Welcome to the Monthly Newsletter for the Friends of Cassiobury Park. May Birds. Saturday, 21st May, Litter Clearers - 14

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Florence Walton
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1 Newsletter 23- June 2011 Welcome to the Monthly Newsletter for the Friends of Cassiobury Park. Saturday, 21st May, 2011 Litter Clearers - 14 John Cox, our FOCP Chairman, was pleased to welcome 14 Litter Clearing volunteers on yet another dry and sunny Saturday. It was pleasing to note that this number included some new volunteers and I am sure they enjoyed their morning helping to enhance the beauty of our Park by removing unsightly litter, carelessly left by visitors and then scattered by the wind. We hope that more members will join us on the next Litter Clearing session on Saturday, 18th June. Do join us, we know you will enjoy the experience! Bridget Finch May Birds Great month for breeding and still a good time to see many species as the juveniles are often sitting around waiting to be fed or just not wised up yet to the world. In the reserve today I saw plenty of youngsters including a bunch of 5 young Great Tit together with a pair of fluffy female Blackcap - with no hungry magpie, crow or sparrow hawk nearby (at least not while I was there!). A number of mature Blackcap were still singing quite well and at least one Garden Warblerwas singing strongly perhaps still in the earlier stages of breeding. My time in the park this month has been limited but Ian Bennell has been as active as ever and highlights from his record of May birds include: Mandarin: Male and female around until at least 17th May. Female was seen with 2 chicks early in the month.but does anyone know if they survived? Common Tern: On the 12th along the river. Little Owl: 4th May Sedge Warbler: 4th May Whitethroat: Up to two in the area behind the Bowls Club from 3-12th May

This juvenile Stock Dove was near the tennis courts and being attacked by a Carrion Crow when Ian rescued it and then released it behind the Bowls Club.

2 This juvenile Stock Dove was near the tennis courts and being attacked by a Carrion Crow when Ian rescued it and then released it behind the Bowls Club. Let s hope this example of a special species for the park survived the experience. If you have any sightings to report then please send them to the FoCPbird recorder Ian Bennell at cassioburybirds@hotmail.co.uk Pete Jenkins 6th June 2011 Ring - necked Parakeets- We heard it first! Researcher Hannah Peck, from Imperial College, gave a presentation at our AGM about her PhD study into the ever - expanding population of ring- necked parakeets in the South East. Just two weeks later she featured on the BBC Countryfile programme discussing the possible impact of parakeets on song bird populations. For those of you unable to attend the AGM but interested in these squawking green invaders here is a brief resume. The parakeets, which originate from the sub-sahara and Asia, have either been released or escaped from captivity up to 40 years ago. They are now present and breeding in many countries globally. In England are found in Kent but are mainly concentrated in an arc between Leatherhead and St Albans. We are regularly seeing them in Cassiobury Park, in increasing numbers. At night they return to one of about 10 noisy roosts; from Watford they may fly back to Perivale, Southall or even Wormwood Scrubs! Hannah has organised counts every three months at all the known roost sites, simultaneously, in order to get a reliable estimate of population size. It is an amazing 31,000 increasing by 25% each year. Hannah thinks there may be a roost somewhere in NW London but has not been able to locate it. Breeding females do not return to the roosts whilst incubating eggs, so when numbers drop this may be the reason; but to complicate the issue the birds sometimes switch to a different roost.

3 Hannah s research has focused on the likely impact on agriculture and on possible competition with native bird species, for food and nesting sites. Parakeets are very adaptable feeders, eating buds, nuts, seeds and particularly apples. They like to take a few pecks from a number of different apples so are not really welcome in orchards! Her research should help to build a picture of just how problematic these birds are likely to become in the future and whether numbers may need to be controlled. Hannah is still gathering data from experiments at feeding stations in a number of gardens. Alongside nut and seed feeders, a cage has been set up which may contain a parakeet, a great spotted wood pecker or just be empty. This ensures there are controls for comparison. When the presence of a parakeet attracts other parakeets to the nut feeders native species are deterred from feeding. As yet there is no strong evidence that they are adversely affecting birds such as starlings, which share the same habitats. Owning two parakeets is a problem for Hannah because, as a non-native species, they cannot be released and they can live for 20 years in captivity! Hannah s talk was much appreciated by FoCP members, many of whom have had parakeets on their garden feeders. There is new evidence of parakeets breeding in the park from our bird recorder Ian Bennell, who spotted a fledgling putting its head out from a nest hole on June 1st. Lib Gower Lib Gower's blog... Wonderful Weeds! Late May and along came the annual bonanza, which is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - once again a sell out. If you didn t manage to get tickets to this event I hope you managed to get into Cassiobury Park to see the stunning display of azaleas and rhododendrons in the bed near the Stratford Way path. It was impossible to miss the blanket TV coverage of Chelsea and the many newspaper articles given over to all things horticultural! In a newspaper supplement, I came across an interesting page entitled Weeds - What to do about them. Let them grow I say... and not just in the wrong place! Almost all of the weeds described can be found in our LNR in the park, where they help to support wildlife in many ways, but would not be out of place in a wild corner of the garden.

Finally forking out was the solution for creeping buttercup, clover, nettle, dandelion, dock and alkanet... If we did this in the nature reserve there wouldn t be much left!

4 The gardeners were advised to pull out hairy bitter cress, garlic mustard, herb Robert, and goose grass. Then apply weed killer to couch grass, ground elder, bindweed, rosebay willow herb and creeping thistle. Finally forking out was the solution for creeping buttercup, clover, nettle, dandelion, dock and alkanet... If we did this in the nature reserve there wouldn t be much left! I have been singing the praises of many of these species for few years now in my blogs; if we want to see butterflies then we need to keep these native plants. Stinging nettles are the main food source for small tortoiseshell and peacock butterfly larvae. Garlic mustard is where orange tip females and green veined whites lay their eggs, for the caterpillars to feed.

5 First brood small whites get their nectar from dandelion flowers. Meadow browns and gatekeepers lay their eggs amongst long grasses so that the butterflies can feed on the wildflowers in grassland. Small coppers use common sorrel or dock leaves to lay their eggs. (I actually spotted some in the grass at the top end of the park last summer.) Don t get me started on thistles last year these late summer flowers were attracting very many butterflies in the reserve. The other weeds are vitally important too, for our bee populations, which have been hit hard in recent years... clover flowers, willow herb and even buttercups all provide sources of pollen (protein) and nectar ( energy) for the bees let alone the myriad of other insects which play a part in food chains. A plentiful supply of insects including moths provides food for many birds as well as bats. So if you are interested, this month here are a few weed species you might like to get out and enjoy seeing. If I just stick to pink/purple flowered ones this month, with little effort you will find lots of pungent, red-stemmed herb Robert (geranium family) growing in the damp woodland glades, red campion along the river banks and elsewhere, common mallow, with wonderful dark purple insect guide lines on its petals, by the side of the canal. (Mallow is used as a food source by painted lady caterpillars, which also use thistle and nettles). Look out for hedge woundwort, from the nettle family, with its whorls of hooded pink flowers, and finally the Himalayan balsam along the river margins, which being an invasive non native is about to be uprooted, because of its rampant spreading via floating seed pods. However some beekeepers know that this plant helps to produce wonderful honey...! Elizabeth Gower 7th June 2011

Reserve Work in June - Himalayan Balsam Clearance May I remind our Reserve Volunteers that their April and May 'lay-off' has now come to and end and we hope they will be well rested and will be keen

6 Reserve Work in June - Himalayan Balsam Clearance May I remind our Reserve Volunteers that their April and May 'lay-off' has now come to and end and we hope they will be well rested and will be keen to report for duty in June. Please note that there is a change of date for the June Tuesday group. Rob Hopkins is not available to oversee the work party on Tuesday, 14th June and will now be on site on Tuesday, 21st June. Jon Pettifer will be leading the Saturday group on the usual third Saturday, 18th June. The task for both dates will be Himalayan Balsam clearance. If there are any of you out there who would like to try some volunteering on the reserve but don't think you are fit enough why not give this one a try. Removing the Himalayan Balsam plants from the ground requires very little strength, just a slight pull and the plant comes straight out and is the left on heaps to rot down. Himalayan Balsam removal gives you very gentle exercise and is extremely therapeutic, the plants are quite tall so little bending is required. Do wear waterproof shoes though as this plant tends to grow in the rather damp ground along watercourses. I for one can recommend that you give this easy and rewarding work a try. You really will be pleased you gave it a go and the more volunteers we have to control this highly invasive exotic weed, the more Cassiobury Nature Reserve and areas downstream will benefit. We look forward to seeing you on the 18th or 21st June. Bridget Finch

alongside watercourses. Our second team will be litter clearing in the Park and in the Nature Reserve. We meet at the kiosk in the Gade Avenue Car Park, Cassiobury Park. Start 10.00 am to 12 midday.

7 Next working party... Himalayan Balsam Clearance on 18 th June at 10am One team of volunteers will be clearing Himalayan Balsam on the Nature Reserve, helping to control this highly invasive exotic weed which grows alongside watercourses. Our second team will be litter clearing in the Park and in the Nature Reserve. We meet at the kiosk in the Gade Avenue Car Park, Cassiobury Park. Start am to 12 midday. Suitable waterproof footwear recommended. Tools, litter pick sticks and black bags are provided. No previous experience required, just lots of enthusiasm. Bat Walk in Cassiobury Park on Friday, 29 th July, 2011 If you would like to see, hear and learn more about our local bats we will be meeting at the Rustic Bridge near the Langley Way entrance to Cassiobury Park at 8.45 pm Please ring the Herts & Middx. Wildlife Trust on for more information

8 Volunteer for Wildlife! Cassiobury Local Nature Reserve Volunteer Work Programme June September 2011 SATURDAY Usually meet at 10am (until 1pm)- see programme. Meet at Gade Avenue Car Park, Cassiobury Park TUESDAY Meet at 10 am (until 3pm) Meet at Rustic Bridge, Cassiobury Park (over river by Langley Way entrance) JUNE- Tuesday 21 st and Saturday 18 th Himalayan Balsam clearance and keeping paths open. Help us control this highly invasive exotic weed, which grows alongside watercourses JULY-Tuesday 12 th and Saturday 16 th Himalayan Balsam clearance, plus meadow management. 29 th July at 8.45pm - Bat walk meet at Rustic Bridge, please ring for more information AUGUST-Tuesday 16 th and 20 th Meadow Management We are aiming to get the meadows into good condition; mowing and raking will benefit many of the flowers associated with wet meadows SEPTEMBER-Tuesday 13 th and Saturday 17 th clearance As above. Meadow management and channel Saturday sessions run in conjunction with the Friends of Cassiobury Park litter clearing group

WILDLIFE SURVEY OCTOBER DECEMBER

WILDLIFE SURVEY OCTOBER DECEMBER 2013 Upper picture - Comma butterfly Lower picture - Peacock butterfly Butterflies taking advantage of the sun and ivy flowers in the first days of November Butterfly Survey