March

Featured

March is the start of meteorological Spring, a time of reawakening for nature, but sometimes with the risk of cold weather and even snow, if the Polar Vortex misbehaves. As the days grow longer and, hopefully, the temperature rises, our flora and fauna change with the season.

Read our guide ‘What to look out for in March’ by following this link.

GET CLOSER TO NATURE THROUGH ORGANISED EVENTS

Sat 23rd March          Gotham Hills in Spring

A walk with Gordon Dyne taking in Gotham Sandbanks and Woods then over onto the West Leake Hills and back down to Gotham (circa 4 miles).

Meet 10 am at the seat by the “Totem Pole” in Gotham (where Nottingham Road coming from Clifton direction turns sharp left by the Post Office shop).  what3words = madness sweeper directive.

For more information, please contact gordon.dyne@gmail.com

Sat 9th March                       Mad March Hares, Rabbits and signs of Spring    

Rushcliffe Wildlife WATCH GROUP

11:00 am – 1:00 pm.  Meet at Skylarks, Adbolton Lane, Holme Pierrepont.

For young people between 8 and 12 years old who are interested in wildlife-related activities.  Meets monthly, on every second Saturday. Charge £3 per session.

WINTER WILDLIFE TALKS PROGRAMME

Thursday March 7th:  The Plight of the Humblebee! – Louise Bentley, Lancashire Wildlife Trust

The fascinating world of bees! Prepare to be humbled at their industrious and gentle nature, intelligence and sense of community. It’s not all about the Honeybee or even the cute Bumblebee, as the UK is home to a wide range of overlooked but no less important Solitary Bees. But why do we need them and how can we help keep them buzzing and save the sound of summer? Join us to find out what you can do to help save our pollinators.

 Louise has been volunteering for Lancashire Wildlife Trust since 2011, with a particular interest in habitat creation and saving species. In 2016 she set up Bolton and Bury Swifts, and advocates for nest places for Swifts and Martins, and encourages protection of their colonies. She is also an RSPCA-accredited rehabber for grounded Swifts and Hirundines.

The talk will be available online through Zoom, and costs £4 per device (including booking fee). To book, please follow this link (which also provides details of technical requirements and the remaining talks in the Programme).

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The South Notts Local Group Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday 25th April, starting at 7.00 pm. The meeting will be on line, via Zoom, and will be followed by a free talk at 7.30 pm. Fuller details will be available shortly.

WORK PARTIES

Our local nature reserves rely on volunteers to help maintain them, and organise regular work parties.  Planned parties for March are as follows:

Sat 2nd            Wilwell Farm Cutting

Sun 3rd            Grizzled Skipper – Flawborough Footpath and Triagle

Sat 9th             Wilford Claypit                        Meadow Park

Tue 12th          Grizzled Skipper – Grange Farm Normanton-on-Soar

Sat 23rd           Springdale Wood

Sun 24th          Sharphill Wood

Details of times, etc. can be found in the Diary section of our website here, so if you have some spare time and energy please feel free to join in – you will be very welcome!

Don’t forget, you can find out more about what’s happening with nature in Rushcliffe by following us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SouthNottsWildlifeGroup

If you would like to contact us, send an email to southnottswildlife@gmail.com

 

Tree Planting exercise at East Bridgford

A farmer in East Bridgford who is interested in improving biodiversity: They are planning on planting a new 6 acre wood on the 6th and 7th January. 9am-3pm.  East Bridgford. Volunteers are needed to help with the and very welcome to drop in or go home at any point. Bring a spade if you have one. Refreshments available ….. tea, coffee, cake.

If you let us know if you can support this initiative please contact Springdale Farm, East Bridgford.  07592233575. Harvey Pickford. Gives us an idea of boots on the ground!

Grizzled Skipper Project 2023/2024 Work Party Programme

Sunday 19th November – Granby Disused Railway – hay raking/ maintenance of egg laying sites.

Tuesday 28th November – Saxondale Disused Railway Spur – hay raking/ scrub clearance.

Sunday 10th December – Grange Farm, Normanton on Soar – scrub clearance/ bare earth creation.

2024

Sunday 14th January – GCRN, Lime Sidings to Barnstone Tunnel – maintenance of egg laying sites/ scrub clearance.

Tuesday 23rd January – Flawborough Triangle – scrub regrowth clearance & treatment/ bare earth creation.

Sunday 4th February – Newstead & Annesley Country Park – scrub clearance.

Tuesday 20th February – GCRN, Rushcliffe Halt & Cutting – maintenance of egg laying sites/ scrub clearance.

Sunday 3rd March – Flawborough Footpath – scrub clearance and scallop creation/ bare earth creation.

Tuesday 12th March – Grange Farm, Normanton on Soar – scrub clearance/ bare earth creation.

If you want more details contact Christopher.Jackson@nottscc.gov.uk Notts Biodiversity Action Group Officer

East Midlands Railway and Notts Wildlife Trust working together for local wildlife

Railway stations and wildlife are two things you would not normally link together, but East Midlands Parkway is different. In a rural location, the station and car park are surrounded by over 11ha of wildlife habitat, part of a fantastic wildlife corridor linking with the River Soar and surrounding countryside.

East Midlands Railway’s Parkway Station group and Notts Wildlife Trust are looking for volunteers to help protect and develop this unique location and its wildlife.  More details can be downloaded here.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Ben Driver at bdriver@nottswt.co.uk

DaNES Insect Show 2023

Join Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Entomology Society for their 2023 Insect Show – ‘A celebration of Insects’. It takes place on Saturday 11th November at the NTU Brackenhurst Campus, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Free entry.

Click here for details

Rushcliffe Borough Council Free Tree Scheme

is open to all residents. So far this year some 700 trees have been allocated, but RBC still have some 300 that can be handed out. (Hazel, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry and Rowan). The final date for applications is 30th Sept and the trees will be despatched between Dec 2023 to Feb 2024. For more details go to https://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/news-area/free-tree-scheme-returns-for-rushcliffe-residents/

Rushcliffe has been running this scheme now for some six years and circa 10,000 have been distributed in that time. Parish Councils can also apply for up to 10 trees (I think) under a different version of the scheme.

Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Volunteer Forum 2023

The Forum is scheduled for Sat 7th Oct at Upper Saxondale Community Hall 11.15 am to 4 pm  (lunch provided). The overall theme for the day will be Community Action for Wildlife, plus an update on the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy, followed by a visit to the Saxondale Nature Reserve and Orchard.
This is open to anyone engaged with wildlife and nature conservation in Rushcliffe  so please forward it onto other membefrs of your group.
Look forward to seeing you there.
Gordon Dyne –  Chair RNCSIG

2023 Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards, which celebrates the Borough’s wonderful volunteers, businesses, clubs, organisations, environmentalists, sports clubs and athletes, and the best of its health and wellbeing and food and drink sectors. From our point of view the important category is

  • Environmental Group or Project of the Year – Acknowledging individuals, organisations or projects that have an impact in making Rushcliffe a ‘greener’ place. This could include promoting nature conservation, reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, water conservation or improving quality of life for the people of the Borough

You can make nominations via this link https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CRAs2023  

You can also make your nomination by phone by calling 0115 914 8555, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Please note the deadline for nominations is 11pm on Sunday 15th October.

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Wilwell Walk Rescheduled

NOTE this walk is recscheduled to Sat 12th Aug – Wilwell Farm Cutting in Late Summer – A stroll round the reserve to look at the sites natural history with Gordon the Warden. Meet 10 am at the Wilwell car park on the left, just before the ring road bridge on the B680 between Ruddington and Wilford (look out for reserve sign). Post Code for approx location NG2 7UT, Just Three Words = home, news, fuzzy Need more info contact gordon.dyne@gmail.com

Strange World of Fungi

Listened to an episode of “The Infinite Monkey Cage” (BBC Radio Four) about Fungi (listen to it on BBC Sounds). But the edited highlights are

The earliest fossils of fungi date to 1 bya, therefore Fungi seem to have been around before plants and animals had eveolved, Indeed Fungi are held to be closer to animals than plants and there are an estimated 3 to 6 million species on the planet (barely 10% have been documented). Fungi evolved in the icean and may have moved onto the land alongside plants, indeed may have made it possible for plants to exist on land. There are plants dated to 425 mya that show fungal connections. Fossil fungi have been found the size of a house.

The DNA of fungi is as diverse as that of a Flea and an Elephant and fungolgists have somewhat implausibly identified 23,000 different ways fungi might go about reproducing ! A distinguishing feature of Fungi is that they put themselves into their food, whereas plants and animals put food into themselves.

I have mentioned before how fungi can be active predators by setting traps and “hot pursuit, but to these we can add “harpooning” nematodes and poisoned baits. Alternatively there are parasitic fungi that take control of an insect hosts, in effect the zombie insect becoming part of the fungus.