Fancy getting involved with a bit of butterfly recording this summer?
Then you may be interested to hear about the Big Biodiversity Butterfly Count which is taking place between 4th and 12th July:
www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/BBBC
Download the ID and recording form to record the butterflies you see between Saturday 4 July to Sunday 12 July at a location of your choosing. This could be your garden, school grounds, a local park, downland, woodland or any other suitable habitat. Try to give the maximum numbers of each butterfly seen.
Please send your completed form to the address on the form or enter your results at: www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/BBBC
Do you live in Brighton?
Do you have two evenings free in August? Want to help out with a bat survey?
Ideally you will have a bat detector but if not, don’t worry, we can lend you one.
What’s the survey about?
- We are trying to find out more about bats in urban areas.
- We need surveyors to walk a survey route from their house and record the numbers of bats they hear. The survey itself takes about 45 minutes and needs to take place just before sunset.
- You don’t have to identify individual bat species.
There will be a short training session on Wed 22 July in the evening at the Booth Museum for anyone who wants to take part.
This survey is a repeat of one that took place in 2007 – all previous surveyors are welcome to take part again!
If you interested please send a message to Cath Laing containing:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your daytime and evening telephone number
- Do you already have a bat detector?
[ Email Cath ]
We brought together a keen group of twenty naturalists on May 23rd for a day of intensive surveying of different species in the West Weald Landscape Project (WWLP) area. Our efforts concentrated on two distinct sites which are the subject of new conservation work by the WWLP in the vicinity of Ebernoe and Kirdford respectively.
The enthusiasm of the naturalists resulted in long lists of new species records, spanning a great range of groups from lichens and plants through diverse types of insects to birds and reptiles. The new insects discovered proved especially interesting, including a ‘nationally notable’ black and red click beetle Ampedus elongantulus and a huge striking cranefly (or “daddy long legs”) Tanyptera atrata which represents a first record for Sussex. New records of the rare brown hairstreak and grizzled skipper butterflies also came to light.
This species information will prove invaluable in underpinning our work to advise, manage and monitor these important sites and so advance conservation on a bigger scale working in partnership with private landowners in the West Weald.
Pictures: Graeme Lyons