The Crucifix Beetle

There were two wildlife stories that I read about yesterday that have real relevance to my local countryside and woodland. The first was that the National Trust have rediscovered the Crucifix Beetle in Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire after an absence of more than fifty years. Now I know that is a couple of hundred kilometres from me here, (as I am aware that the geographers among you will swiftly point out). But last year I had seen this same Beetle in Chopwell wood. However, while I knew it was rare, I had not realised that it is one of the Rarest Beetles in the UK.

This discovery shows just how important our little wood is to wildlife, diversity and habitat. The other story is about another rare creature that does live in the local woods. While I may have seen one when I first moved here and started exploring the woods, it was so brief a glimpse of an Adder that I could not be sure. However, when talking to the Ranger, I discovered that it was in the location of a known but elusive colony.

Anyway, The Herpelogical Conservation Trust are asking for people to send in details of sightings of Adders so that a conservation plan can be drawn up.

A link to The Herpelogical Conservation Trust web site

Photo Credit; my thanks to F Koehler for the picture.

Forest Fungi

Here's a little clip of some filming that I shot when I first moved to the village, before the camera I was using decided to become indisposed. Not brilliant I know but I was just learning and this was my first attempt at filming.

Woodcock

While I do believe in having the freedom to roam, that has to be balanced with the rights of the owners of the land. Therefore I very pleased when I got permission to access the land owned by one of the farmers that abuts Chopwell wood. However as the farmer has sheep that are due to lamb shortly, that direct access has to wait until the lambing is over.

Often just by talking to these people I find that they can provide me with valuable information regarding wildlife activity. Thus armed I went out very early this morning to see if I could see Hares. One of the areas where they are active is right on fields that border the wood. Therefore, I could stay in the cover of the trees to wait for them. That required getting down to the location before dawn.

As high winds and gales were forecast, I had no idea if I would be able to carry this out, so I set the alarm for three AM, and went to bed. There was wind and rain, but I judged that the winds were not dangerous. Walking through the woods at night can be magical, however this early morning I really did feel spooked as every creak of a bough made me nervous. However the noise from the wind and the trees enabled me to walk to within ten feet or so of three Roe Deer. They didn't see or hear me, nor I them until I was on them. I switched on the camera but I guess it was the sound of the flash charging that alerted them to me and they disappeared.

I got to the area I needed to be and set about finding a suitable location to wait. I had already scouted out the area and I knew of a perfect spot, but in the dark rediscovering that point was a bit more tricky. But I did find it and set myself up ready for the long wait. I had about two hours before dawn and almost immediately I could hear a woodcock calling. I know that there are woodcock in the wood as I have seen them, I have nearly stepped on them, but what was puzzling me was where the low croaking call was coming from, it was above and in front of me.

Now from what I could remember this nocturnal bird did its display flight in the evening, I have previously gone looking to see it. Therefore, I was surprised to find it going on in the small hours of the morning. As the pre dawn light gathered I could just make out the Woodcock on its display flight, known as a Roding (yes I had to look that up). While I could not see any I guessed that there must be a female near by.

As the video can film in very low light I set up and waited for the sky to lighten enough but the Woodcock disappeared before there was enough light. As the days lengthen I may get the chance to film it latter in the spring.

With the Woodcock gone I settled down to wait to see if the Hares turned up. Well after three and half hours I realised they were not going to appear. So while I didn't get what I came to see I did get a pleasant surprise instead.

Photo Credit to Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)Sweden© Jörgen Wiklund

Watching for Frogs and Toads

During February we had only half the average rainfall. This makes it difficult for Frogs and Toads to emerge from their points of hibernation and get to the water they need to breed in. As amphibians need water to breed in as the eggs would dry out. Also the Frogs and Toads need to have damp or wet conditions to journey to the ponds and pools to breed in. Thus last night with steady rain forecast, it was looking like the best night so far to see the amphibians on the move and breeding.

So after midnight I ventured forth, walking in the woods in the dark is always an interesting experience. Because of recent gales the paths and tracks are covered with small twigs and branches, that makes walking quietly much more difficult, so slow and steady was the only way to progress. Initially, I had to be careful not to do an impression of a snowball as I nearly went tumbling more than once. I know that I disturbed something as I heard what sounded like a Fox or a Badger escaping at my approach.

I heard a pair of Tawny owls and I stopped to listen. There was no way that I could see them, but the male must have been no less than fifteen feet away from me as I passed by. Because of the density of the wood on the route I needed to take, I was using a torch. This meant that I could see the eye shine of a pair of Foxes as they crossed my path a hundred yards or so from me.

By the time I got to the pools, the steady drizzle was making the ground quite slick under foot. As I did not want to fall in (again), I took my time to get to the pond side. There were no sounds of the Frogs or Toads, nor any sign of them. I set up the Camera on the Tripod and placing a rain cover on it I went looking to see if I could spot any of the amphibians moving about. I could not see anything so I waited and waited.

When I realised that the first light of pre dawn was lightening the sky I realised that I was not going to get the amphibians on film I decided it was better to wait for the light to return before heading home. While all I had got was wet, I did have the consolation of the dawn chorus to make my tired trek home a pleasant one. I may have gotten a momentary glimpse of a Roe Deer as it leaped away from my approach.

Well I will have to wait for another moist evening and perhaps then I will see them.
When I got home, on the radio was a story asking people not to collect Frog spawn to stock their ponds. I did think lucky them to have the spawn to find.

A link to that article

Sounds of Nature

Yesterday I finally got my hands on my new toy. I am planing on creating a podcast, and I really want to record some of the sounds of the wildlife that I hear. As my regular reader will know, after getting the recording equipment I ventured out but the results were a little disappointing. What I needed I finally got yesterday, a parabolic microphone.

I had to order this as they are not available off the shelf, at least not in the UK, or at least locally. So I have been waiting for this. Its by no meaning of the term the best available, but it was what I could afford. However, when I went to collect it the cable that I also needed, to connect to the recorder, was out of stock. Therefore I was pleased and disappointed.

However armed with the device I could use it to listen to wildlife sounds even if I couldn't record them, so I experimented. What was a real revelation was just how much the sounds sounds of the birds jump out. As the dish of the parabola focus the sounds, it enables me to see by sound birds and animals that are hidden from view. At the very least I can see myself using it to search for birds, as using this, enabled me to see birds that I may not have spotted otherwise.

Although it was testing it out at night that really amazed me. When I am out I do try to be light of foot and keep my ears open. Yet using this as an aid was magical. I found that I was able to track a fox for over a mile, she was probably thinking I shake this hippy off soon. I had to give up as I was close to getting lost. Well actually I was lost...

Also I heard an owl and was quickly able to locate the bird, something I would not have been able to do without hearing the soft noises of movement.

But it was today after getting the interconector needed that really had me having some fun. I went out with no specific location in mind but with the aim of trying to record the birds and anything else that may have been around. While I have recorded some of the birds singing, I will need to create a windsock for the microphone, I am thinking of trying a pair of tights, no I will not be asking any female friends, it will be embarrassing enough buying a pair!

One amazing thing that happened was I heard a rustling, a movement in the trees. I looked carefully and saw a couple of Roe Deer, so well camouflaged that I doubt that I would have seen them otherwise. While I did set the recorder while watching them but not a noise or movement did they make. It was to dark to take pictures, but I will go back to the location and see if this is a regular sleeping point for them.

I love my new toy, I just hope that I can capture and share some of what I hear with you folks.

The picture is one that I took in the wood today.

Starting the Day with a Song, well Almost

Yesterday I was up at four in the morning, as I wanted to venture out and play with my new toys. While it is the spring and summer when the birds form an orchestra to greet the dawn, there are still birds that start the day with a song.

I wanted to choose a day where the weather was not so wet that I risked ruining the recorder, so I delayed my sojourn while one shower passed over. Therefore, instead of getting out when it was real dark it was just about the point when the first predawn light was begging to lighten the shadows. I did struggle seeing the settings on the recorder but I got it working and pointed the microphone towards the flock of blackbirds that were preparing to greet the dawn. As with trying to take photographs, it seemed that the moment I pointed the microphone their way, they disappeared or at least went silent. Not easily deterred I ventured into the wood, as I went deeper in I saw the ghostly white shape of an barn owl cross my path just fifty feet ahead of me.

I stopped and tried to record the call, but as it was away in the distance, I knew that I was unlikely to record the sounds, but as this was an experiment it was all worth trying. My destination was a particular spot in the wood where I know that the wildlife is least disturbed and where the birds do roost. Hence they have been most vocal in the past. While I was not expecting any amazing symphony I was surprised to have very bird song.

There was an isolated outburst of singing, but nothing like the dawn chorus I was hoping to find. While it was disappointing in some ways, it was a wonderfully peaceful morning.

When I got home I was able to listen back to what I had recorded and while I could hear other sounds from the environment, almost none of the birds had recorded. I did wonder if it was a problem with my equipment or something I had done. Going back carefully back through what I had done I realise I had set up the recorder incorrectly. So while I didn’t achieve what I planed to do, I learned a lot from the experience.

Well I hope for better luck next time.

Enhancing Biodiversity

This weekend the Mouse is going to be busy helping to build not one, but two, Grass Snake Hibernacula in the wood. While climate change may be bringing new species further north, we are at the northern limit of the normal range for Grass Snakes. Unfortunately there has been a decline in the population in recent years due mainly to a loss of habitat. All those overly tidy gardens, spraying of herbicide and modern agricultural practices have all contributed to this. However along the Derwent River, there is an opportunity to reverse this decline by enhancing the habitat for the Grass snake.

Many of the elements are already there including the snakes, it is just a matter of managing the area so that it enables these reptiles to maintain a strong belly hold.

The area that the Grass Snake hotels are to be built in has already had some coppicing work done, this opens the area up to the sunlight and will provide the basking areas the snakes need so that they can raise there temperatures, being cold blooded this is vital to their survival. The fact that the area where the Hibernacula are to be constructed is an area that has to be coppiced regularly is all part of the careful planning and long term viability of the project. Further, because of the need to create piles of composting vegetation so that the snakes can breed and nest, also helps deal with another problem of the highly invasive Himalayan Balsam. This introduced species has created a large colony that has been smothering out all other plants. By utilising these plants as the material to create the compost heaps has the effect of benefiting the Grass Snakes as well as dealing with the invader.

Therefore, while this work will directly benefit the Grass Snakes, it will also help the native plants to re-establish themselves and benefit many other forms of Fauna and Flora too.

It will not be until next year that we will know if there are any snakes using the hotel, but there are snakes in the area, not just grass snakes but the even more endangered adder as well. All this work could benefit tens of species in the long term, enhancing the ecology of the wood and the river Derwent.



There was an article in the local paper today about the project too, and I understand that local TV will be covering it as well. Fortunately the mouse was in hibernation for this.

The Mushroom Hunter

On Sunday was the annual fungal Foray organised by the Friends of Chopwell Wood. The chap who acts as our guide is extremely knowledgeable as well as being entertaining.

Personally I learnt a lot, for example that all fungi are edible, but some only once!

While that is a humorist quote, it does emphasise just how careful we all need to be when harvesting wild foods. There are some that I can recognise and know are safe to eat. Further, I have come back from many a walk with a few for a meal in my pocket. But I will only eat what I am sure of and only harvest a little. Unfortunately there are some people who will totally strip a site. In the summer I found a place that was full of chanterelles, but the following day they were gone. That has the effect of not allowing any new spores to be released and while there is lightly to be another flourish there will be less and less if that type of unsustainable harvesting were to continue.

This year there are far fewer fungi around, the wet summer and the warm dry autumn has made this year a poor year for fungi but as we have around one hundred and sixty species of them in Chopwell Wood we are not in any danger of loosing them just yet.


The Top picture is of Gordon, the mushroom hunter.

Russula nigricans Blackening Russula, it is edible but not worth eating.



Russula fellea Geranium-scented russula, edible when cooked but best avoided (Unless you like eating rubber that is)



Piptoporus betulinus Birch Polypore, Not poisonous or Edible and is better used to strop a knife than for anything culinary

Mycena vitilis

Cavatia excipuliformis Edible when young and firm

The Ministry of Silly Walks

Now it should come as no surprise to my reader that this mouse’s life, at times, resembles a sketch out of Monty Python and on Friday I joined The Ministry of Funny Walks, or at least that’s the way it felt.

The Forestry Commission Ecologist had requested help to carry out a Bat Survey in the areas of standing timber that are to be thinned. I didn’t need asking twice, as apart from learning a new skill or new technique, work like this is a vital tool for maintaining the health of the ecosystem that is our local wood.

As I have written of previously, the forest is to start having the plantation conifers thinned out soon and there will be a long term replanting of native broad leaf trees. This will be occurring over a long period, and it will be the next century before this work is near completion. However, to carry this work out so that existing species are protected and not disturbed, this type of surveying has to be done before hand. As the law protects all Bats and here in Chopwell wood we have six species of bat, it is vital that this work is carried out toughly and systematically. In practice that means every tree has to be examined to look for possible roosting sites.

That can be a boring task as it really is like looking for a needle in that proverbial haystack. As on Friday we also had the difficulty of heavy rain, a difficult task was made even more difficult. As the underbrush is at this time of the year covered with Brambles, and to survey properly requires walking up and down making that examination of the trees, we had to wade through the brambles. I nearly considered putting a picture of my legs on here to show just how lacerated I became but as it would put people off, I decided against that idea. Additionally is the problem that because of the heavy undergrowth, its impossible to see the ditches and mounds, so as I am moving forward I was suddenly finding myself chest high in brambles and not waist high.

One of the areas that had to be surveyed, I knew was free of bat roost, as it is one of my regular routes so I do know it well. However, it still needs to be surveyed properly, not only to comply with the law, to ensure that the scientific data gathered is a true and accurate reflection of the roosting sites in the wood. Further, doing something like this can reveal other hidden gems in the wood, I know of a few hidden places where fungi will be emerging soon, as an example.

But after six hours of searching, my legs were aching and while it had stopped raining by the time we finished, I was completely saturated. Even my underwear was soaking and I was ready for a nice hot bath.

Incidentally, on this part of the survey we found seven potential roost sites, and latter the FC Ecologist will return with a ladder and Endoscopes to see if they are occupied. Finding the specific trees or sites will be easy as we used GPS to mark the exact location.

The work will continue in just over a week’s time, and all I can do is hope for better weather on that day. However, as it is vital work, I will be there no matter what the weather throws at us.

Incidentally, should we find that all of these locations are occupied then we can ensure the roosts are not lost by putting up additional roosting places in the form of bat boxes, thus ensuring that our healthy bat population is maintained.

The Curse of the Mobile Telephone

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are thinking of something and it appears that others are thinking the same thing? Yesterday, that’s exactly what happened. While I had been busy in the morning, I wanted to get out into the wood with the specific aim of collecting tree seeds. As our wood is an ancient woodland site, it is going to be replanted over the coming half century with native broadleaf trees, and this will come from seeds collected locally. It is important that they are local as if we planted Hawthorn from seeds gathered from the south, they would flower at a slightly different time and hence not have the same benefit for the environment and wildlife as would the local genetic stock.

So there was I getting myself together to head out when the Forestry Commission Ranger telephoned me, she had passed on my details to the FC Press Officer and he would be giving me a call. This is because from the last acorn gathering, I ended up fostering about Two hundred and Fifty Oak seedlings. There would have been a lot more but I had to defend them from Jackdaws, Crows, Magpies, and even a Jay or two, so the numbers diminished as the birds ate their future perches. The FC press officer wants to do a picture of the trees and me, all rather contrived but I agreed to this. Not because I am looking for some kind of self-aggrandisement, but because I feel that it is vital that we do plant trees and if by loosing some degree of anonymity I help encourage others to help or take the initiative and do the same, it will be worth doing so. It is also why in part, I keep this on line journal, I hate the word Blog, as it may inspire others to do their bit for the environment.

However, when the call came through from the Forestry Commission Press Officer, I was already in the wood and I had just sighted the fox in the picture. It had shown no indication of having seen me, until the cellular phone rang. I snatched a couple of pictures none that sharp. After cursing the contraption I called back and had a chat with this chap.

I hope that I will see this dog fox again, and that I will not have had need to carry the phone with me. But at least I can say that I had another encounter with the wildlife that inhabits my countryside.

Copper Beech

Here in Chopwell Wood we have along one of the rides an avenue of Copper Beech trees and while they look great at any time of year, in autumn they are spectacular.

Installing the Insect Bench

Yesterday I had a real treat as I witnessed the sculpture David Goss install our newest item in the forest. The artwork is a function piece as it is a bench, and provides a welcome rest stop on the boundary walk. Further its location has been carefully selected so that it provides a view out of the wood across to the moors and up the Derwent Valley.

I was able to observer and at times hinder, the whole of the operation. It was a delight to see a real craftsman at work.

Topography of Chopwell Wood

Chopwell Wood is drained by a number of streams, brooks or ditches into the River Derwent. This actually means that the ground under foot is usually quite good. Even with all the rain we have had during the summer, the ground never became so bad that it was not possible to walk in the wood. However there are still places that get and remain muddy and sticky, or other places where caution is advised as the ground becomes slick and traitorous.

Part of the reason why it stays reasonably dry are these burns, as well as the geology of the soils, they are for the most part sandy, with a layer of mud, all the result of glacial activity long before this mouse was born. But it all goes to make the wonderful topography we have today.

So as I am just out of the bath, here is a clean image for you.

Equal Access and Solving a Conflict

One of the biggest challenges within the countryside is managing the resource so that all the different users can enjoy equal access to this precious landscape. Here in Chopwell Wood, there was a problem with mountain bikers. Not because the Mountain bikes themselves were a problem, but because of the lack of provision, they were creating their own routes. This resulted in a conflict between other users of the wood.

The Forestry Commission in their wisdom decided that the best way forward was to create places where mountain bikes could be used safely. This would prevent accidents and rather than developing a culture of stopping people using the woods, it was recognised that by saying this is a route that you can use walkers and horse riders were isolated from that extra traffic.

Further, this has started to have a beneficial effect upon the wildlife, as instead of the bikes traversing ecologically sensitive areas, they now have routes they can use that help protect the woods. Further, because walkers are not allowed down the dedicated bike tracks, a ribbon of undisturbed habitat has been created.

The effect upon Chopwell Wood is a positive one and the quality of the facilities is now being recognised nationally. However, what has been created at Chopwell is just a very small part of the facilities for mountain bikers, as at Hamsterley Forest and Kielder Forest there is more, much more.

It shows that by taking bold and positive measures, something positive can be created that benefits all.

To Task or Not to Task, that is the Question

One of the difficulties that the Friends of Chopwell Wood has with the work that in undertakes in the forest is simply the availability of volunteers. Every one of the volunteers that come out on days when there is practical work to do puts in an amazing amount of effort. However, as an organisation we always have more work to be done and not enough “volunteer days” to do and complete the work.

The task last weekend was a case in point; because of the weather we could not fully complete the work that was scheduled. Thus the Chairman of the FoCW and this mouse decided we would try and get some of the important elements done between us.

This does create a dilemma for us as an organisation as by doing the work between us, we can reduce the opportunities for people who genuinely want to help. However, with the job not fully completed, there was a real risk that vandals or other intent on destruction could undo all the work that had been completed. As the main reason why the task was necessary in the first place was due to an act of destruction, placed the site at risk. Therefore we needed to get the work to a point where it was at less risk. This is what this mouse and the Chairman did.

The rest of the work will need to be completed soon and will be rescheduled as an additional task thus providing the opportunity for volunteers to help.

This one of the greatest challenges for any organisation that relies upon the help of volunteers, that of ensuring you can provide them with interesting work. I know myself when volunteering with the BTCV, there were some tasks that were just plain monotonous. The work was necessary but boring. Therefore, we, the Friends of Chopwell Wood, need to be aware that we don’t just do all the interesting bits ourselves and we keep all our tasks open to the public.

It may surprise some of my readers (Okay Reader), that we are open to anyone. Volunteers do not need to be members or to become members, but we will try and get you to sign on the dotted line. As a small organisation we do not have enough members who are capable and willing to undertake some of the work required. For instance, one of the tasks that will be occurring soon (Watch this Space) is the construction of hibernacula for grass snakes. Because of the location of these structures it will require some manual digging. Not everyone is capable of such hard labour, but by being open to all, we may find that we have some very capable people on the task. Also volunteering for a task like this does mean you get into bits of the wood you never normally would have access to. It is one of the aspects I love about doing stuff like this myself.

Therefore, yesterday the Chair and the Mouse did some of the heavy work on the Tubs Task rescheduling the rest for the weekend of 1st September. So if you have nothing to do…

Just a picture in the woods

With so much that I want to talk about and so little time, I thought I would at least post this picture of the clear blue sky that I had in the woods today.

Tubs Task Day Two, or here comes the rain again

Yesterday was supposed to be the second day of our task to restore the coal tubs that sit on display in Chopwell Wood, but like a cricket match, rain stopped play. While we do have access to a couple of Gazebos courtesy of the NEFA (North East Free Ride Association) lads, any rain would have ruined all the good efforts put into restoring the Tubs so far. This would only have lead to us needing to carry out further maintenance sooner too.

Calling off a task is never an easy decision to make, but if the work cannot be done properly then it becomes pointless trying. Although for me safety will always be the other major consideration as volunteers are far to valuable to risk injuring, we just don’t have enough to spare!

While this work is not conservation in the natural history sense, the local history and especially the industrial history is important to many local people. Thus the work is important as it preserves the work that the friends of Chopwell Wood have already done. Further, it provides some amenity for the people who visit the forest.

Personally though I think the woods are beautiful in themselves and worth visiting for that reason alone. But we live in a time when people need to have allsorts of reasons to visit a place and everything has to be explained to them. I my opinion it stops people from thinking and wondering. This mouse loves to try and discover things for himself; it’s the child in me, that sense of wonder and discovery.

There is though a great sense of discovery with the additional elements that have been placed in the woods. There are a number of sculptures in the wood and it can be a delight to just stumble upon them as I did when first exploring the woods. I now know my way around well enough that I can head for them and to us, the people who know the topography of the woods reasonably well, they can provide useful reference points when discussing layout or encounters in the forest.

Well as the work has been postponed, it looks as though another task will have to be arranged to complete the work. I just hope that we still have the enthusiasm of the people involved this time on the next attempt to complete the work.

Tackling the Tubs Day One Part One

Today was an important milestone for me as this mouse was leading a task for the friends (Friends of Chopwell Wood) for the first time. While I have experience of leading conservation tasks in my past, getting lumbered with this was almost an accident.

During a previous meeting it was decided that we, the Friends’, needed to do some work on repairing the coal tubs that we have on display in the woods, as they had suffered from vandalism and the local kids had empted them out several times in the past. The last indignity had been that a stolen car had been pushed or driven into the cutting where the tubs sit before being torched. Therefore we, as an organisation, needed to do something that would stop this looking like an eyesore. Also, we needed to plan the work so that hopefully we could prevent the vandalism occurring again, or at least minimise any effect.

So like a complete berk this mouse piped up and said he would look at the site and access the work that needed to be done. Thus myself, and two of the other friends were assigned this duty. Having worked out what work we needed to do, a written plan of works was drawn up. However, because of the Forestry Commission rules that the FoCW have to abide by, suddenly one of us needed to stick our neck out and not only take charge of the task, but ensure that all the risk assessments were completed so that the work could go ahead. At that point I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and instead of scuttling away to a dark corner, I became task leader.

Now, today was the first day of this two-day task and it has gone well so far, I don’t think that I have misplaced any volunteers, nor have we injured any. More importantly the work has progressed at a cracking pace and we reached a point where over half of the task is done.

There was a moment when due to finding a nest of Wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus in one of the tubs we had to stop work to relocate them, but even this has not caused any real delay. The most amazing part though was the effort made by the volunteers that means that we probably will get the work completed, something I was having my doubts about only yesterday. That success today was in no small part due to two new volunteers. The Friends of Chopwell Wood have always been open to everyone, and recently one of volunteers has been learning British Sign Language, and is regularly available to provide translation support. Thus we have acquired two willing volunteers from the deaf community, who if today’s efforts are anything to go by, are hard working and capable. Here in the Friends’ we are not prejudice and welcome everyone, especially when they work like Trojans. But more importantly they enjoyed themselves, and that for me is what all this is and should be about.

The picture at the top is what the tubs looked like a week ago.