Trip Report to Linford Wood: Tuesday 2 May 2017

The Briefing

Members assembled at Linford Wood on Tuesday 2nd May 2017 at 7.00pm off Breckland, by the north-west entrance to the wood. Mike LeRoy gave a brief description of the history and ecology of the Wood, which was set out more fully in a handout that also had a map of the whole wood. They then walked together to near the centre of the wood. From here, five groups dispersed to note sightings of different species which they could submit for environmental records. Areas covered were largely in the north, east and centre of the wood.

Jay by Peter Hassett, Linford Wood 2May 2017

Jay

The birds group, led by Harry Appleyard, saw or heard 18 species: Great-spotted Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, Robin, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Jay, Green Woodpecker, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Kestrel, Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Wren and Stock Dove. These were submitted as sightings to the Buckinghamshire Bird Club website. They also heard Noctule bats in an Ash tree Fraxinus excelsior.

The mosses group, led by Frances Higgs, found nine bryophyte species, which she is submitting to the Buckinghamshire County Recorder for Bryophytes:

Liverworts
• Metzgeria furcata Forked Veilwort
• Radula complanata Even Scalewort.

Mosses
• Atrichum undulatum Common Smoothcap/Catherine’s Moss
• Thamnobryum alopecurum Fox-tail Feather Moss
• Hypnum cupressiforme Cypress-leaved Plait-moss
• Kindbergia praelonga Common Feather-moss
• Brachythecium rutabulum Rough-stalked Feather-moss
• Orthotrichum affine Wood Bristle-moss
• Orthotrichum diaphanum White-tipped Bristle-moss.

Another group, led by Martin Kincaid, counted the number of stems of Orchis mascula Early Purple Orchid, which they found in four sites across the north of the wood, with a total of 143 stems. A further site with an additional 25 stems was located later, giving a total of 168 stems observed within the wood. Their report with locations and numbers of stems will be submitted to the Buckinghamshire Vice-County Botanical Recorder as potential records to be held by the County Environmental Records Centre BMERC and will also be held by The Parks Trust, the owner of Linford Wood.

Five leaved Herb Paris

The ferns group, led by Mary Sarre, found: Dryopteris filix-mas Male Fern at five sites and Dryopteris carthusiana Narrow Buckler Fern at a single site. They also found Carex sylvatica Wood-sedge and areas of Paris quadrifolia Herb Paris which is in several clusters across the wood.

Other flora noted included:

• Lysimachia nummularia Creeping-Jenny
• Ranunculus ficaria Lesser Celandine
• Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet
• Dactylorhiza fuchsii Common Spotted-orchid
• Epilobium hirsutum Great Willowherb
• Cardamine pratensis Cuckooflower(Lady’s Smock)
• Circaea lutetiana Enchanter’s-nightshade
• Ajuga reptans Bugle
• Crataegus laevigata Midland Hawthorn
• Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley
• Urtica dioica Common Nettle
• Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed
• Mercurialis perennis Dog’s Mercury
• Galium aparine Cleavers (Goosegrass)
• Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry
• Orchis mascula Early-purple Orchid
• Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup
• Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle
• Potentilla sp. Cinquefoil
• Hypericum tetrapterum Square-stalked St John’s Wort
• Vicia sepum Bush Vetch
• Deschampsia caespitosa Tufted Hair-grass
• Brachipodium sylvaticum False Brome
• Alopecurus pratensis Meadow Foxtail.