|
Rare Bee found on Wick! Last September, a chance visit by Bumblebee experts Ted Benton and John Dobson confirmed that the Wick was home to numerous individuals of the rare Shrill Carder Bee (Bombus sylvarum). So called because it has a rather loud, 'shrill' buzz in flight, while 'carder' comes from the world of spinning wool. They use their legs to comb moss to make a nest! It had recently been found at St. Peter's, Bradwell, so it is not that surprising that it has crossed the Blackwater estuary to Tollesbury! It was once a widespread and common species in southern England, but post 1960 saw a dramatic decline to just 7 sites by the 1980's and possibly just 3 sites by 1997 when it was considered close to extinction in Britain. It is now a UK BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) priority list species. The plight of this bee reflects the bigger picture for most of our Bumblebees today. Not very long ago, Bumblebees were prolific and a feature of the British countryside. Today, the situation is very different. In recent decades, the continuing disappearance of large tracts of suitable farmland habitat has increasingly put their survival under threat. Now, only six out of sixteen species are to be found easily - and even then in smaller numbers than previously. So treasure these beneficial bees when they visit your garden and leave them a few ‘rough’ , corners for Bumblebee favourites like White Dead Nettle, Black Horehound and Foxgloves to flourish. Interested in the marine environment? Would you like to get involved with conserving our marine environment? Volunteers with an interest in marine wildlife conservation are required to help undertake intertidal surveys of the coastline in a new marine project called Shoresearch. No previous experience is required as volunteers will be professionally trained to help them identify and record the marine animals, plants and habitats found on our coast. A full programme of events will be taking place around the Blackwater Estuary throughout 2008 beginning at the end of March, with classroom training followed by a survey of a local beach. The information gathered through the Shoresearch programme will then be used to assess and monitor the state of the marine environment, and to recognise those habitats and species in need of urgent protection. This is a great opportunity to get involved with wildlife conservation and to make a difference! For more information go to www.essexbiodiversity.org.uk and/or contact either: Michelle Hodge (Shoresearch Co-ordinator) - Email: michelleh@essexwt.org.uk or Gen Broad (Essex Biodiversity Project Co-ordinator) - Tel: 01621 862981 Email: genevieveb@essexbiodiversity .org. uk A date for your Diary Once every two years, in conjunction with the Essex Birdwatching Society, we organise a special lecture in memory of one of Essex Wildlife Trust's most influential founder members, Geoff Pyman. This year we are delighted that one of the country's foremost experts on the impact of climate change on wildlife, Dr. Tim Sparks (from the Government's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Monks Wood, Huntingdon) has agreed to give this lecture on the subject of "Bird Migration And Climate Change". Dr. Sparks has been tracking the influence of climate on all aspects of the natural environment for many years, long before global warming entered the public consciousness. He has been studying such things as changing flowering and leafing dates, butterfly emergence, and the first nesting and migration dates of birds - the science of phenology. The lecture will take place at the Town Hall, Maldon at 8.00 pm. Refreshments will be available. Tickets costs £5 and are available from Mike Sandison - Tel 01621 741351 ( evenings) or email mikesandison1@waitrose.com
About the Essex Wildlife Trust It is a charity established in
1959, and one of the 47 county Wildlife Trusts affiliated to the Wildlife
Trusts Partnership working to benefit our national wildlife.
|
|
| Links: Front Page Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 |
