BVCT's 2016 Appeal - Stag Beetles

Our friends at the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust have announced their appeal for 2016 - to create a network of Stag Beetle habitats throughout the valley so Stag Beetle populations do not become isolated. 

Full details on the BVCT website - the below information is copied from their site: 



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Stag Beetles are a priority species for the UK. We are lucky to have a good population in the Blackwater Valley and we want to ensure that this remains so in the future.

The larvae are long lived but the adults do not move far from where they emerge. The males can fly up to 500m but most females travel no more than 20m. Stag Beetles need dead wood to lay their eggs and their larvae feed on the rotting wood. This is becoming a problem as valuable habitat is being lost to wildlife as parks & gardens are tidied up.

The BVCT's targets are:

• Build 50 new breeding sites in the Blackwater Valley using existing dead wood.
• Build at least one Log Pyramid (sometimes know as a “stumpery”) every kilometre or 10ha of woodland.
• Get local groups involved to build log pyramids on their sites e.g. local conservation areas, schools’ grounds & private back gardens They will all help to achieve our targets.
• Record all known Stag Beetle locations in the Blackwater Valley. BVCP staff and Volunteers can fill in the gaps on the sites BVCP manages.
• Produce a report on Stag Beetles locations & sightings in the Valley. This will map the current populations in the Valley and also contribute towards national figures compiled by PTES (People’s Trust for Endangered Species).

There are several ways you can support the BVCT's Appeal

• Let us know of existing Stag Beetle habitats in the Valley.
• Let us have your Stag Beetle sightings [ID note: Stag Beetles are smooth and shiny]
• Build one or more Log Pyramids …Log Pyramid leaflet [Logs are available – Please ask if you need some]
• Let us know the locations of your new Log Pyramids
• Make your garden Stag Beetle friendly …Stag Beetle leaflet
• Tell your friends and get them involved too!
• Donate at Blackwater Valley Countryside events or on BVCT website.

 

(c) BVCP, Stag Beetle Stumpery

(c) Ross Bower (PTES), Male & Female Stag Beetles

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The Tice's Meadow Bird Group are committed to supporting this worthwhile appeal. We shall:

• Build at least 2 new stumperies on site - we already have 1.
• Encourage visitors to report all Stag Beetle sightings to us so we can forward to the BVCT.
• Publicise the appeal through our website and social media presence.

Details of when we will building our new stumperies will be published soon. All will be welcome to come along and help.

Bike Field Planning Application - Our Response

As outlined in a previous blog post, a planning application has been submitted for a service station on the Bike Field at Tice's Meadow.

After some discussion, we have submitted a formal response to the planning application to Guildford Borough Council - see the below letter.

Once we hear of any progress, news will be posted here.

Tuesday February 16th to Tuesday February 23rd

Tuesday February 16th

John Hunt reported a Common Sandpiper, 3 Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, 70+ Lapwing, 60+ Wigeon, 100+ Teal, 12 Pochard, 6 Gadwall, 2 Skylark, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Kingfisher, 10+ Redwing, 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Stonechat, a Kestrel and a Buzzard this morning.

(c) John Hunt - Reed Bunting

(c) John Hunt - Stonechat

(c) John Hunt - Stonechat

Wednesday February 17th

No reports.

Thursday February 18th

No reports.

Friday February 19th

No reports.

Saturday February 20th

Richard Seargent reported a Common Sandpiper, 3 Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, 200+ Teal, 60+ Wigeon, "several" Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose a Peregrine and a Red Kite this morning.

In addition, Dave Baker reported 2 Little Egret and a 1st winter Caspian Gull on the Workings this morning.

This is only the third ever site record for Caspian Gull, and the first to be photographed. Caspian Gull is the 79th species recorded on site this year.

(c) Dave Baker - Caspian Gull

(c) Richard Seargent - Long-tailed Tit

(c) Richard Seargent - Redwing

(c) Richard Seargent - Redwing

(c) Dave Carlsson - Egyptian Goose

(c) Dave Carlsson - Common and Green Sandpipers

Sunday February 21st

John Hunt reported a Common Sandpiper, a Little Egret, 111 Lapwing, 100+ Teal, 60+ Wigeon, 12 Pochard, 22 Gadwall and a Kestrel this morning.

In addition, Richard Seargent reported 3 Green Sandpiper and a Chiffchaff this morning.

In addition, Graham King reported 10 Shoveler, a Stonechat and 31 Stock Dove today.

Monday February 22nd

No reports.

Tuesday February 23rd

Richard Seargent reported a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, a Little Egret, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, an adult Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Stonechat and 2 Chiffchaff this morning. Richard counted 52 species in total during an hours birding.

2015 Annual Report

The Tice's Meadow 2015 Annual Report is now available to download from this link:

http://1drv.ms/1PQaY4T

We are selling premium, full-colour, glossy, A4 hard copies for £14.

All profits will go towards improvements of the nature reserve.

Please email us on ticesmeadow@hotmail.co.uk for details.

Please place your orders soon as we quickly sold out last year.

Planning Application for Petrol Station on the Bike Field

On January 4^th 2016 a planning application was submitted to Guildford Borough Council to build a new petrol station on the area of scrub-land known as the Bike Field at Tice's Meadow.

This development has been on the cards for over 10 years and originally included a hotel as well as petrol station.

Planning applications can be emotive subjects, especially when on a nature reserve. This post is for information only and does not represent the views of the Tice's Meadow Bird Group, who are formulating an official response.

All the associate documents can be found at:

http://www2.guildford.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=_GUILD_DCAPR_167402

I've attached a few of the images from the planning application so you can get an idea of what the proposed development will look like.

The most pertinent document, with regards to our interests as birders and conservationists, is the Ecological Assessment, which interestingly makes continued references to the Tice's Meadow Bird Group's website and Annual Reports:

http://www2.guildford.gov.uk/publicaccess/files/54A8F76B09BC1BDA05971D88DA0A8E61/pdf/16_P_00106-ECOLOGICAL_ASSESSMENT-892162.pdf

The proposed development is wholly within the Tongham Ponds and Tice's Meadow SNCI and covers 3.64 hectares, 0.84 hectares of which would be the development and the rest landscaped to provide a corridor between Tice's Meadow and Tongham Ponds. The developers estimate it will lead to a loss of 1.6% of the total area of the SNCI.

As of February 16^th, all statutory bodies corresponded with by the developers have raised no issues with the proposed development, apart from the County Archaeological Officer who has said no work should go ahead as the developers have not conducted a survey into the effects on buried archaeology (an oversight on their behalf).

We'd like to hear your feedback on the proposed development. If you would like to officially comment on the planning application, you can do so on the Guildford Borough Council website. The consultation period ends of Tuesday March 1^st 2016.

Monday February 8th to Monday February 15th

Website Update

There is now a slideshow of the latest photos added to our Flickr Group on the Photo Gallery page.

The 2016 Year List has been updated. See if you can be the first to spot a new species for the year on site.

The Record Counts list has been updated. See if you can record a new record count for the site and get your name in the record books.

The Events page has been updated with details of forthcoming walks and the Spring BioBlitz.

The Pan Species List page became unmanageable (due to so many species being identified on site!) so the tables have been replaced with a link to a spreadsheet which you can either view online or download to your PC/phone.

Late News

Hilary G found a new species for Tice's Meadow on January 13th: Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon).

(c) Hilary G, Candlesnuff Fungus.

Andy Collett shared these great photos, taken on January 7th, via our Flickr Group.

(c) Andy Collett, Blue Tit.

(c) Andy Collett, Blue Tit.

(c) Andy Collett, Little Egret.

(c) Andy Collett, Little Egret.

(c) Andy Collett, Little Egret.

(c) Andy Collett, Little Egret.

Monday February 8th

No reports.

Tuesday February 9th

Mark Elsoffer spent all day on site and reported a Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, a Little Egret, c180 Lapwing, 19 Mallard, 20 Gadwall, c200 Teal, 23 Tufted Duck, 2 Shoveler, 61 Wigeon, 5 Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Stonechat, 10 Siskin, a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk, a Red Kite, a Peregrine and 3 Buzzard.

Mark also reported a Fox in the Meadow and a Roe Deer in the Reedbed.

Keith Kerr joined Mark for the morning and spent a few hours checking under the tin and felt refugia scattered across the site. They found 3 Common Lizards (Zootoca vivipara), a Toad (Bufo bufo) and a Common Shrew (Sorex araneus).

Keith also found a spider of the "Metellina" genus (unable to ID to species level as a sub-adult), a micro-moth larvae inside a Teasel head, a rove beetle of the subfamily "Tachyporinae" (Keith currently trying to ID to species level), a predatory rove beetle larva and a ground beetle (Anchomenus dorsalis) - a new species for Tice's Meadow.


Richard Horton was spotted rushing around the site putting up posters advertising our forthcoming BioBlitz.

(c) Mark Elsoffer, The Meadow

(c) Mark Elsoffer, Common Toad

(c) Mark Elsoffer, Little Egret

(c) Mark Elsoffer, Pair of Stonechats

(c) Mark Elsoffer, Gibby's Cows

(c) Mark Elsoffer, Kestrel Eating a Shrew

(c) Keith Kerr, Common Lizard

(c) Keith Kerr, Metellina Genus Spider

(c) Keith Kerr, Anchomenus dorsalis

(c) Keith Kerr, Predatory Rove Beetle Larva

Wednesday February 10th

No reports.

Thursday February 11th

Barry Russ reported a Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Egret, c40 Lapwing, 2 Pochard, 4 Greylag Goose and a Buzzard this morning.

Friday February 12th

Andy Little reported 7 Snipe, 2 Little Egret, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Stonechat and a Kestrel today.

In addition, Tony Cummins reported 9 Shoveler, 30 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 5 Pochard, 15 Redwing, 3 Siskin, 2 Mistle Thrush, 4 Lesser Redpoll and a Sparrowhawk today.

In addition, Andy and Tony reported 40 to 60 Golden Plover which circled the site for a few minutes before departing south without landing.

This is the first reported sighting of Golden Plover on site this year.

Roger Dickey visited today, and with help from Richard Horton, Jim Dunaway and Andy Little, staked out the ringing lanes and began to clear the willow, in preparation for the forthcoming BioBlitz.

Saturday February 13th

A work party was scheduled for this morning but was unfortunately called-off due to the bad weather.

Sunday February 14th

Richard Seargent reported a Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper and a Red Kite this morning. Richard also reported a "large concentration" of Siskin and Redwing around the Pea Bridge.

In addition, Neil Bew reported 50 Teal, 60 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 6 Pochard, 4 Gadwall, 90 Lapwing, 2 Little Egret, a Stonechat and a Kestrel today.

Monday February 15th

No reports.

Saturday January 16th to Sunday February 7th

Saturday January 16th

No reports.

Sunday January 17th

Graham King reported 3 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, a Snipe, 2 Pochard, 6 Siskin, 10 Stock Dove, a Bullfinch, 10 Redwing and a Chiffchaff today.

In addition, Richard Seargent reported 3 Little Egret, 121 Lapwing, 14 Gadwall, 9 Shoveler, 48 Wigeon, 7 Fieldfare, 4 Bullfinch and 2 Stonechat this morning.

(c) Richard Seargent - Stonechat

Monday January 18th

No reports.

Tuesday January 19th

No reports.

Wednesday January 20th

John Hunt reported 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Egret, 75 Teal, 38 Wigeon, a Stonechat, a Chiffchaff and a Kingfisher this morning.

(c) John Hunt - Chiffchaff

(c) John Hunt - Little Egret

(c) John Hunt - Redwing

Thursday January 21st

No reports.

Friday January 22nd

No reports.

Saturday January 23rd

Richard Seargent reported a Green Sandpiper, 8 Snipe, 3 Little Egret, 64 Wigeon, 27 Gadwall, 19 Shoveler, 7 Pochard, 5 Great-crested Grebe and 2 Stonechat at a foggy Tice's Meadow this morning.

(c) Richard Seargent - Foggy Morning

(c) Richard Seargent - Little Egret

Sunday January 24th

Richard Seargent reported a Common Sandpiper, 26 Snipe, 200+ Lapwing, 2 Little Egret, 80+ Wigeon, a Great Black-backed Gull (adult), 2 Chiffchaff and a Kingfisher this morning.

In addition, Richard Horton report 4 Green Sandpiper, 3 Yellow-legged Gull and 10 Pochard this morning.

In addition, John Hunt reported 3 Pintail (briefly, before departing north), 13 Gadwall, 100+ Teal, a Stonechat and 9 Stock Dove this morning.

This is the first reported sighting of Pintail on site this year.

Shaun Ferguson shot this video of a Song Thrush singing and a Sparrowhawk hunting today.

(c) John Hunt - Kingfisher

(c) John Hunt - Kingfisher

(c) Richard Waters - Foxes

(c) Richard Waters - Goldfinches

(c) Richard Waters - Kestrel

(c) Richard Waters - Teal

(c) Shaun Ferguson - Goldfinch

(c) Shaun Ferguson - Greem Woodpecker

(c) Shaun Ferguson - Little Egret

(c) Shaun Ferguson - Song Thrush

(c) Shaun Ferguson - Wren

Monday January 25th

Richard Seargent reported 3 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Chiffchaff this morning.

In addition, Richard Horton reported 24 Snipe and 2 Little Egret this morning.

Tuesday January 26th

Richard Seargent reported 2 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Little Egret this afternoon.

Wednesday January 27th

No reports.

Thursday January 28th

Frank Boxell reported 3 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, 80 Lapwing, a Little Egret, a Little Grebe, 2 Shoveler, 12 Teal, 8 Wigeon, 5 Redwing, 2 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, a Red Kite and a Sparrowhawk today.

Friday January 29th

John Hunt reported 2 Green Sandpiper, a Little Egret, 200+ Lapwing, 100+ Teal, 80+ Wigeon, a Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk this morning.

Saturday January 30th

Mark Elsoffer reported a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, 300 Lapwing, a Great Crested Grebe, 4 Shoveler, 14 Gadwall, 60 Wigeon, 120 Teal, 16 Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptian Goose, 38 Greylag Goose, 12 Stock Dove, 3 Stonechat, 4 Redwing, a Bullfinch, a Buzzard, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk this afternoon.

(c) Steve Minhinnick - Goldfinches

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Common & Green Sandpipers

Sunday January 31st

Dudley Cox reported a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper today.

Monday February 1st

John Hunt reported 2 Green Sandpiper, 146 Lapwing, 119 Teal, a Pintail (drake), 70+ Wigeon, 13 Gadwall, 9 Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, a Greylag Goose, 6 Lesser Redpoll, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Meadow Pipit, 2 Bullfinch, a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk this morning.

In addition, Murray Nurse reported a Common Sandpiper, a Mistle Thrush and a Stonechat this morning.

(c) John Hunt - Grey Wagtail

(c) John Hunt - Lesser Redpoll

Tuesday February 2nd

No reports.

Wednesday February 3rd

Dave Carlsson reported 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Egret and a Yellow-legged Gull this afternoon.

 

Thursday February 4th

No reports.

Friday February 5th

No reports.

Saturday February 6th

Richard Seargent reported a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, 56+ Teal, a Yellow-legged Gull (adult) and 3 Lesser Redpoll this morning.

Sunday February 7th

Richard Seargent reported 2 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Egret, 8+ Lesser Redpoll, 10+ Siskin and a Grey Wagtail this morning.

In addition, John Hunt reported a Kingfisher and a Stonechat this morning.

(c) John Hunt - Little Egret

(c) John Hunt - Stonechat