The Breeding Birds of The Avon Region 2008 Report
Members of the Avon Branch of the Bristish Trust for Ornithology,Bristol Naturalists Society and the British Ornithological Club have published their breeding birds report for 2008. The 120 suveyors spent over 480 hours checking out breeding birds. Four new species were recorded breeding in the Avon area including Mediterranean Gull,Black Tern, Short-eared Owl and Ring Ouzel .Worringly common birds including Starlings and Green finches continue to decline but Little Egrets, Hobby and Peregrine continue to to well.See below, 1200 pairs of sky larks were recorded.
For more info contact authors John Tully or Richard Bland of the Avon BTO.
LNR website launched
A new website has been launched which gives details on Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) throughout Bath & North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol and North Somerset.There are many different sites to visit ranging from a 100 hectare farm to a tiny reserve atop an old railway viaduct. The website also features a forum which can be used by community groups involved with LNRs to advertise events, trade good practice and other general networking.
Find out more about WILDthings and Local Nature Reserves
Mendip Hills AONB Field Maps
A set of three attractive full colour A3 maps are available, illustrating the field boundaries, wild life and management ideas for the parishes of Bath & North East Somerset Council which are situated in the Mendip Hills AONB. The information for these maps has been collected by field boundaries volunteers and interpreted by the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre.The project was supported by the Mendip Hills Sustainability Fund. Sets of these Parish Maps are available for a price of �10. Please contact Jane Briggs, Community Landscape Projects Officer, 01225 477579.
UK BAP List Amended
The list of priority habitats and species for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan has recently been nationally reviewed and updated. The original list of 10 years ago contained 577 species and 49 habitats. The new list identifies 1149 species and 65 habitats, and is currently out for consultation. The increase in number has been attributed to recent advances in our understanding, a greater thoroughness in the review and a number of new declines and threats. 123 of the original 577 species have been removed from the list.Following adoption of the new list it will form the basis for BAP work across the UK. Locally this is most likely to be first seen in moving towards prioritising orchards (one of the new priority habitats) in biodiversity work. View the report together with the updated list of species and habitats
Hawk and Owl Trust launch new web site. Find your nearest group and check out this web site to see their events and lectures. www.hawkandowl.org
More news on The White Clawed Crayfish
White Clawed Crayfish are a key species in the Bath & North East Somerset Council Distict and the Wildthings Partnership have have their very own Biodiversity Action Plan. White Clawed Crayfish are native to clean ,clear, stoney water courses and older residents may remember finding them as children when they played in streams. However they are no longer commonly found.
Introduced Signal Crayfish and other non native crayfish which have escaped from fish farms where they were reared for the catering trade are a serious threat to the smaller native species. The non native crayfish compete for food and territory but more importantly carry a disease "crayfish plague" which is lethal to the White Clawed Crayfish.
The good news is that a small population has been found in the district but unfortunately Signal Crayfish have been found in the same water catchment.In an effort to save our native form from certain death, it is proposed to catch the remaining native population and move them to a refuge, in this case a water course safe from any alien species. It is hoped that they will settle and breed and may perhaps be reintroduced back into local streams in the future if the non native crayfish species can be eradicated.