2022 Natural History Group reports

AGM, QUIZ and PHOTO COMPETITION 1st December 2022

The last meeting of the year took the now traditional format of AGM,Quiz and the Photo Competition accompanied by sherry and
mince pies. This year it was held in Llanblethian Church Hall and 17 people attended.
While the hall was being set up, members were encouraged to re-register for the group, pay their £10 subs and sign -up to organise a meeting for 2023.
The Accounts had been circulated previously and so the main feature of the AGM was to re-cap on the year’s activities.
Attendance rates have not been good, ranging from 6 for Langley Meadow, Peterston -Super -Ely in May to 11 for Howardian NR in July, and averaging 8.5.
There were only 7 meetings that we arranged with an additional 2 to which we were invited as guests of the Porthcawl U3A NH Group.( Kenfig NR and Lock’s Common). This has been a happy collaboration for our mutual benefit.
Having meetings with a local guide is proving difficult as the Trusts tend to be under-staffed and over-worked, but DIY events have been successful (Ogmore in September, Cardiff Bay in October). Some of the venues which will have taken a great deal of effort to set up could easily be repeated at an alternative time next year when the wildlife seen will be quite different. ( Howardian NR, Crymlyn Bog NNR)

The next item on the agenda was the photo competition. This was slightly chaotic, but everyone agreed that the standard of photography was good, so good that it was difficult to choose a winner. There was a very wide spread of votes. Out of 33 entries, 27 images had at least one vote, and all 12 people who submitted entries gained votes for at least one of their images. This made for an accidentally over- complicated voting system,* the result of which was announced at the end of the morning.
During a break for adding the votes and some much needed refreshment in the form of sherry and mince pies,( thanks to Steve and Val Monaghan !) those present and eligible to do the quiz arranged themselves into groups. David and Tina Edmunds set a very interesting quiz which was wide ranging and testing to say the least, and a lot of fun. There were 25 questions and no-one managed a score in double figures. There was a 3-way tie for second place with 6 but the clear winner working on his own, was Dave Webb with 8. He was awarded a prize and the task of setting the quiz for next year. Congratulations Dave, and many thanks to David and Tina.
Finally, the results of the Photo Comp:
Category A –Art for Art’s Sake.---This was very close with a 4-way split for first place between Frangipani Worm(T.J.), Chalk Hill Blue Butterfly (V.M.), Hummingbird Hawk Moth (J.S.)and Reeves Pheasant(J.C.). Therefore the second choice vote came into play so that Frangipani Worm, aka Rasta Caterpillar, won by the narrowest of margins.
Category B---A story in a picture. There was a clear winner----The Hummingbird Hawk Moth. This had most votes by far, and was therefore the overall winner, earning the photographer, Jeff Stamatakis , the honour of running the competition next year.
Congratulations, Jeff, and to all those who entered the competition. Next year’s competition starts now!
Thanks to everyone who took part and contributed to the day, and to all those who arranged trips this year.

All checked again afterwards.

CARDIFF BAY 6th October 2022

In uncertain weather conditions, an ad hoc trip to Cardiff Bay was set up for this month. Various and varied medical conditions prevented 3 from coming at the last minute but we still managed a group of 7, 6 of whom travelled to Mermaid Quay by bus. From there, we strolled around the Bay as far as the Barrage for the next 2 hours, and achieved a bird count of 24. At the beginning were 4 young goosanders and a flock of 8 or 9 ruddy turnstones. Great crested grebes popped up everywhere, and a flock of linnets followed us around wherever there was vegetation. The tide was low, and on the exposed mud beyond the barrage was a flock of shelduck, just out of range of the binoculars, but one obliging individual was near enough for us to see clearly. We were out of season for the water taxi, and as some people had time restraints we decided to retrace our steps, leaving the Penarth section for another day. Soon after turning around a sparrowhawk was spotted in flight, being chased away by an angry gull.
We were lucky enough to have only a little rain, and that when there was convenient shelter, so all in all it was a pleasant and enjoyable morning.

OGMORE ---A RAMBLE IN REAL AND GEOLOGICAL TIME. 1/9/22

This was a DIY event. Ten of us made it to the meeting point next to the river near the bridge, about one hour after high tide. Two of us had parked in the main carpark at great expense but were rewarded by hearing and seeing 4 choughs on the walk over to meet the others. It was a grey day but there was no rain. We moved up -river a little way so that we had a view of the bend on the opposite side where kingfishers are often seen, and they duly put in an appearance. It was a little early in the season for autumn visitors and the bird life was heavily dominated by numerous Canada geese, but a small flock of whimbrel flew overhead.
There was a lot of common sandpiper activity but unusually, we did not see any redshank.
We were surprised by the number of little egrets in evidence and delighted to see a flock of at least 20, extremely well camouflaged, curlew on the far bank. They were given away by one of them calling, and later, we saw them in flight.
Amongst the many gulls was a ring- billed gull, a vagrant from N America. There were cormorants as usual perched on a dead tree in the water, but with them, and partly obscured, was a variant which had a markedly white breast and neck. With the help of a Collin’s guide we ID’d it as Lucidus maroccanus, from NW Africa.
Having spent more than an hour we meandered back to the main carpark. The shrubs along the path usually attract lots of stonechats and butterflies but those were in short supply, and we also were a bit late for many wild flowers except for the widespread sea heath. We had a picnic lunch on the benches over-looking the sea and 7 of us remained for the second part of the trip. There followed a brief overview of the local geology, to explain the age of the oldest rocks and the conditions in which they were laid down (Carboniferous Limestone: roughly 350 million years old, on the equator, about twice as old as the dinosaurs and the Triassic conglomerate rocks :250 million years old, washed down from desert wadis in flash flooding events). We needed to walk about half a mile to suitable rocks where we carefully explored and found fossils of creatures which used to live on a coral reef, feeding traces (trace fossils), various minerals, and evidence of earth movements causing rocks to scrape past each other (slickensides) and the pressures these rocks were subjected to (tension gashes).
We called it a day after an hour or so, by which time the tide had gone out just enough for us to walk back on the beach.

CRYMLYN BOG NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE 4/8/22 LEADER JAMIE BEVAN

This month’s trip took us to Swansea, specifically Crymlyn Bog. The uninspiring, even inaccurate, name belies its immense value as a SSSI of global international importance. Strictly speaking it is not a bog (fed solely by rainwater) but a fen, because it has many streams which flow into it. Once it was a glacial valley with a long narrow inlet of the sea, but after sea levels fell, around 5000 years ago, the sea retreated allowing fresh water to fill the inlet. Then, following the extensive, violent storms around the 12th Century, sand was blown in, blocking the inlet, creating the conditions to form the bog which resulted in the deposition of peat which is 10m deep in parts of the wetlands. Currently, despite recent intense industrial and urban development, the area of 280 hectares remains a haven for wildlife. It is the largest lowland fen wetland in Wales and has many similarities with the East Anglian fens.
On an exceptionally fine day, six members from Cowbridge plus two from Porthcawl made up the select group to meet the warden, Jamie Bevan, who gave us the background information before leading us on a circular walk around the reserve on the boardwalk, giving us an overview of the riches on display, as well as the management problems which were largely preventing the area reverting to scrub.
Earlier in the season, the reed beds are alive with specialist birds such as reed and sedge warblers, and at other times, bittern, marsh harrier and bearded tits may be seen. Not surprisingly there were dragonflies around and one keen- eyed member spotted the tiniest of lizards, sunning itself on the boardwalk. The reserve is known for its unusual mix of plants. There were many clumps of royal fern, and we found some round-leaved sundew—a plant which feeds on insects. The marsh cinquefoil was abundant but no longer in flower, which is just as well as it is said to stink. Instead, there was a very pleasant hint of water mint in the air.
The star of the show had to be the rare and elusive fen raft spider, which is Britain’s largest spider. Jamie found the female, guarding the maternity web containing many tiny spiderlings. We also had a glimpse of the predatory hornet robberfly, sitting on a dung heap. Unfortunately it was disturbed and flew off before we had a close-up view.
Near the end of the walk is the balloon field, named for the barrage balloons which were kept there during WW2 to help protect the nearby oil refinery. All that remains are a number of cement anchoring positions , which we were told, CADW has an interest in preserving.
The excursion had been a revelation to all and much appreciated. Jamie was warmly thanked, as was Claire Jenkins for organising everything. It would be well worth another visit at a different time of year.

Thursday 7th July 2022 HOWARDIAN NATURE RESERVE.

Eleven members found their way to Cardiff for a guided tour of the multi-award winning Howardian Nature Reserve, a 32acre hidden gem tucked away in the armpit between loops of busy roads, the A48 Eastern Avenue and the A4232. Its history stretches back almost 50 years when Cardiff City Council asked the Natural History Society of Howardian High School if they would like to develop a small area of waste land. The school is no longer, and the area has expanded and now includes a former council refuse tip . Run by volunteers the aim has been the development of as many different habitats as possible. The land included a small number of trees which were already established, but broadly speaking everything else has been planted since that time---25,000 trees.
There are 2 ponds, reed beds , meadow , grassland, woodland, a stream and a waterfall. The latter exposes Silurian Wenlock Mudstone. ( Roughly 430 million years old). The reserve is noted for its orchids, which would have been at their best a month before, but we found a few and some broad-leaved helleborines. At the beginning of our walk we were shown white bryony---our only native relative of the cucumber family.
The most surprising discovery must have been the dormice. Presumably they were present associated with the original trees, as it seems most unlikely that they could have crossed the roads to get there from elsewhere. A number of the volunteers have been trained and obtained licences to monitor the population which appears to be thriving. There are dormice boxes attached to trees, very similar to bird boxes, the difference being the entrance hole is at the back which are inspected monthly.

The group was very impressed with the Nature Reserve and the dedication of the volunteers and our guides, Martin Doe assisted by Roger, were presented with a cheque to help further their work, following which they cordially invited us to return.
Many thanks to Steve and Val Monaghan for setting up the trip and their meticulous planning of routes.

Tuesday 5th July 2022. LOCK’S COMMON, PORTHCAWL.

Once again we were invited as guests to join the Porthcawl NH group meeting. There had been a late change of venue but 4 of us from Cowbridge joined Greg Nuttgens and his group for an exploration of Lock’s Common. It was a dry and intermittently sunny afternoon, if a little windy. Claire Jenkins kindly recorded the species we saw (70) and there was some geology thrown in also for good measure. We all learned something new. There was wild barley, false oat grass and fescue—the latter has a waxy surface to protect it from the harsh conditions which gives it a blue appearance,-- a lot of betony, a single broomrape and two surviving common parasol fungi and a very few examples of rock sea lavender.
A source of amusement had been the abundant red soldier beetles ---usually found in pairs and hence re-named the bonking beetles. There were not many birds in evidence but a kestrel was spotted at close quarters when we were on the common.
The plan to explore Lock’s Lane was thwarted as the recent Porthcawl 10K race had necessitated the cutting back of the overgrown edges with its abundant wildflowers for health and safety reasons for the runners. A further source of amusement was the alternative name for large bindweed which we found growing on a fence ,---- Granny -pops-out-the- bed. The reason was clear when Greg demonstrated.
When we finished the walk where it had begun, all the local members had peeled off to go to their various homes and it remained for Claire and me to thank Greg for a most enjoyable and instructive afternoon on behalf of the Cowbridge contingent.
Thanks also to Claire for keeping the species list which was later circulated.

23rd June 2022. ST BRIDE’S MAJOR –THE HIGH BROWN FRITILLARY. LEADER: DOT WILLIAMS.

The trip this month took place on the third rather than the first Thursday to accommodate both the extra bank holiday and the habits of the subject for the day—the High Brown Fritillary (HBF). This butterfly is to be found in very few places in Britain and only here in Wales on the Downs at St Brides Major, which is therefore a SSSI. The dramatic decline it has suffered in the last 50 years is due to loss of habitat. It spends about 8 months of the year as an egg, then in March through to May the caterpillar hatches and requires violets as its food plant---and not just any violet, the hairy violet in limestone areas such as this. The chrysalis stage lasts from the end of May to early July when the adult butterfly emerges around mid- June to the end of July for a few short weeks when it must mate and deposit eggs.
Fifteen of us met at The Fox to explore the area and discuss the various management issues. We had 2 leaders Dot and John Williams , 2 guests from Porthcawl U3A NH group, and a member of the Cowbridge U3A Strollers who was assessing the suitability of the walk for his members and 10 of our own members. We were very fortunate that the recent fine weather continued through the morning, giving us the best chance of seeing the butterflies active. It is fair to say that the Downs provide a bracken -dominated habitat. On the margins, the violets grow if there is not too much shade, and the bracken litter is an additional essential requirement. The HBFs favour the flowers of thistles and bramble for nectaring, which is where we concentrated our efforts. We soon got our eyes in and probably spotted many HBFs but they are very difficult to distinguish from the more common Dark Green Fritillary. Towards the end of the walk one or two of the butterflies settled on the vegetation enabling us to have a better look.
Along the way , while we covered about 3 miles in 2.5 hours, we made note of the other butterflies and day flying moths, a small number of common spotted orchids , some violets and other flowers, including the pretty and petite Hypericum pulchrum. Also worth a mention was a tiny lizard dashing about in the undergrowth and a yellow hammer calling from a bush.
We thanked Dot for her time and expertise and promised to send a donation to aid the Butterfly Conservation. Our thanks go also to John for his assistance, and to Alison Tinkler for organising the trip. Having used the Fox Car park, 5 of us had lunch in the pub, having enjoyed a very good day.

7th June 2022. KENFIG NATURE RESERVE. LEADER : CHRIS JONES (WARDEN)

It has been difficult to find leaders for field trips as many of the Trusts are short staffed and over-worked, but we were invited to join the Porthcawl U3A on their walk around Kenfig NR with the warden, which we had not managed to set-up for ourselves. Neither group was getting good numbers attending meetings so it seemed sensible to combine forces. As it turned out there were 15 of them and 6 of us, so rather a large group to meander along the narrow pathways. Chris is extremely enthusiastic, and knowledgeable about all forms of wildlife, so hopefully everyone had the opportunity to learn something.
Kenfig is a SSSI and is managed for the rare Fen Orchid which grows in the dune slacks---ie lower areas amongst the dunes which flood in winter and dry out later in the year. It is also dependent on the presence of the creeping willow and a specific, not yet completely identified moss. We found one which was in flower. They are very small and green, and easy to miss.
We took a circular route within this large reserve, for about 2 hours, looking mainly for orchids but nearly all the orchids we saw, apart from the Pyramidals, were hybrids in various combinations of Southern/Early /Common Spotted /Marsh orchids. Some had hybridised several times.
We were not focusing on the birds but the calls of Lesser Whitethroat with its scratchy song, and that of the distinctive but elusive Cetti’s Warbler, and Chiffchaff provided a pleasant background to the afternoon.
There were a number of day flying moths, some of which Chris caught so that we could have a closer look, a white- tailed bumble bee (a worker, therefore a female), damsel flies and darters, six-spot Burnett moths and cinnabar moths, common blue and small blue butterfies , and the dark green fritillary--- which doesn’t look green at all in flight.
Other flowers we discussed were the plentiful, parasitic yellow rattle, the meadow thistle which looks like knapweed, ragged robin which is declining along with the day-flying forester moth which is dependent on it, the marsh marigold which is also in decline, bog pimpernel and twayblade.
It was not sunny and warm so we were not expecting too much when the refugias were turned over, but the first one yielded three slow worms and a grass snake, a couple of slow worms under the second, but nothing under the third.
Halfway around there was a heavy shower of rain which put paid to note-taking for a spell, but we dried out by the time we returned to the visitor centre by which time Chris had also found some cuckoo spit deposited by frog hoppers and had caught a common frog for us all to have a look at.
We briefly thanked Chris as he was called away, and thanked the Porthcawl U3A for inviting us. We hope to return the favour later this month. A donation will be made to the reserve on our behalf.

LANLAY MEADOWS, PETERSTON-SUPER-ELY. May 5th 2022

Eight of us gathered by the footbridge over the river Ely at 10am. Warm, pleasant weather with sunshine gradually strengthening. Linda and Rob Nottage (included in this number) once again led the gentle walk. Six ate outside later (tasty lunch) at the Sportsman’s Rest.
From the footbridge, and then alongside the far bank of the river :
Mistle thrush singing, goshawk ( or sparrowhawk) circling, blue tit leaving nesting box, lots of ladies’ smock (cuckoo flower) with orange tip butterflies – found one of their eggs on the stalk, oak tree with ferula flowers emerging (will produce acorns) and gall wasp grubs, a black cap flying and singing profusely, micro moths – leaf mine on bramble leaf (caterpillar eating), alder leaf with pupa case of tiny moth, a dipper’s nest under the stone river bridge (John Cooke had earlier seen a dipper there), beginnings of Himalayan balsam by the bridge.
By the entrance to the meadows : Dock leaf beetles mating, very shiny, and their orange eggs on the reverse of leaves, outcrop of comfrey, Jack by the Hedge (garlic mustard) – again used for laying the eggs of orange tip butterflies, chiffchaff singing on top of dying ash tree, robin singing, lots of blackthorn bushes, brimstone butterfly flying, song thrush singing, two beautiful oak trees with their greenery just emerging.
The community orchard : Green flag awarded and good signage, lots of pink campion, comfrey, ladies’ smock, apple trees in blossom, orange tip butterflies, willow warbler heard, ground ivy (related to the mint family), a bug hotel and log pile with evidence of quite a lot of insect life.
Next meadow : Field woodrush, bluebells, wild garlic.
Along the bank of the Ely river :
Sandy banks with many holes, ideal for nesting sand martins: mistle thrush heard and flying, black cap singing, wood anemones, greater stitchwort, celandines, ransoms (wild garlic), bluebells, an orange tip on marsh marigolds, caterpillar of the yellow tail moth on bramble leaf, log tail tits in the elder by the river, yellow flag iris emerging, a flying great spotted woodpecker, willow warbler singing, turkey tail fungi on dead branch, speedwells, green vein wight butterflies, apple mint, chiff chaff in tree and singing, tree pipit singing loudly from dead tree across the river (and flying), Canada geese, footprints in mud by the river (? otter), silver weed, hemlock water dropwort, a jay on the grass ahead then flying.
This stretch of the river has been designated an SSSI because of monkshood (we didn’t find any today) and nesting sand martins.
Boggy land on return :
Micro moths (pale coloured), a ground hopper with extended thorax, marsh valerian (pink in bud, then turning white), little yellow sedge (three-cornered stems), tormentil, saw wort (slender thistle type thing), lesser spearwort (yellow flowers).
Woodland area : Two speckled wood butterflies, female brimstone on dandelion, yellow pimpernel, greater stitchwort.

BA.

ABERTHAW NATURE RESERVE April 7th 2022 .Leaders Rob and Linda Nottage.

Our first meeting of the year did not take place until April, due to illness and poor weather, and the weather for the trip to Aberthaw was far from perfect but at least we didn’t get wet and all cobwebs were blown away. Rob and Linda Nottage , well known local naturalists escorted a group of 10 of us around the reserve which is a SSSI by virtue of it’s True Service trees—a rare British native — growing out of the limestone cliffs and the Purple Gromwell which was just beginning to flower along parts of the upper path—- a rare plant of woodland areas found on limestone-based soils. We were a bit early in the season for most other flowering plants .
We also identified birds by their calls if we didn’t always see them —-chiffchaff, black cap and green woodpecker in particular. Around the pool a pair of swans were seen on a nest and elsewhere the Wayfarer tree and Sea Heath were noted . We also found a good sized slow worm under a sheet of corrugated iron. The history of the site was discussed. The river Thaw having been diverted for use by Aberthaw Power station and the ash spoil produced has been successfully replanted with birch trees to stabilise it. It was also interesting to see how a sand dune was developing where the estuary used to be.
After a couple of hours examining the wildlife —-some lucky members of the group even spotted a fox—we repaired to the Blue Anchor pub for lunch where we were joined by Betty Alden who had organised the event, so we were all able to thank Betty, Rob and Linda , and later, a donation was sent to the Wildlife Trust .