Biological Recorders' Seminar 2020 - Sussex Biodiversity

As Storm Dennis started lashing the country with rain, I was heading towards Sussex Biodiversity's 2020 Biological Recorder's Seminar.

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.

Tall Ramping Fumitory - Victoria Pleasure Grounds

A couple of items relevant to Uckfield and the local area are:

• 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.

Soil Biodiversity

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.

1. Macropis europaea - Yellow Loose-strife Bee
2. Ammophila pubescens - Heath sand wasp
3. Anthophora retusa - Potter Flower Bee - Seaford Head
4. Halictus eurygnathus - Downland Furrow bee - Lewes, Slindon
5. Andrena vaga - Gray-backed Mining Bee - Dungeoness, Rye Harbour
6. Cerceris quinquefasciata - The Five Banded Tailed Digger Wasp - High and Over
7. Nomada zonata - Variable Nomad Bee - becoming WIDESPREAD
8. Colletes cunicularius - Early Colletes - attracted to Willow
9. Bombus muscorum - Moss Carder Bee - flower rich grassland
10. 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

Girdled Mining Bee - Holy Cross - 27 April 2017

Helen gave a lovely talk on this, which featured one of my bee photos, taken in Uckfield's Holy Cross Churchyard. I wrote posts on my Early April, Late April, June and August 2018 surveys

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.

Uckfield's Natural Jewels

Ghyll valleys, orchids and scraps of heath in a 60s housing estate, ancient lanes near the town centre. I never knew there were so many precious natural jewels embedded in our town.



Spotted orchids within earshot on the main road.

I am the newbie in the Environment sub-committee for the Uckfield Neighbourhood Plan and on Tuesday evening, in the Alma pub, we were colouring bits of the Uckfield map green. Our aim was to identify places where “places where humans and significant nature meet” I only really know about a few areas, close to me.  Fortunately through the power of Twitter and Facebook, there was plenty of knowledge at my disposal.  Thank you to everyone to helped, especially “Hex Tor” on Facebook and “SonOfShaleman” on Twitter. 

One of the most obvious places is the Hempstead Meadows Nature Reserve.  Sometimes, when returning to Manor Park from the town, I have cut through there and enjoyed walking through the lovely wild flowers, listening for birds that have come thousands of miles to visit us, and peering into the mysterious pools. On the way home, I walk through Hempstead Lane and Lime Tree Avenue. Old roads and paths like these are less obvious places for nature but they are full of craggy old trees that are both beautiful to look at and provide birds and other creatures with places to nest and live. At the feet of these giants there is a wonderful selection of wild flowers including primroses, bluebells, wild arum and many other favourites.

Belmont Lane - just a minute's walk from the bypass

Another old lane that has been engulfed by the town is Belmont Lane, which runs from Holy Cross Church to the bypass.  I took a quick look at it the other day and found that it is full of big old trees and leads down to an area of woodland containing a pond.

We have some terrific woodlands, most of which can be found on the Visit Woodlands map. I haven’t visited many of these and must make a point of doing so.  Some of the most intriguing are those that are not on map, like the “Riperian” (river bank) wood alongside the River Uck. I’ve been so close to this so many times, yet I’ve only seen glimpses of it.

The river Uck, an important wildlife corridor, in the Bellbrook Estate.

The River Uck and its surroundings contain waterloving plants and wildlife. Because riversides are often left undeveloped they are important wild life “corridors” and breathing spaces. One of my most unexpected Uckfield wildlife moments has been the sight of hares near the Plumbing Centre on the Bell walk estate. Other rivers and streams are important too. The Downlands Farm area has the Ghyll, which meanders from West Park to Budletts. There is also the Ridgewood Stream, which passes the Millenium Green with its great crested newts and glow worms.

Of course people are important too. Here I’m going to take a moment to tip my hat to the marvellous people who have created Selby Meadow, a community garden near the hospital. Their Facebook feed tells how their garden, bug hotels etc. have attracted all sorts of creatures including butterflies and bats to their garden.

Fallow deer bucks in a Manor Park garden.

On Manor Park little areas of green and people’s gardens have created an environment so friendly to wildlife that deer and badgers roam the estate.  Bushes with berries have often provided much needed snacks to waxwings and redwings from Scandinavia. In some of our harsher winters, I have seen fieldfares prospecting across the Dene before coming to our garden to eat some discarded apples. I am told that there is a little area with natural “heath” type vegetation and really must seek it out.

I've been amazed by the variety of habitats in and around our little town. Once again, thank you, everyone, for your help. There is clearly much to discover in our town and I'm sure I'll be picking your brains again soon.