills, use of the BBS Field Guide, and recording bryophytes Contact Jacqueline Wright for further details and to book a place: jawright@shotover-wildlife.org.uk
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Otmoor Has Got More If you're feeling a bit stale or hemmed-in by city life, I recommend a walk on Otmoor. By car or bike it's easy but the bus is more difficult - I'll add details at the end. Why Otmoor? Well, other reserves are too small or too kempt for that thrill of escape and of wildness which makes life worth living. It's a small adventure and with enough daylight, snacks and water, you can't come to much harm between the 'Seven Towns' of Otmoor: Beckley, Horton-cumStudley, Charlton-on-Otmoor, Oddington, Noke, Fencott and Murcott. In the past the church bell-towers steered the traveller across this marshy plain but now the Beckley TV mast is a taller guide. It even has red lights at night to warn off aeroplanes.
You can still see the pattern of medieval farming on Otmoor in the long ridges and furrows across what is now pasture for cattle and sheep or scrubland with hawthorn clumps. Villagers would plough with their oxen up one side of a long strip of land and then down the other side - a bit like mowing the lawn from the edges inwards till you finish that little tuft in the middle. Over decades turning the soil towards the middle of a strip raises the level of the soil there and drops the level at the edge. The furrow was useful as a drainage channel between the crops. Even today you'll see that reeds tend to grow in the furrow while grasses do best on the ridge. Boots do best there too: the quickest way over this wet ground is to follow a ridge. Cattle aren't so fussy. The recent wet summer has led to deep 'poaching' of the clay soil. If you listen to The Archers on Radio 4, you'll know this means hooves sinking deep into the mud rather than Eddy Grundy and his ferret hunting at night.
A footpath through the wheatďƒ˜ The Romans built a road across Otmoor as a supply route from Dorchester-on-Thames to Alchester, which is near Bicester. You won't see a trace of that road now, except in a Beckley street sign with the name Roman Way. Otmoor got its own name from an Anglo-Saxon land-owner called Otta, and 'Otta's Fen' is what the place-name means. It was poor common land for centuries until 1815, when an Enclosure Act put it in private hands. When enclosing began in 1829, local people rioted by breaking the new drainage banks, smashing fences and uprooting the young hedges. It's odd to think that features of the countryside which we now see as beautiful were hated in the past because they stopped a villager from keeping a cow or a few geese on open land. Dry stone walls too were far from quaint when they first went up. There's a story that Lewis Carroll, who lived in Beckley, conceived the idea of a landscape divided into squares like a chess-board by looking at Otmoor and its hedges. There are urban myths and rural myths - this could be one of them!
Another local protest came in the 1980s when transport planners wanted to take the M40 through Otmoor. Wheatley Friends of the Earth tied the process up in red tape by selling off 3000 miniscule plots of land in Alice's Meadow, a boggy field on the proposed route and named after 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. The motorway now runs east of Fencott but tree-planting screens it very well. The high-speed rail project has caused a similar rumpus recently up and down the land, but protesters can't use the same 'mini-plot' tactics because the rules on land registration have changed. Well, arable farming never prospered on the drained land of Otmoor, so the RSPB were able to buy 544 acres for their reserve. Since 1997 they have been busily reversing history by making the wetland wetter with man-made channels and pools. If you see these on a map or via the Google Earth satellite, the pattern of waterways looks like weird ancient writing. The reserve is not the whole of Otmoor, as I'll show, but bird-watching is what brings in most visitors. If you're a 'twitcher', you'll already know which birds you may see on these wetlands. Recently I saw snipe, egrets and sedge warblers. To try a different angle, I joined a Flower Walk on 26th June led by the RSPB estate workers Zoe and David. I can list some of the plants we saw: Yellow Rattle, Fleabane, Dyers' Greenweed, Field Rose, Yellow Flag Iris, Burdock, Hemlock, Hogweed and many others to challenge my spelling. My problem is that all birds or flowers look the same after the first three, so I set about asking nosy questions on behalf of Wildlife News. Firstly, why are footpaths mown so wide and low that the countryside feels more like a park? David said they have to ensure safe
Otmoor clay churned up by cattle ďƒ™
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access for the public and the worst case was the work of a farmer, whose tractor doubtless cuts to a minimum width of six feet. The RSPB use quad bikes with a mowing attachment. Second, have you seen any otters? There were two females with young, said David, and I have a photo of a fish-head left over from an otter's dinner. It began as a pike swimming in a drainage ditch but all I found was nature's gargoyle and a few scales. Thirdly, why do big military helicopters practise noisy manoeuvres over Otmoor when it's a reserve for sensitive birds? The pilots apparently use the Beckley TV mast for navigation and clatter about nearby although they don't own the land underneath. It's very annoying if you go there for peaceful wanderings. The RSPB have complained, but the Ministry of Defence is...(wait for it!)...sitting on dee fence.
embankments for a road, a railway or canal, they dig a borrow pit to provide the missing bulk. Often the pit is left to fill with water and after a few decades it looks like a natural lake. Wolvercote Lakes near the railway track and Port Meadow could have begun life as borrow pits for the Oxford Canal or the Oxford to Banbury Railway, for example, but nobody knows for sure. Merton Borrow Pit is more recent and (to be frank) less picturesque but it's a well-known spot for water fowl. If you park on the grass verge and ignore the traffic noise, you can have a peaceful walk all the way round the water and spot the birds without them spotting you. There are hedges and fences to save the unwary from drowning, but these can be useful bird-hides if you want them to be. The military rifle range is beside the RSPB reserve. At the north end is a stopbutt to catch the bullets. It's a huge pile of sand held up by railway sleepers with a concrete bunker in front. Squaddies hoist up a line of eight targets from that safety trench and lower them to count the holes. On the grass stretching south are range markers - 400 metres, 500 and so on up to 800. If this sounds like a suicidal place for a stroll, take comfort from the fact that red flags fly on the boundaries when shooting happens and there are bridle paths where you or I have a legitimate right to roam at other times.
One advantage of paths being mown is that grass snakes use the open ground to bask in the sun. On Sunday 22nd July I went back to Otmoor to take photos for this article. At last there was a hot day and several times I saw a snake glide into the long grass as I approached. One was so dozy that I almost trod on it. I noticed that they have great camouflage but a small problem of judging how much of their body is hidden. Often I saw the last three inches of a grass snake protruding onto the path and it stayed there as if the snake didn't know it could be seen. If you have a body growing longer by the week but your sensors are at one end, it must be hard to know where your back end is unless you coil yourself up. Other surprises that day were partridges and muntjac deer, which keep still and well-hidden until you are five feet away. Then they explode into the open and escape with such commotion that your heart almost stops. Grass snakes are more subtle thankfully. A little beyond Otmoor and beside the M40 is Merton Borrow Pit, named after the village of Merton on the other side of the bridge which crosses the motorway. When contractors don't have enough soil to build
Don’t tell him, Pike!
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Until the 1950s, this land was an aerial bombing range and there are signs warning people not to pick up interesting debris. I've never found any, but I have seen countless deer, hares and rabbits which thrive in these unofficial wildflower meadows.
When your boots are all wet, they can't get wetter, so kicking through more puddles is no bother at all. I once went on a guided walk across Morecambe Bay from Hest Bank to Grange-over-Sands and waded through the River Kent on the way, but Otmoor was better because I had only my wits and a stick to guide me. In...deep-end...ence, you could say. Otmoor has got more and you can see part of it just by getting to Beckley. The village is on a ridge of sand thrown up on an ancient sea-bed when the flood-plain itself is flat clay. From High Street or the churchyard you can see for miles. There are thatched cottages, a red phone box without a phone (bring your own!), a country church, a pub called The Abingdon Arms and footpaths heading in tempting directions. The pub-name refers to the land-owner, the Earl of Abingdon, rather than the town down-river from Oxford. I've drawn the map on the previous page to show what is roughly where. If you're driving, you can park for free in the RSPB reserve car-park or on Beckley High Street. Cyclists can lock their wheels to a post in the village or a steel rack at the reserve - near the information board where bird-sightings are written on a little white-board. Heyfordian Travel run bus services 108 and 118 from Oxford to Bicester via Beckley twice a day. From Otta to otter, you'll find it all.
A 3rd sign Are they trying to put us off? I wrote in the past about the time a swirling flock of lapwing flew feet above my head. I was leaning on a gate-post and wearing a tweedy cap plus ancient green jacket, so the birds felt no fear and I felt the draught of their wings. If nature has a lottery, I won it on that day. If I see otters in future, I'll be able to retire.
John Gorrill
On Sunday 17th June I went for a ramble over Otmoor to see what I could see - there's always something surprising if you keep your eyes open. Being summer, I hoped to keep my boots dry but as I got beyond the rifle range, the puddles turned into pools and the pools into paddy fields. I waded onwards for the fun of splashing through warm, brown water up to 18 inches deep. Half way to Charlton-on-Otmoor I met a bird-watcher on a little bridge. He told me a big fish had overtaken him on the footpath, so I got my camera ready for this surreal event. Sadly, the fish ignored me and I came ashore at Fencott with just my squelching boots for amusement. Then I walked to Charlton, had a look in the church whose tower had guided me there and set off back to Beckley.
The lych-gate in Church Lane, Beckley
NOTE: We hope to arrange a walk around Otmoor next year with one of the wardens. So watch our programme dates. Also if you want to see these photos in colour look on our website at the Newsletter section: www.ouwg.org.uk/newsletter.html
Identification courses 2012
www.anhso.org.uk
How Plants Work 13th and 27th October, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Hill End Field Studies Centre, Farmoor, Eynsham, Near Oxford. grid reference SP465066, postcode OX2 9NJ Cost £80
For further information on this course phone Frances Watkins on 01865 863660 or email educationgroup@anhso.org.uk. 8
Friday 13th: unlucky for hedgehogs That day in July had almost gone by without disaster when I opened my front door at 10.30pm. Shuffling past was a large adult hedgehog. It didn't panic or freeze, but sniffed around my bins and ignored me totally. Do we have urban hedgehogs just like we have urban foxes? They live in gardens of course, but do they depend on people's leftovers more than their natural diet? Those small food-waste tubs must be easier to raid than a tall wheely bin. Next morning I noticed something lying in the road and, sure enough, it was a large adult hedgehog with horrible 'roadkill' injuries. I didn't want to see it crushed into the tarmac, so I carried the dead body to my back garden and buried it under a hedge. When I picked it up, I held it by the front paw. This was surprisingly soft and delicate like a tiny human hand - you can see that in the photo. A week later my German neighbour thanked me for doing this. He too had seen the body in the road and had planned to bury it, but I got there first. Everybody loves hedgehogs!
I don't see many in Marston and I haven't seen a squirrel for years. What I notice is the huge number of magpies and crows, which may be taking all the food or even killing the young. Red kites are also a common sight higher up in the sky. A crow will often 'mob' a kite by flying close behind or below it to upset its balance and force it off the home patch. Wing for wingspan, the crow is much smaller but it's the beak that does the damage, and in that the crow is lethal. One adult bird I saw was carrying lumps of stale bread to a puddle in the gutter, dunking and eating it when the water had made it soft. It must be hard to compete with a scavenger as clever as that. Finally, in 2009 a comedian called Dan Antopolski won a prize at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the single funniest joke. You may disagree. "Hedgehogs - why can't they just share the hedge?" John Gorrill
EVENTS FOR OTHER ORGANISATIONS (For contacts see next page unless otherwise listed) SEPTEMBER Sunday 30: Fungus Foray at Hurst Hill with Caroline Jackson-Houlson. 2pm. Joint foray with Oxfordshire Fungus Survey at Hurst Hill, Cumnor. From Oxford, at the top of Cumnor Hill turn left into Hurst Lane. Meet/park at junction with Chilswell Lane on right at SP476046. Enquiries to Caroline, 01865 761110. (ANHSO)
OCTOBER Tuesday 2: Land cover representation in climate models a talk by Dr Juan Antonio Añel. His main research interest is physics of climate, with focus on the study of climatic impacts, extreme weather events and the tropopause. 7.45pm, The Old School Room, St Peter‟s, First Turn, Wolvercote. Members: Free, Visitors: £2. (ANHSO) Thursday 4: A Year in Wormwood Scrubs. Illustrated talk by David Lindo. The 183 acres of Wormwood Scrubs contains playing fields and rough grassland and is encircled by a thin band of woodland. David has been birding the area since the early 1990s and observed a variety of resident and migratory birds along with some interesting wildlife. 7.45pm. Sandhills School, Terrett Avenue, Oxford.OX3 8FN. Free to local group members. Visitors welcome, £3 on the door. Contact Tel: 01491 612600 E-mail: wendypyrton@btinternet.com (RSPB) Sunday 7: North Oxfordshire Farmland. Field Outing - Deddington. Details contact Steve Alley 01608 659628. (OOS) Wednesday 10: BTO bird tracking – Migration & Technology a talk by Nick Moran. 7.45pm. Stratfield Brake Sports Ground Kidlington. 7.45pm. Members free, non-members donation. Details: Barry Hudson 01993 852028. (OOS) Sunday 14: Autumn Walk on Shotover - a tour of Shotover‟s veteran and remarkable trees. Meet at the Shotover car park. 10am to 12.30 pm. Bring family and friends – all welcome. (SW) Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18: Nature Tots 9.30-11.30am An opportunity for your pre-school little ones to interact with and learn from nature. Outdoor nature play, games, stories and craft on our wild and wonderful nature reserve. Dress for the weather. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Tea, biscuits and mud provided. BOOKING ESSENTIAL. Admission: £3 donation/participating child. At Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre OX14 4TE. Contact: Christine Donaldson 01235 862024 chrisdonaldson@bbowt.org.uk. Suitable for wheelchair users. (BBOWT) Saturday 20: Outdoor Adventure Day Join us for a morning of exploration, excitement and adventure. Build shelters, learn the skill of fire making and pop corn over your campfire. Suitable for older children. BOOKING ESSENTIAL.Admission: £3 donation. Meet: Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre OX14 4TE. 10am-12noon. (BBOWT)
Sunday 21: Coach Trip - Arne RSPB, Dorset. Coach leaves Headington Hill Hall (Brookes University) at 7.30am. An unusual and special landscape with a vast expanse of open heathland, old oak woodland and resident Dartford warblers. Booking essential. Price: about £20 depending on numbers attending. Tel: 01865 723868. E-mail: anne@anclark.force9.co.uk (RSPB) Sunday 21: Know Your Local Trees. Milham Ford Nature Park with Judy Webb and Curt Lamberth. 2-4pm. A gentle walk around the park to learn how to tell the tree species apart, hear tree folklore and to hear the story of why and how they came to be there. Milham's young oak trees, for example, are all grown from acorns from an ancient oak on a woodbank on Shotover Hill - why did that happen? What is interesting about the Black Poplars and why are the Wild Service trees so special and where did they come from? (NMWG) Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25: Nature Tots 9.30-11.30am. BOOKING ESSENTIAL details as for October 17 and 18. (BBOWT) Tuesday 30, Wednesday 31 & Thursday Nov. 1: Family Fun - Haunted Habitats. 10am-4pm. Discover more about the creepy, slimy, slithery things that make their home on our nature reserve. Fun activities to get the whole family excited about nature. Just drop in, there is no need to book. Activities will take around two hours. Picnics welcome. Admission: £3 donation per child. Meet: Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre OX14 4TE. Contact: Katie Fenton 01235 862024 katiefenton@bbowt.org.uk. Suitable for wheelchair users. (BBOWT)
NOVEMBER Thursday 1: Echoes from Cape Clear. An illustrated talk by Tom Green who, with his wife, spent a year in Ireland as wardens of the remote Cape Clear Island Bird Observatory. 7.45pm. Sandhills School, Terrett Avenue, Oxford.OX3 8FN. Free to local group members. Visitors welcome, £3 on the door. Contact Tel: 01491 612600 E-mail: wendypyrton@btinternet.com (RSPB) Monday 5: Bernard Tucker Memorial Lecture: Forty years of integrated population monitoring in Treswell Wood a talk by Chris du Feu who was an early pioneer of computerising ringing data and eventually led the group which developed the BRING programs. He is one of the few members of the Conchological Society who admits to being more interested in slugs than snails (an interest provoked by the tree slugs which share his nest boxes with the birds). 7.45pm, Exeter Hall, Kidlington, OX5 1AB. Admission: £2 (ANHSO and OOS) Wednesday 14: Newts a talk by Rod d‟Ayala. 7.45pm Stratfield Brake Sports Ground Kidlington. 7.45pm Members free, nonmembers donation. Details: Barry Hudson 01993 852028. (OOS) Sunday 18: Coach Trip - Pulborough Brooks RSPB, Sussex. Includes wetlands, woodland and heathland and is a haven for a wide range of wildlife and birds. Arrangements as 21st Oct. Coach leaves Headington Hill Hall 7.30am. (RSPB) Wednesday 21 & Thursday 22: Nature Tots. 9.30-11.30am BOOKING ESSENTIAL Details as for 17th and 18th Oct. (BBOWT) Saturday 24: Outdoor Adventure Day 10am-12pm as Oct 20. (BBOWT) Sunday 25: Faringdon Folly. Field Outing: West Oxfordshire Farmland. For more details contact Steve Alley 01608 659628 (OOS) Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29: Nature Tots. 9.30-11.30am see Nov 21 and 22 for details. (BBOWT)
DECEMBER Tuesday 4: The arrival of an alien ladybird and consequences for native species by Dr Helen Roy. The harlequin ladybird arrived in Britain in 2003 and has spread rapidly. Like most ladybirds it is a predatory insect but it has a much broader diet than many of the other ladybirds found in Britain. Dr Roy has studied this ladybird since its arrival in Britain, focusing on the interaction of this alien species with other ladybirds. 7.45pm. The Old School Room, St Peter‟s, First Turn, Wolvercote. Members: Free, Visitors: £2. (ANHSO) Thursday 6: Winter Warmer a mixed evening of members illustrated talks, articles, raffle and a bird quiz. During the interval will be served FREE festive nibbles and drinks. 7.45pm. Sandhills School, Terrett Avenue, Oxford.OX3 8FN. Free to local group members. Visitors welcome, £3 on the door. Contact Tel: 01491 612600 E-mail: wendypyrton@btinternet.com (RSPB) Sunday 9: Car Trip to Lee Valley, Hertfordshire. Meet at Headington Hill Hall (Brookes University) at 9am for car sharing. Within this valley are canal, river, lakes, reedbeds, scrapes and woodland scrub. It is famous for its wintering bitterns. Price: Petrol costs shared between travellers. Tel: 01865 723868. E-mail: anne@anclark.force9.co.uk (RSPB) Wednesday 12: Marsh Tits a talk by Dr Richard Broughton. Stratfield Brake Sports Ground Kidlington. Members free, visitors a donation. 7.45pm Details: Barry Hudson 01993 852028. (OOS) Sunday 16: South East Oxfordshire Woodland. Field Outing - Goring Heath. Details: Steve Alley 01608 659628. (OOS)
NEXT NEWSLETTER Please send your copy for the next newsletter as soon as possible to: Janet Keene, 7 Norwood Avenue, Southmoor, Abingdon, OX13 5AD or if possible email: keene@ouwg.org.uk. The final deadline is by the end of November. OXFORD URBAN WILDLIFE GROUP Don't forget that we are here to help. Please contact any member of the committee for help or advice on wildlife matters and we will attempt
Website: www.ouwg.org.uk
to help or to put you in touch with someone who can answer. Alan Hart (Warden) Boundary Brook Nature Park Janet Keene: Newsletter Delia Twamley: Planning
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07979608013 Oxford 820522 Oxford 554636
CONTACTS FOR OTHER ORGANISATIONS Ashmolean Natural History Society of Oxfordshire (ANHSO): Alison McDonald 556651 Botanic Garden: Oxford 286690 British Trust for Conservation Volunteers 01296 330033 Butterfly Conservation: David Redhead Oxford 772520 Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) Christopher Gowers Oxford 512047 City's Countryside Sites or Biodiversity in Parks Oxford 252240 email: parks@oxford.gov.uk Forest of Oxford: John Thompson Oxford 513528 Friends of Aston‟s Eyot (FAE) Ruth Ashcroft 01865 248344 Friends of CS Lewis Reserve (FoCSL) Helen d'Ayala Oxford 775476 Friends of Oxpens Meadow (FOM) Margaret Maden Oxford 721372 Friends of the Earth (Oxford): Jackie Walkden 07981 572629 Friends of the Trap Grounds (FoTG) Catherine Robinson Oxford 511307
Friends of Warneford Meadow (FoWM) Sietske Boeles Oxford728153 Local Wildlife Trust (BBOWT): Oxford 775476 New Marston Wildlife Group Curt Lamberth 07763-191072 Oxford Conservation Volunteers www.ocv.org.uk (OCV): Jo 07887 928115 Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum (ONCF): Oxford 407034 Oxford Ornithological Soc. (OOS): Barry Hudson 01993 852028 Oxford Tree Club (OTC): Ian Gourlay Oxford 245864 Oxfordshire Badger Group: Julia Hammett Oxford 864107 Oxfordshire Bat Group: David Endacott 01235 764832 Rare Plants Group (RPG): Sue Helm 07774205972 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): Peter Wilkinson Oxford 452579 Science Oxford Live (SOL) St Clements: Oxford 728953 Shotover Wildlife (SW): Chair: Ivan Wright Oxford 874423 Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) Gavin Bird Oxford 815411
UNIVERSITY of OXFORD – Department for Continuing Education DAY COURSES Human Memory and the Brain Oxford Wed. 03 Oct 2012. Every human activity requires memory. Our memory extends not only to events, but also to movements, emotions, sequence of activity, places, people and language. This course looks at how the brain achieves this and what happens when it fails. New Economics and Living Sustainably in the Twenty First Century Ewert House on Saturday 02 Mar 2013. This day school will introduce and review new approaches in economic thinking, policy and practical action and how they can help us in the transition to a new kind of economy and a more sustainable future. Malaria and genetic disorders: an insight into human evolution Saturday 03 Nov 2012. Oxford. Learn from recognised experts how malaria has affected the human genome. Hear the fascinating story of how gene mutations causing severe disease simultaneously offer protection to malaria. Bugs in your home and garden Saturday 22 June 2013. Rewley House. Fees from £60. Invertebrates or bugs (i.e. animals without a backbone) account for more than 95% of all animal species. Although the majority are found in the tropics and in oceans, members of these hugely successful groups can be found in all habitats ranging from Antarctica to the Sahara desert. Even our houses and gardens are home to an impressive range and diversity of invertebrates. During this day school we will uncover some of their many secrets. WEEKLY MEETINGS Evolution of Cooperation and Cheating: From Microbes to Humans. Ewert House. 10 weekly classes on Thursdays from 4 Oct to 6 Dec. 2012 7-9 pm. Fees from £165. Cooperation is one of the greatest achievements of evolution. In this 2012 at Ewert House7.00-9.00pm Fees From £165. course we will learn how organisms as diverse as bacteria and humans live in groups, despite being constantly challenged by selfish individuals. An Introduction to Genetics: 10 weekly meetings on Tuesdays from 15 Jan to 19 March 2013 at Ewert House 7-9 pm. Fees From £165. In this introduction to genetics course we look at the science of genes, inheritance and variation in living organisms. We use examples ranging from plant pigments to human diseases to illustrate these principles. Animal behaviour 10 meetings on Tuesdays. 16 Apr to 18 Jun 2013 at Ewert House. 10.30am-12.30pm. Fees From £165. Why do animals behave the way they do? In this course we will look at the full range of behaviours found in the animal kingdom from simple escape behaviours to complex tool use and their evolution. Landform Ecology 10 weekly meetings on Thursdays. 18 Apr – 20 June 2013 at Ewert House 7-9 pm. Fees From £165. The multiple interactions that give rise to landforms and their ecology are explored holistically in a practical way allowing a more in-depth interpretation of how eco-, hydro- and geological processes shape our environment. There are so many excellent courses coming up these are just a few of the details so visit Rewley House for leaflets or for more information contact the Administrator, Day & Weekend Schools, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA. Tel 01865 - 270380 or by email: pp@conted.ox.ac.uk. Website: www.conted.ox.ac.uk.
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OUWG EVENTS
www.ouwg.org.uk OCTOBER
WORK PARTIES every Sunday. Refreshments provided.
Boundary Brook Nature Park: between 10am and 1pm.
Sunday 7: Wolvercote Apple Day 2 -4 pm. Taste rare apples, apple cakes and drinks. Plus apple related games and activities including the OUWG stall. Community Orchard opposite the Trout Inn (car park at Inn now charges so park near entrance to Port Meadow). Sunday 28: Autumn Open Day at Boundary Brook from 2-5pm in conjunction with national Make a Difference Day. We will have the usual stalls, guided tours, pond dipping and will also have activities for children such as quizzes and model making.
NOVEMBER WORK PARTIES every Sunday. Refreshments provided.
Boundary Brook Nature Park: between 10am and 1pm.
Wednesday 21: The Fascinating World of Fungi a talk by Judy Webb. Judy will give an illustrated talk and do bring along any specimens you find to show her. 7.30pm at Science Oxford Live. Individuals ÂŁ5, SO Friends and OUWG members free. Booking in advance is recommended tel: 810000 or online www.scienceoxfordlive.com/whats-on. Science Oxford Live, 1-5 London Place, Oxford.
DECEMBER WORK PARTIES Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party every Sunday (apart from December 23rd and 30th) between 10am and 1pm. Refreshments provided. Wednesday 5: Christmas get-together starting at 6pm at 5 Quarry Road in Headington (off Old Road). Please let Vicky know if you would like to come (Tel: 769780 or email: victh@btinternet.com). More details on p2. Bring some food and drink. Quiz and Christmas punch provided.
BOUNDARY BROOK NATURE PARK. Come and help us to manage the Nature Park. You can choose your task from a variety of jobs. A warm welcome guaranteed. You need not come for the whole time. Please ring on the day of the work party to ensure it has not been cancelled through bad weather etc. Contact: Alan Hart 07979608013. There is usually someone working at Boundary Brook most days so, if you want to come at other times, find out who will be there and when by ringing Alan Hart but check before setting out to make sure it is still on.. Bus route: Stagecoach Route 3. OXFORD URBAN WILDLIFE GROUP If you wish to contact OUWG or would like to become a member write to the editor: Janet Keene, 7 Norwood Ave, Southmoor, Abingdon OX13 5AD or Tel: Oxford 820522. E-mail: keene@ouwg.org.uk Registered charity no 1101126 Printed on paper from sustainable forests.
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