by David Hall | Mar 7, 2017 | Uncategorised
Nineteen members joined me in the car park at The George, Bathampton, on a calm and sunny morning. Here, some saw a Buzzard being mobbed by Jackdaws and I heard and saw one Redwing. We encountered more corvid species along the first section of the walk; Carrion Crow...
by David Hall | Feb 5, 2017 | Uncategorised
I enjoyed a walk around Prior Park National Trust Gardens yesterday and had a wonderful close encounter with a female Kingfisher at the top pond below Prior Park College. She was sitting on the stone edge and dived three times, each time successfully catching a...
by David Hall | Jan 15, 2017 | Uncategorised
As the last of the sun shone down on Ham Wall, the Starlings poured across the sky, and into the reeds….. Thanks to Glen...
by David Hall | Nov 30, 2016 | Uncategorised
Leader Phillip Delve Under blue sky, on a beautiful frosty morning, eleven of us met at Barton Farm. The farm features many buildings recorded in the late 1360s including the large Tithe Barn. We began with a quick look inside the barn; with its wide, clear span...
by David Hall | Nov 12, 2016 | Uncategorised
On a “soft“ day a select group of five braved the pot-holed track to Lower Woods. I outlined the recent history of this ancient woodland, which has been retrieved from dereliction to an active coppice area of 700 acres by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. We...
by David Hall | Oct 29, 2016 | Uncategorised
Anonymous post Spotted an otter feeding between Churchill Bridge and the pedestrian bridge at the back of the bus station at 0945 on 29/10/16. It was totally unfazed by me watching. It was swimming between the two bridges coming up with a fish every few minutes and...
by David Hall | Oct 26, 2016 | Uncategorised
Nine of us gathered for this meeting in overcast but otherwise bright, dry and calm conditions. We were in for something of a fungal treat, with over 50 species being recorded in the morning, including several notable finds in this mixed woodland with many sweet...
by David Hall | Oct 23, 2016 | Uncategorised
After a cold, misty start, the day became gradually clearer and brighter, but with an increasing breeze. Marion and I arrived at 9 am and were driven down to the Old Lodge by Beth Weston, to set up our Bath Nats display. As in previous years, we brought a large...
by David Hall | Oct 9, 2016 | Uncategorised
Redlead Roundheads and Water Rails On a bright morning 13 of us gathered with the day’s intention to improve our knowledge of fungi in waterside habitats as well as enjoy the bird life of Chew Valley Lake. Our first impression was that the recent dry weather...
by David Hall | Sep 15, 2016 | Uncategorised
An enthusiastic group of a dozen naturalists met at Folly Farm in glorious autumn weather, for a day spent studying a wide range of plants, fungi and lichens. We started by looking at lichens on Ash and Oak bark, Spangle Galls on Oak and the amazing pure white...
by David Hall | Aug 31, 2016 | Uncategorised
A Fine Day Out in Friary On the morning of Wednesday 31st August a group of around 24 members met at Friary, Hinton Charterhouse, by kind invitation of Penny Williamson. Penny has lived at Friary for about 5 years and has a keen interest in the conservation of the...
by David Hall | Aug 18, 2016 | Uncategorised
The combination of summer warmth and moisture is beginning to bring some of the larger fungi out into the open. Already we have seen many examples of large Dryad’s Saddles (Polyporus squamosus), but today, during a walk around Castle Combe we were pleased to see a...
by David Hall | Jul 29, 2016 | Uncategorised
I saw this Hedgehog in my garden one evening this week. A neighbour said it was one of six he had in his garden earlier this year and he calls it/him/her Fred! Andrew...
by David Hall | Jul 26, 2016 | Uncategorised
On a visit to Bath today, 26th July, we were looking along the Avon at the railway bridge opposite Royal Mail , for the peregrines , and looking down into the shallows at numerous fish swimming amongst the discarded shopping trolleys . We then saw an otter eating a...
by David Hall | Jul 24, 2016 | Uncategorised
Good weather encouraged 26 members to meet at Woodchester Park, Nympsfield, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, for the Society’s first Field Outing there. It was particularly good to welcome 2 new members who we hope to welcome to more meetings in the not too distant...
by David Hall | Jul 14, 2016 | Uncategorised
This might be of interest to the members? The weather being warm and wet (summer!) it is also a good time to find myxomycetes (other than outside the Podium!). On my regular walk at Newton St Loe I have this week found two species of myxomycete fruiting on old very...
by David Hall | Jul 5, 2016 | Uncategorised
As part of Bath Nats’ contribution to this year’s Bath Festival of Nature in Royal Victoria Park, Marion and I led a group of members of the public on a short ‘Wildlife Walk’ around the area in the vicinity of the Bandstand, where the event took place. At the outset I...
by David Hall | Jun 26, 2016 | Uncategorised
Judging by the number of fungal fruit bodies I have been finding popping up recently in local woods, fields and lawns, it’s almost as though autumn is already with us! Amongst these have been a very special and beautiful find, in Gully Wood, near Bathford. This is the...
by David Hall | Jun 13, 2016 | Uncategorised
Leaders : Rod and Liz Thomas This meeting, a follow-up from April 2014, was attended by 12 members and one grandchild. Despite the ominous forecast the morning was dry and warm but overcast. We had a circular walk with a variety of habitats including shaded woodland...
by David Hall | Jun 4, 2016 | Uncategorised
Here are some shots taken by me of Cottony Cushion Scale insect (Icerya purchasi) on the trees outside back of M&S in Bath today. Marion Rayner This scale infests twigs and branches. The mature hermaphrodite is oval in shape, reddish-brown with black hairs, 5 mm...
by David Hall | May 28, 2016 | Uncategorised
As part of the celebrating 25 years of gardening at The Bath Organic Community Garden (BOG) Bath NATs had the chance of an early morning visit to the garden which is found near Victoria Park. Together with volunteers from BOG we explored a green urban space dedicated...
by David Hall | Apr 25, 2016 | Uncategorised
Three photographs of an extensive fruiting of a slime mould on the “shreddings” spread under some Alder trees outside Waitrose/Podium. From a distance it looks lke some ashy deposit on the compost, but closer observation shows they are massed sporangia...
by David Hall | Apr 21, 2016 | Uncategorised
We had a good 4 hours listening and watching birds in this fantastic wetland habitat, mainly focussing on warblers. We enjoyed the deep, Basso Profundo “booming” male Bitterns and the delightful “trilling” call of Little Grebe. The high pitched “scream” of a newly...
by David Hall | Apr 10, 2016 | Uncategorised
Natural Neighbourhood Watch in Limpley Stoke and Freshford A large turnout of about ten Bath Nats members and forty local residents gathered at St Mary’s Church for the start of this event under a mostly cloudy but dry sky. After a short introductory talk in...
by David Hall | Apr 2, 2016 | Uncategorised
Twenty members gathered for this first walk from Compton Dando towards Chewton Keynsham in the River Chew Valley. The route had had to be carefully chosen due to the very muddy under-foot conditions after so much winter rain. A singing Chiffchaff entertained us before...
by David Hall | Mar 27, 2016 | Uncategorised
Nice find at Combe Down Willow Tit, Summer Lane, Combe Down, Bath 27 March 2016 Thanks to Paul...
by David Hall | Mar 20, 2016 | Uncategorised
Leader: Glen Maddison I was hoping for some good weather to be able to attract a good turnout of members, but was very disappointed to wake up to a cold, grey and breezy day. At least it wasn’t raining! Therefore, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find 17...
by David Hall | Mar 12, 2016 | Uncategorised
Sixteen Bath Nats members were joined rather unexpectedly by sixteen Open University Geology Group members outside Saltford Post Office on a morning of hazy sunshine, posing quite a challenge for our leader, Simon Carpenter, to manage. After crossing the railway line...
by David Hall | Jan 17, 2016 | Uncategorised
Family of two adults and two young seen at Pulteney Weir last week. Thank you Sandra Le Marchant for the...
by David Hall | Jan 16, 2016 | Uncategorised
During a birding trip to the Forest of Dean on 16 January with Tom Rogers and Bill Bristow we (or rather Bill) found this strange fungus in a wood near Park End sprouting out of a slot in a short stick on the ground. It initially looked like a discarded paper...
by David Hall | Jan 8, 2016 | Uncategorised
Leader Phillip Delve As 10 of us assembled in the car park under blanket cloud, a flock of Siskins flew past us, which on landing in a distant tree were difficult to see against the light. Upon entry to the collection, we headed for Martin Smith Hide to view the “Tack...
by David Hall | Dec 9, 2015 | Uncategorised
Leader: Chris Woods 22 members met in a chilly car park in the hollow of Ford on a promising sunny morning, after the high winds of storm Desmond. Water Forget-me-not in flower was the first of several late flowering plants seen in the morning, as we started our walk...
by David Hall | Dec 2, 2015 | Uncategorised
Here’s a couple of photographs, taken by Marion, of an uncommon fungus, Poplar Fieldcap (Agrocybe cylindracea) we found yesterday, fruiting on the root of a poplar tree in Green Park, Bath. Alan...
by David Hall | Nov 7, 2015 | Uncategorised
A very wet and windy morning gave way to a drier, calmer afternoon just in time for the start of our meeting in this beautiful ancient woodland, but perhaps not in time to encourage any Bath Nats members to join me and Marion as we started out from the Quarry car park...
by David Hall | Oct 25, 2015 | Uncategorised
Following a wet, cloudy, Saturday, the weather for our 2015 Autumn Nature Day at Dyrham Park, simply could not have been better: brilliant sunshine and light breeze after a chilly start. So it was with some optimism that Marion and I arrived amidst wonderful autumn...
by David Hall | Oct 17, 2015 | Uncategorised
A group of nine of us gathered opposite the exit to Lansdown Park & Ride car park on a cool, grey but dry morning. While waiting, Alan Rayner showed some specimens of Tricholoma, Inocybe and Clitopilus fungal species gathered in the car park itself, and pointed...
by David Hall | Oct 12, 2015 | Uncategorised
Barred Sallow (Tiliacea aurago), Combe Down, Bath 4-10-2015 Wingspan 27-32 mm. Mainly distributed in the south and south-east of England, it occurs locally as far north as northern England. It inhabits wooded valleys, downland and southern heaths, and flies in...
by David Hall | Oct 8, 2015 | Uncategorised
Scalloped hazel (Odontopera bidentata) caterpillar Family: Geometridae A truly striking caterpillar, camouflaged against lichen that grows on trees on which it feeds. Caterpillars of this family are often known as ‘loopers’ due to the absence of legs in...
by David Hall | Oct 4, 2015 | Uncategorised
As a continuation of Bath Nats outreach work with Dyrham Park we took our display boards and orchard related specimens for this weekend event. The weather was dry and chilly, but a gazebo was provided that gave us a good base amongst the pear trees and other orchard...
by David Hall | Sep 30, 2015 | Uncategorised
In September last year, during the Bath Nats meeting at Chew Valley Lake, we came across Alder Bolete (Gyrodon lividus), a red data list fungus seldom recorded in the UK. Yesterday (28/9/2015), we took advantage of a lovely, sunny afternoon to amble along the lakeside...
by David Hall | Sep 27, 2015 | Uncategorised
Leader: Alan Feest A party of 18 met at the start of the visit (including a number of new members) and Alan F explained that Englishcombe Parish was lucky in that it had not only three Ancient Woods (Breach, Middle and Vernham Woods) and that Breach Wood was...
by David Hall | Sep 22, 2015 | Uncategorised
Field digger wasp (Mellinus arvensis) with prey © Ian Redding Family: Crabronidae A common digger wasp, typically associated with sandy habitats. This one was amongst several other species of diggers between woodland and pasture, around an old wood pile. The adult...
by David Hall | Sep 12, 2015 | Uncategorised
On Saturday 12 September Richard Pooley came along to The Hop Pole Inn in Limpley Stoke to set a moth trap for the Limpley Stoke Moth Day being organised by the Freshford and Limpley Stoke Environment Working Group (FLEWG). The contents of the trap were examined the...
by David Hall | Sep 9, 2015 | Uncategorised
Metalampra italica 28.008 (BF642a) Female This moth was caught by one of our moth group members, by Paul Wilkins, and is a first record for Somerset (VC6) Gen Det. First recorded in Britain in 2003, originally a native of Italy and spreading northwards. Feeds under...
by David Hall | Sep 5, 2015 | Uncategorised
A party of eleven members met in the layby west of Marshfield and proceeded then on minor roads and footpaths, northwards mainly, to observe birdlife. During the course of the three hours we were out we observed a total of twenty four species of bird. It was pleasing...
by David Hall | Aug 28, 2015 | Uncategorised
Entomophthora muscae (232/365) Family: Entomophthoraceae A hoverfly has become a food source for a fungus. Upon infection, the fungus causes behavioural changes in the host, leading to ascent of a blade of grass before death. This allows the spores to be broadcast...
by David Hall | Aug 20, 2015 | Uncategorised
. The mocha (Cyclophora annularia) Family: Geometridae An attractive moth that feeds on field maple (Acer campestre). This was one of at least three individuals taken at a light trap left overnight in Prior Park Landscape Gardens by the Bath Natural History Society. ....
by David Hall | Aug 19, 2015 | Uncategorised
Twelve members made an early start in the delightful surroundings of Prior Park Gardens adjacent to the lower lake to examine, identify and study the contents of a moth trap left overnight close to the lake and surrounding trees. Before looking at the moth trap we...
by David Hall | Aug 8, 2015 | Uncategorised
Leaders: Alan Barrett and Geoff Hiscocks This was a joint meeting between Bath Nats and the Somerset and Bristol Branch of Butterfly Conservation. On a glorious sunny day, 22 of us (about equal numbers from each group) met in Stockhill car park opposite Priddy...
by David Hall | Jul 29, 2015 | Uncategorised
Micromus variegatusFamily: Hemerobiidae A predatory brown lacewing in woodland near Brown’s Folly, outside Bath, UK. This 8mm long insect is identified by the pattern on the wings. © Ian Redding Lacewing larva (probably Micromus variegatus) Family: HemerobiidaeA...
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