Pine martens and bumblebees
Charlie Bell of the Stepping Stones project has advised that they are teaming up with Shropshire Wildlife Trust to research the extent of pine martens in Shropshire. She says:
“We – or rather you, the Stepping Stones volunteers – will be installing camera traps at locations in the project area and monitoring the footage to see if pine marten populations are present. If we do detect pine martens then den boxes will be put up to try and give these amazing creatures a helping hand. It’s thought that a lack of suitable den sites are one of the factors limiting the spread of pine marten populations.
“We are looking for a small team of volunteers to help install the camera traps and then revisit the traps fortnightly, extract the SD cards and review the footage. This is a really exciting opportunity and full training will be given – however we need volunteers who will be able to commit to this fortnightly routine over the autumn and winter period.
Interested in finding out more? Email Charlie (charlie.bell@nationaltrust.org.uk).
And do likewise if you would like to attend a meeting about bumblebees at Carding Mill Valley tearoom on Tuesday 12th October at 7.30pm, about which Charlie advises:
“Many of you were involved with our ‘Bumblebees on the Mynd’ work both in 2020 and earlier this year. You might have taken on a survey square, attending our search for Bilberry Bumblebees at Jinlye Meadows, or sent in a photo of a bumblebee with a red tail. Whether you’ve participated to date or not, everyone is welcome to attend our evening meeting next Tuesday, to hear about what we’ve found so far and what the plans are to extend this bumblebee work as part of the Green Recovery project.
We’re delighted to be joined by special guests Gill Perkins and Richard Comont of Bumblebee Conservation. It promises to be a really interesting evening.”
Volunteering opportunities
Charlie has also advised the following opportunities to help with local conservation are available. If you are interested in participating, contact either Charlie or Stephen Lewis (phwarden@sky.com) as indicated below.
Wednesday 13th October,
Fencing, Jinlye Meadows, All Stretton. Booking via Charlie.
Wednesday 20th October
Habitat management for butterflies – Black Rhadley. Booking via Stephen.
Wednesday 27th October,
Fencing, Jinlye Meadows, All Stretton. Booking via Charlie.
Wednesday 3rd November – VERY LOCAL!
Habitat management for butterflies – Corndon Cottage (which lies within the Camlad Valley Community Wildlife Group area). Booking via Stephen.
Thursday 18th November
Hedge planting with CPRE – location TBC. Booking via Charlie.
Wednesday 1st December
Habitat management for butterflies – Roman Gravels. Booking via Stephen.
Thursday 2nd December
Hedge planting with CPRE – location TBC. Booking via Charlie.
Thursday 16th December
Hedge planting with CPRE – location TBC. Booking via Charlie.
Heritage and archaeological volunteering
The Stepping Stones project area contains many important historic and archaeological features. To embed the history of the area in our conservation work we are starting a volunteer group to focus on the archaeological heritage of the project area. This group will be working mainly off National Trust land and will complement our efforts to restore wildlife habitat and increase understanding of this special landscape.
What’s involved?
1. Condition assessments of historic features.
This will include two day-long training courses on how to carry out condition assessments, followed by subsequent independent or group field visits to assess the condition of heritage features within the landscape.
2. Practical work to improve the condition of these historic features.
This will be via volunteer work parties under the supervision and direction of trained staff members.
You can sign up for one or both of these activities, or get more info, by emailing Charlie.
To our Shropshire members
Shropshire Council are running their community tree scheme again this winter, so if you would like to get some free trees it could be worth applying.
They will only be able to provide trees in multiples of prearranged bundles of 20, rather than offering applicants total freedom of tree species choices and numbers and successful applicants must be able to collect their trees directly from either of the two places helping us this year – Prees Heath Forest Nursery in the north of the county or John Holliday (formerly Potters Farm Tree Nursery) at Lower Hayton in the south.
There are some Ts and Cs applicable – for example, the trees must be “fully visible to the public, if not directly accessible, not within a private garden and outside of an existing woodland”. Full details of this year’s scheme, how it works and an online application form, can be found at the following webpage: http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/environment/trees-woodlands-and-hedges/shropshire-council-community-tree-scheme-202122/.
Further details with regards to collection will be sent to successful applicants. Applications are processed on a first come first served basis and we will close the scheme when all the available trees are allocated.
Do you have an interest in reptiles and amphibians?
Camlad Valley Bird Report 2020
Like so many other aspects of life in 2020, our plans to repeat our annual survey of the local curlew population were knocked somewhat out of step by the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions arising from it.
However, our members kept their eyes and ears open, and many incorporated hunting for curlews into their allowed daily exercise. As a result, the project organiser, Leo Smith, has been able to put together a very respectable report into the numbers of curlews – and other species – to be found in our locality this year.
Operation Orange-Tip
Douglas Boyes, Montgomeryshire County Butterfly Recorder, is asking people to report sightings of the orange-tip butterfly.
Appearances of the orange-tip are one of the signs of spring, but within Montgomeryshire there is only a patchy picture of their distribution. Douglas has therefore launched Operation Orange-Tip to encourage people to report sightings.
Full details of the information required for each sighting and where to submit it can be found on Douglas’s website: douglasboyes.co.uk/orangetip
Shrewsbury North-West Road
Although some way outside our area, members might be interested in the impact of the proposed north-west relief road for Shrewsbury. Details of how to object to the plans can be found here.
Welcome
About us
The Camlad Valley Community Wildlife Group (CVCWG) was set up to help local people help local wildlife. The group provides a chance to learn and get that little bit closer to some of our most fascinating plants and animals.
Participating in the group provides an opportunity to find out about the distinctive wildlife of the Camlad Valley and the area surrounding Corndon Hill and to share your local wildlife knowledge. You will receive free expert training and a chance to engage in local opportunities to perform valuable conservation work and have fun at the same time.
An annual report is issued each year, summarising the activities and accomplishments of the past twelve months and laying out plans for the forthcoming period. You can read our reports here.
Alongside other local wildlife groups, we participate in an annual survey of Curlew and Lapwing, and there are projects to protect and enhance diversity of the local flora.
Area of Interest
The geographical extent of the CVCWG’s activities is shown on the map adjacent (please click to enlarge), expressed in terms of tetrads (the 2 km x 2 km squares used in surveying many types of wildlife).
The area includes Churchstoke, Hyssington, Priest Weston and Chirbury, so lies partly in England and partly in Wales. As a result, we have ties not only with the other Shropshire Wildlife Groups but also Powys-based bodies such as the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust.
More information
To join the Camlad Valley CWG or to get more information, please contact:
Sandy Scott (Secretary) or Peter Fenner (Website Minder) at camladvalley@shropscwgs.org.uk
Follow us
Area of Interest
What we do
Curlew Surveys
Although we must of course abide by the Government’s instructions, it doesn’t mean that our efforts to monitor curlew numbers have to cease entirely. Find out more how you can help.
Reports
Click through to view or download our annual reports from 2014 -2020.
Here you can find out about our findings during the year and what we hope to achieve in future.
See what we’ve been up to
Past Events
Plant walk at Roundton
The Group was recently able to host its first event since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a walk exploring the plant life on the Roundton Nature Reserve near Churchstoke. Numbers on the walk were limited to minimise the Covid risk, but the small group who...
2020 AGM
We held our AGM at Churchstoke Community Hall on 12th February. After the requisite AGM admin covered the Group’s Chair, Mary Napper, we had reports from Leo Smith and Rob Rowe on the respective activities of the Bird and Plant Groups. After a refreshment break, we...
Bird Walk, 26 May 2019
Leaden grey skies and the occasional shower did not deter the twenty people who joined our birdwatching walk around Roundton Nature Reserve. In fact, the weather had more of an impact on the birds we hoped to see, as they were generally staying sheltered and being...
Interested in joining?
Anyone who lives or works in the area, or has an interest in its wildlife, and who wants to actively contribute to local knowledge and conservation, is welcome. Membership is free.
Enthusiasm and interest in the area are far more important than specialist knowledge. Group members are assisted by experts in the relevant fields: they provide training to anyone who wants it on such topics as species identification, how to carry out a simple surveys and how to record the results. Survey work is easy and enjoyable, and members will learn new skills.
Join
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Support
The Camlad Valley Community Wildlife Group received financial support from the Stiperstones & Corndon Hill Country Landscape Partnership Scheme, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The lead organisation for the Scheme is the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, and the Scheme is hosted by Shropshire Council. Please see www.stiperstonesandcorndon.co.uk
