Stream dipping in the Bickham Stream, Prislow Woods
I was only slightly late arriving at Prislow Woods and the
sound of excited children guided me towards a spot where the stream dipping was
already in full swing. A group of parents were gathered on a bank with the
children in the stream using nets to explore the water. Suddenly a roar of
excitement came from upstream, an eel had been caught. A group of children came
splashing down to deliver their prize to County ecologist Bruce Forest who was
leading the event. All eyes watched as the eel was transferred to the finds
tray and began to swim around.
This eel could spend 20 years in the stream before return to the sea
This wonderful creature had begun life in the Sargasso sea
on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Emerging from an egg the larvae can
take three years to drift across the ocean to the UK, a distance of 4,000 miles.
As the larvae approach the coast they develop into glass eels, then entering
freshwater they darken and become elvers. Eels can spend up to twenty years in
rivers and streams growing into mature adults before undertaking a one way
journey back to the Sargasso sea to reproduce.
The European eel is listed as Critically Endangered, the
number of glass eels arriving in Europe has fallen by 95% over the last forty
years. So finding several juveniles in the Bickland stream highlights the
importance of the conservation work being carried out by several local community groups
to safeguard the stream. The Prislow wood group is hoping to receive training
from the South West Rivers Trust that
will allow them to monitor the water quality in the stream.
County ecologist Bruce Forest led the stream dipping
Finding the eel was also significant as they have not been
recorded in Falmouth before according to the National Biodiversity Network Map,
see below. So not only did the children have plenty of fun that day, they also
contributed valuable citizen science data.
NBN map showing records for the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla)
The stream dipping was organised by the community group #prislowwoods who carry out conservation work such as the removal of non-native invasive species in the woods. For more information visit
their Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/groups/962446477276694/
Special thanks to Jennifer Carter for permission to use her photographs.
Sowing seeds to create wildflower meadows marked a wonderful
start to this year. Under a clear blue sky the day began in Boscawen Road next
to the tennis courts. Arriving I was immediately impressed by the maze cut out
in the grass. A brilliant design by Howard from Cormac and Jacqui from Falmouth
Town Council and Cormac.
The brilliantly designed wildflower maze by Boscawen Road
Once volunteers had gathered we were introduced to the Urban
Buzz project by Laura from the charity Buglife. She went through the methods to
be used to sow the seed as well as explaining how the plants chosen would help
the meadow develop as the perennials established themselves. Once Laura had added sand to the mix of seeds the sowing
began. The sand helps achieve an even distribution as well as being a good
indicator of the area sown to help prevent bare patches.
The maze design will allow people to walk among the flowers
Walking round the maze it was easy to imagine how wonderful
it will look in the summer. It really is a wonderful design that will enable
people to walk among the wildflowers. I expect to be spending quite a bit of
time there recording and photographing the insects visiting the flowers.
Especially as it is so close to the beach, toilets and ice-cream, field work is
rarely this good.
Laura Larkin from the charity Buglife giving volunteers a talk before sowing began on the Gyllyng street terraces
The afternoon sowing took place on the terraces above
Gyllyng Street in the centre of Falmouth.This time as well as sowing seeds, plant plugs were also planted in the
selected area. Again Howard, Jacqui and the Cormac team had done extensive
preparation work on the chosen areas. They had also planted trees and shrubs
beneficial to pollinating insects in the terraces.
The sites had been prepared by Howard, Jacquii and the team from Cormac
The planting attracted volunteers from both locals and
students from the nearby campuses of Falmouth and Exeter universities. With such a good level of support both areas
were sown and planted with plenty of time to spare. It was a very enjoyable and
successful day and I am looking forward to seeing these areas come into flower
this summer.
The level of support and enthusiasm of the volunteers ensured the planting was accomplished early
The Urban Buzz project was created by Buglife, the charity
that works to safeguard and promote knowledge of invertebrates. Initially it
ran in selected cities in England and Wales and in four of these it created or
enhanced 138 hectares of land, that’s the equivalent of 220 football pitches.
Last year four towns in Cornwall, Falmouth, Truro, St
Austell and Wadebridge joined the project. In Falmouth the areas selected for
creating wildflower meadows are, parts of the fields alongside Boscawen Road,
the terraces above Gyllyng Street and part of the playing fields adjacent to
Dracaena Avenue.
Falmouth is one of four towns in Cornwall participating in the charity Buglife's Urban Buzz project
You could be wondering why this is happening in urbans areas
rather than in the countryside? There are a number of reasons why, the first
being is that farming practices have changed dramatically over the last few
decades. These changes in our countryside are reflected in declines of certain
species, for example farmland birds have declined by 56% in the UK since 1970.
Looking at solitary bee species a survey in 2015 found more species in
Northampton than in the surrounding countryside that included three nature
reserves. Mounting evidence suggests that urban areas are now an important
refuge for a variety of wildlife.
Nature can flourish in towns and cities - a leaf cutter bee in Kimberley Park
Another important consideration is that having a connection
with Nature can offer both physical and mental health benefits to the local
community. The science behind this is a growing area of research covering such
areas as the ways our brains responds positively to engaging with nature to how
chemicals released by plants can improve our immune system.
While these wildflower meadows will provide the opportunity
to connect with Nature to everyone whatever their age they are especially
important for children growing up in an urban environment. Hopefully these areas will stimulate their
natural curiosity and help them develop an interest in wildlife and the natural
world.
Access to the natural world to stimulate a child's natural curiosity is an essential part of their childhood. Photo: Bug Hunt held in Falmouth Cemetery 2018
I am certainly curious to see what insects will be attracted
to these areas and will not be surprised to discover species so far unrecorded
in the town. I am also hopeful that over time, species that are rarely seen
will become more common. One species I will be looking forward is the four
banded flower bee. A related species, the hairy footed flower bee is a common
sight in Kimberley Park during the spring. The four banded bee flies between
June and mid-August and is a rarer sight. With their flight period
corresponding to the peak flowering time for the new wildflower meadows I am
hoping to see an increase in their abundance over time. They are quite fast moving bees so not the easiest to film. Hats off to Charlotte Rankin who filmed this one on Cliff Road last summer.
With the seeds sown and the plants planted the clocking is
ticking down towards enjoying a wonderful summer watching these areas blossom.
Many of us lead busy lives, so much so that it is easy to let our connection with Nature slip away. This lack of interest in our local wildlife has many consequences, for what we cease to value can be so easy lost, sometimes forever. 30 days lost is a initiative by our Wildlife trusts to encourage people during June to get out and about to experience the natural world. Not only does this benefit our wildlife as people's connections with Nature are strengthened but it has measurable health benefits for those that participate. Let's go wild in June.
It is a magical spectacle of the autumn, swarms of the cranefly Dicranomyia chorea dancing in patches of sunlight towards sunset. These were filmed in Fox Rosehill Gardens in November and I have also seen them in the old parts of the cemetery above Swan Pool in early October. Could they be mistaken for faeries or pixies? I think it likely that they are one natural phenomena that may have supported the folklore.
November can seem like a rehearsal for winter as the
days shorten, temperatures fall and deciduous trees make their final
preparations for shedding their leaves. It is not though a month entirely of
gloom with Nature snuggling down to sleep through the long nights. A few wild flowers can still be found adding colour to the landscape in the milder
parts of Britain.
The plants I discovered on a walk at the beginning of
the month can be divided into four groups. The first would be the last remnants
of species that mainly flower in September and October such as Ivy and bramble
flowers. The second group are those species that take advantage of
Falmouth’s mild coastal climate to flower for much of the year, examples of
these would be Red Campion and Ivy-leaved Toadflax. A few individual
plants of spring flowering species can be enticed into flowering in autumn by
mild weather, the primroses and wood sorrel flowers I saw for example. Finally there are the winter flowering species that tend to be garden escapees for example Winter Heliotrope.
In all I spotted twelve species flowering, a reasonable count for early November.
My timetable and dismal weather during my free time this week prevented me returning to the bumblebee nest until a week after my last count. Not that the weather was inviting as I began walking to the site, the dark clouds suggested rain and the strong wind was cold. Not surprisingly I saw no honeybees, hoverflies or solitary bees about. Bumblebees generally shrug off bad weather, they are tough determined little beasts.
The only other bee seen was this queen Bombus terrestris (Buff-tailed bumblebee) feeding on heather near to the nest.
As I approached the nest the first question in my mind was, would it still be active? No one knows with certainty how long these winter colonies last. Within a couple of minutes a bee arrived and entered the nest so I began setting up my tripod and camera to film the nest.
Filming the bees entering or leaving the nest offers a number of advantages. From the perspective of personal comfort it is preferable to watch a video in the warm than stand outside conducting the count. If my comfort is of no concern, it also offers greater accuracy as the video can be replayed and examined frame by frame. Having video also offers the possibility of recounts and the availability of other people to view it.
It had rained earlier in the morning and bumblebees have a tendency not to collect wet pollen. Out of the forty bees that returned to the nest only one carried pollen. It was debatable whether the bee had collected the pollen, it was spread on its hind legs rather than rolled into a ball as usual. It returned in the last few minutes of filming and may indicated that the flower's pollen was drying out and some stuck to the hairs on the bee's leg.
The other notable observation was that one worker exited the nest but rather than flying away, turned round and re-entered the nest - see video.
Compared to last week, there were less bees seen in a similar time span. This may be due to several possible reasons. The colony size may have decreased or possibly the bee's foraging activity may have been less due to the adverse weather, wet pollen or the difference in the time of day between the two observations.
The only certainty gained by comparing both day's counting is that more data is needed. It seems I have a new task for next week's to do list.
Bombus terrestris nest - Falmouth 3rd March 2017 11.14hrs+ P/N? = unable to distinguish whether bee had pollen due to hind legs obscured
Possibly the last population in Cornwall of the Red-girdled
Mining bee lives and nests in Falmouth cemetery.
When I discovered the old parts of Falmouth cemetery on a casual walk in 2014 I had no idea of its importance as a sanctuary for wildlife. It was clear that there had been minimal maintenance for quite some time. The County Council was responsible for the general upkeep but maintenance of the graves and monuments was the responsibility of the family. Clearly many had been left by the families to go back to Nature. As a result Falmouth had been left a legacy that contained a wide variety of wildlife.
The small copper butterfly has declined by 75% in urban
locations between 1995 - 2014. Another important
species found in the cemetery.
For the past two years I have been recording the species of wild bees to be found in the cemetery. While some species can be found elsewhere in Falmouth the scarcer ones seem limited to both living and nesting in the cemetery. Many solitary bees species only forage short distances from their nests, usually a distance of about 50-200 meters depending on the size of each species. So far I have discovered 37 species of solitary bees within the cemetery, some are rare or scare both nationally and in Cornwall.
Newly emerged Queen Red-tailed bumblebee. Raised in a nest in Falmouth cemetery she visited nearby flowers to build her reserves before hibernating
The key element why the old parts of the cemetery is able to support such a rich variety of wildlife are the range of wildflowers that grow in the cemetery. From early spring to late autumn they provide both nectar and pollen. The fact that the ground is largely undisturbed also benefits ground nesting species such as most bumblebees.
The value of these parts of the cemetery to both wildlife and the local community is clearly something to be safeguarded. For this reason I have written the document you can download below. It is a guide to some of the species that can be found there together with an overview of the ecology.
While compiling my records for the old parts of the cemetery responsibility for its maintenance passed from Cornwall County Council to Falmouth Town Council. This brought about substantial changes in the way in the way the cemetery is managed. As a response I included a section on maintenance and its importance in ensuring the conservation of the wildlife in the cemetery. Having received a reply from the town council to an earlier draft I have now revised the maintenance section to reflect this.
It is my hope that this will open a debate on how best to manage the cemetery. The maintenance changes are significantly changing both the character of the old parts of the cemetery and its value to wildlife. The degree to which these are desirable are open to discussion. It is important that as many voices as possible are heard in deciding its future. The current document should be seen as an introduction to the cemetery's biodiversity. During this year I hope to be adding more records to the list of species. I also hope to build a better picture of its butterfly species and also include hoverflies. As its flora plays such a vital part in its ecology I hope to build a seasonal list of its wildflowers. This blog will keep you up to date with my progress. If you have any photos of wildlife in Falmouth that you would like to share you can be post them on the Falmouth Nature Facebook page or to Twitter including @FalmouthNature.
