Category: Wildlife

Fabulous New Wildflower Meadow

If you have walked up the public footpath in Badgers Wood recently you will have been greeted by this wonderful sight!

Since BET started restoring Backwell Hill’s long-lost wildflower meadows, our philosophy has always been to open up an area and then let nature do the restoration work for us. However in 2016 we tried something new with a 100m2 patch of fledgling meadow close to the top of the Fern Way.

Inspiration came from the old Glassworks site (opposite Tesco) in Nailsea which was once alive with wildflowers before the area was landscaped a couple of years ago. Before the heavy machinery was brought in, volunteers from the Friends of Trendlewood Park collected as many seeds from the wildflowers as they could and transplanted them to a prepared site on the edge of the Golden Valley playing fields.

The next summer the saved wildflowers looked fabulous so it got me thinking, could we try something similar on BET’s reserves? So in the summer of 2016, we removed the ground cover of ivy and bramble, hedge-laid and removed some nearby trees to let in more light, and finally broke up the soil to create a seed bed.  

In mid-September, the area was then seeded using UK-grown stock as well as seeds collected from BET’s own meadows.  We thought it would be fascinating to see just what would germinate in this trial meadow, but that we would probably have to wait for the summer of 2018 to see it in full bloom.

We were right!  The results the following year were quite sparse but this year just look at the fabulous display! 

The flowers in full bloom shown here in June are dominated by the white Oxeye daisy and the blue Viper’s bugloss. As the summer progresses, they will be followed by the purple reds of Greater knapweed, Musk mallow and Wild marjoram as well as the bright yellows of St. John’s wort and members of the Cat’s-ear and Hawkbit families, hopefully continuing this beautiful floral display well into the autumn. 

Ian Chambers

Ash Dieback on BET Reserves – May 2017

We are sorry to report that some ash trees on BET’s nature reserves are showing signs of ash dieback disease.

Ash Dieback Disease

Unfortunately there are signs of this disease on some of our ash trees.

‘Chalara’ or ash dieback disease, is a disease of ash trees caused by a fungus called Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Chalara causes leaf loss, crown dieback and bark lesions in affected trees. Once a tree is infected, the disease is usually fatal, either directly or indirectly by weakening the tree to the point where it succumbs more readily to attacks by other pests or pathogens such as honey fungus.

Approximately 40% of the woodland on BET’s nature reserves is made up of ash trees so, if the disease did seriously take hold, there’s no doubt it would have a big impact on us. At the moment (May 2017), it seems to be the smaller ash trees (up to 4 metres tall) that are showing the most severe signs of infection, although a few 25 metres high mature trees have suspiciously still not come into leaf. We will probably not be required to take any drastic action such as felling a significant number of trees however, if any infected trees are located close to the road or footpaths, we would probably have to fell them on health & safety grounds.

As the ash dieback fungus is classified as a quarantine organism, we have reported our sightings to the Forestry Commission. But it’s not all doom and gloom. It has been suggested that up to 3% of the UK’s ash trees could be resistant to the disease and as each ash tree produces thousands of seeds each year with a very high germination rate, the resistant strains could soon re-colonise our woodlands.

YACWAG 2017 CHRISTMAS BIRD SURVEY REPORT

For many years now, YACWAG (Yatton and Congresbury Wildlife Action Group) has been organising a Christmas bird survey, recording all the birds coming into their members’ gardens over the festive period. This year they continued the expansion of their survey into Backwell and Nailsea by enlisting the help of both BET and NEWT members.

The blackbird maintained its position as the bird seen in most gardens – 94 out of 102; the rest of the top ten were wood pigeon and robin (91), blue tit (80), great tit (73), magpie (71), house sparrow (68), dunnock (55), long-tailed tit (53) and goldfinch (52).

The number of species landed in gardens was 46, the additional species that flew over was 8, the species only heard was 1.                       

Trevor Riddle reports:

In 2008, the wood pigeon wasn’t even in the top 10 gardens (where it landed) and nine years later it is second and almost first. Wood pigeons have overcome their shyness of humans and were seen in 90% of gardens. They may well out-compete collared doves, a species that has declined in abundance over a similar period, although collared doves seem to be more prone to predation by sparrowhawks.

Goldfinches go from strength to strength with a remarkable 457 recorded. But bullfinch may be the ‘new goldfinch’ – they are appearing in more gardens year on year and are a very popular visitor. It’s good to see that greenfinches haven’t declined further this year – they are still suffering from trichomoniasis disease. One lucky member recorded two bramblings  (eight just before the survey started) and just a single siskin was seen; they are in very low numbers this winter.

House sparrows are holding their own, but starling numbers continue to slide. Wintering blackcaps continue to increase whilst just a single chiffchaff was seen. A few favoured gardens are still visited by the (locally) scarce marsh tit. Other notable birds were two kingfisher records (from Congresbury) and just outside the survey period a garden woodcock in Backwell (23 December) and a fly over red kite at Cadbury Hill on 7 January.

There were more sparrowhawk sightings this year although there is no evidence of an increase in numbers locally.

Other wildlife reported by surveyors were squirrels (especially ‘stealing’ bird food), fox, rats and, of course, cats.  One surveyor recorded 27 visits per minute by various tits to a black sunflower feeder.

If anyone would like a copy of the full results please let me know.  winlowman@hotmail.co.uk

Trevor Riddle and Win Lowman,  January 2018

North Somerset Nature Net

BET is pleased to be a member of the NSNN which has been set up to support and promote local conservation groups.

The North Somerset Nature Net was formed during 2016 to provide a platform for local conservation groups to share their ideas and expertise and to promote collaboration between the groups.  So far eight groups have joined and are actively supporting each other and sharing resources and experience.

The group has a website which aims to provide a consolidated view of what’s going on across all the groups and to help members of the public find out about local conservation activities, events and talks etc..

  http://northsomersetnaturenet.webs.com/

I am fascinated by BET’s magnificent yew trees – they are so atmospheric, dark and moody. It also amazes me how these impressively large old trees can sprout out of seemingly solid limestone cliffs. Whilst working amongst the yews along the new Geology Trail, I thought I would do some digging!

I came across the website of the Ancient Yew Group (AYG) which has a mass of fascinating facts about yews. Of particular interest is that, in 2005 and 2011, Tim Hills of the AYG surveyed Somerset woods, including BET’s, and made special note of three yew trees in Badgers Wood and one on the other side of Cheston Coombe, in Jubilee Stone Wood. The largest of these has a girth of 16 feet and is estimated by AYG to be around 600 years old! Impressive indeed, but not nearly as old as the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, and one in St Cynog’s in Powys, which are believed to be over 5,000 years old, and may be the oldest living organisms in Britain.

Yew trees are very difficult to age. Even if one can count the rings, they can have dormant spells when they stop growing for a while and then restart! Additionally, older trees often develop hollow trunks.
Being slow growing, the wood is very hard and dense. It has beautiful colours ranging from the creamy sapwood to orange and purple heartwood. This makes it very special for wood turning, carving and furniture making.
Traditionally yew was used to make English longbows. The sapwood of the yew is good in tension and the heartwood in compression. The best ‘selfbows’ were shaped from a single length of yew, using part sapwood and part heartwood, for the back and belly respectively.

Straight lengths from the yew trunk were needed and once English stocks of yew were depleted, longbow staves were imported from Europe – Spain and Italy in particular. In Tudor times, to ensure a regular supply of fine-grained yew, each ton of certain imports, including wine, had to be accompanied by 10 yew staves.
Yew was actually used for bows in Neolithic times. The Meare Heath bow, discovered in the peat of the Somerset Levels, dates from 2,600 BC.
All parts of the English Yew (Taxus Baccata) are highly poisonous, with the exception of the flesh of the red berries (or more correctly arils) of the female tree.

In the 1960s, it was discovered that the poisonous taxane alkaloids in yew could be used in the production of cancer treatment drugs, such as Taxol.
In British folklore, yew is associated with immortality and death. Yew is well known for its association with places of burial and is a feature of many churchyards, often pre-dating the church. Many ancient yews are in close proximity to standing stones, stone circles, and pre-Christian burial sites. There was a pagan belief that the roots of the yew, being very fine, would grow through the eyes of the dead to prevent them seeing their way back to the world of the living. In more recent times, it became a custom for evergreen yew branches to be carried on Palm Sunday and at funerals, as emblems of the resurrection.
All this still leaves me uncertain of the actual origin of BET’s yew trees! But, having such great age and majesty, we must admire and continue to look after our wonderful veteran yews, for generations to come. To quote from William Wordsworth’s poem, Yew Trees:

Of vast circumference and gloom profound
This solitary Tree! – a living thing
Produced too slowly ever to decay;
Of form and aspect too magnificent
To be destroyed.

Peter Speight

Nest Box Survey 2013/2014

Throughout BET’s reserves there are some 51 nest boxes, 22 in Jubilee Stone Wood (JSW) and 29 in Badgers Wood (BW).  Many of these have been made by the local cub groups over the years.  There are 2 Tawny owl boxes in each reserve which, sadly, have never been used by owls, only squirrels.  The other nest boxes are used almost exclusively by members of the tit family – mainly Great Tit, Blue Tit and, in the lower part of JSW, possibly some Marsh Tits.  Occasionally we have had other residents such as dormice, wood mice and wasps!  Each year, during the winter months, we try to ensure that the boxes are inspected, cleared out, maintained and refurbished where needed – but there is invariably the odd elusive one that gets missed!

In February/March 2013, during that really cold spell, 28 boxes were checked in BW, of which 8 had nests including one with a 1 dormouse nest as well.  In JSW’s 21 boxes there were also 8 nests and 1 mouse tenant!

Determined not to have to do the following year’s survey in such hostile conditions, and to give more time for refurbishment work, it was decided to start the process in November 2013.  The results show the number of nests was very similar to the previous season, though there was a huge increase in the number of dormouse nests such that next year it may necessary to take someone with a dormouse licence with us.  There was also more evidence of chick mortality which may have been due to the unseasonal cold weather and resultant shortage of insects.

In BW, 25 boxes held 9 nests, plus 5 dormouse nests, 1 wasp nest and squirrel evidence in an owl box.  It is interesting that the dormice often seem to build their beautiful honeysuckle bark nests in boxes where there is already a bird nest, (though in the box with 2 dormouse nests there was no bird nest – presumably no room!).  There were 9 nests in JSW, plus 4 dormouse nests and evidence of squirrel occupancy in one of the owl boxes.

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Thanks to Bill Charnock for the tremendous amount of refurbishment that he has done on the boxes this year, putting in drain holes and repairing lids and hinges, and to Brian Campbell and Derek Seddon.  Several boxes have needed replacing and 7 additional boxes have been put up, 3 in JSW and 4 in BW, in areas where there were none.

Carrie Riches

Trustee

Nest Box Survey 2015/2016/2017

Clearing the nest boxes is a bit like a lucky dip – you never quite know what you are going to find.  In past years there have been indignant yellow-necked mice, a wasp nest, squirrel nests, a wad of wax moth cocoons, and always a selection of huge spiders, countless woodlice and fat slugs. 

We do also find bird nests and dormice nests and, as Gill will attest, fleas! The surprise for 2015/6 was finding that one of the owl boxes was not stuffed with the dead leaves typical of squirrel occupation, but dry green leaves indicating that a dormouse had been in residence.

Jubilee Stone Wood has 26 boxes and Badgers Wood 30.  In both reserves about 50% had bird nests. On looking inside, what one hopes to see is a nest from which it is evident that all chicks have successfully fledged.  Occasionally we find abandoned clutches of eggs, or, sadder still, little skeletons. This year there were 4 obviously failed broods. The usual occupants are great or blue tits, but we did find 2 marshtit nests and one which was most probably that of a nuthatch.

There are always a few yellow-necked mice, wood mice and dormouse nests.  This year there were at least 5 boxes which had both bird and dormouse nests, with a further 3 with just a dormouse nest.

January 2017 update:

Badgers Wood last year – 15 bird nests, 14 no nests, 4/5 dormouse nests;  this year – 14 bird nests, 17 no nests, 7 dormouse nests.

Jubilee Stone Wood last year – 13 bird nests, 13 no nests, 4/5  dormouse nests;  this year – 11 bird nests, 15 no nests, 2 dormouse nests.

Some boxes have both bird and dormouse nests.