First flowering grass

When you are in the limestone area of Yorkshire, the first grass of the year to be noticed is the Blue Moor grass---Sesleria caerulea. This flowers from early March and whole hillsides can be turned blue; it is quite striking in its electric blue colour and anyone not familiar with grasses will wonder what plant it is. I do not know of any records in the Calder Valley as it is strictly a plant of limestone strata.

                                 Blue Moor Grass near Grassington

First flowering grass and butterflies

Our first local perennial and common grass to flower in spring is Meadow Foxtail--Alopecurus pratensis. I generally see this appear the last week in March but this year it is late and not seen until today.

If anyone is learning grasses, now is a good time to start without being confused by other grass species being around. Meadow foxtail is the first, with Sweet Vernal in a week or two.

Also seen today at Sunnybank, Todmorden were 12 small tortoiseshell butterflies, plus another 4 in the garden at home. A single Brimstone then flew by which made my day.

                  Meadow foxtail inflorescence just emerging from its sheaf.

Nocturnal Naturalists

Some of us in Calderdale out rescuing Toads, Frogs and Newts form traffic have had the following counts so far.

The main movement of Toads started on Friday 3rd April, when it warmed up to about 10C as it went dark. More were moving to their breeding ponds on 4th. These are very near the same dates as last year 2014 when I had a big count on 1st April.

Dobroyd Lane, Todmorden totals to date:
4/4/15 - toads 150, frogs 40, Palmate Newts 32, reported by Portia.

Portsmouth Dam, Cornholme
4/4/15 - 36 toads, one killed , one male Smooth Newt. From Sam.

Lumbutts, Todmorden
3/4/15 - 67 toads with no casualties, 4/4/15 44 with 2 dead. From Gordon.

Boulderclough, Sowerby
3/4/15 - 122 toads but another 10 killed, one frog, and one Palmate Newt.
4/4/15 - 85 toads with 6 killed despite 6 people patrolling (shortage of torches), 2 Palmate Newts.
(Me, Kathy, Steve Cummings, plus three others.)
5/4/15 - 118 toads but 12 killed, 4 Palmate Newts alive and one squashed. (SB and KE).

They could be coming out at dusk for  maybe a week or more if it stays mild.
Helpers need bright clothing to avoid being hit themselves, gloves such as rubber gloves, torch, a tub or bucket.
The main period of movement is about an hour just after dark.
See my earlier post for sites in lower Calderdale.

Widdop Common Lizard, 4th April 2015

A lovely coppery coloured common lizard, by Slack Stones, Widdop, early this afternoon.  Having seen a couple of common lizards on the Calderdale uplands in recent years, I started thinking how wonderful it would be if adders were present in the area.  I'm aware of a population over in Rossendale, which isn't that far away. 
I also saw a wimberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola), that flew into my car and landed on my yellow Christmas tree air freshener.  Alas it flew off as I fumbled for the camera.

Regards, C. Jepson-Brown

Elland Park Wood 01-04-2015

Michael managed to capture the first blooming Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in the wood yesterday. Hopefully this year there will be another fantastic display in a week or two for everyone to enjoy.

Michael's lovely photograph.

Where to watch for Toads on Roads - this weekend looks like being warm enough on 4th-5th April at dusk. They don't seem to move much when temperature is below 8C.

These are three sites I know of and keep an eye on in Lower Calderdale;
(If you are in Upper Calderdale, then Calderdale Countryside Dept is co-ordinating the patrol volunteers.)

1. Washer Lane, Pye Nest (Sowerby Bridge)
This used to be a huge colony and needed lots of volunteers. Lots of cars use it as a short-cut or access to houses. Far fewer toads these days since the Copley Data Centre was built and some if not most of their breeding ponds were destroyed by residents near Washer Lane. Scope for a new breeding pond on the fields but who knows who owns the land ?
      Most toads cross Washer Lane near the junction with Fixby Avenue, going over to Clearwater Lake. They cross from right to left as you look up Washer Lane.

2. Boulderclough Dam, between Sowerby (Finkle Street area) and the back road to Luddendenfoot. Most toads cross at the bottom of the lane where the culvert from the dam goes under the lane. They cross from right to left as you look downhill from Sowerby.
Danger of pedestrians being injured in narrow lane, but fewer cars than at Washer Lane.  We walk up the side lane and deposit the toads over the wall onto the grass beside the water, as it is a private fishing dam.

3. Thornhills Beck Lane, Brighouse.
In Bradford Rd, after leaving Brighouse, shortly after the Police Station, the Lane is marked on the side of a mill. Turn right down there and drive through the ford at the bottom. Thornhills Beck Lane then leads you up to Clifton/Hartshead area, but the toads cross at the bottom, near the ford, and some above the old viaduct/disused railway.  They cross from right to left as you look uphill.
     We've not yet seen many toads here but others insist there are sometimes large numbers.

Common Frog (SB)

Common Toad (SB)

Calderdale Wild daffodils

I finally got round to going and having a look at the Calderdale wild daffodils on Saturday (28th) and quite a lot were in bloom.  I also called at Derby Delph on the way back, hoping for twite, but in pretty poor weather none were seen.

Regards, Chris Jepson-Brown

Songbird nesting started

My first was a Blackbird with 2 eggs (I had seen the female sitting earlier) on 19th March at Saville Park.

Today a newly built but as yet unused Balckbird's nest at Barkisland.

In the same garden I watched a Dunnock back to it's nest with material in its beak. It soon came out and when I looked the nest was complete and may have the first egg tomorrow. I won't go to it tomorrow, but in two days it is likely to have forgotten my visit today, if it saw me. Then when the clutch is started it is unlikely to desert as long as I don't visit every day. I will only visit once to check first egg date, secondly for total clutch size, a third time to check on whether nestlings have hatched, and then well after fledging time to check on success and for any addled eggs/ repeat clutch.

The turquoise colour of Dunnocks' eggs is marvelous, and recording details of common birds nests is valuable in Integrated Population Monitoring.

Nest records with only two visits are also valuable, as long as some change takes place between the visits, and the adults' behaviour noted.

Details at www.bto.org.uk/volunteer surveys

Amphibian monitoring walk yesterday and new plant record for Cromwell Bottom

We did the annual walk around Cromwell Bottom with the amphibians in mind.
Six people turned up, four members of HSS, plus two friends, one from Robertown, the other from Leeds but a regular visitor to Sowerby Bridge. They found out about the walk through HSS publicity, one by word-of-mouth, and one on a Facebook page.

We saw a good amount of frogspawn this year, with about 40 clumps on Tag Loop, and a large raft on Brookfoot Loop, at the traditional site opposite the way in to Pixie Wood - about 100 clumps here.
We failed to find any toads - I have only seen 2 out so far this year at another busy site at Boulderclough.

A member of the public had alerted me to "about 20" newts in the path-side pond which is part of Tag Cut, just downstream of the iron-coloured spring. We saw a few, and one I netted was a Palmate.
I had taken it home the night before, so I had one ready to show people at the beginning of the walk. At home it ate 2 out of the three small frog tadpoles that were in with it. I had heard they did this; now I'm satisfied it is a fact.

These newts appeared in this pond in mid-March, which seemed early to me, but Matt Wilson of Littleborough blogged that they are one of the first amphibians to return to the ponds. Perhaps their strategy is to feed up on early frog tadpoles before breeding themselves.

I had a report of frogs having spawned in the wheel-wash where we look for newts at night in April, but we weren't able to get into the compound on this survey - I should have organised that.

                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Plant Record - Bilberry.
In Pixie Wood* there are some young Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillis plants which is surprising as the fly-ash is said to be slightly alkaline. They must be growing in a thin acidic layer of humous.
*A recent name given to part of Brookfoot Loop at Cromwell Bottom LNR, where mature birches grow with a large colony of Fly Agaric mushrooms which show well most Autumns.

Liverwort

Seen today in Centre Vale Park at Todmorden is this photo of a Liverwort in flower. I don't know liverworts but it looks very attractive with its spike 'flowers'.

On a steep shady bank in the woodland.

Native Daffodils etc.

There are various parts of Calderdale where wild daffodils used to grow, even a Daffodil Wood in Shibden Valley, but now we only know one area, near Rishworth. I saw a little group of about 7 blooms in the next valley over, above Mill Bank with Frank Murgatroyd, but haven't been able to relocate these in recent years.

Many garden varieties are being planted out into the wild, or escaping down rivers in times of flood, which is ironic, because the loss of wild ones was probably due to collection for sale to gardeners.

Native Daffodil. The flower is quite small and the leaves are glaucous and have a twist.

A single King Alfred type, an old variety, susceptible to wind damage due to its tall stem and heavy flower. All the following are wash-downs on the left bank of the Calder, in the strip of woodland above North Loop at Cromwell Bottom. An interesting area until the Balsam buries it - the seedlings have already germinated in this picture

Tete-a-tete, a modern multi-headed short variety, very commonly planted in public parks now

A tall, pale yellow variety on the edge of the Calder.

A large Mink swam past, giving me a start - I thought it was an Otter for a moment.

And a surprise find of more Autumn Crocus Crocus nudiflorus

There is some a couple of hundred yards upstream, near Park Nook Lock on the canal, but this single compact patch is nearer the old record which says near Rawson's Pool, which is presumabely the wide part of the canal below the Rawson's Arms (now offices for the clay works factory.)

Evidence of the area once being farmed, and now the marker for this new-to-me patch of Autumn Crocus.

Calder and Hebble Canal in the background.

Photos taken Wednesday 18th March.

Partial Eclipse 20-03-2015

Following on from Steve's post here are a few more pictures of the partial eclipse.

Partial Eclipse of the Sun today

Just starting - the sun's image is partly overlapping the shadow of the telescope.

You can see the bite out of it on the right of the bright disc.

Dark mark below it is dirt inside my camera.

I used an old 30x straight Optolyth telescope. I got a good image of the transect of venus across the sun a few years back, which I marked on the paper with pencil rather than photographing.

Minutes later the clouds cleared again and the bite is bigger. 

It was even possible to view it directly through a veil of clouds.

It's possible to see sunspots with binoculars in these weather conditions.

(I've had a quote for cleaning my camera - £40! Don't think it's worth it.)

Camera on full digital zoom (Lumix TZ18 compact.)

Some of the best images were reflected in the tinted (and dirty) back window of my car,

but the camera didn't pick them up.  

The moon soon passes across.

Compared with the total eclipse, which I experienced under thick cloud in Cornwall in 1999, it didn't really go dark. Then the blackbirds all went to roost, making their "jink-jink" call, and some sheep stampeded in panic, but today just two blackbirds started their evening song. It wasn't too dark to carry on weeding the garden in between taking the pictures, though there was an eerie gloom like a storm coming, and it went cooler.

Anybody else enjoy trying to record it ?

Eclipse of the sun this Friday about 8.00 am, then on Saturday, you may still get a place on this :

caring for bats

Bat care

Every year volunteers across West Yorkshire rescue hundreds of injured bats, care for them and return most to the wild. The West Yorkshire Bat Group is looking for volunteer bat careers, especially in the Calderdale area. Do you, or somebody you know, have time to care for bats? A free training course will be held on Saturday March 21st from 10am until mid afternoon in the Countryside Education Centre at Ogden Water Country Park and Nature Reserve. For more information or to book please contacthugh.firman@calderdale.gov.uk or Maggie mailto:batcarenews@phonecoop.coop

Toads out at Boulderclough

There were two toads out at Boulderclough last night; none at the Washer Lane or Brighouse sites.

There were more frogs inc about 25 males waiting in the water in a small round pond in the corner of a field at Boulderclough, among about 16 clumps of frogspawn.

We had frogs and a toad in one bucket at one point and a male frog got into amplexus with a male toad! I felt I had to get the frog off, as it was my fault. It had a surprisingly strong grip!

Birds in Centre Vale Park

There are 2 male and 1 female Greater Spotted Woodpecker flying round and 1 drumming regularly in Centre Vale Park woodland at Todmorden, also a Tawny Owl occupying a large rot hole in a mature Ash tree. 3 Nuthatches chasing each other and a pair of mallard in the stream.

Hard Shield Fern

I found a number of Hard Shield Fern (Polystichum aculeatum) 

plants today growing around a bridge in Norland Clough.

A glossy evergreen fern which is known in only a few locations in Calderdale.

The fronds are relatively long and narrow and form a fan shape.

The pinnules look like mittens with the thumb pointed upward.

Winter Flowering Heather

While searching for the Bilberry/Cowberry Hybrid on Norland Moor

I came across this winter flowering heather.

This heather is in the Erica family like our local heathers

Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix) and Bell Heather (Erica cinerea)

This is a hybrid called Darley Dale Heath (Erica x darleyensis)

It is of garden origin but has naturalised on a few moors around the country

http://www.bsbimaps.org.uk/atlas/map_page.php?spid=7298.0

It has very prominent anthers.

 Another flower adding a splash of colour on the moor top.

My first sight of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) this year.

caring for bats

Bat care

Every year volunteers across West Yorkshire rescue hundreds of injured bats, care for them and return most to the wild. The West Yorkshire Bat Group is looking for volunteer bat careers, especially in the Calderdale area. Do you, or somebody you know, have time to care for bats? A free training course will be held on Saturday March 21st from 10am until mid afternoon in the Countryside Education Centre at Ogden Water Country Park and Nature Reserve. For more information or to book please contact hugh.firman@calderdale.gov.uk or Maggie mailto:batcarenews@phonecoop.coop

Newts return and Shallon in the woods

Newts have returned to the pools at Cromwell Bottom. They arrive before the anurans (Frogs and Toads), but breed later.

This one is either Palmate Newt or Common (also known as Smooth) Newt.

Not to create confusion, but to dispel it, the Common Newt isn't the commonest in Calderdale. Far more records come in of Palmate Newts.

The Great Crested Newt doesn't ever seem ever to have been native to Calderdale. It's illegal to catch and move around the Great Crested. They are endangered and probably won't fare well if introduced into new waters.

                                                       Spot the newt competition.








                                                      It's above the camera shadow!


I saw three today. A member of the public looking for them on Sunday with a net for his children had seen about 20 in one of the Tag Cut pools.

___________________________________________________________________________


Peachysteve was interested in the Shallon, Gaultheria shallon long-established for game bird food (berries) and cover in Park Wood, Elland, then I failed to find it for him last winter. I re-found it today. It's native of North America. This patch hasn't grown much in 10 or so years. I think there's only one patch!

It also grows in Akroyd Park, Boothtown, along the sunken drive to the museum, and there's a patch below Booth Wood reservoir. I've never seen berries produced. It's in the Ericaceae, related to Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus  but has much larger leaves.

                                           Some older leaves have been attacked by a weevil.

Cafe Scientifique

In the light of the recent reporting of Ash Dieback Disease by the Yorkshire Naturalists Union, who saw it on one of their field trips near Scarborough, this is a very current topic.

To make it clear to visitors to this blog, Cafe Scientifique is an international movement, unconnected with Halifax Scientific Society, but Dean Clough who host Cafe Scientifique in Halifax, are very supportive of the Society, and several of our members attend these lectures. You need to get there early to get a seat; it's sometimes standing room only at the back.

A CaféScientifique presentation and debate:

Fungi: Friend or Foe?

With Dr. Robin Sen, Manchester Metropolitan University

Wednesday March 11th 2015 at 7:30 pm

The Cooking School Café, Dean Clough, Halifax HX3 5AX

The recent arrival of ash dieback disease caused by a fungus, Chalara fraxinea, has undoubtedly raised public awareness to the destructiveness of members of the fungal kingdom. Agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries have spent large fortunes developing fungicides and fungal antibiotics to protect crop plants, livestock and ourselves from soil borne fungal diseases. Yet these broad-spectrum antifungals lose efficacy over time and are highly toxic to non-target animals and humans because of close inter-kingdom ties between fungi and animals that share a common eukaryotic cell physiology.

I will argue for the need to take a more pro-fungal stance – to fight fire with fire, if you will. The weapon of my choice, among a massive arsenal of beneficial soil fungi, is a fungal group that was not only instrumental in the establishment of land plants over 400 million years ago but now holds urgent promise in driving a new ‘sustainable’ agricultural revolution.

Cafe Scientifique is part of a national array of voluntary talks and debates based on scientific themes to which EVERYONE is welcomed. There is no admission fee, although donations towards the speaker's expenses are requested at the end of the evening.

Café Scientifique: evening event menu

Food served 6.00 to 7.00pm. Pre-order on 01422 366516  to avoid disappointment or via info@thechefsschool.co.uk

Ciabatta Pizzas with mixed salad

Choose from:

• Roasted vegetables and halloumi cheese topped with mozzarella – £6.50

• Slow roasted pulled pork with BBQ sauce, peppers and topped with mozzarella – £6.50

• Spanish chorizo, salami, red onion with mozzarella and black olives – £6.75

Chicken Korma Curry

Served on a bed of boiled rice, accompanied with warm pitta bread and homemade chutneys – £ 7.50

Vegetable Rogan Josh Curry

Served on a bed of boiled rice, with warm Pitta bread and homemade chutneys – £ 7.50

Sharing Platter for two

Onion bhajis, vegetable samosas, lamb koftas, naan bread, olives with mixed salad and fresh yogurt dip – £9.50

Dr. Robin Sen is Reader in Soil Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology at Manchester Metropolitan University. His scientific career began at Rothamsted Experimental Station (now Rothamsted Research) in 1978 he worked with pioneers in soil microbial ecology and plant growth promoting root symbiotic mycorrhizal ecophysiology of crops. From 1987 to 2003, he worked at the University of Helsinki, Finland gaining a Ph.D and Docentship in forest soil microbiology. He went on to establish a forest microbiology research group at the Viikki Biocentre and was later awarded a 5-year Senior Research Fellowship (Academy of Finland). Between 2004-2005, he worked at the Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen as a Senior Scientist on forest soil food-web microbiology before taking up a Senior lectureship at MMU.

The next Cafe Scientifique will be on 8^th April 2015 at 7:30 pm

Stephen Andrews: “The Science of Arson”

More information on www.cafescihalifax.org

Toads on the Roads

Yes, Spring is nearly here and the toads will soon be on the move.

 

Every year in Calderdale, thousands of toads make their perilous journeys to their historic breeding ponds. Last year, hundreds of toads were saved by volunteers carrying the toads across the road in buckets, before releasing them safely. If you would like to help please contact countryside@calderdale.gov.uk , ring 01422 28 4430 or attend the toad evening to be held on 3^rd March, 7:30pm at Queens Hotel, Todmorden.

 

Hugh 

 

 

Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage

 Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage is very common hereabouts in damp woodland

but Alternate-leaved is rare.

 Here you can see an image of the Chrysosplenium alternifolium found yesterday.

Looking at the single large leaf you can see how the leaf edge cuts in,

forming lobes, and the base is heart shaped. (Above)

In contrast the leaves of Chrysosplenium oppositifolium

have a wavy edge and the base tapers into the stem. (Below)

Chrysosplenium alternifolium has leaves branching off alternately (below).

Whereas Chrysosplenium oppositifolium bears leaves in opposite pairs.

Walk this Wednesday and March Meetings

Meet at the New Lodge Fisheries on the middle road of Savile Park Moor, Halifax at 10.00am on Weds 25th Feb for a walk in

                                  HARDCASTLE CRAGS

To share cars as much as possible.  I have three seats spare in mine as I write. The walk will be about 3 hours. Bring packed lunch and something waterproof to sit on.

Ring or text Mobile 0771 500 5379 to confirm meeting place at Hardcastle Crags. (Either Midgehole or Widdop Road.)

Snow is forecast for today Sunday, so it may still be lying on Wednesday, which always makes the Crags a wonderful place for scenery.

                     

     Hardcastle Crags - Slurring Rock Trail in April.

The Slurring Rock is the big sloping one which  it is said children used to be able to slide down when they wore metal-shod clogs. You can see the worn slope, and it is just about possible to slide down it with modern boots using leaf-litter on a dry day..

                                              ________________________

Report on the walk above: Five people walked from Midgehole up the river path to Gibson Mill, up the track to the calcareous rock outcrop, left down the narrow track to the top footbridge in the Crags (where we picnicked, then back to the mill down the river path. On reaching the mill we took the main track back to the car park.

A GREAT FIND !

We looked at the main known botanical hot-spots. A brilliant find was when I pointed out where the elusive Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage
was once known, but for many years and for many eyes it has been unfindable.

Peachysteve bent down and immediately found a plant, and we confirmed there is a quantity of it, lurking among the ubiquitous Opposite-leaved species.

We were back in Halifax by 3.00pm.

                                           ___________________________

During the coming month, Halifax Scientific Society is proud to bring

                                 TIM MELLING   of the RSPB to the town on 10th March.

He will be giving a presentation on NATURE IN THE PENNINES at 7.15 in the comfortable downstairs meeting room of the Halifax Central Library. A lift gives access to this floor with the help of the caretaker.

This is the monthly meeting of the HALIFAX Scientific Society
                                                            WILDLIFE GROUP to which all members of the public are welcome. There is no charge, but donations are welcome to help pay for room hire.

Members of the public can enroll to be members of the society at these meetings, which is one of the ways to join, Otherwise you can start attending walks which take place once or twice a month. There are phone numbers behind the "Joining & Walks and Talks" tab at the top of this blog with more details of the whole year to come.

The walk arranged for March is to Cromwell Bottom on 28th March with practical explanation of how to survey for amphibians. Meet at 10.30 for 10.45 at the Anglers' Car park. (Look for the brown nature reserve sign.) Bring packed lunch and something waterproof to sit on at lunch time

.

Shibden Park today

Greylag Goose obviously used to being near people
Three Mute Swans inc one juv.
c. 100 Black Headed Gulls inc one with it head black already
2 Coot
8 Moorhens including 4 on the pond up at the Hall
Strange variety of hybrid ducks inc one like a monster Ring-necked about 50% too big!

Greylag Goose

Hybrid duck  - with Ring Necked blood maybe . . .

At home among the Jackdaws is this one with white primaries. I've had other distinctive ones including one with an overgrown lower mandible. It could feed from the ground only by putting its head on the side. I recently had a variegated one on the roof, about 50% white, very like one I saw in Halifax town centre last year.