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INDOOR MEETING REPORTS
For Outdoor Meeting Reports click the above Link.
INDOOR MEETINGS 2012
19th March "On Wings to the Falklands" Speaker: Ms. Jean Summers.
The Falklands are a collection of over two hundred islands, on some of which there are still un-cleared minefields.About two thousand people live there, nearly half of them in Stanley.
Boats can be used between islands, but a plane is now used to ferry passengers, subject to very strict timetable and weight restrictions.On land, 4x4's have now largely replaced the pre-war horseback mode of transport. Food, other than lamb or beef, has to be shipped in, TESCO providing a scheduled service.
Communication has to be by radio - a daily 8am broadcast from Stanley gives general and personal information to which the islanders listen. Fuel oil for heating is available but residents can still dig a year's supply of peat if required, as in past times.
Regarding wild-life, penguins are fairly commonplace and a flock of King penguins is the most northerly in that hemisphere. Emperor, Rock hopper, Macaroni and Gentoo penguins are also there, usually (but not always) in separate colonies.Other sea-birds include rock cormorants, skuas, the blue/grey albatross and King Cormorants.
Sea lions and fur seals on the shores are seen as possible food by orcas, sometimes identified off-shore by their "sail" fins.
There are no predators on land where birds include wren, thrush and blackbird.Inland stretches of water encourage geese, ducks and sand piper.
The talk was illustrated throughout by a large number of pictures, some of high quality, others of general interest. A vote of thanks was given by Mr. Gareth Phillips, appropriately in view of his own experiences in that SW corner of the world. HLC
20 February, 2012. "From Coral to Charcoal" Speaker : Mr. Tim Coleshaw.
Mr. Coleshaw began by explaining that his talk could more properly be titled "A History and Natural History of Wenlock Edge". He is currently working for Natural England but previously was employed by the National Trust, taking care of Wenlock Edge. His talk fell into two sections, historic and current. Evolution of the geology and geography: Formation of the Edge started over 400 million years ago, when the globe was largely covered with shallow, clear, warm water containing early life forms (Trilobites are typical examples). As these died and remains accumulated on the sea bed, the formation of limestone began. Similarly, corals grew in abundance and also became aggregated into the layers of sea bed debris. From time to time too, there were also periods when material was washed off the land and formed a layer of "mud". This eventually became harder rock (sandstone) whilst the other layers became limestone. These layers were squeezed into "ripples" by earth contractions, sheared off at their tips by weathering and eventually left as exposed edges of the various layers. Wenlock Edge is one such example whilst its distant neighbour The Long Mynd might also be cited. The Edge today: There is a good deal of woodland still on the Edge despite quarrying (present and past) for the limestone in its make-up as well as clearance for agricultural purposes. The typical "colonizers" from the early beginnings were birch and hazel which, being usually rather late to show leaves, promote early growth and flowering by various ground floor plants. Wood sorrel, celandine, violets, primroses and later, wild garlic can all be found. The yellow "bird's nest" plant, Herb Paris and various orchids are also present. Cowslips may be seen in some areas, occasionally in the hybridized sterile form as the "oxlip". The woods and meadows of the Edge also provide for a wide variety of insects - moths and butterflies, for example. Some of these are rather rare (e.g. the comma) or with an interesting life-style (e.g. the orange-tip butterfly). The early woods were coppiced for agricultural use (wattle etc), but starting around 250 years ago, for industrial purposes (charcoal for lime-burning until coal supervened). Even the extraction of limestone has now largely died out so the National Trust is negotiating with the owners of the redundant quarries with a view to sympathetic development of the latter's potential. The audience was impressed with the quality, volume and variety of the slides presented by Mr. Coleshaw and the consequent vote of thanks was given by Ms. Margaret Harper. HLC
12th February "The wildlife of the Kruger National Park".
Speaker: Mr. John Langley, A.R.P.S.
This talk was entitles Ingonyame, Ingwe and Mapingpengs which means Lions, Leopards and Little ones.
Mr. Langley began by indicating the location of the Park as being in the North East of South Africa's boundary and situated close to Mozambique. Most of the pictures he presented had been taken on a two-week specialist tour for keen wildlife photographers.
The opening scenes were of impala, dealing with their behaviour normally and in the rutting season. On these occasions, the gatherings of deer are subject to close interest by prey species (lions, leopards, wild dogs and so on, finally including various vulture types). Deer species vary in size from the largest, kudu, down to quite small ones.
There are about six hundred kinds of bird within the Park and South Africa, again ranging in size from the ostrich to "humming bird" size. One which draws attention is the weaver bird which makes large, rather untidy nests in suitable trees - well
illustrated by Mr. Langley's photographs. Caribou storks can have striking colouring and can often be seen where there is water, but hoopoes are also noteworthy, whilst starlings affect a high sheen and thrushes may be seen with pink breasts.
Amongst the larger animals, elephants currently present a problem as their specialized woodland food areas are shrinking whilst the elephant population numbers are rising
due to, for example, countermeasures against poachers. Giraffes, however, graze on acacia bushes (despite the long thorns!) and their groups can vary un-accountably in size. They are usually placid, but disagreements are sorted by "necking" until one
gives way.
Lower down the size scale, baboons sometimes roam close (but are not encouraged as their canine teeth can be larger than those of leopards!).
Referring to predators, Mr. Langley explained that cheetahs were few in number within the Park as the countryside is unsuited to their hunting style which requires open land for fast pursuits.
The talk was illustrated throughout by a multitude of pictures (whose quality said much for Mr. Langley's A. R. P. S. membership) and it concluded with a short film show,
again illustrating points of interest. HLC
.23rd January, The flora of Birmingham and the Black Country : Professor Ian Trueman. Professor Trueman is a lecturer at Wolverhanpton University and a member of various local
naturalist related groups. He began by stating the aims of the surveys in which he was involved, under three headings:
To discover all the plant species spontaneously present in the conurbation under review.
To map the places of plant sightings.
To understand the ecology.
For these purposes, standard squares are examined and lists used to "tick off" species within them. These surveys are usually a group effort, often containing lecturers on the subject and
sometimes including our members (Anne Daly has taken part, for example).
The speaker next described the categories of landscape into which surveyed areas are categorized; these are:
Technological landscapes - old gasworks, railways etc.
"Gardenesque" landscapes - sometimes domestic, sometimes not, e.g. allotments.
Ecological landscapes - such as "blue brick" bridges and similar structures (water drains into
their crevices off the hard facing of the bricks).
"Trapped" countryside - areas surrounded by construction and cut off from the main area to which it is similar.
Un-official wild places - possibly an extra range of habitats not seen in other countryside (e.g. Sutton Park or, surprisingly, Northicote Farm)
The subject area of the talk covers two watersheds, running North to South on the East and West sides of the divide which is roughly central. It also has many roads and railways, giving
scope for much comparative work.
Throughout the lecture, there were screened graph plan items to illustrate various distributions,
ending with slides of various plants selected as showing interesting characteristics relevant to surveys carried out.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks from Mrs. Sheila Moore HLC
9th January. "Antarctic Adventure" Presenters: Andrew Milligan & Gareth Phillips.
The cruise was carried out by a small converted car ferry, strengthened to meet some of
the Antarctic sailing conditions.
Beginning with a passage through the Beagle Channel, the ship visited the Falkland
Islands, stopping first at the small West Point Island (one of the Falklands Group of
many such islands). Whilst ashore, the party had early opportunity to spot some of the
native birds, e.g. hawk, geese, Arctic terns, penguins (principally rock hoppers).
Bad weather prevented calling at one island, but an alternative had a variety of
penguins, also the Arctic Skua.
These island landings placed heavy emphasis on items forbidden by international
agreement in the Antarctic zone, not being taken ashore. Personal safety and security
measures were also deeply impressed on all passengers and rigorously carried out by the
crew.
Whilst calling at Port Stanley, the first albatross was seen. It is always an impressive
sight, with wingspan of up to 360mm and weight of 9kg. The ship then sailed on to
South Georgia which had the contrast of the S. Georgia teal - now reduced to about two
dozen pairs - and probably the largest gathering of King Penguins in the area. Triumph
Island revealed S. Georgia pipits and a number of nesting albatross.
Landing at Fortuna Bay gave sight of Lapland reindeer, a herd introduced by early
Norwegian whaling crews for a supply of red meat and sport. The next anchorage, in
St. Andrew's Bay, brought close-up views of the Macaroni penguins, probably unique
for laying two eggs but discarding the first one!
The final phase of the cruise involved calls at Elephant Island (after its seal population)
to see Chinstrap penguins, then Adele penguins before landing on the Arctic mainland
proper, viewing Leopard, Webbed and Crab-eating seals. The voyage back to the
disembarkation point included sailing into the huge circular caldera of the extinct
volcano of Deception Island. The seas again turned rough, with swells claimed to be 15
metres in height but the ship made port without any physical casualties . . . . .HLC .
INDOOR MEETINGS 2011
28th November AGM
After the business was concluded Louise Henly gave a short talk on glow worms that can be seen in this area at
Highgate common. It is only the females that glow and this attracts the males to mate. She also read a poem she
had written about the glow worms.
Andrew Milligan gave a talk about cats, from the cats he liked as a child to the big cats he recently saw on
safari in Africa.
14th November "Faces in the Mirror" Mike Leach.
From the outset, it was clear the speaker had a keen interest in and wide knowledge of
apes in particular and monkeys in general, following from his profession as wild-life
photographer over several decades. He simplified the distinction between the two types
with the statement that monkeys have tails, apes do not. Further, the latter all have
arms longer than their legs (not a feature of all monkeys) but no facial hair.
Interestingly, although all monkeys have tails, only those of the New World species are
prehensile. Apes are mostly terrestrial, monkeys are not.
Amongst the apes, Orangutans are probably one of the highest forms but their numbers
are being decimated through habitat destruction owing to precious metal mining.
Orangutans are not gregarious but use calls to establish their size, power and territory.
Although Orangutans share a high percentage of their DNA with humans, African
Bonobo apes are even nearer to the human species.
Bonobos are a medium-sized gregarious ape, believed to have some form of language.
They have a group culture which, coupled with sudden changes of temperament can
make them dangerous to humans. It was also pointed out that the chimpanzee species
of ape (often taken for pets) can also be very dangerous to humans, having very sharp
teeth (and sometimes a bad temper!).
The speaker has also studied two of the three species of gorilla, mountain and lowland.
They are truly "great" apes by their sheer size, but are normally family-oriented and
gentle. They are however being increasingly shot to provide "bush meat" for invading
miners and local natives.
Responding to questions, Mr. Leach agreed that the projecting ears of chimpanzees are a
part of their cooling mechanism; gorillas, on the other hand, live in cooler zones and
do not need this so have small ear flaps.
The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Anthony Cain. HLC
31st October. "Native Owls" Speaker: Mrs. Gillian Hales.
Mrs. Hales described the lifestyle and temperament of the owls seen in this country, some of which were not exactly "native" but "in-comers". The little owl, for example, came in from Italy in the late 19th century but is now established. Owls generally were said to be curious by nature, but one - the short-eared owl-was also noted for its bad
temper!
As regards lifestyle, owls have powerful talons used for hunting prey such as voles for food. They search using their fantastic hearing and eyesight in bad light conditions.
They cannot live on pure raw meat, needing the fur and bones of small mammals to assist re-gurgitation of pelleted waste. Bad weather, unfortunately, prevents them hunting (especially barn owls), although they are happy to splash and bathe in water "for health and hygene".
The females lay between one and five eggs at intervals to ensure a range of chick ages for "survival through variety of size". Holes in trees are still popular for nests. Owls do not survive long in the wild (three years is considered typical) but they can live as
long as twelve years in captivity.
To conclude, Mrs. Hales brought various live owls to the meeting - ttawny, one little owl, a white-faced and a scops owl. They were all specimens brought to her due to accident or injury or captive bred, and would have been unable to survive in the wild even after recovering their general health.
The Society members present were, of course, fascinated by this close-up display of "real wildlife"! HLC
17 October, Severn Valley Country Park. Speaker : Mr. Don Bannister.
The speaker opened with a brief history of the collieries of Arley and Highley, also mentioning the nearby quarry at Alveley. The site was abandoned by the NCB and work began in 1989 to return it to parkland. Drainage was planned to prevent accumulated water from washing slurry down the hillside into the river.
All the debris from the old site was buried rather than transported away. Grass began to take over; trees were planted including fifty oaks for the Queen's Jubilee. About two years after work started, paths were laid to permit access for all.
Eventually, two fields were acquired and this enabled the development of pools and wetland. These encouraged wildlife such as reed bunting, herons and, on at least one occasion, a bittern; grass snakes, frogs and dragonflies also appeared. Dog daisies and red campion have also been spotted. Bee hives were installed to help that troubled population.
Boxes have been put in trees for bats, sometimes to be used by other wildlife such as red "mason" bees. Down by the river, elders are stabilizing the banks, whilst it is hoped that visiting otters will discourage mink. On the ground elsewhere, various forms of fungi have appeared, having arrived by natural means like most of the other wide variety of plant life.
For human visitors, there is now a proper Visiter Centre with various facilities including a rural arts college. The park, totalling about 160 acres, is cared for currently by only one Ranger, with ten or so volunteers.
The vote of thanks to Mr. Bannister - himself a volunteer - was given by Dr. Paul Newton
3rd October, Highgate Common SSSI (Insects). Jeff Sim.
As the speaker is Warden for the Common and employed by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, he began by describing the aims of the Trust. They are :
Protection of wildlife places.
Protection of threatened creatures.
Education - especially children's groups.
Mr. Sim then described how his job as Warden related to those aims and why Highgate Common is considered "special". Although it is mostly common land, it has no remaining Commoners and their rights are now extinct. Also, it is mostly lowland heath
(internationally scarce) and has about five thousand species of creeping things, including some extra special bees, wasps and butterflies. Additionally, it caters for some endangered birds, for example stonechats and yellow hammers
The Common is, however, under constant threat from advancing bracken and, ultimately, trees which would take over the space. Steps are being taken to safeguard its future by measures such as bracken clearing, the re-introduction of bees, and establishing clear car parks.
The talk concluded with an appeal for volunteer support workers and the vote of thanks was given by Mrs. Enid Lavender.
19th September .Tanzanian Spectacular. Speaker - Mr. Mike Wilkes.
It was soon clear from Mr. Wilkes' lecture that he had spent a great deal of time in Tanzania and that he could justify his position in the Royal Photographic Society. The pictures he showed were of the highest quality and accompanied by knowledgeable commentary on each subject. His shots of wildlife ranged from insects to elephants
and were interspersed with some illustrating the nature of life in Tanzania coupled with perspectives of the landscape.
None of the success came without cost, however, and it was pointed out that whilst a tele-photo lens of about 500X might cost, say, £500, nowadays a super-lens of 2000X could cost as much as £11 000. Mr. Wilkes produced some photographs of wild animals it would have been impossible to approach without use of such magnifications
- for example, a leopard resting in a tree so far away as to be almost a dot in the distance.
In the course of his talk, the speaker claimed to have been to the subject country and its wildlife park so often that he knew every road, track and path in it. He had, for example, watched the building of one new major highway by Japanese contractors over
a period of five years and produced a picture of it - without a vehicle in sight!
The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Gareth Phillips who has also "done a little travelling in various wildlife areas of the world"
21st March Images of Nature. Peter Preece
The speaker has spent about 40 years photographing wildlife and now enjoys the facility which digital camers have brought – especially when aiming to produce an artistic picture. For some of his work he has a selection of small mobile hides, some with sewn-in groundsheets as protection from aggressive intruders [insects and snakes especially]. Rapid reactions are essential as birds in particular often move quickly and jerkily. Robins make good subjects as they readily adapt to human presence. Other birds however, can only be approached or photographed under licence, a restriction not applied abroad eg. France. Setting the scene to attract birds and enhance the picture is another aspect which interests photographers – food to attract and extra perching or decoration are common. With waterfowl, it improves the effect if the water conditions -wavelets, reflections etc. –are right for the subject. Taking pictures from a car window is sometimes an easy way of getting close to nervous birds. Mr Preece observed that there seemed to be an increasing presence of “ European birds” in parts of the UK which might be a reflection of global warming on the climate here. Mr Gareth Philips gave the Society’s vote of thanks fo an excellent well-illustrated talk. HLC
7th March. Survival techniques of caterpillars. Mr. David
Brown. As a lecturer on lepidoptery, the speaker has previously
addressed the Society about butterflies and his welcome
return dealt with their early state, the caterpillar.
On this occasion, he catalogued – with excellent slides –
both caterpillars and their developed stage. Before
turning into a chrysalis, caterpillars appear to resort
to three classes of security – camouflage, concealment or
counter measures.
The latter is typified by the Pale Blue Fritilliary which
has a “spiky” body to make it difficult and uncomfortable
to eat. Similarly, the Heath Fritilliary also has a
“spiky” caterpillar form, found largely in SE Englandand
dependent on coppicing for its food supply. The Gypsy
Moth’s caterpillars are covered with very long hairs,
accompanied by bright colours to warn off predators.
As regards camouflage, the Silver Studded Blues have
green caterpillars with a dorsal black line to “break up”
the shape. The Portland Moth is a sand dune species,
its caterpillar stage consequently is coloured to match
varied sand habitats. As it hides under slate
surroundings in daytime, the Ashworth Rustic Moth
caterpillar is slate grey to match its surroundings.
Concealment might be typified by the Silver Studded Blue
caterpillar, which not only has daytime camouflage but at night allows itself to be carried inside ants’ nests
for the sugary liquid exuded from its skin to be taken by
the ants. That same liquid also occurs on the butterfly
emerging from the chrysalis which has also been formed
inside the ant nest. The Goat Moth might resemble tree
bark but its caterpillar’s main defence is burrowing into
trees such as elm, birch which are its food. This
latter facility also develops their formidable bite!
Altogether, Mr. Brown illustrated his talk by reference
to around thirty species of butterflies or moths.
The vote of thanks was given by Ms. Margaret Harper.
HLC
21st February. Aristocrats of the Sky. Keith Offord
Keith Offord is a professional naturalist, photographer, writer and tour organiser as well as being a part-time lecturer. He explained how birds had evolved from lizards and showed us pictures of a fossil Archaeopteryx from 150 million years ago which had a lizard type head but also feathers. Birds have spread into many different habitats around the world as they are warmblooded, so don’t need the sun to warm them as reptiles do. They have also developed hollow bones which are light and strong and enables flight sometimes for long distances. The Arctic tern flies from Arctic to Antarctic each year and recently a ringed one was caught in the Farne Isles and it was 30 years old and had flown about 1 million miles in its life.
Keith told us about different types of feathers and how they were arranged and how the tail acts as a rudder.
Birds have developed different ways of hunting food. Some use thermals to glide along and they have wide wings. Black guillemots dive and swim underwater for fish and penguins’ wings have become like flippers and they cannot fly. Also ostriches have given up flying as they are fleet of foot and too heavy. Other strategies used include hovering by Kestrels, and skimming along the water by Skimmers. All these birds were illustrated by excellent photographs and the last bird seen was a male hoopoe lark which does an amazing flight singing at the same time. Terry Taylor gave the vote of thanks. SRM
14th February. “Dragons in Indonesia” - Mr. John Tucker.
Although commonly referred to as the “Komodo Dragon”, this true lizard is actually called an “Ora” in its native land. The species was only discovered by Westerners in 1911. Their main habitat, Komodo island, is about the size of Shropshire and is one of the string of islands in the Indonesia chain. Like other reptiles such as snakes, the Ora has a forked tongue for tasting scents and their direction. Their bodies and tails thicken with age which can reach up to 30 or 40 years, if they survive the early risks of being eaten by larger contemporaries. Climbing trees is probably the main strategy of the young for security, especially at night. After sunset, the larger ones tend to “hole up” in caves to conserve body heat.
Scientists have used radio transmitters fixed on the Oras to trace movements. Also they have taken DNA tests to determine relationship to similar specimens on nearby islands. They cannot swim so must have spread during the Ice Age when sea levels were extremely low making land bridges between some (but not all) islands.
Oras mostly eat hogs, also deer (both introduced species) which they usually catch by ambush hunting. A large, full grown Ora of around three metres length can take down a buffalo! Their teeth and mouths have bacterial poisons which are transmitted by the bite, usually with septic and fatal consequences.
For breeding, these reptiles rely on incubating their eggs in mounds of leaves etc, constructed by other species such as jungle fowl for the same purpose
The vote of thanks was given by Ms. Brenda Jones. HLC
31st January. Shropshire’s Magnificent Peregrines. Mr. Jim Almond
The speaker explained his talk would cover various aspects of the life of peregrines but began by stressing their legal position. As a protected species, attempts to interfere with, approach, or even photograph them can be deemed an offence. This emphasises that peregrines are still at a “fragile stage” in their recovery from near extinction in the UK.
The population decline was hastened by security needs during two world wars. Egg collectors were also very active, but a major insidious effect was the absorption of insecticides (principally DDT) through the food chain. Gamekeepers and “bird traders” also contributed.
Mr. Almond then reviewed the birds’ lifestyle. Although the females are called “peregrines” and are larger than the males, the latter are actually defined as “tiercels”. They usually mate for life which can be as much as ten or, rarely, twenty years. Eggs are laid about April at sites on coastal cliffs, mountains, quarries and hillside rock outcrops. Buildings and bridges are now also in favour due to “population spread” pressures amongst the species, but tree nests are very rare.
Chicks hatch in about a month and after five or six weeks (say, early June) are fledged and preparing for flight, usually around mid-June. They are normally well cared for by the parent birds until able to hunt for themselves. Professional ringing may be done at an early stage in their growth.
Finally, Mr. Almond carried out a picture/descriptive review of similar UK raptor species, pointing out distinguishing differences.
The vote of thanks for a well-illustrated talk was given by Mr. Ken Horton. HLC
10th January. Creatures of the Night - Paul Wilkinson.
As well as being an ecologist with British Waterways, Mr. Wilkinson also has interests in some local naturalists groups and specifically, various “bat groups” in the Midland area.
His talk began by setting the scene that not all living creatures need light – those in the oceans’ deepest places are good examples. However, those that live in low light conditions cover a broad spectrum. Moths are widespread – about 2500 varieties – compared to 60 for daylight-loving butterflies in the UK. Glow-worms actually use low light for mating purposes whilst other creatures use the darkness for security. Some, such as newts, due to their eye construction, have to avoid strong light.
Amongst larger mammals, badgers and otters enjoy low light conditions, whilst land-based reptiles such as grass and smooth snakes are nocturnal. Adders, however, are actually diurnal.
The speaker also dwelt on the subject of bats, which, along with most owls seeking larger prey, do their hunting for moths and mosquitoes in the failing light of evening. As the mosquitoes in particular tend to favour areas near to water, bats are often found associated with canals, e.g. sleeping in canal tunnel roofs. They are, however, under pressure from human world developments, light pollution being one aspect known to affect their UK distribution.
The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Brian Jones. HLC
INDOOR MEETINGS 2010
8th November, Time to Fly : Migration Mr. Graham Appleton.
Mr. Appleton is Director of Communications for the British Trust for Ornithology (B T O).
This organization has 30 000 members as well as connecting generally through representatives and partnerships. He began by drawing attention to the B T O concern about declining bird population, especially woodland birds.
The talk dealt with the results from observed migration patterns, both seemingly unchanged and those showing change from various causes. The latter can include such things as loss of natural cover for their prey e.g. Barn Owls need ground cover suitable for voles and similar small animals, leading to short migration movements.
Migration patterns over longer distances are much influenced by climate and climate change. It seems established that birds tend to learn their particular migration route in their first year of doing it. The actual survival rates on migration to particular areas can also “breed out” certain undesirable destinations.
The UK has fine resources for many migrating birds and can figure in various patterns e.g. the Chiffchaff, small, with short wingspan , tends to enter the UK in the SE, near to the Continent. Willow warblers, on the other hand are larger, have longer wings and are found to fly the greater distances to the SW of England.
The longest distances actually travelled seem to be by Wheatears which, although only about the size of robins travel from Africa via the UK, Iceland and Greenland to Eastern Canada, whilst others cover the whole of Asia to arrive in western Canada!
The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Ken Horton. HLC
25 October, 2010. Tim Coleshaw, Project Manager, Natural England. “The Duke, the Admiral and the Emperor – Britain’s Amazing Butterflies”
The talk opened with a general description of butterfly structure and their life cycle. The laying of several hundred eggs is a simple survival factor at its start. However, loss of habitat has considerably depleted the numbers of some species, although the Large Blue has been successfully re-introduced from Scandinavia.
Of the estimated 160,000 (sic) species of butterfly worldwide, as few as 58 are recognized in the UK. Concern exists in some quarters that climate change is having an accelerating effect on the loss on some species. The butterfly numbers in Britain are observed and recorded comparatively using a system of “walks” to note any changes.
The lecture was illustrated throughout by photographs of various butterflies, categorized under five broad headings :
Skippers – e.g. Grizzled Skipper (found in the Wyre Forest) and Spotted Skipper
White – the Green Skipper (barely green) is counted amongst this recognizable set.
Blues – including Coppers and Hairstreaks, e.g. Holly Blue, Common Blue (female is brown on upper wing surfaces).
Nymphadeae – accounting for commonly recognized species such as Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Painted Lady and Red Admiral.
Swallowtail – recognizable by the characteristic wing shape
In answers to questions, Mr. Coleshaw dealt with butterflies’ life cycles, eye construction and the timing of egg laying. HLC
11th October.North of the Border – Mr. David T. Webb.
The speaker explained that much of his photography was based on time spent in Sutherland, usually based at a holiday cottage in Aird. To obtain pictures of bird, animals and plants which exist on higher ground, it had been necessary to ascend sometimes as much as 2500 to 3000 feet. These efforts had succeeded, however, resulting in pictures of creatures from ravens to red deer. Also illustrated at these higher levels were hen harriers, golden plover and curlew.
Heather covered areas yielded views of a merlin’s nest and a ‘short-eared’ owl, whilst “scrub beech” was a haunt for woodpeckers, sparrow hawks, redstarts, spotted flycatchers and gold crest. Pictures of the usual sea birds punctuated the coastal scenes shown.
It was perhaps the latter aspect, showing habitat settings, which made the talk interesting and warmly welcomed by the audience. HLC
27th September . Mammals. Derek Crawley
Derek Crawley is a lecturer at Rodbaston College but is also the Staffordshire County recorder of Mammals. He told us of his work and of about deer on Cannock chase and how muntjac deer have spread through England after escaping from parks. He trains other volunteers to trap small mammals in traps and examine and identify them to establish the range of distribution to help with conservation. He confirmed that pine martens had spread in England but he hadn’t seen one near here. We were very interested to hear about his work
13th September, 2010. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Highgate Common. Mr. Philip Knight.
Mr. Knight introduced himself as a Trustee for the organization which claims 16,500 members with headquarters at Wolseley Bridge. Admission to this site is free, visitors being welcome. The Trust is currently pursuing a “Living Landscape Project” with the aim of persuading landowners to follow good practice for all wildlife. Certain lands have been donated to the Trust by the Coal Board, Severn Trent and Wedgewood. Again, visitors are welcome and refreshments are available at some places.
Turning to Highgate Common, Mr. Knight explained that it was given to the Trust by Staffs. C.C., together with an endowment to assist with running costs. An un-named couple had also helped through a legacy. As yet there is no formal “management plan”, but the aims would be to cover two areas – conservation and social. The former is typified by the need to tackle masses of Himalayan Balsam and the constant slow “reversion to nature” of any un-tended territory, overwhelming intended heath land in the process.
Regarding the actual plantations of conifers on parts of Highgate Common, it was explained that they were developed by the Forestry Commission, following signed agreement with Staffs, C.C., to be used as “nurseries” for growing young trees so would be likely to remain.
The vote of thanks was extended by Ms. Olwen Cadman, who was particularly appreciated knowing the reason for the conifer plantations.
HLC
15th March Geysers and Gyrs. Keith Offord
Keith Offord is a professional naturalist, photographer, writer and tour organiser as well as being a part-time lecturer. He began by describing Iceland as an island the size of Scotland, but with a population of only about 300,000. Despite being largely covered by very scenic mountains, glaciers and lava fields, it prospers from two resources – fish and geo-thermal energy [e.g. hot springs].
In fair weather with no eruptions, the air is superbly clear for photography.No trees can grow on the island but grey-green moss is ever-present. Some plants can actually grow on the lava fields but introduced lupins were not welcomed by the Islanders.
There are two main predatory animals Arctic foxes and introduced Mink. Polar bear visits are rare.
There are also raptors and other birds dangerous to smaller species of birds and their eggs.
Many of the usual sea bird species are seen around the indented shoreline, but inland the ptarmigan is one of the few land birds, as opposed to duck varieties, to be found. The Gyr falcons [of the title] are very hard to locate but can be identified by their large wingspan and solid –looking bodies. The female is larger than the male and can take duck, ptarmigan etc. in a low level swoop. They go through various phases which seem similar to those of peregrines.
The vote of thanks was given by Dr Robin Stuttard , based on similar experiences. HLC
1st March, “Life Histories of Butterflies and Moths” Mr. David Brown.
Mr. Brown has had a lifelong interest in his subject and is a freelance lecturer in Lepidoptery, running residential courses on it. He began by pointing out that the life cycle of these insects is an almost unique metamorphosis – egg, caterpillar, pupae, butterfly or moth. Throughout this cycle, the highest aim is “Escape!” The talk went on to illustrate by slides and explanation where and how various butterflies and moths live by this motto. For example, the Mountain Ringlet is mainly found at the height of about 2000 feet or more, for example on the higher slopes of Ben Lawes sometimes living as caterpillars below the snowfall crust! On the other hand, the Peacock needs heat from the sun to help its caterpillars feed, also to speed growth and the change to the butterfly phase.Moths follow a similar cycle although some of their caterpillars are visually more startling. For example, the Hawk Moth family all have a “horn” on their rear areas as well as bright colours.Mr. Brown pointed out that all the strategies and tactics of the butterfly and moth species are aimed simply at survival. Unfortunately, they can do nothing if their habitat is destroyed, for example by discontinuation of coppice cutting around the Midland region. Mechanical hedge cutting and crop spraying are also responsible for butterfly extermination, but on a slightly more optimistic note, the Pine Hawk moth has been found to have expanded into the Midland area. HLC
INDOOR MEETINGS 2009
23rd NOVEMBER 2009 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OUR MEMBERS' ENTERTAIN US
Louise Henley gave an extremely interesting talk on the
honeybee explaining how important it is in pollinating our
crops. The invasion of mites has caused many colonies to
collapse, being more prevalent in the countryside rather
than in towns, in both this country and America. America
has had to import bees from Australia and we have imported
the short-haired bumble bee from New Zealand.
Researchers have developed a method of training the common
honeybee to sniff out explosives using the bee's
exceptional olfactory sense. This will help in the fight
against the use of explosive devices. The bees stick out
their proboscis when they feel explosives - in anything
from cars, roadside bombs and belts used by suicide
bombers - a behaviour displayed by these insects when they
find nectar. The bees were taught to associate the smell
of explosives with a sugared water reward. Scientists
have long marvelled at the honeybee's phenomenal sense of
smell, which rivals that of dogs.
Louise finished her talk with a poem she had written
twenty years ago, called Serendipity - Chelsea Flower Show
Around the embankment one Sunday in May,
A honeybee searched in a desultory way
For boxes and patio tubs newly planted
To furnish the pollen and nectar she wanted.
Approaching the vast Royal Hospital grounds
She detected strange perfumes and colours and sounds,
As all that a gardener's dream could devise
Was perceived by her large, multifaceted eyes.
She flew past the side of a massive marquee
And alighted to watch from a stationary tree,
As huge rock slabs and rivulets, fountains and mosses,
Pink lilies and lilacs, azaleas and roses,
Patios and pergolas, ivies and vines
Were neatly assembled in clever designs.
Then from flower after flower, in a manner unorthodox,
She collected from peonies, pansies and purple phlox,
Heavy with pollen she buzzed her way home
And unpacked her baskets in front of the comb.
Her industrious siblings stopped work and just gaped
At the colourful grains so exotically shaped.
(Their gleanings from groundsel, all dusty and sooty,
Could hardly compare with this fantastic booty).
They watched as she proudly began to gyrate
And carefully noted each figure of eight,
Then away they all flew in the Chelsea direction
To start on the nectar and pollen collection.
All through the week until dusk they kept going
And soon their hexagonal cells were o'erflowing.
Their larvae all flourished, lots more eggs were laid,
By Friday the whole swarm was weary and frayed.
"Daughters, well done!" said the Queen of the Hive,
"Today have a rest, you may knock off at five."
They cheered and drank toasts of a seed head infusion
Not knowing the flower show had reached its conclusion.
So not one of them witnessed the plants levitate,
As delphiniums and fuchsias dispersed through each gate.
The pavements a progress of ambulant flowers,
Devastation prevailed in a couple of hours.
Returning next morning the bees were quite vexed
And flew round in circles, morose and perplexed.
Their magical gardens had gone without trace,
Just litter and lorries and peat in their place.
So consider next time you encounter a honeybee,
For you it was Chelsea, for her Serendipity.
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