One of the rarest and most endangered British butterflies lives on Dunstable’s doorstep. It is called the Duke of Burgundy and every spring people come from other parts of England to see it at Totternhoe Quarry and on Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs. Come and hear Sarah Meredith from Butterfly Conservation tell us all about this fascinating little butterfly and what is being done to keep it alive and well in our area.

The attached PDF file shows the poster for the event.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

To help the creatures that live in and around your pond survive the cold weather it is important to have a range of wildlife-friendly areas in your garden that will provide them with shelter in the water and on land. Areas of longer grass, overgrown corners, deep leaf litter or piles of wood or stones can provide a vital refuge for many creatures. Allow submerged plants to grow throughout a large area of the pond to provide cover, release oxygen into the water, and keep the pond healthy.

Source: How to help amphibians through the winter

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre) will be hosting an open day on Sunday 18th October 2015 from 10:00 – 16:00hrs.

Special Event

Fungi Walk & Talk.
By
Justin Long, Local Expert.

Walk starts at 10:30am.

Also activities for children including
A visit and activities from the RSPB.
Crafts, quizzes, Home- made Cakes.
Come and explore our reserve.
Your families and friends are welcome.

Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

The tunnels, bridges, aqueducts and surrounding countryside of our canals are packed with balletic bats just waiting to be seen as the sun sets. The summertime is full of opportunities to catch a glimpse of these glorious creatures as they swoop and soar while they catch their food on the wing. We’ve accumulated a list of the eight species we think you may be able to spot from your boat this season.

Source: 8 bat species to look out for on British waterways – Canal Boats – Canal Boat

The bristly millipede is quite an uncommon beast, so, when sorting through we were pleased to find a single specimen among our samples. They are a small and rarely observed species, usually found under bark or building render. They can also be found on beaches and are even known from the Sahara desert! Our specimen was found in leaf litter in the unlikely location of a wooded traffic roundabout in Milton Keynes. This is the first time this species has been recorded in Milton Keynes (and possibly the first time in the world on a roundabout!) There are no other records for this species in the Beds/Bucks region in the last 20 years. This information has been passed on to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology via the national millipede recording scheme. www.bmig.org.uk

Click here to read the full article.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

George McGavin investigates the dramatic life of the oak tree over the four seasons.

Continuing our recent theme of trees, this link will take you to a 90 minute programme about the Oak tree. Note this link will be unavailable after 29th October 2015.
Source: BBC iPlayer – Oak Tree: Nature’s Greatest Survivor

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

6th October 2015 is National Badger Day. This podcast (56:23) is part 1 of a podcast about badgers.

Press the red play button to listen to the podcast

https://soundcloud.com/talkingnaturally/tn011-badgers-part-1

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

BIRDS

Lesser Redpoll ringed at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (3rd)
2 Ravens, Marsh Tits at Stowe Gardens (4th – M Kincaid)
Tawny Owl calling at Hazeley Wood (7am on 4th Oct)

Goldcrests – 2 in Paul Lund’s Garden in Bancroft (2nd )

Long-tailed Tit – 5 in Paul Lund’s Garden in Bancroft (6th)

Remaining sightings Harry Appleyard:
Spotted Flycatcher – St.Giles Church meadow (30th Sept)
Stonechat – Tattenhoe Park (2nd October)
Swallows – Tattenhoe Park (3rd October)
Redwings – St.Giles Church meadow, Tattenhoe
Siskins – Tattenhoe Linear Park
Lesser Redpolls – Tattenhoe Linear Park
Ravens (x3) – Tattenhoe Park (1st October)
Tawny Owls calling – Howe Park Wood

MAMMALS
Daubenton’s bats still roosting in pipes under M1 at Pineham (5th Oct)
Hazeley Wood Mammal Survey – Sat 3rd/Sun 4th Oct:
Pipistrelle bats
Badger, Fox and Muntjac deer captured on trail cameras (Paul Lund/Tony Wood/M Kincaid)

INSECTS

LEPIDOPTERA
Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Small White still on the wing. (Sightings Martin Kincaid)

COLEOPTERA
7-spot, 22-spot, 24-spot, Orange and Harlequin ladybirds recorded at Hazeley Wood  (Martin Kincaid/Helen Wilson).

ODONATA (Sightings by Harry Appleyard)
Emerald Damselflies – Tattenhoe Park
Southern Hawkers – Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park

FUNGI

Giant Puffballs Calvatia gigantea at Manor Farm, Old Wolverton (30th Sep) (Martin Kincaid)

The Wildlife Sites section on the website has been rewritten.

The old menus have been replaced with buttons which will take you to the page describing each location in detail.

There is another new feature, an interactive map to help you explore local reserves. Click on any of the map pins to show a brief summary of the reserve. Click on the More details link to go to the site description.

And that’s not all. Ian Saunders has written descriptions for Linford Wood and Stony Stratford Nature reserve and he will be producing descriptions on other wildlife sites in the area.

We hope you enjoy the new features, so get clicking and then go and explore your local wildlife sites.

Only 1% of families recognise the UK’s most common trees, according to new research by Unilever. How many can you identify?

Following on from this week’s excellent presentation on trees by Dr Alan Birkett you can now test your knowledge using the link below:
Source: Can you identify the UK’s most common trees? | Environment | The Guardian

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

Every year BMERC (Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre) organises a workshop for recorders and volunteers, which addresses some of the interests and issues related to recoding in the county.

For this autumn we have organized an exciting learning day on plant galls with Lawrence Bee.

Details for the event, with programme and map are included in the attached document (if you who would like a paper version we can send you a copy).

The workshop will take place on the October 11^th 2015 from 10.00am to 4.30pm at Howe Park Wood, Milton Keynes (see the map and directions how to get there in attachment).

We still have few places left and we are happy for you to circulate the invitation if you think that might be of interest.

Please, for more details do not hesitate to contact me (cbernardini@buckscc.gov.uk) or BMERC (erc@buckscc.gov.uk). For those who are interested there are no booking forms, an email to the above addresses or a call at 01296 382431 will be enough.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre) will be hosting an open day on Saturday 10th October 2015 from 10:00 – 16:00hrs. Click here for more details.

‘A Bird Walk with Steph’
10.30am & 2.00pm £1.00 per person
(Suitable clothing and footwear advised, and bring lunch if you’d like to stay all day…)
More info from michelewelborn@homecall.co.uk
+
Centre open to visitors.
There is a viewing gallery, toilet facilities,
Second-hand books and bird food on sale.
Refreshments and home-made cakes available.
Friends and family made welcome,
come and enjoy our special reserve.
Please note:-
No Dogs Allowed on the Reserve.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be hosting a talk about Goshawks. Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Plantlife produce a fungi checklist for October.

BIRDS
Redwing – St.Giles Church orchard, Tattenhoe (29th Sept)
Lesser Redpolls – Tattenhoe
Siskins – Tattenhoe
Meadow Pipits – Tattenhoe Park
Red Kites – Tattenhoe
Tawny Owls calling – Howe Park Wood and St.Giles Church orchard

MAMMALS
Brown Hare – Tattenhoe Park

INSECTS

ODONATA

Emerald Damselfly – Tattenhoe Park

Southern Hawkers – Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park

Brown Hawkers – Tattenhoe Park

Red-eyed Damselfly – Tattenhoe Park

Blue-tailed Damselflies – Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park

Common Blue Damselflies – Tattenhoe Park

Emerald Damselflies – Tattenhoe Park

LEPIDOPTERA
Brimstone – Tattenhoe
Peacock butterfly – Tattenhoe
Commas (Commae?) – Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park

(All above sightings by Harry Appleyard)

Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Paul Lund’s garden in Bancroft, 28th Sept. Paul took these photos of it:

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Front view

Sunday 4th October from 10:00-13:00 is a work Sunday at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre).

“Many hands are needed to help.
Refreshments available.”

Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Study reveals that owls’ flight feathers absorb aerodynamic sound and suppress vibrations, allowing them to swoop on their quarry in perfect silence

Read on: Owls use ‘stealth technology’ to help capture prey | Science | The Guardian

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be visiting Stony Stratford Nature Reserve on 07Oct15. Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

The BTO has reported that Wet summer delays garden dragonflies Click on the link to read the rest of the article

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

Discover 7 fascinating facts about the swallowtail.

Source: 7 things you didn’t know about the swallowtail | Discover Wildlife

Every year BMERC (Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre) organises a workshop for recorders and volunteers, which addresses some of the interests and issues related to recoding in the county.

For this autumn we have organized an exciting learning day on plant galls with Lawrence Bee.

Details for the event, with programme and map are included in the attached document (if you who would like a paper version we can send you a copy).

The workshop will take place on the October 11^th 2015 from 10.00am to 4.30pm at Howe Park Wood, Milton Keynes (see the map and directions how to get there in attachment).

We still have few places left and we are happy for you to circulate the invitation if you think that might be of interest.

Please, for more details do not hesitate to contact me (cbernardini@buckscc.gov.uk) or BMERC (erc@buckscc.gov.uk). For those who are interested  there are no booking forms, an email to the above addresses or a call at 01296 382431 will be enough.

To get you started, here is a a link on how to identify plant galls.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Nearly one in five bird species in Europe is at risk of extinction, say the BirdLife International.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Once common European birds at risk of extinction

Scientists find the first ever four-legged snake, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs and probably dug burrows.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Four-legged snake ancestor ‘dug burrows’ – BBC News

BBOWT have asked us to publicise their Wildlife Watch Club on Friday 25^th September 6pm to 8pm at Moore Crescent Pavilion Houghton Hall Park, Houghton Regis.

The evening will start with pizza followed by den building and bat detecting!

( parents welcome to join in too) only 50p per child.

Click on the photo on the right to see more details.

To book please contact Tracey McMahon on Tel:  07948532662

Email: WildlifeWatch.HoughtonRegis@gmail.com

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Cocker, Mark (2014)  Claxton: Field Notes from a Small Planet Jonathan Cape

The book consists of 140 columns over a 12 year period from The Guardian, The Guardian Weekly and other publications. It’s written like a journal and most of pieces are based on his experiences and observations in and around the village of Claxton, Norfolk although writings about other places to which he has travelled, are included.  Mark Cocker says ‘Claxton is above everything a book about place, but is also a celebration of the way in which a particular location can give shape and meaning to one’s whole outlook.’

Contribution by Mervyn Dobbin

Trilobite! : Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey, HarperCollins Flamingo 2001, ISBN 0 00 655138 6.

Contribution by Steve Brady

The Dragonfly diaries – The story of Europe’s first Dragonfly Sanctuary

by Ruary Mackenzie Dodds

Gods of the Morning: A Birds Eye View of a Highland Year

By John Lister Kaye

Contribution by Julie Lane

H is for Hawk – Helen Macdonald

Published 2014, Vintage

ISBN 978-0-099-57545-0

Look forward to seeing you at Hazeley Wood, 10.30 on Tuesday.

Contribution by Jean Cooke

Six books recommended by Mike LeRoy (see below – apologies for the layout but there was some annoying formatting that I couldn’t get rid of!)

1. ‘Meadowland: The private life of an English Field’

• On Midsummer’s eve he had had what he describes as “one of the strangest moments of my life” (page 143) … but I will leave you to find out about that for yourselves.

• In July, he fits a T-bar cutter alongside his ancient tractor to start cutting his meadow, but it is broken irreparably on a stone. He can’t get a replacement for days and all his neighbours are hard at work mowing their hay, so can’t help him. He gets out his scythe and over four days scythes 3 acres, getting up at dawn and working right through, with bloodied hands and aching limbs. “Nothing in the last ten years of farming has given me such satisfaction.” (page 173). He found out why hay-cutters tied up their trouser legs when they were scything. A vole ran up his leg and only vigorous, noisy dancing shook it off before it climbed all the way up his trousers.

• John Lewis-Stempel shares one of my pet hates: people who move to live in the countryside, then subject the roadside verges outside their hedges to be closely-mowed lawns.

• Sometimes he gets a surprise: “There was an unexpected visitor in the field today. As I walked down the bank in the morning haze the blackbirds were clamouring their liquid alarm, then: dismissive wasp-yellow eyes. Scaly yellow legs. Black metal talons. All these things flashed before me. I am not sure who was the more surprised, the female Sparrowhawk or I as she came up over the hedge. I could feel the displaced breath from her wings as she flicked up over my head, then away, a sullen grey bullet. Certainly I was the more scared; for malevolent verve the Sparrowhawk is unrivalled. They are always coiled, ready, dangerous. When the first gunsmiths needed a name for a small firearm they settled on the falconry term for a male Sparrowhawk. A musket. …” (page 99)

• Once, when watching, a shrew runs over his leg and he watches it for ages: “In the shaded but desiccated land of the hedge bottom, where I am crouched, a dun shrew runs over my leg. She is careless of my presence and pokes around in the old leaves in an amphetamine frenzy. Over the next ten minutes this tiny, long-trunked mammal puts on a horror show, although one can only admire her murderous dexterity. She dismembers five beetles with rapid movements of her jaws, before rubbing and rolling a grey slug with her snout, presumably to tenderize it. Occasionally she nips it; her saliva contains a poison that immobilises and eventually kills the victim. She also wolfs down woodlice, preferring the Philoscia muscorum louse to Porcellio scaber. Between the courses she washes assiduously. No dunce, she refuses to snack on a large black beetle that looks capable of fighting back.” (pages 129/130)

• He can write … vividly … ecstatically. He tells his account of his meadow taking the months of the year in sequence. His writing is of closely-observed nature, mixed with snippets of history, country lore and knowledge of wildlife. This is a man who watches nature for an hour or more, sat still under a field hedge. He knows his patch of land intimately. He feels the back of a hedgehog … and gets one of its spines up his finger-nail. He observes wildlife at close quarters. He works out that the Moles straight gallery parallel to a ditch enables it to pass through soft ground full of worms to eat, but not too damp to flood (page 64). His description of the call of the Wood Pigeon is (page 131) “take-two-cows, taffy-take-two”.

• ‘Meadowland’ is a book by a countryman and farmer whose family have lived in the same Herefordshire valley for at least four centuries. John Lewis-Stempel is also a writer and a highly-observant naturalist. The book is ‘Meadowland: The private life of an English Field’. He lives on and works a small-holding in which is a 5.7 acre field called Lower Meadow, a wet and rather unproductive flood-meadow skirted by the little river Escley. I often used to travel through the broad valley where he lives. The Golden Valley is as far west as you can get in Herefordshire and to its immediate west are the Black Mountains of Wales with Offa’s Dyke Path leading across its ridges on its way north to Hay-on-Wye.

• by John Lewis-Stempel (2014: Doubleday)

• ‘Meadowland: The private life of an English Field’ by John Lewis-Stempel (2014: Doubleday).

• ‘The Moth Snowstorm: Nature & Joy’Former environment editor of The Independent, winner of an RSPB award for ‘outstanding services to conservation’ and awards from BTO and ZSL, in 2008 Michael McCarthy wrote the captivating book ‘Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo’. In his new book, ‘The Moth Snowstorm: Nature & Joy’, he intertwines personal experiences, both testing and joyful, which have shaped his life. Above all he aims to explain how crucial is our relationship with nature.

• by Michael McCarthy (2015: John Murray)

1. ‘The Naming of the Shrew: A curious history of Latin names’John Wright’s book is all about the names we give to living things. He explains the long history of their Latin names, why they are like this and how they have changed. He tells us about Linneaeus and many other fathers of taxonomy and finishes with challenging material about taxonomy, cladistics and what difference DNA is making to our understanding of species and how we name them.

• by John Wright (2014: Bloomsbury)

1. ‘The Fly Trap’‘The Fly Trap’ takes you into the remote world of its Swedish author on the remote island where he lives and to his absolute focus on finding Hoverflies. It is a wacky book, showing a wry sense of humour that also takes us back to the extraordinary lives of some significant entomologists such as René Malaise. It is a meandering but engrossing account.

• by Frederik Sjöberg (2014: Particular Books)

1. ‘The Ash Tree’Oliver Rackham probably knew more about ancient woodlands, their history and ecology, than anyone. He died in February this year and completed this small book only last year. He was a brilliant botanist, plant ecologist and historian and had a close knowledge of plant pathology. He had long warned of the risks of importing plants from all around the world. He once wrote “The greatest threat to trees and forests is the tendency of Homo sapiens deliberately to mix up all the world’s trees and inadvertently to mix up all the world’s tree diseases”. When he wrote ‘The Ash Tree’ this enabled him to say about the Government’s belated response to Ash dieback disease “I told you so”; but the book does much more than that, it tells of the history and importance of this tree, with a candid view of its future.

• by Oliver Rackham (2014: Little Toller)

1. ‘Nature in Towns & Cities’David Goode was once deputy to Derek Ratcliffe when he was Chief Scientist to the Nature Conservancy (now Natural England) when they took on the government about thoughtless tree planting across the rare Flow Country peat bogs of northern Scotland. Then he set up the London Ecology Unit which pioneered urban ecology that had a huge influence on good ecological management of London’s open spaces. His career concluded as director of environment to Ken Livingstone when he was Mayor of London. His book ‘Nature in Towns & Cities’ pulls together all this knowledge and on-the-ground experience in a volume in the prestigious Collins New Naturalist series. Milton Keynes gets some positive mentions, and a map of our greenspace and a photo of Shenley Wood. He is more of a bird and ecology specialist than an entomologist, but there is a limit to how much can be fitted in such a wide-ranging and informative book as this. It has been described as the best book on urban ecology. It is certainly readable and informative and probably well deserves that accolade.

• by David Goode (2014: William Collins, New Naturalist)

Man-eaters of Kumaon

by Jim Corbett

Contribution by Linda Murphy

The Old Ways – a journey on foot

By Robert Macfarlane

Contribution by Viola Reed

2 books by Roger Deakin

‘Waterlog: A swimmer’s Journey Through Brittain’

‘Wildwood: A journey through Trees’

Contribution by Michèle Welborn

I have not included the full details of all these books but they are easy enough to find online.

Julie Lane

Wildlife Extra have reported:

Chris Denehy, the owner of Clear Water Paddling, was alerted to a dolphin’s distress just off the Isle of Barra in the Scottish Western Isles, reports The Scotsman. The local postman had spotted it on his round in the secluded Northbay.

Denehy, with help from two companions, is seen via his helmet-mounted camera using his hands and paddle to free the panicked dolphin. When it finally makes it into open water the young dolphin is seen breaching, as if in leaping around in delight.

Denehy, who has been running kayak trips on the island for 14 years, said to The Scotsman: “The postman stopped me and said, ‘Can you go see if you can get the dolphin out?’ We were one of the kayak trips that we run.

“There were three juvenile dolphins. One of them was really trapped in the weeds. He was literally drowning because the weed was pulling him under.

“They are very small, we think they might be juveniles that were split from the pod. There is a resident pod in the sound of Barra.”

Click here to see the video

BIRDS

Swifts – Oakhill Wood

Common Snipe – Tattenhoe Park

Red Kites – Tattenhoe Park

Tawny Owls calling – Howe Park Wood

(Sightings from Harry Appleyard)

MAMMALS
Brown Rat – Tattenhoe Linear Park (this national rarity reported by Harry Appleyard!)

INSECTS
ODONATA
Emerald Damselfly – Tattenhoe Park
Blue-Tailed Damselfly – Tattenhoe Park
Common Blue Damselflies – Tattenhoe Park

ORTHOPTERA
Speckled Bush Cricket ovipositing by Giffard Park Footbridge

Speckled Bush Cricket Laying Eggs

(Orthoptera Steve Brady, identified by Paul Lund, Odonata Harry Appleyard)

An image of gannets on a Shetland Island clifftop leads this year’s stunning selection of winning photographs that capture the diversity of British wildlife

Click on the link to see more stunning pictures.
Source: The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2015 winners – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

Source: In defence of bats: beautifully designed mammals that should be left in peace

Many thanks to Corinna for providing a link to this article.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

The last work party for the year at Pilch field will be on Sunday 20th September. 1-4pm.

Tools will be provided – I now have 2 mattocks, as well as the gloves, spades, forks and loppers.

Hopefully the weather will be kind to us this time.

The main task will be to dig up invasive hawthorn bushes. Everyone works to their own pace and abilities. It’s a sociable work party and refreshments will be provided.

We would welcome anybody to join us. Stout footwear is essential. Tools and gloves will be provided but it might be useful if people bring gloves if they prefer to use their own.

Pilch field is situated on the bend of Pilch Lane, which can be accessed from the A421 or Great Horwood. The postcode of the chicken farm next door is MK17 0NX and the map reference is SP 748 321. Parking is on the verge only. Click here for a map.

Everyone is welcome. If you would like more information, please contact Ann Biggins annieqq@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 01296 714052 (mob 07961960802) for more information.

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre) will be hosting an open day on Sunday 20th September 2015 from 10:00 – 16:00hrs.

“Hides and centre open to all.
Friends and family welcome.
Migration is now under way,
Come and see what is passing through.”

Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

“An increase in drought conditions caused by climate change could result in the extinction of six UK butterfly species by 2050.” Click here to read more.

This article in The Independent looks at the alarming decline in the number of Spotted Flycatchers were are now seeing.

BIRDS
Flock of 12 Siskins and Tawny Owl at Hazeley Wood (5th – MK/Carol Watts) and Siskins at Tattenhoe (Harry Appleyard)
Meadow Pipit – Oakhill Wood (HA)
Tawny Owl – Howe Park Wood (HA)
Greenshank at Manor Farm, Old Wolverton (6th – Ashley Boleons)
Red Crested Pochard female at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (5th )
Late Swifts still being reported!

 
INSECTS
LEPIDOPTERA
Small Heaths – Kingsmead Wood and Tattenhoe Park
Red Admiral – St Giles Church orchard
Painted Lady – Tattenhoe Park

Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Paul Lund’s garden in Bancroft

 
ODONATA
Southern Hawkers – Howe Park Wood
Brown Hawkers – Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park
Emperor Dragonflies – Tattenhoe Park
Common Blue Damselfies – Tattenhoe Park
Blue-tailed Damselfly – Tattenhoe Park
(All insect sightings Harry Appleyard except for Hummingbird Hawkmoth)

 
MAMMALS
Weasel at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (3rd, Martin Kincaid)
1 Short tailed vole and 1 Fox recorded on Hazeley Wood Mammal Survey (6th, Martin Kincaid/Carol Watts/Di Parsons)

 
LEPIDOSAURIA
50+ Common Lizards (adults and juveniles) at Stockgrove Country Park (MartinKincaid/Helen Wilson)
Grass Snakes at Stony Stratford Nature Reserve and Tattenhoe Park (Harry Appleyard).

 
FUNGI
Fly Agaric, Dung Roundhead and Common Earth-ball among the fungi at Rammamere Heath (5th)

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be visiting Manor Farm on 13Sep15. Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Corinna has kindly supplied a link to a fascinating article about how magpies are perceived:

Magpies, wherever they live, haunt folklore. Sometimes they appear as a sinister omen, but equally often as a friend. In the UK, a lone magpie is considered especially ominous and it is commonplace to voice a respectful enquiry as to the health of its wife and children. Conversely in China and Korea magpies are seen as bringing good luck.

Click on the link to read the article in full: In defence of magpies

Wikipedia has the following entry about the nursery rhyme referred to in the article

One for Sorrow is a traditional children’s nursery rhyme about magpies. According to an old superstition, the number of magpies one sees determines if one will have bad luck or not.
There is considerable variation in the lyrics used. A common modern version follows:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told

Perhaps someone would like to write an article explaining how the Magpie was chosen as the symbol for the Society?

The ancestor of snakes today was a nocturnal, stealth-hunting predator that had tiny hindlimbs with ankles and toes, say scientists.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Snake ancestors found to have ankles and toes

Mike LeRoy has kindly provided me with a copy of the briefing notes that he handed out on the walk that he and Gordon Redford led on 25^th August  2015 around the Tattenhoe Park area.

Click here to read this very informative and interesting document.

BIRDS
Spotted Flycatchers – St Giles Church orchard (Tattenhoe) and Tattenhoe Park

Pair of redstarts – St Giles Church meadow (27th August)

Coal Tit – Howe Park Wood

MAMMALS

Badger – Howe Park Wood

INSECTS

LEPIDOPTERA

Brown Argus – Kingsmead Wood

Small Heaths – Tattenhoe Park

Red Admiral Tattenhoe Park

ODONATA

Southern Hawkers – Howe Park Wood ponds

Brown Hawkers – Howe Park Wood ponds

Emerald Damselfly – Howe Park Wood ponds

All information provided by Harry Appleyard

Plantlife produce a number of interesting guides to wildflowers. Here is their guide for September.

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be hosting a talk about a tour of Northern India. Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare have produced a report on the impact of foxes in Britain. Click here to download the report.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

The genomes of modern birds reveal how they emerged and evolved after the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago, reports Smithsonian Science.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – The evolution of modern bird species revised by major new study

Sunday 6th September from 10:00-13:00 is a work Sunday at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre).

Planned activities include Cutting & raking in meadows.

Refreshments available.
Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

The brighter the ladybird the more toxic it is to predators, new research from the Universities of Exeter and Cambridge show.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – A ladybird’s colour reveal its level of toxicity

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre) will be hosting an open day on Saturday 5th September 2015 from 10:00 – 16:00hrs. Click here for more details.

Home made cakes and refreshments available.

Centre and hides open, second hand books on sale.​

They will be exploring for Grass-hoppers and Crickets with some expert help on hand for advice.

There are two sessions at​ 10:45 & 13:30

£1.50 per adult £3.00 a family.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

The Times of Malta has reported the first convictions of hunters shooting birds illegally in this year’s spring hunting season on the islands, which began on 14 April.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – First convictions in Malta for illegal shooting of a Cuckoo and a Lapwing

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be visiting Rutland Water on 02Sep15. Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

A study in Spain has uncovered an interesting relationship between Carrion Crows and Great Spotted Cuckoos, reports Springer’s journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Carrion Crows in Spain thrive when they have a cuckoo in the nest

There has been a substantial increase in common dolphin numbers off western Scotland in recent years, and this is to be studied by Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust in a new season of marine research expeditions beginning in May.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Double the sightings of common dolphins in the Hebrides

MAMMALS

 Badger reported in daylight at Stonepit Copse, Great Linford – 21^st Aug. Another seen by Harry Appleyard in Howe Park Wood

Noctule bats in bat boxes at Kingsmead Spinney – 21^st Aug.

Roe Deer – Elfield Park, 22^nd Aug.

BIRDS

 Green Sandpipers at Manor Farm Quarry, Stony Stratford N.R., Linford Lakes and Willen Lake.

Common Sandpipers at Linford Lakes and Willen Lake.

Greenshank at Manor Farm Quarry (20^th Aug)

Pair of Ravens at Tattenhoe Park – Harry Appleyard, 23^rd Aug.

possible Goshawk seen at Gayhurst Wood – Chris Coppock, 23^rd Aug.

 Red Kites x 2 Bletchley (Harry Appleyard)

Tawny Owl – Howe Park Wood (Harry Appleyard)

INSECTS

ORTHOPTERA

Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Common and Ruddy Darters on wing at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (22nd Aug)

LEPIDOPTERA

Silver Washed Fritillary still flying at Oakhill Wood (19^th Aug)

 (all data Martin Kincaid, Biodiversity Officer, Parks Trust unless otherwise stated)

Bridges built to carry wildlife over roads and railways are preventing species from becoming isolated and reducing the number of accidents, according to a study published today (27 July) by Natural England. ” Click here to read more.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

The first-ever assessment of all European wild bee species shows that 9.2% are threatened with extinction, while 5.2% are considered likely to be threatened in the near future.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – One in 10 bee species faces extinction

Black-headed Gulls in urban environments are better at responding to human foods than their rural counterparts, shows new research in Bird Study, the Journal of the British Trust for Ornithology.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Urban gulls found to favour fast food

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be hosting a talk on Wildlife crime & investigation on 10Mar16. Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

There is a call-out to Londoners for volunteers to help scientists find out more about a rare species of British fish, the smelt (Osmersus eperlanus), which curiously smells like cucumbers. It is found in the Thames in central London.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article

If you’re still wondering where to go on holiday, why not book this modest 111 day trip? Yours for only $1million (just under £600,000). This may seem expensive but the price is for two so immediately you’ve saved that annoying single room supplement. Not sure if breakfast is included!

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – $1million wildlife watching trip of a lifetime is launched

British Bugs have produced a very useful identification guide “allow easy comparison between the life stages of a range of UK shieldbug species. They are particularly useful for identifying nymphs, and the various instars are depicted as far as possible.” Click here to read more.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

Climate change research reveals species most at risk.

“Wasps, bees, ants and southern species including Dartford warbler and emperor dragonfly are likely to benefit from climate change in England. Further north and in the uplands, breeding birds such as curlew and our much-loved cuckoo, damp-loving mosses and liverworts will be put at great risk by rising temperatures, according to new research out today.”

Click on the link to read the rest of the article Bees and ants to flourish while the cuckoo flounders – Press releases – GOV.UK

The National Biodiversity Network have produced the iRecord Grasshoppers app to help you identify the grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, cockroaches and stick-insects that you see or hear, and to record sightings to support their study and conservation.” Click on the link above to read more. Those of you who do not possess one of those shiny new smartphones may like to use the national Orthoptera Recording Scheme. Their website has plenty of useful information about grasshoppers and crickets, as well as identification information, recordings of their calls, distribution maps, etc. You can also use their website to submit your sightings, which will be verified before being added to national (and eventually county) records. This was a scheme that Paul Lund and Mike LeRoy promoted during their excellent talk on Orthoptera to the Society in September 2013. iRecord is a very promising records scheme launched by the National Biodiversity Network three years ago. Click here for more details. “to support online collection and collation of high quality biological recording data”. It has the considerable benefit that reported sightings are automatically checked to avoid errors and are open to verification by experts. iSpot is brilliant in helping people find out about the identification of species they have photographed, but iSpot, in contrast to iRecord doesn’t currently add these to national or local records, though they are working on that.” Many thanks to Mike LeRoy for providing the text for this article.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

“Sunday 23rd August & Monday 24th August (Kids Day)

Dear All,

If you haven’t jetted away for your summer hols why not come and visit Hollington Wood on our Late Summer Open Day? Actually we have decided to hold two…

• On both days the wood will be open from 10am to 6pm
• Free admission (donations towards management of the wood always gratefully accepted!)
• Free parking on a first-come first-served basis. Please note that you can only park in the car park at the entrance to the wood, not on the concrete access road
• Tea & coffee will be available but you might have to make it yourselves if we are otherwise occupied at the crucial time! By all means bring your picnics/refreshments so long as you don’t leave any litter.

Sunday (23rd) is aimed for everyone. Aside from the normal opportunity to explore and/or chill wherever you want, Nick will be catching and tagging birds and I will be giving people the chance to have a go with the log splitter. You might be surprised how satisfying hydraulic splitting is whatever your age/gender – I have helped a 3 year old girl do it (she whooped ‘More! More!’ after every log) and the 87 year old Professor George Solt beams with delight when he achieves a perfect split. It’s a good year for butterflies, particularly fritillaries, and someone might do me a real favour by locating this year’s buzzard nest(s). For the last month or so I seem to hear a buzzard chick incessantly shrieking for food but I just can’t seem to locate it.

Monday (24th)  is intended primarily for families. Jess will be providing Earthy Explorer activities all day and there will be nature trail challenges. By all means call Jess on 07789938996 if you want any more details. See also http://www.hollingtonwood.com/2015/07/17/earthy-explorers-activities-for-children-in-the-woods/ for Jess’s Earthy Explorer timetable. We’re about halfway through the schedule now and the series of sessions has been going exceptionally well. Organised activities aside, all the usual attractions will be available – swing, trampoline, rope bridge, scramble net, sawdust pit…”

More details here.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Buff Arches 06Jul15

The Gallery of moths recorded at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve has been updated with Gordon’s pictures for July 2015.

To view the photos select Gallery, Moths at Linford Lakes NR or click this link

There will be a work party at Pilch Field on Sunday 23 August 2015 from 1-4pm.

The main task will be to dig up small hawthorns. The afternoon will end with refreshments. And there will be an opportunity to look at the plants that make the site special.

We would welcome anybody to join us. Stout footwear is essential. Tools and gloves will be provided but it might be useful if people bring gloves if they prefer to use their own.

Pilch field is situated on the bend of Pilch Lane, which can be accessed from the A421 or Great Horwood. The postcode of the chicken farm next door is MK17 0NX and the map reference is SP 748 321. Parking is on the verge only. Click here for a map.

Everyone is welcome. If you would like more information, please contact Ann Biggins annieqq@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 01296 714052 (mob 07961960802) for more information.

Another White-tailed Eagle has been found dead, at a nest site in Connemara, reports the Golden Eagle Trust, an Irish conservation organisation.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Another white-tailed eagle poisoned in Ireland

All sightings by Peter Hassett

Houghton Regis Gravel Pits

Green veined white

Black-tailed skimmer

Chiltern Gentian

Chiltern gentian

Chalk hill Blue

Chalkhill Blue

Clouded Yellow

Marbled White

Aston Rowant Nature Reserve

Silver–spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted skipper

Silver spotted skippers in copula

Frog Orchid

Corinna has kindly provided details of an article published in Nature Plants concerning the importance attached to botanists and botanical gardens. Click here to read more.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

The Society’s autumn 2015 programme has been published. Go to the programme page for more information.

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre) will be hosting an open day on Sunday 16th August 2015 from 10:00 – 16:00hrs. Click here for more details.

Butterflies, damsel and dragonflies in profusion. Come and meet with other like-minded people, chat about what you’ve seen or share your photo’s.

Refreshments available, second- hand books on sale, home-made cakes, crafts and birdseed available.

Family, friends and neighbours welcome.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

As it’s officially summer!, I thought some articles on what to look out for at the seaside was appropriate.

Source: 7 different jellyfish to look out for in the seas around North Somerset – Lifestyle – North Somerset Times

Bittern were extinct in the UK by the end of the 19th century and was absent as a breeding bird between the 1870s and 1911, when the first breeding male was recorded.

Click on this link for more information. Wildlife Extra News – Bittern populations back from the brink of extinction in the UK

After numerous rumours and questionable sightings a pine martin has been confirmed living in England for the first time in a century.

Click the link to read the rest of the article Wildlife Extra News – English pine martin spotted for first time in century

An adult humpback whale, possibly greater than 12 metres in length, has been sighted in the Firth of Clyde on 8 July 2015  – making it five different humpbacks that have been seen off western Scotland in the past month, compared with a usual total of just one or two per year.

Click on the link to read more: Wildlife Extra News – Humpback whale spotted in western Scotland’s Firth of Clyde

On Sunday 9 August 2015 there will be a walk led by the local RSPB Group:

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Plantlife produce a number of interesting guides to wildflowers. Here is their guide for August.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and EDF Energy are asking school children across Britain to take part in a scientific study that will for the first time map what is under our feet.

Click on this link to continue reading the article Wildlife Extra News – More than 7 million schoolchildren asked to count insects

Sunday 2nd August from 10:00-13:00 is a work Sunday at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre).

Planned activities include clearing paths and cutting back overgrowth.

Refreshments available.

Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Red-tipped Clearwing by Peter Garner at Wolverton Mill. 28Jul15

One of our new members, Peter Garner, has managed to photograph a Red-tipped Clearwing moth at Wolverton Mill on 28Jul15. It was found in a clump of thistles on the northern side of the A5 bridge at SP791410.

This is probably the first record of this moth in Milton Keynes.

Discover fantastic facts about this tiny garden predator.

Source: 7 things you didn’t know about the zebra jumping spider | Discover Wildlife

Enchanting but overlooked, hoverflies are easy to find – even a hanging basket can lure them. Midsummer is the time to seek them out.

Source: How to identify hoverflies | Discover Wildlife

Farmers allowed to use two neonicotinoid pesticides on their crop for 120 days despite concerns over serious risk to bees and other pollinators

Click here to read more of the article published in the Guardian newspaper: UK suspends ban on pesticides linked to serious harm in bees | Environment | The Guardian

The subject of the reintroduction of extinct species back into Britain has been in the news recently. The following links provide an update on a number of recent articles on this topic:

National Geographic
The Guardian
The rewilding Britain website
New rewilding area to be launched in Europe

All sightiong fromn Harry Appleyard unless stated otherwise

BIRDS

Red Kites – Tattenhoe
Siskins – Tattenhoe and Oakhill Wood
Green Sandpiper – Tattenhoe Park

INSECTS

LEPIDOPTERA
White Admirals – Oakhill Wood and Shenley Wood
Silver Washed Fritillaries – Howe Park Wood and Oakhill Wood
Hummingbird hawk moth – Peter Hassett’s garden 16th
ODONATA
Southern Hawkers – Howe Park Wood
Ruddy Darters – Howe Park Wood
Black tailed skimmer female at Woburn woods on 21st July (Andy Walker)

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve will be hosting another Moth and Bat Evening. on Wednesday 29th July from 20:00- till late.

“Following on from our last two successful events,

Gordon Redford is our Moth Expert

Martin Kincaid our Bat man.

Friends and family welcome, £2:00 each adult ( includes hot drink)”

Discover 6 fascinating facts about the BTO July Garden Bird of the Month.

Source: 6 green woodpecker facts you need to know | Discover Wildlife

The natural habitats of bumblebees are shrinking because of higher temperatures in Europe and North America, threatening their survival, researchers say

Source: Climate ‘vice’ constricts bumblebees’ natural ranges – researchers – BBC News

Scientists from the charity Plantlife find rare lichens in the internationally important, and threatened, temperate rainforest of north west Wales

Source: BBC – Earth – Welsh rainforest home to rare tiny plants

The British Ornithologists’ Union have produced a paper on how Starling react to predator attacks. Click on the link to read more Waves of terror in Starling flocks

There will be a work party at Pilch Field on Sunday 26 July 2015 from 1-4pm.

The main task will be to dig up small hawthorns. The afternoon will end with refreshments. And there will be an opportunity to look at the plants that make the site special.

We would welcome anybody to join us. Stout footwear is essential. Tools and gloves will be provided but it might be useful if people bring gloves if they prefer to use their own.

Pilch field is situated on the bend of Pilch Lane, which can be accessed from the A421 or Great Horwood. The postcode of the chicken farm next door is MK17 0NX and the map reference is SP 748 321. Parking is on the verge only. Click here for a map.

Everyone is welcome. If you would like more information, please contact Ann Biggins annieqq@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

New research at the University of Exeter and Bat Conservation Ireland has given the lie to the popular belief that streetlights are attractive to our common bat species because of the insect life they attract. Click here to read more.

All sightings by Harry Appleyard

INSECTS

LEPDOPTERAS

The Wildlife Trusts have produced a guide to the six native reptiles of the UK and their best sites to view them. See Great places to see… reptiles for more information.

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve (formerly known as Hanson Environmental Study Centre) will be hosting an open day on Sunday 19th July 2015 from 10:00 – 16:00hrs. Click here for more details.

Lots of butterflies, damsel and dragonflies around now. Come and meet with other like-minded people, chat about what you’ve seen or share your photo’s.

Refreshments available, second- hand books on sale, home-made cakes, crafts and birdseed available.

Family, friends and neighbours welcome.

This year’s Big Butterfly Count is taking place between the 17th July and the 9th August 2015. It only takes 15 minutes so why not click on this link to learn more:  big butterfly count

Howe Park Family Wildlife Day held in memory of Bernard Frewin by Julie Lane

Howe Park Wood Education and Visitor Centre by Peter Hassett

This day was held on Saturday 4th July in memory of Bernard Frewin who was a founding member of our society and who did so much to promote and protect wildlife in our local patch.

MKNHS display boards at Howe Park Wood. Photo courtesy of The Parks Trust

The day was held in conjunction with the Parks Trust and was a great success with many families with young children turning out to enjoy a day in the sun, spending their time wandering around the environs of the lovely new Education centre and the beautiful woodland. Displays including Owls (all rescued birds), reptiles, bats were located around the centre. Inside the Centre the MKNHS display (beautifully maintained by Tony Wood) took pride of place alongside some lovely photos that Harry Appleyard had taken in the wood. Then in the wood itself there was a small trail consisting of a selection of locally caught moths by Gordon, a Nature Detectives Quiz put together by myself and Jo Handford, a wonderful little grass snake and information on local reptiles courtesy of Martin Kincaid and finally some local bird ringers  who were delighted when they caught many more birds than they would normally expect at that time of the day. There were also wildlife walks led by our experts Roy, Harry and Alan Nelson.

Eileen, Bernard Frewin’s wife came with her extended family and was delighted by the way the day had turned out and I am sure Bernard would have been thrilled to see so many people enjoying themselves.

So thank you to all who took part and helped on the day and a particular thank you to The Parks Trust for hosting the event. It was a wonderful collaborative effort and one it would be good to repeat sometime.

Julie Lane

A useful article on spotting the symptoms of Lyme disease.

Source: Farmers warned of dangers of Lyme disease (From Smallholder)

You may find this website “British Bugs” useful. It provides an online identification guide to UK Hemiptera.

Field Guide to UK Hemiptera, Bug identification, Bug, Bugs, Hemiptera, true bugs, heteroptera, homoptera, auchenorrhyncha, leafhoppers, froghoppers, planthoppers, treehoppers, cicadas, psylloidea, psyllids

Source: British Bugs Home – An online identification guide to UK Hemiptera