Natural History Meetings:        4th Wednesday of each Month      Group Leader:   Hilary Telephone:       241360

The Natural History group includes bird watching, but titled thus gives us a wider scope. We are planning various visits to local wildlife hotspots over the next few months.

Natural History Group Update ~ June & July 2019 Once again, chalk and cheese for the weather for these two months! John   took   us   out   again   at   the   end   of   June,   to   Shapwick   Heath,   in   damp   and   drizzly   conditions;   annoyingly,   the   weather cleared   up   just   as   we   got   back   to   base.   The   hope   was   to   see   a   White   Admiral   butterfly,   but   no   luck,   although   we   did   see caterpillars   of   other   species   on   nettles   so   knew   some   were   around.   We   plodded   through   the   woodland,   past   the   site   of the   Sweet   Track,   amazing   technology   for   the   time.   John   pointed   out   various   unusual   plants.   Then   we   came   to   a meadow,   where   there   were   many   tiny   baby   frogs,   not   even   as   big   as   your   thumbnail,   of   which   we   hoped   some   would survive to  maturity. We   finished   up   at   a   hide   overlooking   a   large   lake,   which   was   covered   in   water   lilies,   which   would   have   been   quite spectacular   if   the   sun   had   been   out   and   them   in   bloom.   At   least   one   pair   of   grebes   had   used   the   vegetation   to   create   a nest platform. We also saw a Marsh Harrier and other water birds. We finished up with lunch at the Knowle Inn, Bawdrip. Our   July   trip   was   to   Graham’s   childhood   home,   Holford,   and   this   time   we   had   fine   weather,      especially   after   the thunderstorm   and   torrential   rain   the   night   before.   We   had   lovely   views   along   the   coast   and   across   the   Bristol   Channel to Wales. There was a choice of walks so we all split up and did our own thing, according to our capabilities. Graham   and   Shirley   had   told   us   of   various   points   of   interest   beforehand,   like   the   dog   pound,   where   a   keeper   had   got torn   to   pieces   by   the   hounds   one   night   as   they   apparently   didn’t   recognise   him!   Several   of   our   group   had   known   the area   for   years   and   were   able   to   point   out   other   historic   places,   many   also   with   a   gruesome   nature;   sadly,   it   wasn’t   the right time of year to see red deer, too early. We had a very tasty lunch at the Plough Inn, where the owners had gone to a lot of trouble to accommodate us. Our next foray is at the end of September, a boat trip from Exmouth along the Jurassic Coast. If   you   are   interested   in   finding   out   more   about   us,   please   ring   me   on   01278   241360.   If   I’m   not   around,   please   leave   a message and I will endeavour to get back to you. Hilary