New tern raft launched.

On Tuesday 12^thMay a new Tern raft arrived at Hatfield Forest Lake having been driven down from Huddersfield.

 

 

The raft is unloaded and bolted together. It is made of fibreglass with built in polystyrene floats and sides which do not allow access by Mink, ducks and geese.

 

It is then manhandled into the water.

 

 

 

 

A mixture of the shingle and gravel is loaded onto the raft. ‘Shelter tunnels’ for the chicks will be added later when it is on site.

 

 

Finally a solution is found to getting one of the helpers back onto dry land!

 

The raft will be moored near to the existing raft to allow the Terns to acclimatise before the old raft, which is falling to pieces is removed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit to Battles Wood, Saturday 11th of April 2015.

In the region of 15 members visited this wood to have a look at and enjoy the spring flowers. We also made a species list of everything we found and recorded over 100 different types of plant, bird, mammal, mosses etc. It was a wonderfully sunny afternoon after a wet morning but with a chilly, blustery wind.

Please note that this is a private wood and we were given permission to visit by the owner Mr Toby Lyons who accompanied us. There is no public access or rights of way.

 

There was a fine show of Primroses in many parts of the wood.

 

 

We recorded both False Oxlips and proper Oxlips.

 

In some parts of the wood there were large areas of Ramsons or Wild Garlic.

In other areas there had been a wonderful display of Wild Daffodils which unfortunately were just about over.

 

 

 

 

On the other hand it is obvious that there is going to be a good display of Bluebells shortly but at present most of them are in bud. Similarly we found good numbers of Goldilocks-the woodland Buttercup which was also still in bud.

 

Birds in evidence included Buzzard, Nuthatch and Mistle Thrush. One Blackbirds nest was found with three eggs.

 

Everyone had a great afternoon of natural history and we were pleased to be able to continue a tradition for this Society which has been visiting the wood at least since the 1940s. Thanks to Mr Lyons for allowing the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lichens in Hatfield Forest Coppice february 2015.

The cold, damp and wet conditions prevalent in Hatfield Forest during February favour the growth of lichens. During our last coppicing session on 7th February there were not only pieces of lichen on the forest floor, presumably broken off from trees along with the twigs on which there were growing, but also on a large Field Maple that had been felled as part of the coppicing process. The bark of the latter tree seems to particularly favour the growth of lichens. I have given photographs of several species found with a tentative identification!  As might be expected in this situation all the lichens found are nitrogen and acid rain tolerant. I think that the first one is a fruticose lichen Ramalina farinacea.

 

 

The second one is a species of Lecanora showing the reproductive structures or sordaria. This is a crustose lichen.

The next is a type of Parmelia, a foliose lichen.

 

And the last one has got me stumped but it could be a type of Cladonia.