Fixing and Linking Our Wetlands
Last weekend, I had been exploring an old Uckfield Tithe map and noticed just how many ponds there were in the area back in the 1840s. Coincidentally, my first conversation was with a representative of the Fixing and Linking Our Wetlands (FLOW) initiative. She had also been looking at old tithe maps to find out where ponds had been so they could restore them. She has been receiving communications from landowners whose ponds have been restored saying that they are not experiencing flooding even though it has been an exceptionally wet year.
Highlights of wildlife recording in 2019
Many of the highlights are explained in Adastra 2019.
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| Tall Ramping Fumitory - Victoria Pleasure Grounds |
- In the Freshwater Fish report (page 29) a report about Dace in the Uck (not far from the bypass). They spawn in March/April and you might be lucky enough to see a silver flash as they jump over obstacles or try to catch a fly.
- In Amphibians and Reptiles (page 32) they thanked the Uckfield toad patrol "for their continued effort to protect toads crossing roads, to and from their breeding ponds.
- Vascular Plants (page 12) mentioned the new site for Tall Ramping Fumitory that I found during my survey of Victoria Pleasure Grounds, undertaken for the SBRS Village Green and Recreation Grounds project.
A couple that really struck a chord were:
- The comment this this year was Fungi Heaven - back in December I wrote about this in A wonderful year for fungi..
- The cuckoo split insect survey - I had a go at this when "cuckoo split" was visible on plants in the summer but want to do more this year.
This is a truly fascinating area, I was aware of microrhizal fungi but there is so much more going on down there. Natural England had set up microscopes so we could see live millipedes, springtails and even a Tardigrade.
Ouse and Uck
At the first break, I stumbled on the stand for the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust and bought some copies of their new book, "Ouse and Uck, sketch of a Sussex Catchment."
There was also a stand about the River Ouse Project comprising a poster (available from their reports page) with a wealth of information about Meadows.
Potters on the Heath
I very much enjoyed John Walters talk, illustrated with his wonderful photographs and drawings about potter wasps.
Notable Sussex Bees
James Power of Sussex Bees and Wasps Recording Group gave brief descriptions of 10 notable Sussex bees and wasps.
- Macropis europaea - Yellow Loose-strife Bee
- Ammophila pubescens - Heath sand wasp
- Anthophora retusa - Potter Flower Bee - Seaford Head
- Halictus eurygnathus - Downland Furrow bee - Lewes, Slindon
- Andrena vaga - Gray-backed Mining Bee - Dungeoness, Rye Harbour
- Cerceris quinquefasciata - The Five Banded Tailed Digger Wasp - High and Over
- Nomada zonata - Variable Nomad Bee - becoming WIDESPREAD
- Colletes cunicularius - Early Colletes - attracted to Willow
- Bombus muscorum - Moss Carder Bee - flower rich grassland
- Osmia bicolor - Red Tailed Mason Bee - downs, nests in abandoned snail shells
I haven't met any of these bees yet but I live in hope.
Botanical Recording in Sussex Churchyards
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| Girdled Mining Bee - Holy Cross - 27 April 2017 |
One unexpected point was that, for finding unimproved grassland plants, Victorian churches were the best. Medieval ones were not so good.
National Bat Monitoring Programme
Philip Briggs outlined bat recording schemes and some of the results.
The Spiders of Sussex
Graham Lyons outlined highlights of 2019 intensive spider recording.
Back home
After all the talk of ponds and rivers, I decided to check our own pond. As I approached, there was a splash and a glimpse of a webbed foot. Our frogs have arrived and are spawning.
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