OXFORD WILDLIFE NUMBER 92 NEWS WINTER 2011
Honeysuckle (Nov/Dec)
Poppy (late Nov)
Welsh Poppy (Nov/Dec)
Violet (Nov/Dec)
EXCELLENT NEWS FROM BOUNDARY BROOK NATURE PARK
A
ll our hard work at Boundary Brook Nature Park has been recognised in several different ways this autumn. We heard that the Midcounties Cooperative Community Fund granted us £1,000 towards the cost of a bench and seeds as well as many other requirements for Boundary Brook. We were invited to send a representative to a presentation at the Barcelo Oxford Hotel.
designed to recognise local projects and the groups that make things happen and keep the projects going. It was also described as being for “projects in and around Oxford that make a significant contribution to the conservation or improvement of the city’s built and natural environment.” Vicky Hallam collected our prize which was £500 generously donated by Minns Estates.
Also in October we had another invitation, this time to go to the Town Hall to the Oxfordshire Charity and Volunteer Awards as OUWG was one of 3 organisations to be nominated for the award for the Oxfordshire charity with the "Biggest impact on the local environment". This follows on Alan Hart’s nomination in 2009 for volunteer of the year award for making a “contribution to Learning and Skills in Oxfordshire” for his work at Boundary Brook.
noticed that the bird cherry was flowering for a second time although the flowers were clustered tightly together unlike the normal 15cm spikes of flowers it produces in late spring. Then by late October it was bearing “cherries”. See photos below.
On Oct 12 Alan saw a heron in the new pond. He also
On 21 November he disturbed two grey partridges feeding in the northern extension. (There are many other examples of unseasonable observations – see page 5)
In November we won the Oxford Preservation Trust Community Award for 2011 which is a special category
Autumn flowering Bird Cherry
Autumn fruit on the Bird Cherry
EVENTS
Past . . . The Friends of Aston's Eyot started in the spring of 2010. They aim to protect, care for and manage, or assist in the management, of this 30 acres of land owned by Christ Church College. They want to maintain Aston’s Eyot for wildlife, and to keep it as a wild area. We had wonderful weather for our walk and the Friends gave us a fascinating and clear account of its history and their future plans. An interesting sidelight was that it was once used as a dump and there are many interesting relics buried there. At one stage collectors would come here to dig for the valuable old bottles that they could find. More recently digging was banned as it was being managed for wildlife but recently some very suspicious holes appeared surrounded by bits of broken crockery and bottles. We saw one such hole but they explained that this was the work of one of the many badgers on site.
Is this some illegal digging? Photo Peter Keene
2
Apple Day at Wolvercote, in October, was most successful. There was a massive turnout and our stall did very well selling jams, plants, seeds and books raising £85 for our funds.
Our talk by Jane Harrison was very interesting and her EOCAP project has attracted a very large number of volunteers who have been acquiring the varied skills needed to carry out the different aspects of the work. As you know much of the training has been done at Boundary Brook – digging test pits, surveying techniques and Geophizz. Much of their recent work has been done in the area around Bartlemas. They have been investigating the area around the chapel where there are the remains of a hospital once housing lepers. Having celebrated the impressive achievements of their first year they are about to investigate other historic sites in East Oxford.
We were again lucky with the weather for the Autumn Open Day at Boundary Brook in late October. In spite of the low water level in the pond we had the usual eager “fishermen” who caught and examined their rather smelly catches. Because the water level was so low it was difficult to pond dip without disturbing the mud. The low water had concentrated the wildlife so they found quite a few of the pond animals when they could separate them from the pond plants.
Future . . . We are having a talk which sounds very interesting in January by Mike Gooding entitled Farming and (not or) the environment. He is based at the University Farm at Wytham and will talk about their agricultural methods which try to increase sustainable ways of food production whilst encouraging wildlife and improving biodiversity.
environment". We will meet at the top of St Giles and end up in the University Parks. In early March we are taking part in Science in your World again by having a stall as part of The Oxfordshire Science Festival and at the end of the month we are holding our usual Early Spring Open Day at Boundary Brook. See rear cover for details of these events
In February, Ian Gourlay is leading a leisurely walk when he will talk about "The importance of trees in an urban
FREE copy of CPRE’s new pocket guidebook to hedgerows for OUWG members. GET TO KNOW AND PROTECT YOUR LOCAL HEDGEROWS! CPRE has produced a new pocket guidebook, A Little Rough Guide around the Hedges, to celebrate the richness of our hedgerows, and to remind people of the importance of protecting England’s hedgerows for future generations (see cover on right). The pocket guidebook is packed with useful information including a handy pull-out centrespread with easy to use colour photographs that identify many of the plants that are common in English hedgerows. The guidebook is designed to be used by those with little or no knowledge of hedgerows to get them interested in their local landscape and its living heritage, and to get people out and about in their local countryside. CPRE would like to offer OUWG members a FREE copy of the guidebook. For a FREE copy, members should email their address to CPRE Oxfordshire: administrator@cpreoxon.org.uk or telephone: 01865 874780. Alternatively, they should go to the CPRE Oxfordshire website: www.cpreoxon.org.uk
Poplar Hawkmoth On June 27th last we found a beautiful poplar hawkmoth on an outside oak door. It is interesting that when at rest the tip of the underwing protrudes in front of the wing. This hides the red spot on the underwing that shows up to startle a predator as the moth flies to safety. Later on in early August I found a dead moth on the doormat, it had beautiful markings; on looking it up we found it to be a copper underwing. In the garden most butterflies have been scarce this year except the brimstone - we have had more of these than usual. There were fewer speckled wood, but in early July I saw some dark butterflies in the wild part of the garden. These turned out to be ringlets which we haven't seen here before. Sister Helen Mary (All Saints Convent, St Mary's Road) (c) Ben Grantham. From his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ijammin/ with permission
3
Chris Hannington, Head of Conservation and Education for Oxfordshire at the Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust says,
“Do nothing for wildlife” . . . It’s about this time of year that we look back and take stock. We think of all the year’s achievements and, maybe if we’ve had a good year, we take a little pride in what we have done. But the thing that I’m happiest about happened as a result of something I didn’t do: I didn’t mow the lawn for eight weeks!
tea. He works hard to keep things right, orderly and ‘just so’. But Brian and Barbara do love the blackbirds that nest between a rambling rose and the close boarded fence that provides some privacy between our two patios. They watch the parent birds as they furtively flit in and out, or nervously sit on a branch of our small apple tree, heads on one side and tails cocked before surreptitiously gliding into the nest to feed their young. They even count the fledging chicks and they truly love to see them. So whilst leaving a lawn to grow long wouldn’t be for them, woe-betide anyone who disturbs the blackbird on her nest! I do my bit for the blackbirds too. Instead of hard pruning the rambling rose back each year, I let it grow just a little longer to give the blackbird more cover.
Now that sort of neglect is bound to have consequences and this time was no exception. In the few weeks that my horticultural eye was off the ball, the grass grew! Each time I went into the garden to hang the freshlywashed nappies on the line it had grown a little longer. Eight or nine weeks passed, the baby was eight or nine weeks old and the grass was eight or nine inches high. It was then that I started to take an interest in it. It was then that I got down on my hands and knees to actually look at it. The lawn grass was there; the daisies were there flowering merrily; other common ‘weeds’ of lawns were there. But more unusual things were there too, thousands of yellow ants had built the foundations of an ant hill, the tall cerise-tufted knapweed was starting to come out, and, lower down in the sward, purple self heal and even a yellow rock rose were flowering. The lawn was changing.
Photo by Chris Hannington of Bee Orchid (including wife, baby, lawn and washing!) People are all different. I will be using the Christmas holidays to plan more extensive re-wilding of our garden for the year ahead, our dear neighbour Brian and his wife will no doubt be planning to maintain their beautiful garden, with its flower beds, shrubs for nesting birds and their beloved bird table. To be realistic there will always be a third group of people who just don’t get wildlife and prefer the paved urban jungle look.
On one nappy hanging expedition I noticed something else – something wonderful, exquisite, exotic even – hidden in amongst our urban grass patch. I shouted for my wife and even showed our next door neighbour Brian. For eight or nine weeks Brian had been apprehensively watching our developing jungle from the safety and soft verdant uniformity of his well-manicured lawn. “Look here it is,” I enthused, bending down to show Brian the four little bees dancing on a stick. “A bee orchid – beautiful isn’t it?” And Brian smiled benignly. “Is it like that one?” his wife Barbara said, pointing out another spike a few metres further into our garden. A rapid survey of our few square yards of turf revealed that our tiny rented corner of Marston had not two but three bee orchids growing there that summer.
Whilst it is true that many of our increasingly threatened wildlife habitats really do need management for them to survive, some habitats – like our gardens – are different. Some species can thrive if we just give them a little space in our urban areas; just a little space for them to get on with living. Doing nothing for wildlife really can be an option sometimes. So how about letting the grass grow under your feet next summer? For more information on wildlife gardening go to www.bbowt.org.uk and search for ‘gardening’. If you want a more active role, looking after our more sensitive and threatened habitats, then why not join the Trust or one of our groups of volunteers – see the website for details or call 01865 775476.
Leaving the grass to grow long and letting wildflowers into the picture just wouldn’t be my neighbour’s cup of
Other orchid arrivals In our newsletters for Summer 2006 and also for Autumn 2007 we had 2 more reports of lawns left to grow in summer without mowing. Orchids here also appeared out of nowhere but these were “only” common spotted orchids not bee orchids!
4
Unusual Wildlife Observations Some of our members have written in with observations and I’ve added some other notes In October: Lynda Cotton wrote, “These things seemed unusually late to me: one house martin still in the nest on 1 Oct at Chimney Meadows (BBOWT), bat (probably pipistrelle) on 15 Oct in Oxford, red admiral, comma, honey bees, two different types of dragonfly on 15 Oct at Chimney Meadows, red-tailed bumblebee (I think not that good with bees) today (20 Oct) in Oxford.”
Delia Twamley reports that her Mahonia is in flower in November which normally blooms in spring. John Gorrill saw blackcurrants in bud and raspberries with fruit (see left) in the Botanic Garden on 27 November. He added, “If the birds had little else to eat, the raspberries would have gone long ago.” Joanna Matthews wrote, “I remember talking to Timothy Walker at the Botanic Garden, about un-seasonal flowerings. He said he was fed up with questions about this, especially if they seemed to imply the effects of climate change. We agreed that many of the examples we had seen then were not of native British species, but of exotic plants, some even from the southern hemisphere, which had perhaps reverted to their old built-in calendars. He said native species didn't do this very often.
She later added: 28 Oct, bat (probably pipistrelle), Oxford 29 Oct, red damselfly, Warburg (BBOWT) Vicky Hallam wrote, “We have had two of our apple trees putting out clusters of flowers about three weeks ago. One of the trees had fruited earlier, the other (a bramley) hadn’t though it was its second year planted. The Hebes have both flowered a second time and the wallflowers sown this year are in flower! The delphiniums are putting up new growth in spite of having flowered profusely and very tall TWICE already this year.”
“But we need to distinguish between plants which flower in response to temperature, those for which daylight length or increase/reduction in daylight hours is the trigger, and even those which depend on drought (winter conditions) or new rainfall (mistaken for spring?). A few anecdotal occurrences among plants are mostly not very significant in the long run. As we know the old saying about the Ash and the Oak, and which flowers first, it's obvious that people do actually know that plants differ in their flowering time.”
Kathy Chicken wrote, “On 27 Nov, I have small carnations (large pinks) and cornflowers in the garden. I have just pulled up my purple teepee beans; months later than they should have been.” Her carnations were doing even better in December.
Some November flowers seen: Welsh poppy, purple toadflax, violet, honeysuckle, grape hyacinth, primrose, passion flower, chicory, evening primrose, field scabious, common poppy, cornflowers. Some December flowers seen: Welsh poppy, honeysuckle, violet, grape hyacinth, scabious in gardens. Ox-eye daisies, chicory and even a hollyhock (in the central reservation) on the verges near the Oxford ring road. Most of the above examples are native. You can probably add many more. November was the second warmest November since records began in 1659 although sunshine was about average. It was also the lowest average November rainfall across England and Wales since 1956. Let us know what you see in January. What will happen to the Spring flowering? Please tell us of your observations.
Abundant fruits Now the leaves have fallen, the hedgerows are glowing red with hawthorn berries and trees everywhere are weighed down with fruit. Apples carpet the ground in many gardens. Pat Hartridge’s laden crab apple tree split in half under the weight of the exceptionally large crop of fruit. The crab is Malus Red Sentinel which holds its fruit through the winter and so reliably provides food for blackbirds and all the winter-visiting thrushes. So it is reduced rations this year! Periodically when sitting indoors we’ve been hearing a loud banging on the roof – an elephant in clogs? I sneak out trying to catch the culprit and as soon as I appear some large black birds take off, too fast to be identified. Anyway, today I caught them in the act. A large group of jackdaws were visiting the old oak tree opposite which too has a rich crop of acorns this year. Collecting an acorn each, they flew off and several of them landed on the metal discs on the top of the covers to the local house chimneys. Often in pairs they used the cowl as an anvil and were breaking open their acorn - the noise echoing down the chimney. They then returned to the oak for more. Janet Keene
5
6
Roll up for the Mys-tree Tour!
We're lucky in Oxford that many parts of town resemble garden suburbs. Try looking from an upstairs window and counting how many trees you can see. Naming them is more difficult, so a Tree Walk on Sunday 25th September with the New Marston Wildlife Group was a great idea. It was led by Dr Ian Gourlay, whose expert enthusiasm kept us on our toes for 3 hours and 24 species of tree, some native but many exotic. I've turned my notes into a map. All the places have public access, so you can have a look for yourself if you fancy your own Marstonian Mys-tree Tour. Finally, my neighbours from Singapore told me a few weeks ago, 'We've got a porcupine living under our house!' It turned out they'd seen a hedgehog, which scurried under the garden shed. Well, if you haven't seen a hedgehog before, porcupine is a good guess! John Gorrill
7
Warneford Meadow: Disposal by Department of Health Friends of Warneford Meadow recently heard from the Department of Health that they have decided to dispose of the Meadow and that advisers are now being appointed to assist in the sale process. Having regard to the Government’s proposals in the Localism Bill for Community Right to Buy, the Department have said that, initially, the City Council will have the opportunity to buy the site. If the Council decide against purchasing the Meadow, Friends of Warneford Meadow would be given the opportunity to confirm whether they would wish to make a bid. A bid to purchase the Meadow could be made by FoWM alone or in conjunction with other groups. FoWM now awaits further information once the terms of sale have been finalised. Friends of Warneford Meadow has welcomed the news, which shows that the Department recognise that there is no prospect of building on the Meadow now it is registered as a Town Green. FoWM is looking forward to working with the Department and their agents, with the City Council and with other bodies concerned to protect Oxford’s environment, to ensure that the Meadow is conserved and enhanced for future generations to enjoy. www.friendsofwarnefordmeadow.org.uk
St Mary & St John Churchyard (Cowley Rd / Magdalen Rd / Leopold St, East Oxford)
Wildlife Discovery Day and Launch of Interactive Guided Trails Saturday 31 March, 1.30-4.30pm An opportunity to discover more about wildlife and local history There will be a chance to try out four new interactive trails, either on a personal smartphone/iPhone or on mobile devices available on loan for the afternoon. Ivan and Jacqueline Wright (Shotover Wildlife) will give an introduction to surveying wildlife and be on hand to stimulate and discuss discoveries. Refreshments will be available to spur on the discoverers. Further details from Ruth Ashcroft: ruth-ashcroft@ntlworld.com, 01865 248344 or Ruth Conway: ruthconway@abelian.net, 01865 723085
An elegant visitor We greatly admire a beautiful heron when we see it on the Thames, but is it welcome in other places? Richard Vernon sent us this picture of a heron in his garden in Meadow Lane. He wrote, “The heron, on top of a 7 or 8 metre fir tree, was presumably eyeing our small pond but we had strung a net over it after much duck intrusion and we have not seen it again.” Certainly if you keep fish a heron is not a welcome visitor. For this reason we were donated the grass snake which featured on the cover of a previous newsletter as it was violently attacking the frogs in a small garden pond. Conversely we didn’t begrudge some frogs to the rare bittern when some time ago it visited Boundary Brook in the frog mating season. How rare does a predator have to be to be welcomed? On the other hand how unpopular does prey have to be? Would you object to a rat-eating predator? Spiders which eat flies are welcomed but arachnophobes would not agree. How would you feel about a viper in your garden? Is speciesism as bad a racism?
8
A new bee arrives in Oxfordshire In the warm days at the beginning of October this last year, did you stand and ponder the impressive variety of insects enjoying your flowering ivy: bees, wasps, hoverflies and more? If you did, it is very possible that you unknowingly saw a new arrival to Oxfordshire - the Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae). And just like the Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) which arrived in the County in 2008, the Ivy Bee may become a fairly common sight.
modest coastal colony in North Devon. Now it is spreading ‘up country’, and I am sure that the unusually warm spell in October has aided the midcounties ‘explosion’ in its distribution. Identification is reasonably easy, for although there are several similar bees (including other nearidentical Colletes species) there are few other bees on flowering ivy. It is only necessary to separate it from the ubiquitous honeybee, which is very similar in size. The first thing to catch the eye with Colletes is the 5-6 distinctive dense bands of pale hair on the abdomen. Then notice the legs. The back legs of the honey bee are conspicuously broad and plate-like to carry loads of pollen, whereas although the Ivy Bee carries its pollen in the same place, this lady’s legs are considerably more neat and shapely. The males are similar but much less numerous, noticeably smaller and with long thin antennae.
This ground nesting ‘solitary’ bee is rather unusual: it doesn’t emerge until late summer, it is very seldom seen on anything other than ivy flowers, and nests in huge colonies. Although not previously recorded in Oxfordshire, the first sighting in September of this year, was of thousands (literally) in the old quarries and pits around Tubney. A few days later it was on ivy flowers on Shotover and in my garden at Horspath. The close-packed nesting aggregations can be several metres across and turn the ground into a mini moonscape of little piles of soil.
Observations of the Ivy Bee next year would be much appreciated (send to me at irwright@shotoverwildlife.org.uk) for checking and forwarding to the record centre (TVERC). Sending a picture showing a bee with dense hair-bands on an ivy flower, together with a postcode or grid reference, is usually sufficient for this species.
The Ivy Bee was only recognised as a new species in 1991, and had been quietly enjoying life, albeit misidentified, in Southern France. It was first found in the UK a few years ago, and remained for some years as a
Ivan Wright (Shotover Wildlife) Photo by: N. Vereecken and the Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Note: Ivan is running a workshop on Solitary Bees on 22nd April
Winter tree identification Sunday 22 January 2012: 1-day identification workshop in Horspath Village Hall and Shotover. This 1-day workshop focuses specifically on the trees of Shotover and is suitable for complete beginners. An introduction to identifying trees without their leaves. Starting with an indoor session using a simple key to identify bud and twig samples and followed by outdoor identification on Shotover. 9.30am to about 3pm. Fee: £15. Tutor: Jacqueline Wright. Details and booking from Jacqueline 01865 874423 or email: jawright@shotover-wildlife.org.uk.
Lye Valley Judy Webb reports that their event, which we featured in our last newsletter went off well. After the extensive reed cutting, raking in the Lye Valley was needed. She said, “We had a very good turn-out overall and I think it all got raked!”
9
EVENTS FOR OTHER ORGANISATIONS (For contacts see next page unless otherwise listed) JANUARY Sunday 8: Nuffield, outdoor meeting. Details from Steve Alley Tel. 01608 659628. (OOS) Wednesday 11: The Birds of Ancient Egypt a talk by John Wyatt. Stratfield Brake Sports Ground 7.45pm. (OOS) Thursday 12: Birds of New Zealand an illustrated talk by Dr Graham Lenton about the beautiful islands of New Zealand and their natural wild-life sanctuaries such as the gannet colonies of Kidnappers Point on North Island, together with the Northern Royal albatross colony and Yellow-eyed penguin colony on the Otago Peninsula. Free to local group members. Visitors welcome, £3 on the door. Sandhills School, Terret Avenue, Oxford OX3 8FN. 7.45 pm. Contact 01491 612600, E-mail: wendypyrton@btinternet.com (RSPB) Saturday 21: Trap Grounds Town Green, north Oxford: constructing a bird hide, clearing brambles, etc. 10 am to 4 pm. Tools provided; please wear boots and thick gloves. www.trap-grounds.org.uk Sunday 22: Coach Trip to Slimbridge WWT. Coach leaves Headington Hill Hall (Brookes University) at 8.30am. Flocks of wild swans, geese and ducks will be present at this time of year including Bewick's swans and white-fronted geese. Large visitor centre with a restaurant and gift shop. An entry fee for non WWT members. Price: About £17 depending on numbers attending. Booking essential Tel: 01865 723868, E-mail: anne@anclark.force9.co.uk (RSPB) Saturday 28: Hedgelaying 10am-4.30pm Bampton, Oxon This practical training, led by local expert Rod D’Ayala will give you the basic skills to lay a hedge, through hands-on instruction using traditional tools. Equipment provided but bring your own hedgelaying tools if you have them. Packed lunch, waterproofs, sturdy footwear e.g work boots and warm clothing. Level of fitness required: Moderate (practical work involved). BOOKING ESSENTIAL. Admission: £30 (BBOWT volunteers free). No dogs please. Meet: Chimney Meadows Barn, OX18 2EH. Contact: Volunteering Office 01865 788309 volunteering@bbowt.org.uk (BBOWT)
FEBRUARY Thursday 2: The Magic of Morocco. John Wyatt will talk about the wealth of both migrant and resident birds in habitats which range from high mountain forests to the Atlantic coast with its wetlands and the stony areas of the Sahara. Free to local group members. Visitors welcome, £3 on the door. Sandhills School, Terret Avenue, Oxford OX3 8FN. 7.45 pm. Contact 01491 612600, E-mail: wendypyrton@btinternet.com (RSPB) Sunday 5: Pishill Oxon: Woods and Deer Park. Outdoor meeting. Details from Steve Alley Tel. 01608 659628. (OOS) Tuesday 7: Warburg Memorial Lecture: John Stevens Henslow and the origins of the modern theory of evolution, a talk by Professor John Parker. Henslow was probably the single most influential person on Charles Darwin, his studies and the development of 'On the Origin of Species'. As Professor of Botany and of Geology and founding director of the current Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Henslow encouraged Darwin in developing his theory of evolution by natural selection, and most notably Henslow nominated Darwin to be the naturalist on the voyage of HMS Beagle. 7.45-9.30pm. Admission: £2. Wheelchair access. Hearing induction loop available. Nissan Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College, 62 Woodstock Road OX2 6JF. Contact: Christopher Hoskin 01865 580327 publicity@anhso.org.uk (BBOWT) Wednesday 8: Wildlife Filming a talk by Manuel Hinge. Stratfield Brake Sports Ground 7.45pm. (OOS) Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15, Thursday 16: Woodland Wonder. Discover some of the amazing creatures that make their homes on our nature reserve. Follow trails and solve clues to learn about fascinating wildlife. Make bird feeders and create your own edible sugary woodland animal to take home too. Just drop in, no need to book. Admission: £3. Children welcome. Wheelchair access. No dogs please. Meet: Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre OX14 4TE. 10am4pm Contact: Katie Fenton 01235 862024; katiefenton@bbowt.org.uk (BBOWT) Saturday 18: Coach Trip to Old Hall Marshes RSPB Reserve, Essex. Extensive grazing marshes with brackish water fleets, reedbeds, saltmarsh and two off-shore islands. You should see brent geese, ruff, golden plover, wigeon, teal, shelduck and many more. Coach leaves Headington Hill Hall (Brookes University) at 7.30am. About £17 depending on numbers attending. Booking essential Tel: 01865 723868, E-mail: anne@anclark.force9.co.uk (RSPB)
MARCH Saturday 3: Trap Grounds Town Green, north Oxford: clearing rubbish, erecting bird boxes, etc. 10 am to 4 pm. Tools provided; please wear boots and thick gloves. www.trap-grounds.org.uk Sunday 4: Shennington & Alkerton, Oxon, Undulating farmland. Details from Steve Alley Tel. 01608 659628. (OOS) Wednesday 7: Two Islands a talk by Graham Lenton Stratfield Brake Sports Ground 7.45pm. (OOS) Saturday 10: Wildlife Photography. Workshop 1 of 2. 1.30-3.30 pm Wootton, Oxon. An outdoor visit to Lashford Lane Fen Reserve, and indoor meeting 4 weeks later on Saturday 7 April to discuss the photographs. People should come to both workshops. Led by well known photographer Chris Andrews. Lashford has no steep slopes; but can be wet, muddy,
10
slippery - suitable footwear essential. BOOKING ESSENTIAL. Admission: £8 for the 2 meetings.. Children 13yrs+ welcome. No dogs please. Meet: Lashford Lane Fen car park, Wootton near Abingdon OX13 6DY. Grid: SP 468 011. Contact: Peter Rawcliffe 01865 735288 peter.rawcliffe1@googlemail.com (BBOWT) Saturday 31: Wildlife Discovery Day and Launch of Interactive Guided Trails St Mary & St John Churchyard (Cowley Rd / Magdalen Rd / Leopold St, East Oxford) 1.30-4.30pm (see details on page 8). 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 February. 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 to help or to put you in touch with someone who can answer.
Website: www.ouwg.org.uk
Kathy Chicken: Boundary Brook Nature Park Information and Alan Hart: (Warden)
Oxford 770742 07979608013
Janet Keene:
Newsletter
Oxford 820522
Terry Wood:
Treasurer (Membership contact)
Oxford 769608
Delia Twamley: Planning
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 and Weekend Courses Sun, 18 Mar 2012. Oxford Biology Day. The day will consist of eight half hour lectures in the fields of zoology, plant sciences, neurosciences, anatomy and developmental biology, as well as a series of posters and displays. Rewley House. Fees from £55.00 Tue 17 Apr to Tue 26 Jun 2012. Applying Ecology: 10 weekly meetings 10.30am-12.30pm. Fees from £150 Includes: Introduction to ecology; communities and populations; Biodiversity & extinction in the UK; Stability, disturbance and succession; 4 field trips to range of habitats. Tue 17 Apr to Tue 26 Jun 2012. Birds Of Oxfordshire: 10 weekly meetings at Rewley House 7-9 pm fees from £150 includes developing the skills needed to identify and record the characteristic birds of Oxfordshire, understand their ecology and habitats, and explore current threats and solutions to their conservation. There are several flexible, part-time courses designed for busy professionals and delivered by experts often involving online participation. Subjects include: Climate change and climate change modelling. Ecological survey techniques. Environmental conservation. International wildlife conservation practice. Oxford Energy Futures Conference. Sustainable urban development There are many other online courses and Professional Development courses. 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.
11
OUWG EVENTS
www.ouwg.org.uk
JANUARY JANUARY WORK PARTIES Sunday 8, 15, 22, 29. Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party between 10am and 1pm. Refreshments provided. It is best to phone first - see bottom of page. Thursday 12: Farming and (not or) the environment, a talk by Mike Gooding (Managing Director of FAI Farms Ltd based at the University Farm at Wytham). He will explore how they approach the challenges of increasing food production by working with the natural environment, and how a true sustainable future that includes a flourishing natural environment can be achieved as we wean ourselves off those resources that have fed us post 1945. He will also look at wildlife populations and our responsibilities at the top of the food chain. He will try and illustrate all these challenges by looking at their farming practices at Wytham. 7.30pm at Science Oxford Live. Individuals £5, 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. FEBRUARY FEBRUARY WORK PARTIES Sunday 5, 12, 19, 26. Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party between 10am and 1pm. Refreshments provided. It is best to phone first - see bottom of page. Saturday 18: "The importance of trees in an urban environment" - a leisurely walk, led by Ian Gourlay to look at the trees in the area north of the city centre starting in St Giles and ending in the University Parks. Time about 1½ hours. Meet at the War Memorial at the top of St Giles in front of St Giles Church at 10.30 am. Thursday 23: Committee meeting at Donnington Community Centre, commencing 7pm. From Iffley Rd turn down Donnington Bridge Rd and turn left into Townsend Sq. Centre is off SW corner of Square. Free parking. MARCH MARCH WORK PARTIES Sunday 4, 11, 18. Boundary Brook Nature Park: work party between 10am and 1pm. Refreshments provided. It is best to phone first - see bottom of page. Saturday 3: Science in your World. We are having a stall as part of The Oxfordshire Science Festival in Bonn Square from 10am-4pm. Do visit us or come and help. Sunday 25: Spring Open Day 2-5pm. Come to see the spring flowers in all their glory, the active frogs and, if the weather is good, there may be early butterflies. There will be guided walks, and stalls with native wild plants, cottage garden plants and seeds, to attract wildlife to your garden this year, as well as booklets about wildlife for sale. Wheelchair access, admission free. Children under 14 to be accompanied by an adult. 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 or Kathy Chicken 01865 770742. 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 07979608013. We plan to have work parties every Sunday but check if doubtful weather before arrival. 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.
12