|
|
|
Book Now for the 2007 Cheshire Biodiversity Conference - 'Countdown - a decade on' ! More details here! The biggest and most informative Barn Owl website was launched at the end of October. Even if you've seen it, the chances are you've only just scratched the surface, it takes two whole days to read all the pages and watch all the slideshows - it's immense! Virtually every topic related to Barn Owls and their conservation is covered in depth. There's over 80 web pages to read and a thousand images.
There are over seventy slideshows showing all manner of things including BTO ringing, old barns, new barns, barn conversions with owl provision incorporated, small mammals, pellet analysis, nests with eggs, nests with young, owlet development, fledglings, signs of Barn Owls, casualties & rehabilitation, signs of small mammals, good habitat, poor habitat, and numerous shows depicting the vast range of other wildlife that have benefited from the creation of rough grassland for Barn Owls.
Educational slideshows include the building of various type of Barn Owl nestbox - featuring the Barn Owl Trusts special 'deep' boxes designed to reduce nesting mortality and maximise nesting success. You can see numerous pictures of nestboxes in buildings and watch two different types of nestbox being erected in trees with footnotes giving useful tips to would-be nestbox enthusiasts. There are 17 slideshows depicting the Trusts 'Lennon Legacy Project - the creation of Barn Owl heaven'.
For those who prefer information on paper there are 28 different PDF leaflets to download and print off, covering all the main Barn Owl subject areas.
To make full use of the site you do need to have Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Reader enabled on your computer but these can be easily downloaded when you're on the site and it's well worth the wait. All in all it's a huge resource for Barn Owl Conservation.
Vale Royal Borough Council has teamed up with Cheshire Wildlife Trust, The Mersey Forest, Cheshire County Council and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers to make sure that the white-letter hairstreak butterfly flourishes in Vale Royal. The project was officially launched with the first elm planting event at Leftwich Meadows on Saturday 25 November. To read more click here.
The rECOrd website currently holds a database of in excess of 1 million species records for the Cheshire region. This dataset can be searched by species or by general site and can be limited by year bands. A list of the selected species records can be shown and the data can be mapped online. To use the online Mapping system you will need to be logged into the rECOrd website (see the green log-in panel on the left-hand side of the pages). This does NOT cost - it is free !! All they use the information you provide for is to enable them to see the demographics of use and to allow them to email 'Users' when they have specific things to say (e.g. the system being unavailable due to maintenance or uploading of new data). Why not try it and see what lives in your home area ? Feedback is always welcome. Positive is great BUT negative feedback allows them to enhance the system to more closely match your requirements.
A couple of years ago the Recorders' Forum was formed along with a committee to allow the recorders in the county a means of communicating more closely with rECOrd and to have a means of influencing management and developmental decisions. The Committee has been working closely with rECOrd staff to help improve procedures for data validation and recently have been very closely involved with the generation of a brand new Newsletter for all Biological Recorders within the Cheshire region (Cheshire, Halton, Warrington, Wirral, and the vice-county boundary areas through Trafford, Tameside, Stockport and Manchester). The very first issue of the new Newsletter (The Sentinel) is now available for InterNet download from the rECOrd website at:
Bids for the small grant scheme in 2006/07 were received from the Barn Owl Groups and the Water Vole Group. Therefore the money will be offered to each. It is hoped that further money can be raised soon to allow a second round of applications.
For more information about the work of the Cheshire Mammal group or to get involved please contact Tony Parker at National Museums Liverpool on 0151 478 4363.
The Cheshire Ploughing and Hedgecutting Society has kindly offered to run hedge-laying courses for Cheshire Landcsape Trust during January and February 2007. The day long courses are open to all (dates and location tbc). Anyone who is interested in attending, please contact Cheshire Landscape Trust with your name and contact details on 01244 376333 or email the CLT office.
Cheshire Landscape Trust and Erddig Hall are running workshops to help you learn all about orchards. The workshops will take place at the National Trust's Erddig Hall, Wrexham on Sunday 21st January 2007, Sunday 4th February 2007 and Sunday 18th February 2007 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Topics covered will include the history of fruit growing, rootstocks and their influence on tree size, tree forms, fruit tree planting, watering, pest and disease control, harvesting and storing fruit and pruning. The day will consist of a classroom session followed by a practical session on pruning in the Erddig Hall gardens and will be led by the Head Gardener at Erddig, Glyn Smith. Places cost £20 and are available on a first-come-first-served basis. To book a place on one of the workshops contact Cheshire Landscape Trust on 01244 376333.
Just a reminder that the Cheshire Landscape Trust and TLG Orchards are running their popular pruing workshops on 3rd and 17th December, from 10am to 4pm, at Norton Priory Walled Garden. The day will consist of a classroom session detailing the theory behind pruning followed by a practical session in the Walled Garden orchard with the opportunity to have a go at pruning. Places cost £20 and are available on a first-come-first-served basis. To book a place on one of the workshops contact Cheshire Landscape Trust on 01244 376333.
The Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT) is running a web-based survey of adder status in Britain called "Add an Adder" (www.adder.org.uk ). Whilst it was initially aimed at gathering adder data from the public, they are now focusing on an important aim of trying to identify patterns of population loss. The website has a simple data entry form to record details of adder locations (click on "Enter Records" or go to www.adder.org.uk/newform2.php), and one of the key things it asks the recorder is for an opinion on whether the adder population is still extant or extinct. They have about 750 records so far, but are attempting to get to 1000 records before they perform analysis. They would therefore welcome any additional records out there, particularly of populations lost. Please go to www.adder.org.uk and click on "Results so far", to see a map of them, with the populations thought to be lost marked as red dots. For further details contact Dr Chris Gleed-Owen, Research & Monitoring Officer at The Herpetological Conservation Trust, 655A Christchurch Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 4AP. tel: 01202 391319 fax: 01202 392785.
The next Wirral Biodiversity Forum is Saturday 4th November, from 11am to 1pm. The speaker is Mathew Frith of The Peabody Trust. He is a lively and entertaining speaker with a wealth of experience in urban wildlife. His illustrated talk will focus on the challenges of incorporating and developing high quality natural environments into urban regeneration projects illustrated by good practice examples from at home and abroad.
With nearly 150 years' experience of providing homes and delivering a broad remit of tackling poverty in London, and with a portfolio including nearly 6,000 Victorian homes and many estates in central London, the Peabody Trust is in a unique position within the social housing sector. They have long experience of providing affordable homes to some of London’s most deprived areas. Sustainability - environmental and social - is fundamental to their vision to fight poverty in the capital.
The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is the UK’s largest carbon-neutral eco-community - the first of its kind in this country. BedZED was developed by the Peabody Trust in partnership with Bill Dunster Architects and BioRegional Development Group, environmental consultants. This is a rare opportunity to hear their perspective on the challenges of securing a high quality and sustainable environment.
The talk will be followed by a sandwich lunch and an informal tour of the park restoration. This event is free but places are limited and by invitation only. Please contact Christine Smyth on 0151 666 4730 to book your place.
The national Grey Partridge count coordinated by the Game Conservancy Trust (GCT) has just released results of its spring 2006 survey. The Partridge Count Scheme is a free and voluntary scheme run by the GCT since 1933 to collect information on the annual abundance and breeding success of grey partridges. Counting monitors the effect of management techniques where successful measures will be reflected in subsequent counts, further encouraging landowners and managers to strengthen their efforts. To find out more about the scheme visit www.gct.org.uk/partridge where you will find details of past surveys plus a grey partridge identification guide, conservation factsheets and details of habitat management techniques for landowners.
The Grant Scheme
Grants up to £1000 are available for biodiversity projects in the Cheshire region. To qualify for the grant, your project should aim to contribute to:
Delivery of objectives and targets for any of the species or habitats included in the Cheshire region Biodiversity Action Plan
And/or
Delivery of objectives or targets for any of the species or habitats included in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
Notes For Applicants
We hope to renew and widen this funding for 2007/08 but for this, as the first round, projects must be within new Cheshire i.e. within the local authority areas of Cheshire County Council, Vale Royal, Macclesfield, Congleton, Crewe & Nantwich, Chester City, Ellesmere Port and Neston.
The grant can pay for costs of the project such as materials, research and surveys, habitat management, technical advice, on-site interpretation and training. It should not pay for core funding for a group and there will be restrictions on income earning projects. The deadline for the first round of applications is 16th October 2006 but further deadlines will be released after this date.
For more information and to apply please download this form or contact Charlotte Harris, the Countdown Coordinator, on 01270 610180.
Applicants within the Vale Royal area are encouraged to apply for a Vale Royal Nature Conservation grant from Vale Royal Borough Council as match funding. Application forms can be obtained either from Elaine Weller, Nature Conservation Officer, Vale Royal Borough Council (Tel: 01606 867748) or by downloading the form. The deadline for applications is 15th Septembe2006 and then 12th May 2007.
There is plenty of seed at Barrowmore for sowing this autumn but more seed will be welcome.
Surveys during Spring 2006
Rose Brown carried out 4 detailed surveys and 5 site visits during the Spring, mainly in the Macclesfield / Congleton area. The survey’s continued in the same vein as previous years, and includes distinguishing between English, Spanish and hybrid bluebells.
Bluebell work in Halton, 2006/2007
Halton has quite a strong programme of bluebell planting for the next 12 months, aiming to have 5 new bluebell areas on Local Nature Reserves, along with some desktop work. To achieve this, they are working in partnership with RECORD and The Mersey Forest.
rECOrd, the biodiversity information system for the Cheshire area, are undertaking biological recording work in Halton, as part of Halton Borough Council’s program of Biodiversity Action Plans. Specifically, redshank (Tringa totanus), skylark (Alauda arvensis), song thrush (Turdus philomelos), reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) and salt marsh habitat. Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, the work will consist of some in-house recording as well as collecting data from other sources around the area, such as local nature enthusiasts. To help gain a better understanding of Biodiversity in Halton they require any records of species together with the number of individuals spotted, location and spatial grid-references and a date when the record was taken. Any records you could provide will be gratefully received, and if you think you can help please contact Tom Hunt on [email protected] or rECOrd, Oakfield House, Chester Zoological Gardens, Upton, Chester, CH2 1LH. Visit www.record-lrc.co.uk for more info.
As part of this initiative, there was a Saltmarsh beetle identification day on Saturday 5th August 2006 at the Widnes Warth nature reserve with tutor Don Stenhouse. The 1 day course looked at the fascinating range of beetles and other invertebrates found on the saltmarsh of the Upper Mersey Estuary.
Visit our new search page where you can simply type in the name of the species you are interested in and the rECOrd database will tell you about the sightings in the Cheshire region. Happy searching!
We are pleased to report that the Cheshire region Biodiversity Project is now a partner in the Nantwich Riverside Project. The project really started to get going following the appontment of a project officer in Spring 2006. Volunteer events have been held and more are being planned. If you would like to know more, click here.
Andy Harmer and five collagues searched in River Dee in May 2006 for signs of the Club-tailed Dragonfly. A half kilometre stretch immediately south of Farndon (SJ412533) was covered on the west bank and an incredible 97 exuvia were collected, and around thirty five adults were seen, all teneral or in the process of emergence.
PTES ran their stag beetle hunt in spring and summer 2006. If you see a stag beetle in the Cheshire region please tell rECOrd! We have very few records for this species in the area and would love to know where this amazing beetle is still found. You can also go to the PTES online data entry facility. Check out www.ptes.org/GreatStagHuntIII.htm for further news.
Whatever your interest or previous expereince, Cheshire Wildlife Trust is developing an exciting range of training workshops throughout 2006 to meet your needs. They cover a wide variety of topics, from wildlife photography through bumblebee identification, to small mammal survey techniques. These workshops will suit you whether you are a complete beginner, have more experience or hope to gain skills for a career in conservation. They are open to all members of the public as well as CWT members.
For a list of workshops available and booking details please click here.
The Urban Mammal Survey is part of a project, working in partnership with the county mammal groups, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and rECOrd (the local biological records office), to record the mammals of Cheshire, with a view to producing a mammal atlas of Cheshire. They are particularly keen to find out the numbers and spread of some of our best known mammals - the grey squirrel, the hedgehog, the red fox and the rabbit. According to the current database there are large areas of both rural and urban environments in Cheshire and Greater Manchester that have no rabbits and no grey squirrels! Sightings of foxes, badgers, squirrels, hedgehogs, moles and rabbits would all be welcome. They are hoping to produce a book on the ‘Mammals of Cheshire’ for 2007 and for this they need as many mammal records as they can find. to report a sighting email [email protected] or print off a recordng form from www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/cheshire/proj_urban_wildlife.htm and send it in to the Trust. Make sure you include your name and address, where and when you saw the mammal (grid reference or post code) and how many. All entries will be subm,itted into a prize draw to be drawn on December 15th 2006. The prize is a hedgehog box kindly donated by Biota.
The remaining tree warden meeting for 2006 will be on:
Tuesday 14th November
All at 7:30pm at the Hayhurst Room, Memorial Hall, Northwich. All welcome to attend.
The tree wardens meeting on 9th May featured Garry Charnock, the 'Going Carbon Neutral' Project Coordinator with Ashton Hayes Parish Council. Garry talked about this innovative project, which uses tree planting, recycling schemes and sustainable energy sources as ways of reducing the village's carbon footprint. For more information on the Ashton Hayes project have a look at their website www.goingcarbonneutral.co.uk
The meeting on Tuesday 12th September featured Richard Thorogood, Project Manager of the Kerridge Ridge and Ingersley Vale Countryside and Heritage Project. This project is based between Bollington and Rainow and aims to implement a programme of work to restore and retain important landscape and heritage features, including dry stone walls, hedgerows, natural habitat and industrial archaeology. For more information on the Kerridge Ridge and Ingersley Vale Countryside and Heritage Project project have a look at their website www.kriv.org.uk.
The tree wardens meeting on 14th November will feature short talks from several different tree wardens on the sort of activities they are doing on their local patch. Actions range from tree planting to talks and working with their local Tree Officers.
In 2004, as part of the Cheshire Orchard project, Elaine Mills the Willaston Tree Warden and members of the local community planted the first 9 apples in the community meadow and woodland 'Big meadow' in the middle of Willaston, South Wirral. Cheshire Landscape Trust provided the trees and the three village WI groups provided funding for stakes and ties. All of the trees flowered in the spring of 2005 and 7 trees had fruit, with one tree having an amazing 11lb! An apple tasting was held at the Village Residents Association AGM and showcased the wide range of tastes and textures of the different varieties. Currently three more trees are being planted in the orchard and it is hoped the success of the project will continue. Congratulations to all concerned. If you want to set up a community orchard why not talk to Cheshire Landscape Trust about how to get started?
Cheshire Wildlife Trust has joined forces with Shropshire Wildlife Trust to promote our Meres and Mosses as part of the Network of European Wetlands. The month of August in 2006 and 2007 will be designated as Meres and Mosses month, as part of the Great Meres and Mosses Festival. The Great Meres and Mosses month is part-funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee fund (EAGGF) of the EU and DEFRA through the Northern Marches-England Leader+ Programme. The website can be found at www.meresandmossesmonth.info!
Local events included:
| The Botanic Succession of a Mere Guided Walk | Tuesday 8th August, Cholmondeley | Guided walk with Colin Hayes for Meres and Mosses Month at Bar Mere and Chapel Mere, Cholmondeley. Booking essential, please contact CWT on 01270 610180. (CWT) |
| Birds and Dragonflies Guided Walk | Friday 11th August, Cholmondeley | Guided walk with Stuart Burnett for Meres and Mosses Month at Bar Mere and Chapel Mere, Cholmondeley. Booking essential, please contact CWT on 01270 610180. (CWT) |
| Water World! | Wednesday 16th August, Deer Park Mere, Cholmondeley | Printmaking workshop with artist Ann Bridges, as part of Meres and Mosses Month, at Deer Park Mere, Cholmondeley. Booking essential, please contact CWT on 01270 610180. (CWT) |
| Secret Safari | Friday 18th August, Cholmondeley | Secret Safari guided walk with ecologist and photographer Colin Hayes as part of Meres and Mosses Month. Meet at Castle Farm, Cholmondeley. Booking essential, please contact CWT on 01270 610180. (CWT) |
| Trees and Reedbeds Guided walk | Monday 21st August, Cholmondeley estate | Trees and Reedbeds Guided walk with estate manager James Hall as part of Meres and Mosses Month, at Moss Wood and Bretts Mere, Cholmondeley estate. Booking essential, please contact CWT on 01270 610180. (CWT) |
We are delighted to report that the National Trust have joined the Cheshire region Biodiversity Partnership. They are very active in the region and manage a lot of important sites. Their current activities include submission of applications for Woodland Improvement Grants through EWGS, a review of SSSI condition at Bickerton Hill with hopeful extension to include additional heathland areas, a proposed acquisition of 10ha of agricultural land on the sandstone ridge which would be restored to heathland to connect existing fragments and Bat surveys at the Copper Mines, Alderley Edge.
Cheshire Mammal Group have produced their Programme of Events for 2006. These include talks and surveys for a range of mammals such as hares, water voles, otters and seals. For more information and to see what is on this month go to our Diary pages or contact Tony Parker on 0151 478 4363.
2005 was an action-packed year for the Wirral Biodiversity Action Plan team and their partners. Work was done on the Tree Sparrow Recovery programme, a camera was installed in a barn owl nest box at Wirral Country Park (see www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/barnowls/), interpretive boards were sited at Red Rocks SSSI and Wallasey Dunes and a pond was created.
2006 looks like being another exciting year. It is hoped that various projects can be completed including strategic pond planning, the Great Crested Newt project, the Belted Beauty habitat improvements, a Bat survey and volunteer training programme, a heathland restoration project and creation of another pond!
For more details on the Wirral's Biodiversity
Project you can visit their website at www.wirral.gov.uk/ed/biodiversity/home.htm It can also be accessed through Wirral Borough Council site's A-Z.
The Environment Agency will be doing lots of projects for biodiversity throughout the North West in 2006 and beyond. Here in the Cheshire region work will be focusing on the White-clawed Crayfish, Otter and the Depressed River Mussel.
Chester Zoo are partners in many biodiversity projects, both in Cheshire and further afield.
Through 2005 the Zoo has been involved in the following:
| Harvest Mouse | Lead partner and co-ordinator of LBAP. Develop husbandry guidelines for captive breeding Develop release protocol. Co-ordinating monitoring in Cheshire) |
| Dormouse | Link Cheshire and North Wales projects Maximise value of data currently being collected |
| Sand Lizards | Captive breeding programme. Research project on survey techniques at release sites |
| Freshwater Pearl Mussels | Establish status in the Dee - Active role in survey work Implement recommended conservation action (captive breeding likely) Potential roles in rearing young mussels and care of captive adults |
| Black Poplars | Lead partner and co-ordinator of LBAP Record and monitor existing poplars. Propagate from old trees. Raise awareness/give advice |
| Water Voles | Provide t emporary housing and captive breeding of population from development site in Rochdale. Offspring will be returned to new habitat. Survey work around Cheshire |
| Otters | Assisted with survey work, and training in survey tecniques. Funded remote camera equipment. |
| Cheshire Mammal Atlas | Zoo are major funders, possibly publishers, and co-authors of one chapter. Also involved in survey work in 2005 and 2006 |
| Isle of Man Cabbage | Insurance population in cultivation. Interpretation in the zoo when plants are established in sand lizard enclosure |
| MacKay's Horsetail | Insurance population in cultivation. Interpretation in the zoo when plants are established in sand lizard enclosure |
| Aquatic habitats and rare native plants | Assess water bodies in the zoo. Undertake management of zoo water bodies to benefit native species (plants and animals). Identify suitable rare native aquatic plants for introduction and interpretation. |
| Gardens | Tatton Show garden now recreated at the Zoo. |
| Barn Owls | Funded leaflet in 2004, and box construction in 2005. |
| Badgers | Funded purchase of a computer in 2005 |
Cheshire Landscape Trust and TLG Orchards are ran workshops all about orchards and all about pruning, including pruning fruit trees, soft fruit and roses.
The orchards workshop covered topics such as varieties of fruit, rootstocks and their influence on tree size, fruit tree planting, watering, pruning, organic pest and disease control, and harvesting and storing fruit. The workshop also touched on aspects of growing and maintaining soft fruit. The day consisted of a classroom session followed by a practical look at the aspects of orchard and fruit tree management in the Walled Garden orchard. The workshops took place at Norton Priory Walled Garden on Sunday 8th January 2006 and Sunday 15th January 2006 from 10.00am to 4.00pm
The Pruning workshop consisted of a classroom session detailing the theory behind pruning followed by a practical session in the Walled Garden with the opportunity to have a go at pruning. The workshops took place at Norton Priory Walled Garden on Sunday 22nd January 2006, Sunday 29th January 2006, Sunday 5th February 2006 and Sunday 12th February 2006 from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Cheshire Landscape Trust hope to run these sessions again in the new year so if you are interested in attending then keep checking this site or contact Cheshire Landscape Trust on 01244 376333 or e-mail [email protected]
Warrington Borough Council and Warrington Nature Conservation Forum have published their new Biodiversity Action Plan called 'Nature Matters! - A Biodiversity Action Plan for Warrington' . To find out more about the BAP and the Warrington Nature Conservation Forum take a look at www.warrington.gov.uk/entertainment/wncf.asp
The Otter and Water Vole Action Groups have produced new identification and survey cards for use by recorders and the general public. To view the Know Your Otter and Know Your Vole forms click here. There is also an online form for submitting sightings of otters and mink.
The Brown Hare Group have produced a Brown Hare Transect Survey Recording Sheet and asssociated Guidance Notes for use by members of the publiuc who would like to get involved with Brown hare recording. To download the PDF files click on the highlighted links now!
|
|
|||||||