Surveys
There are numerous surveys of different sorts of wildlife going on at present. If you can help with any of the following, it would be much appreciated. Some only need simple answers sent via a letter or the Internet. Others need a little more work.
Apologies that this page has not been updated on a regular basis - it's been a difficult summer, one way or another!
HELP REQUIRED
The chytrid fungus, a disease which attacks amphibians, has been discovered among natterjack toads in Cumbria. The Herpetological Conservation Trust would like people to report any dead or dying frogs, toads or newts to them on 01202 391319.
1. Parish Pond Survey
This survey is being run by the charity Pond Conservation. It aims to find out how many ponds there are, where they are, what they are like, and what lives in them. The information is collected on a county basis, then fed into a national database created and maintained as part of the National Pond Monitoring Network. Details of historic records and new ponds being created will all help to gauge past and future changes. It does not matter whether the ponds are natural or manmade, in the countryside or urban areas, and they can range in size from one square metre to two hectares (about 5 acres).
There are still a lot of ponds in this area, but they have not been surveyed properly for some years. Many members also undoubtedly have ponds in their gardens. These too are of interest, but there are standard forms for recording details. To obtain a form, or for more information, please contact Trevor Brawn on 01494 774945.
Further information is also available at http://www.pondstrust.org.uk/
This survey is continuing, so any records will be welcome.
2. The Harlequin Ladybird Survey
Members may remember the fascinating talk the Society had in June 2006 about ladybirds, when Peter Brown told us about the invasion of an alien species, the Harlequin Ladybird, so-called because of its very varied appearance. A website has been set up for people to notify sightings of Harmonia axyridis, which they describe as 'the most invasive ladybird on Earth'. That this matter is being taken very seriously is shown by the fact that the project is being funded by a coalition of the National Biodiversity Network, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The map on the website shows how very quickly the ladybird has spread throughout the country since its first sighting.
http://www.harlequin-survey.org/default.htm
This survey is also continuing, and it is very important to notify sightings if our native ladybirds are to survive. It is imperative to know how far the "invaders" have spread. (See also the next Survey.)
3. UK Ladybird Survey
This project is funded by the same bodies as the Harlequin Ladybird Survey, and also involves the Biological Records Centre, the University of Cambridge, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (where Peter Brown works), and Anglia Ruskin University. Its aim is to 'facilitate the recording of all the UK's ladybirds. It includes information on how to identify the 46 species of ladybird found in the UK, of which only 26 are readily recognisable. The 2006 report is available.
http://www.ladybird-survey.org/default.htm
4. Bluebell Survey
In 2003 the plant conservation charity Plantlife asked members to help with a survey of bluebells, trying to distinguish between the native Bluebell Hyancinthoides non-scripta, the Spanish Bluebell Hyancinthoides hispanica and an apparently fertile hybrid Hyacinthoides x massatiana. Genetic work done by the Natural History Museum has shown that the physical characteristics described in many wildflower guides are not necessarily the ones that allow us to differentiate between modern hybrids and the Spanish Bluebells. They have developed a new set of physical characteristics to aid identification and they therefore would like people to look at and record bluebells when they are out and pass the information back to help to refine the new key. Together with genetic studies this will help to show how much of a threat our native species is under from the hybrids and Spanish bluebells. Further details of the surveys can be seen on the following link: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/survey-bluebells/
5. HogWatch Survey
Members may have sent records of sightings (or lack of them) of hedgehogs over the last two years to The People's Trust for Endangered Species. The results are now available, and confirm that there does indeed seem to be a decline in hedgehog numbers, especially in the east of the country, where they have been more numerous. The full report can be seen at:
http://www.hogwatch.org.uk/Downloads/HogWatchSurveyReport.pdf
This survey has, however, been criticised by a member of the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre panel: "I am not at all impressed by the science behind this survey. It suggests that supposed declines are linked to tidier gardens and increased urbanisation over 'the last five years'. Yet no evidence to support this link is provided. I would not be surprised if these factors had an impact, but I can't see them affecting the population of hedgehogs on such a large scale.
"What surprises me the most is that no mention at all is made of the impacts of climate. The authors of the report are unable to explain why hedgehog declines appear to have been greatest in the east of England. Surely it is no coincidence that this is also the driest part of Britain?
"Here in Hyde Heath, I've informally monitored hedgehogs for years in three ways: whilst walking my dog on the same route every night, observations in the garden in the evening (triggered by an automatic light) and by observing hedgehog faeces during the day.
"In common with many smaller insectivores, hedgehogs bred very successfully in our garden in 2000 and 2001, but not in 2002 when we redesigned it and rotovated the whole lot. Hedgehogs were seen regularly throughout 2003 and less regularly in 2004, but following severe spring and summer droughts, hedgehog numbers declines to virtually none between 2005 and 2006. Hedgehog faeces were no longer present for most of 2006 and I only recorded one hedgehog killed on the roads in my village.
"This year, despite the dry start, hedgehog numbers have increased dramatically. I lost my dog in February but still walk the route (also recording Glis glis). Over the last couple of months, hedgehogs have been seen every night and faeces have been present on lawns and pavements every time I've looked. This is in very stark contrast to the last two years. My guess is that hedgehog numbers can fluctuate dramatically from year to year according to climate, with droughts reducing food availability. Reeve (1994) says that there are no studies confirming whether hedgehogs raise two litters in a favourable season. But he also notes that in Sweden, where reproductive lifespan is limited by harsher climate, litter sizes are larger than in mild Britain. If litter size is triggered by hedgehog density (rather than by some internal barometer for climate), could this mean that hedgehogs breeding this year had larger than normal litters (seven or eight rather than four or five) and the damp weather resulted in improved litter survival?
"Unfortunately, hedgehogs are poorly studied and I can find nothing in the literature about the implications of drought for hedgehog mortality (most studies focus on the implications of severe cold winter weather, rather than excessively hot summers). Reeve suggests that hedgehogs would find it hard to cope in seasonally dry areas of Europe without the help of humans, since they apparently shift their distribution to irrigated areas in dry weather.
"Perhaps the hogwatch people will look at these issues in the future. For now, the conclusions look rather amatuerish and geared towards publicity rather than good research." Trevor Lawson, Red Fox Media.
6. MoleWatch
The Mammals Trust UK is anxious to learn more about the habits of moles. They say surprisingly little is known about them, probably because they are seldom seen, although gardeners and farmers curse the results of their activities! There are no detailed distribution maps for moles in the UK even, so MTUK is asking for details of molehill locations. This will not provide numbers of moles per hill, but it is at least a start to know where it is worth looking in more detail. Further information and a survey pack from nida@mtuk.org
7. Mammals on Roads
This is an annual survey run by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). "Each year, Mammals on Roads draws upon the efforts of hundreds of volunteers nationwide, and in this, its seventh year, it is to new and longstanding volunteers alike that we turn again. The many thousands of records collected each year enable long-term changes in some of Britain’s mammal populations to be followed, and by doing so feed into efforts to better understand and conserve these species."
"A few reminders about how to do the survey: only routes of 20 miles or more should be surveyed and, even if no mammals are seen, please include the journey in your records, as this information is as important as positive sightings. If you can resurvey journeys made in previous years, please do so, but remember that you should not record the same route more than once in any 30-day period. Journeys should be between the start of July and the end of September and whether you survey a single journey or many, every record is valuable. If you require additional survey forms, the form may be photocopied. Alternatively, copies can be requested by calling the number above or can bedownloaded from our website at http://www.mtuk.org/"
8. Plant Invaders
The charity Plantlife International has been surveying invasive plants, with particular emphasis on aquatic plants. If you see any of the problem species in the wild, they would like details of where they were seen. They also encourage people to ask retailers to stock native, non-invasive species and to label plants properly, and above all not to buy invasive species or throw them out where they could take root in the wild. The Plantlife website has further details and a list of alternative plants for the pond.
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/plantlife-campaigning-change-invasive-plants.html
