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The NorthernWey Trust

Number 36 Membership Newsletter Autumn 2010

newsletterThis newsletter hasbeen compiled by DrJune Chatfield. Anynews items or otherfeatures of interestshould be sent toJune Chatfield,Anglefield, 44Ashdell Road, Alton,Hampshire GU34 2TAor to the Secretaryby e-mail:glovermgr@aol.com

SubscriptionsAdults: £5Family: £10Corporate: £25Treasurer/MembershipSecretary:Jaqueline Martin,15 Finches Green,Alton, HantsGU34 2JU.Cheques payableto:The NorthernWey Trust

EditorialThis summer there has been field workon the river with the ConchologicalSociety of Great Britain and Ireland onthe northern Wey at Froyle, attended by18 people and recording around 40species of water snails and mussels. Thereport on this is scheduled for the nextNWT Newsletter. This issue includesreport of some river dipping in FloodMeadows with the Alton Natural HistorySociety. Water levels in the upperreaches of the Wey have held up wellthis year, although the flow throughAlton has stopped (30 October) andmuch bare mud is exposed on the riverbed which is dry upstream from thebend in Flood Meadows.

Again this year we congratulate theAlton Society’s Environment Group, ledby Martin Gibbs, at Flood Meadows,whose entry was submitted by AltonTown Council, received a Silver GiltAward in the South and South East inBloom competition for their volunteerwork in the meadow. We alsocongratulate the Alton Society on their40th anniversary: they are holding anexhibition in the town on 13thNovember. (www.altonsociety.org.uk)As joint winners of the Alton SocietyAward for Outstanding Services to theTown we congratulate Greg Burt,Deputy Town Clerk and Tony Cross,Curator of the Alton museums.

Alton and district members will havebeen following the developmentsproposed for the Curtis Museum and

Allen Gallerywhere HampshireCounty Council isproposing cuts tothe MuseumsService budgetthat will make allstaff at these twomuseums(together withRockbourne Roman Villa and BasingHouse) redundant as from 31 March2011. Local people organised a publicmeeting at which officials andCouncillors from HCC were invited toput their case and this was attended byabout 400 members of public. Furtherdetails on the websitewww.savealtonmuseums.org. The twomuseums and their staff play animportant part in interpreting thehistory of the northern Wey,documentary resources, river dippingfor children and display space for artistsand photographers aesthetically inspiredby the river, as well as welcomingvisitors to the town.

In October I gave a talk on the RiverWey and the Northern Wey Trust to ameeting of the Farnham Rotary Club.Enthusiasm for our activities there willhopefully lead to reconnections withthe Surrey stretch of the river after thesad loss of Bill Tichener. A walk in theFarnham area of the river is planned.

June ChatfieldActing Chairman and Editor

RIVER WEYWALK INFARNHAMSunday 9 January 201110am-12noonBorelli Walk and GostreyMeadow.Meet on the road bridgebetween the twonear Hickley CornerLeader: June Chatfield(Tel: 01420 82214)

Bull reflected in the waterat Bentley. Phot: J. Chatfield

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This is a recent article by KeithAlexander, Garth Foster and NeilSanderson in the June 2010 issueof British Wildlife on pages 236-332. It starts by pointing outthat “Riverbanks are amongstthe richest places for wildlife.”By bringing in river flood plainsas well as the watercourse youhave a complex and dynamicmosaic of habitats such asseasonally flooded fields that arebecoming rare in thehomogenised moderncountryside. The authorspostulate on what the landscapewould have been like followingthe last Ice Age, with wild cattleand boar roaming thecountryside and their effect onthe riverside habitat as theywent to drink the water. Withthe settlement of humans andthe beginning of farming, thelarge mammals weredomesticated, but the maindamage to wildlife habitats inthe river flood plains appears tohave been in the last 60 years ofintensive farming. This hasbrought increased stockingdensity of flood plain grasslands,use of fertilisers for grassland“improvement” and moreobvious poaching of riverbanksand eating by cattle of banksidevegetation. Soil and bank erosionis also a recent concern.

As a result there has been amove to exclude livestock fromriver courses from a concernover faecal contamination of the

river that in some cases is awater supply too. This article re-examines the position of farmanimals and rivers. It thenconsiders the European UnionWater Framework Directive(D2000/60/EC) requiring allinland water bodies to achieve“Good Ecological Status” by 2015(less than 5 years away!). Aresponse in the UK has been tofence off river banks and isolatethem from neighbouring land-use. It poses questions of whatimpact will fencing have onbiodiversity? Has any ecologicalimpact analysis taken place?How much consultation hastaken place and how dointerested parties get access todo this? It uncovers a range ofissues on soil erosion affectingsediment loads and agriculturalproducts entering water (such assilage slurry and veterinarymedicines). Monitoring work hastaken on water quality andbiological indicators but they donot take on the land animals and

plants that use watersidehabitats. And what do we taketo be “pristine condition”? Lotsof questions to ponder.

One of the lessons frompalaeoecology is that there is nosuch thing as a stable state....and the good ecological status isan engineering one, so perhapswe need to go for integratedcatchment management. Thelatter has a familiar sound fromsome of the LEAP projects wehave been involved in and thecurrent Environment Agencyapproach.

Also a complicating factor now isthe extent of bank reinforcementand flood alleviation work thathas modified most water courses.Here on the northern Wey we arefortunate in having a river that,apart from mills and the oddwater meadow, has generally beenallowed to meander across itsrural flood plain. This is welldemonstrated when viewing theWey from the train on the raisedembankments between Alton andFarnham. Yes, there are flooddefence systems in Farnham butthere is also good river bankalongside them in GostreyMeadow and Borelli Walk and inthe Farnham stretch, where thereare no cattle grazing, the banksidevegetation can flourish. This is notfenced off.

Good EcologicalStatus of InlandWaterbodies

Cattle in the river at Bentley. Phot: June Chatfield

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The British Wildlife articleexplains the way that wildherbivores would use rivers todrink and for lush standingvegetation on the banks to feedon, together with selectivebrowsing on trees and shrubs.And it is the large herbivoresthat created and maintainedopen habitats in the wild in thefirst place. Modern farming hasthe problem of heavy stockingrates that require high fertiliserinput and supplementary feedingof animals to work, togetherwith routine veterinary dosing(for worms), but even parasitemanagement can benefit from apasture management approachto reduce the dependence ofdrugs.

Wildlife benefitsFencing of riverbanks, whilsthelping the tall dense emergentvegetation, can exclude manysmaller plants that cannotcompete, especially in highnutrient situations that lead todense dominating communitiesof stinging nettles or Himalayanbalsam. In nutrient-richconditions from intensivemodern farming the woodyplants also prosper, so closingin the habitat. Fencingessentially can excludemanagement from the banksidevegetation while light tramplingand grazing is more beneficial towildlife. Survey work on theRiver Itchen in Hampshire (also achalk stream) has shown thatinvertebrates and insects werebest in unfenced riverbanks andpasture grassland with fewspecies of note on the fencedsites. There was a similar resultwith bank vegetation on WinnalMoors, Winchester, and theyeven suggested that fencingcould result in loss of BAP

(Biodiversity Action Plan) specieslike the Hairy Click Beetle. Bufferstrips also came in for discussionin a box feature in the article.

AnglingThe final section considers amajor use of rivers for anglingand here there is also aneconomic incentive. The anglersin general were in favour offencing and this is one of theirtargets for river restoration.

A general conclusion reachedwas that rivers should not all befenced and greater research andmonitoring is needed on theeffect of fencing andbiodiversity. Fencing needs to betargeted just for sections wherethe current farming system isdamaging. It is thought that theintegrated approach alongsidethe EU Directive can giveprogress in achieving goodecological status together withcontact between the differentinterest groups using the river.This sounds like LEAPs again.

The riverbank is a complex linkbetween the land and aquatichabitats and many animals useboth. Many insects likedragonflies, water beetles, caddisflies and mayflies have theiradult life on land but spendseveral years as larval stages inthe water.

British Wildlife is obtainablefrom The Old Dairy, Milton-on-Stour, Gillingham, Dorset SP85PX Tel: 01747 835511. Email:enquiries@britishwildlife.com.Single back copies £4 (3 issues£3.50 each). It is an excellentbimonthly publication with veryinformative articles on recentdata. £19.95/year direct debit,£20.95 other payment methods.

Galls onLombardyPoplar atFarnhamIn September 2010 twigs ofLombardy poplar that had beenblown off a tree in GostreyMeadow by the River Wey inFarnham showed a large numberof petioles (leaf stalks) that werespirally twisted and swollen. Thisgall is caused by an aphid.Looking up in the foliage of thetree, many more were seen insitu but out of my reach. Theyare Pemphigus spyrothecae thatmatures and releases aphidsfrom August to November. Thegall occurs on Black PoplarPopulus nigra or its hybrids.Lombardy is a cultivated varietyof fastigiated poplar and socarries the gall.

A recent observation by MichaelDemidecki of the BritishNaturalists’ Association inanother part of the country wasa host of the introducedHarlequin Ladybirds waiting topounce on the mature aphids asthey emerged from the gall.

Spiral gall on poplar at Farnham.Phot: June Chatfield

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Continuing on from Farnham on4 June 2010 that was a very hotday, (in contrast with ourprevious walk see NWTNewsletter No. 35), June, Gill,Jacqueline and Rosalie followedthe marking for the NorthDowns Way from the bypass to atrackway behind the BP garagethat ran parallel to the northernWey at Snayleslynch Farm.Greater Celandine was in flower(yellow juice), foxgloves in bud,buttercups in the picnic meadowbehind the BP garage, hemlockwater dropwort on the riverbank and stream water crowfootin the river. Animal life in thisstretch included speckled woodbutterfly basking in a sunnypatch in the track, oak applegalls made by a gall wasp andmany recently emergedbeautiful and bandeddemoiselles or damsel flies onthe riverside vegetation that wewere to see in abundance laterdownstream. Mole hills wereevident in mown grass by theriver bank at Snayleslynch butwe came across a dead one onthe track at The Kiln. This wasunusual in being pied, with largeginger patches of fur. At The Kilnwe left the riverside to continuethe footpath under the railwayarch and alongside a large watermeadow. The river, after flowingbehind The Kiln, makes a sharpright angle bend changing itscourse to run south towardsHigh Mill: this is the “elbow of

river capture” telling the story ofthe river’s past history when thenorthern Wey once flowed northfrom Farnham to join theBlackwater, its path beingintercepted by a tributary of theWey that was eroding upstreamfrom Tilford. Once it cut into thenorthern Wey, the greatergradient deflected the waterdown to Tilford to join the Weyinstead of the Blackwater. Thebend is easy to see from theLondon train as it leavesFarnham giving an overheadview of this part of the walkfrom the raised embankment.

Under the railway arch horseswere grazing in the rather drywater meadow. To the right ofthe path is a steep wooded bankcutting into the Folkestone Bedsof the Lower Greensand and theacidic soil is indicated bybracken, sweet chestnut andcertain mosses. This section of

river through the Folkestonesands has a different characterof landscape compared with theHampshire stretch on chalk andUpper Greensand as we shall seelater on the walk. The NorthDowns Way goes through Surreyand Kent and there was a fingerpost giving 153 miles to Dover,but not for us today.

Mills cause considerable changesto river courses and this is so ofHigh Mill. Our footpath left theNorth Downs Way to cross theriver by a footbridge allowingsight of a range of river andbankside plants and then acrossin front of the mill buildings tojoin a track that we take righton a level path parallel with theriver to Moor Park House. Afeature here is the use of darkironstone or carstone from theFolkestone sands used for a wall.The ironstone was formed bymineralisation long after theoriginal sands were laid downunder the sea in the Cretaceousperiod over 65 million years ago.The track crosses Moor Park Roadto Moor Park House (see Darwinon the Wey in NWT Newletter

Guide book walkfrom Farnhamto Waverley

Timber-framing and jetty of SnayleslynchFarm. Phot: June Chatfield

Hard fern above northern Wey at Waverley.The wide fronds make food and the tallnarrow ones produce spores.Phot: June Chatfield

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No. 34) now being renovated,where there are someinterpretation panels here andfurther along the path. The trackthen goes through an avenue oftrees showing regrowth afterstorm damage and climbssteadily up the river cliffthrough a beech woodland.Interpretation panels point outpill boxes built to defend againstperceived risks of invasion up theriver in World War II. From thehigh vantage point are glimpsesof the river below and theSurrey Wildlife Trust naturereserve (open access) in a wetmeander loop of the river. Thetrack becomes wet as springseepages from the sandstoneemerge to flow down to theriver giving rich growths ofdamp-loving ferns and liverwortsand a cave, known locally as“Mother Ludlam’s Cave”

mentioned in William Cobbett’sRural Rides in 1825. Today thereis a grill across the entrance as itis an important bat roost.

Reaching the road at Waverley,going past the Mill House andon the bridge across the river, weended the first part of theFarnham-Tilford stretch byexploring the ruins of WaverleyAbbey (a National Trust openaccess site) that was built in ameander loop of the river. Hereagain there are interpretationpanels. Waverley Abbey was builtin 1128 and was the firstCistercian House in Britain. Muchlater history comes in again withanother World War II pill boxand tank obstructions by theriver bank. The river here has asteep wooded bank opposite (thecontinuation of the walk goes upthis) and bankside vegetation

that was alive with the flutteringof two species of damselfliesthat we had met earlier in thewalk. Retracing steps from theabbey ruin and viewing the lakeof Waverley House, we saw muteswans at war with Canada geeseand two young families ofgoslings in combined crèches asthey are in a similar situation atKing’s Pond in Alton. Wecontinued to Tilford on 22September (to follow in the nextNWT Newsletter).

June Chatfield

Waverley Abbey ruins. Phot: June Chatfield

Banded demoiselle. Phot: June Chatfield

Concrete war defences at Waverley.Phot: June Chatfield

MOSSES &LIVERWORTS ATWAVERLEYA field meeting of the BritishBryological Society on 5 November2010 found 44 species of mosses andliverworts at the Moor Park NatureReserve and Waverley Abbey ruins.

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This year we did not succeed inlining up an available light-weight boat, people and geeseon nests to oil the eggs of theCanada geese at King’s Pond.High water levels led to onlythree nests. The one on the smallisland where a goose was sittingmust have got waterlogged andchilled from heavy rain andrising pond water as no goslingsresulted. Hopes of the sameresult on the large island weredashed with a huge hatchingfrom one nest with first 9goslings and the next day 11that I suspect came from thenest by the willow tree on thelarge island, normally the first toappear. Some days later therewas a more modest hatching ofseven from the nest at the otherside of the island. The muteswan cob, who had his own nestwith eggs on the large islandtoo, was on the offensivechasing Canada geese on thewater as well as his twooffspring from last year that hadto stay at the mill end of thepond. Interestingly, the two pairsof Canada geese that hadsuccessfully hatched youngpooled their resources and thetwo families went round in acrèche. The two clutches wereeasily told apart by size, thenfeather markings until, by 25June, both were well grown anddeveloping adult markings. Thetwo families continued to goaround in a group all summer.

Just two cygnets hatched fromthe swans’nest while the twooffspring from last year, nowwith adult white plumage,remained on the pond andprovided they stayed away fromthe large island, were notchallenged whilst the cob wastoo busy chasing the geese. Theytook to roosting on the edge ofthe pond near the weir. Insummer of 2009 one of the twocygnets was less advanced andindependent than the other andstayed closer to the pen forlonger. It transpired that this onewas not so secure on its legs onland and by May 2010 walkedwith difficulty and then stayedon the edge, apparently notwalking at all. Several of usnoticed this and madeindependent calls to the RSPCAwho came and took both of lastyear’s swans away. This is arepeat of a scenario in 2009from the 2008 hatchings. I am

wondering whether there is agenetic problem with the currentpair of King’s Pond swans. In aprevious year the pen wasattacked by vandals and had tobe removed by the RSPCA. Thenext season the cob remained onthe pond with the previousgeneration unchallenged andhelping in the battle with thegeese. It would appear that thenext season he took one of hisdaughters as a replacementmate, in which case if there is adeleterious recessive genetictrait, it would be expressed insome of the offspring. The swansare not ringed so we cannot besure of the situation.

June Chatfield

Geese, Swans andother Waterfowlat King’s Pond

Swans at King’s Pond. Phot: June Chatfield

The end – swan upending at King’s Pond.Phot: June Chatfield

Canada goose families investigating pondvisitors at lunch. Phot: June Chatfield

Swans and the two 2010 cygnets in the carpark. Phot: June Chatfield

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In May 2008, while visiting fromAustralia, I was lucky enough tobe invited to accompany JuneChatfield and Amanda Green ona field trip to the River Weybelow Holybourne. This type ofinvestigation was something thatI had never ever done before so Ireally had no idea what toexpect. Although now resident inAustralia, I grew up in Alton, buthad never been to this part ofthe river before, so I had asurprise. The river looked quitedeep in places and flowing fairlyswiftly as we walked along thefootpath from Upper NeathamMill Lane. The first exercise wasthe rate of flow. June andAmanda threw some sticks in,and I called out when theypassed me 10 metresdownstream, the time being

taken was recorded in seconds. Iwas quite nervous in case Imissed one, but we had a goodsupply of sticks.

I saw some quite big fish in thewater [Ed. Brown Trout] and lotsof thick green weed [Ed.probably Starwort]. Theriverbank was lined with plantsand grasses which Juneidentified although the grassesall looked the same to me.

The next interesting bit was on asmall wooden bridge where asmall tributary from HolybournePond joined the River Wey. Junehopped in and brought out somestones which she placed in ashallow white tray of water.Well, she poked at the stonesand all sorts of creatures beganto appear – little tiny thingswriggling and crawling about.

Looking through June’s handlens I saw snails and larvae andall sorts of weird little things [Ed.probably the flatworms thatoccur there], including amazinglytiny limpets on the stones. I’donly ever seen limpets on thebeach and had no idea suchthings inhabited freshwaterstreams.

What an eye opener it was tosee these things and learn whatthey were and it was such fun. Iresolved that on my return toAdelaide I would go to a localcreek and have a look at thewatery residents, although Iwon’t be fortunate enough tohave an expert beside me toteach me about them. Nevermind there is always the library!

Carole Williams

More Impressions from Down Under

A Field Trip to theRiver Wey by a Novice

Alton U3A go DownYour Wey: a videoA group of enthusiasts from the U3A in Alton have produced a videoon the Hampshire stretch of the river after previously consultingwith the NWT committee. We have been sent a copy. It is not forsale, but contact the Secretary if you would like to borrow this DVDto play on your computer. The video includes an informativecommentary and subtle background music, complementingdelightful scenes of the river, its wildlife habitats and local industries– past and present – as it travels from its source in Alton to theHampshire/Surrey county boundary.

Census 2011We have received an e-mail fromCapita who are recruiting people(paid - part-time and full-time)to help with the 2011 nationalcensus on 27 March 2011. Thereare opportunities for censuscoordinators, specialenumeration deliveries toorganisations (hotels etc) andcollectors for forms fromhouseholds. They are recruitingnow. For details and applicationsvisit www.censusjobs.co.uk.

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Amanda Green has submittedwardening reports from 6 July2008 – 10 February 2009 for TheBourne by the footbridge on thepath, and the main river justdownstream of Upper NeathamMill. General condition of theriver is covered in both stationsbut accessibility has limited thedetailed animal sampling to thesmall tributary stream.

The Bourne had clear water onall occasions except 7 August2008 when it varied betweenslightly and very murky due tocattle damaging the bank alongone side from the railway linedownwards. There was also waterheld back and pooling due tovigorous growth of cresses thatcovered the width of the streamin places. Broken banks werenoted on the next three visits.The height of the water variedwith the highest level being on10 February 2009 due to snowmelt-water and rain run-offwhile the lowest level was in

October 2008. On all occasionsthe flow was swift varying from12 seconds/metre on 6 July 2008and 10 February 2009 to 14-17secs/10 m, apart from 7 August2008 with a slow flow of 54secs/10 metre due to obstructionby cress growth.

In comparison the main riverwas only clear on one occasion(12 October 2008) and verymurky on 9 September 2008 and10 February 2009, but its bankwas intact throughout as farmanimals do not have access tothe river bank below the publicfootpath. Water flow wasdistinctly slower at 29-48secs/10 m in the main riverexcept for 10 February 2009when there was a heavydischarge due to snow melt-water and rain. Snow that weekalmost cut off Alton’s road andrail links. Amanda also reported asewage leak from Holybourne on12 June 2008 that did not helpthe condition of the river – notthe first time that this hashappened in this location. Thesteady flow of clean springwater from The Bourne isobviously beneficial in dilutingsuch pollution.

The main river in this stretch hassteep banks, deep water anddense vegetation making itunsuitable for solo investigation,so the shallow Bourne was usedfor the animal studies followinga preliminary visit in May 2008(see article by Carole Williams).The Bourne proved rich in

freshwater life with cased caddislarvae, water shrimps(Gammarus), fly larvae,swimming mayfly nymphs andriver limpets consistently presentand abundant (usually 20+). Thelimpets are particularlyindicative of clean cool water.Also found in smaller quantitywere stonefly nymphs (notcommon in lowland streams),bottom mayflies, water beetles,water mites, water snails,leeches, segmented worms andflatworms but with flatwormsand stonefly nymphs absent inthe summer July-Septembersamples. Other invertebratesincluded blackfly (Simulium)pupae attached to stones andtwo hydra (related to jellyfish).Bullhead or miller’s thumb fish

Bullhead

Amanda Green on the river bank.Phot: Gill Glover

Snow fall in February 2008 that caused highwater levels and faster flow in the river Weyon melting (Paper Mill Lane, Alton).Phot: June Chatfield

Wardening theHoly Bourne

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In the last NWT Newsletter (No.35) we reported on fairy rings ofthe toadstool Marasmius oreadeson the mown grass outside Coorsbrewery in Alton. The drysummer of 2010 inhibited theirappearance in July when thegrass was brown and dry butfollowing rain in September,fruiting bodies of the two ringswere again above ground. Therecent rain had caused a lushgrowth of green grass, butconspicuous was the bare ringimmediately behind thetoadstools where the nutrientshad been exhausted.

Another ring of a differentfungus – the Bearded Milkcap(Lactarius pubescens) was seenon 12 September on the grassverge outside Waterside Court inPaper Mill Lane near Altonstation, very close to the river. Itsurrounded a birch tree and the

ring was 1 metre out from theedge of the canopydemonstrating where theoperative roots of the tree arefor absorbing water andminerals. This fungus like manyothers forms a beneficialpartnership (mycorrhiza) withthe fungal hyphae wrappinground the root tips andextending their effective area. Itis possible that the fungalculture may have been addedwhen the tree was planted. Oneword of warning, although thefairy ring toadstool outsideCoors is edible, the beardedmilkcap is poisonous and it looksrather like a common mushroomto the uninitiated. Milkcaps aredistinguished by a usually whitemilk-like liquid exuded when theflesh is broken.

June Chatfield

More Weyside fungiwere found in The Bourne onfour occasions both as adultsand fry with 13 and 16respectively in July andSeptember 2008. Althoughabundant and common alongthe length of the northern Weywhere they are important foodfor kingfishers, but they are notso common on the Continent,making our British populationsof bullhead of internationalconservation importance. Birdsobserved along the river atHolybourne included greywagtail and grey heron.Flowering plants noted werewater mint, common fleabane,purple loosestrife, hedgebindweed, buttercups, ragwort,greater willowherb,meadowsweet, watercress andfool’s watercress.

We are very sorry that Amanda’shealth has led to her giving upthe wardening of this stretch butthank her for the very goodrecords that she kept. Is there avolunteer out there who wouldlike to continue the good workon this stretch of river? If so,please contact the Secretary GillGlover Tel: 01420 88600 or onemail glovermgr@aol.com. Wecan give training.

June Chatfield

Bearded milkcap associated with birch. Phot: June Chatfield

The rushy field along the Wey near UpperNeatham Mill. Phot: June Chatfield

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The Alton Natural History Societyheld a field meeting toinvestigate the freshwater life ofthe River Wey in Flood Meadowand old watercress beds at Altonon the evening of 5 July 2010. Inits upper reaches, less than amile from the spring source, theWey is a winterbourne, drying upfor part of the summer, and thisinfluences the range of species.Whilst some like water snails(Valvata cristata, Lymnaeaperegra or now Radix balthica,Anisus vortex, Bathyophaluscontortus) and pea mussels(Pisidium) are a constant part ofthe fauna downstream, but herethey are able to hide in the driedmud protected by their shells insummer drought. In FloodMeadow habitats there are moreostracods, water lice (Asellusaquaticus) and the introducedpond shrimp (Crangonyx) thatare more indicative of still water.The pond shrimp is smaller andgrey and swims upright ratherthan on its side as the largerriver shrimp normally does. Frogsand newts also favour still waterfor breeding and the success ofthis site was evident in theabundance of well developednewt tadpoles and frog tadpoles

with four legs evident. Thelimited numbers of fish andwater birds that are normallypredators of frogs and newts arenot as evident at Flood Meadowas they are in the riverdownstream on the other side of

Alton. The white tray shown inthe photograph is ideal forexamining the catch when livingwater creatures give theirpresence away by movement.

June Chatfield

Photographing the tadpoles from Flood meadow. Phot: June Chatfield

Frog tadpole well developed with four limbsbut with the tail not yet resorbed.Phot: JuneChatfield

Newt tadpoles, probably Smooth Newt.Phot: June Chatfield

Field meeting of AltonNatural History Societyin Flood Meadow

This newsletter is available in colour to members as a PDF.If you would prefer to receive your copy electronically, pleaseemail the Secretary, Gill Glover at glovermgr@aol.comNOTE: A broadband internet connection is recommended as the PDF may take along time to download without.

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