BS3 Wildlife News

• Liaising more closely with park support groups and others with connections to large spaces. We already have some links, but members are urged to use their links to support groups. Can we use their noticeboards, social media etc to encourage the promotion of wildlife habitats.
• Members discussed the My Wild Street project and agreed to talk to their neighbours about involving their street. Other streets are also being approached. Also looking at My Wild Park; My Wild Community Garden/Orchard and even My Wild Churchyard.   More news later, if there is any. More News! Since the meeting, Bedminster Patchwork Group have pledged their five community gardens and two orchards to enhanced wilding as part of My Wild Bedminster. We are also talking to other community gardeners in BS3.
• Continue to work closely with SB Voice, The Pigeon and other media outlets such as Radio Bristol as a way of attracting more members and letting people know what we are doing.  Let me know if you can help with this.
• Build up our membership, but also encourage existing members to become recorders. So far, we have focused on winter garden birds, butterflies and moths. Out of around 70 members, 17 supplied bird records last winter. Our butterfly monitors went up from 3 to 5 back gardens and moths monitors from zero to 1.    We had records for 4 large paces in 2018, twice as many as in 2017. Although random sightings are useful, even more useful are more systematic observations in places that people visit on a regular basis, say, at least 10 times a year, ie back gardens, parks and allotments. Of our 100 moths reported, 96 species came from one back garden and its moth trap.
• We can look at other creatures, if people want to do that. It’s up to you.  
• Peter made the point that nil reports can also be useful. Too often recently, presumed common species across the UK have been taken for granted. Nobody bothers to say if they are about or not, until suddenly, people begin to realise that once plentiful creatures are now become very rare. The later we are in noticing these declines, the more difficult it becomes to bring the creatures back. As our Species Recorder, it’s Peter’s task to ensure that everything that you report is registered nationally via BRERC (Bristol Environmental Record Centre, I think).
• People wanted to work with primary schools, or at least one. I know that some discussions are going on, but so far firm links have not been made. Do you have a local school that might work with us? My Wild School. Could we/should we seek funding to undertake this work?
• A few specific areas were mentioned for improvement. In particular, one was the Malago leading from Dundry to the Avon New Cut. Parts are quite wildlife friendly and others are grim, including the section that flows through BS3. The development of Bedminster Green may be helpful (or not) for part of the stream, but when? Is this something for which we could seek funding as a significant project in cooperation with other organisations?
• It was also pointed out that there are three local nature reserves on our doorstep. They are the Avon New Cut, the Northern Slopes and the Manor Woods Valley. All three have support organisations. It’s suggested that we might visit all three during 2019 for some nature spotting. Peter is already suggesting possible dates to visit Manor Woods, but is unsure about timing: evenings, Sunday morning/afternoon. What do people think?   More information about possible visits will be in future newsletters. We’ll also carry information about the three areas if people send it in.
• People are interested in Duncan and his moth trap and suggested a visit. Duncan is up for that, so more news later. Is anyone else interested in a moth trap?
• A few recorders now have butterfly nets. These are a great help in identifying mobile species.
• There are various specialist groups in Bristol that we might team up with. For example, might the Bristol Bat Group lead a walk (with bat detectors) in one of our parks? Victoria Park perhaps?
• What other groups might we link up with?
• Identification charts published by the Field Studies Council were circulated. These are simple, easily carried and cheap (c£3-4 each) and include pictures of all sorts of creatures. We looked at ones devoted to hawkmoths, butterflies, spiders and much more.    See www.field-studies-council.org .
• Some people have identification and wildlife books that they might share. If so, we can advertise these in future newsletters.

 Please pass this newsletter on to other people and invite them to join the BS3 Wildlife Group. It’s free!!  

Contact: MyWildBedminster@virginmedia.com