CONSERVATION SECTIONSeaquest - Seal group - RIGS - Living churchyards Bat group - Photographic group - Mammal group - Reptile & Amphibian group - Otter group
Mark Nicholson SEAL GROUP
Between May and early August, three killer whales - generally but incorrectly regarded as the only predator upon grey seals - were present in Cornish waters. Several (live) seals were seen with what appeared to be scars made by shark attacks. Research over the last year in Cornwall showed that fishermen take up to 200 seals annually in accidental by-catch. The 1998 pup production census showed that 105 pups, plus or minus 15, are born each year in Cornwall and Devon (only about five pups are born in Devon). The mortality rate for unweaned pups varies from site to site between zero and20 per cent. Mortality rates for unweaned pups are elsewhere thought to vary but may be between 33 and 45per cent, although the Gweek seal sanctuary influences survival rates in Cornwall. However, the fate of released pups is totally unknown - do they survive? If they do, where do they go? Two seals were deliberately killed in the Tamar, and at least one in the Dart in Devon, from a population certainly not greater than 25 individuals in the South Devonshire area - the eastern limit of their "home" range in the English Channel; a high rate for deliberate killings. Closer to home, the Western Morning News reported that a seal was battered to death on the Marazion shore in late October by two club-wielding men after pub closing time. Elsewhere, seals are being harassed to a considerable extent throughout their West Country range, especially at haul-out sites. Stephen Westcott A conference on Beach Litter Management, organised by North Cornwall District Council, was held at the Headland Hotel, Newquay, on 27th March 1998. Papers were read by Paul Llewellyn of University College, Swansea, Pat Sargent, Environmental Consultant, and Trevor Dixon of the Tidy Britain Group. Paul Llewellyn dealt comprehensively with an in-depth study of the strand line in five parts of Swansea Bay. On beach cleaning, he had found that the use of any machinery was "a disaster" and exterminated the amphipod population, among other ill effects. Pat Sargent gave a clear account of the natural forces at work on sandy beaches - wind, tide, current and so forth - and showed that the deposition of seaweed and wood debris on a beach was part of the natural process of building up sand-dunes by trapping the sand at the highest tide level. Pat Llewellyn also drew special attention to the important part amphipods (such as sandhoppers) played in the natural process of keeping a beach in a healthy state. Right through, it was clear that plastic, in general use for some 40 years or so, has now collected in huge amounts in mid-ocean where, under the heat of the sun, it gradually becomes brittle and gets carried by wind and currents in small pieces to appear on beaches clinging to the seaweed, giving it the appearance of man-made rubbish, and that the only solution was to remove it by hand, which does not harm the natural life. Gilbert Garceau RIGS GROUP The main news recently was the special commendation which the group earned in the new LASMO Geological Challenge Award. This was almost entirely due to Peter Ealey's work over several years at Praa Sands, a (RIGS) site which would probably have merited SSSI status as a Quaternary site if the results of Peter's research had been available earlier. Only work done solely by volunteers was eligible for the award, so for example the long struggle to secure and protect St Erth Pits, the Trust's first geological reserve, was not eligible. In early September there was the first national RIGS conference, in Worcester. Three days of presentations and discussions; immensely useful! The group's modular display, designed by Sarah McCartney, was (yet again) admired; it is available for use in libraries, colleges, visitor centres and other venues. Cornwall County Council and the district councils came in for praise too for their enlightened attitude in framing policies to conserve the county's geological heritage. Our own AGM was held in Penzance, partly to flag up Penwith District Council's long-standing support for RIGS. To allow more people to come, the day was switched to Saturday, and we also followed the previous year's innovation by having a field trip in the morning. In 1999 we hope to have support from one of the other districts and to hold the AGM to highlight the geology of another part of Cornwall. Finally, many interests will be flagged up at the conference on Abandoned Pits & Quarries: a Challenge for Conservation and Community, (22nd March in County Hall). John Macadam LIVING CHURCHYARDS Rocks in Living Churchyards
In contrast to the pale grey granites in which white rectangular-shaped crystals are usually prominent, there are many gravestones of another typical Cornish rock, which is the black slate from the Delabole area. This softer rock lends itself to fine incised lettering virtually non-existent on the hard granite headstones, where the lettering is usually metallic. The granite and the slate blend into the local scene, as the fabric of most of our churches contains an abundance of these rocks. By far the most popular imported rock used for gravestones in Cornwall is limestone, originally white to buff-coloured but now a dull grey with abundant growths of greenish and reddish-coloured moss and lichen. The limestone came from either the Bath or the Portland areas. It is relatively soft and is easily carved, but most importantly it hardens with exposure. More exotic rocks can be seen on some grander headstones, such as finely carved and smoothly finished white marble from Italy or columns of highly polished, eye-catching red granite from Finland. In recent times a greater variety of rocks has been introduced for use as headstones. We now see shimmering blue-grey larvikite from Norway, more commonly used on shop fronts, and also black-grey granites from South Africa and India. Chris Burton News leaflet The last few months have been busy for Siôn Brackenbury, the Trust's Countryside Adviser. At the end of August, a leaflet was distributed to all parishes encouraging them to undertake conservation measures in their churchyards. The excellent response has meant that several churches are seeking surveys and management plans to improve these special habitats for wildlife. Carol Simpson BAT GROUP The best bat record for 1998 has been another barbastelle. This bat was found hanging on a wall in a pasty factory at Callington. Tony Atkinson got the call via our Bat Helpline on 6th September. The bat turned out to be a juvenile male. This emphasises the importance of following up grounded bats in unusual situations as they may be rare species. Barbastelles are probably commoner than records suggest but this bat is habitually a tree-dwelling species, roosting in cracks and under loose bark. John Kaczanow is undertaking a special study of a small hibernation site. There must be breeding sites in Cornwall of this species but currently none are known. Who is going to find the first? Daniel Eva PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUP We have had a very successful summer in terms of publicity. In August we staged an exhibition of our members' work in the Trust shop in Penzance. This event was publicised on Radio Cornwall and was well received by the visitors to the shop. We would like to thank Sally Hawkins for the help she gave in staging this event and for giving us the opportunity to use such a prime site in Penzance for this exhibition. In September we invited Mark Nicholson to speak to the group on reptiles and amphibians. In order to attempt wildlife photography it is important to have a thorough understanding of the subject before trying to capture it on film. Mark's knowledge of this subject was impressive and his talk enlightening. In October, Charles Perry ARPS gave a talk on flower photography, focusing in particular on the panel of slides with which he earned the title "ARPS". His techniques are varied and his photographs stunning; he offered sound advice on how to improve our own photography. We wish him well in his ambition to progress to "FRPS". November saw us stage our annual competition. Entries were received from no fewer than 13 photographers in four categories: Composition and Form; Amusing; Flora and Fauna. Adrian Langdon ARPS took on the difficult task of judging these entries; his words of praise, advice and encouragement were based upon a sound knowledge of the difficulties of natural history photography and were well received by the members of our group. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Adrian for his time and hard work in judging these images. The competition was staged just in time to include the names of the winners in the magazine. Congratulations to the following: David Chapman; Sally Foster; Norman Froggatt; Margaret Griffith; Alan Griffiths; Frank Hollinshead; Jacqui Hollinshead; Sarah Tatlow; Dave Thomas. David Chapman MAMMAL GROUP
There are plenty of interesting mammal surveys to which you can contribute. For example, the Mammal Society can send you details of A Mouse in Your House and the Garden Mammal Survey - write to 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4BG. There is also a National Fox Survey - contact School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG. It's important that any mammal records you have should also go to the Trust's environmental records centre, and the Cornwall Biodiversity Action Plan has prioritised a number of particular species for attention. Please get in touch if you would like to help our furry friends. Mark Nicholson REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN GROUP Fingers crossed, after a couple of bad spawning years we hope for a bumper spring for amphibians - but please leave the spawn where it is. We would love to hear from anyone else interested in amphibian and reptile survey work. Mark Nicholson OTTER GROUP Important diary event Ten Years of Otter Research in Cornwall - a talk and slides by Vic Simpson - 7.30pm on Friday 5th March at Truro College (near Treliske Hospital). This will undoubtedly be an interesting and informative talk on the problems facing otters in Cornwall, being largely based on the post-mortem work Vic undertakes on otter road casualties. Reminder If you have any 1998 otter records (spraint, footprints or actual sightings of otters) for the 1998 Otter Group Report, please send them as soon as possible to Derek Lord, Otter Group Recorder, Old Farmhouse, Pentireglaze, St Minver, Wadebridge, PL27 6QY. David Curtis Second otter released in West Cornwall Two young otters have now been released back into the wild in a joint effort by the RSPCA and Paradise Park. The otter population in Cornwall is reasonably strong but every year there are several road casualties, and during 1996 three orphaned youngsters were found in West Cornwall, two of them by Alison Reynolds of Paradise Park wildlife sanctuary at Hayle. Their mother had been killed in a road accident and she had come across the two cubs walking along the A30 during the day, which is not something normally done by the shy and mainly nocturnal European otter. The other otter cub, a young female, was found near Penzance later in 1996, and all three were taken by the RSPCA to its specialist sanctuary in Scotland. This may seem like a long journey for the otters, but the advantage was that they would be able to live in very large enclosures with a minimum of human contact and therefore be suited to a life in the wild. They needed to be at least one year old before being released, so that they could find food for themselves and also defend themselves against any other wild otter they might come across. It is often difficult to find a suitable release site, but luckily a member of staff at Paradise Park owns a field which is ideal as it is very isolated and runs alongside the river system where the first otter was found. Alison Reynolds |
