The Field Secretary is
John Newbould, telephone 01305 837384,
john_newbould
btinternet
com
Meetings will start at 10.30am, unless otherwise indicated. Members attending meetings should wear suitable footwear and clothes and bring sufficient food and drinks for a day in the field. We regret that a parent or guardian must accompany young people, under the age of 18. Please telephone John Newbould on 01305 837384 or Peter Hatherley on 01202 882861. In adverse weather conditions please phone one of us before travelling. Due to the high price of petrol, leaders will not attend in adverse weather conditions.
Enquiries please to the Field Secretary.
Saturday July 12th: Cranborne Common. Meet at GR SU 086 110 at the public footpath just south of Gotham, to look for a number of under-recorded species for which there are some records from the early 1990s.
Thursday September 4th: Golden Cap Estate (National Trust). Migrating birds and autumn insects. Meet at the Stonebarrow car park (west end) SY 382 932 at 9.45am with lunch and binoculars. National Trust card is needed. Please telephone John Newbould if attending.
Winter farm bird survey. Thursday October 9th, November 6th and December 4th, 2008: River Frome winter wildlife. We start around 9.00am and finish around 1.00pm; meeting at the lay-by east of the B3143 Piddlehinton road on the B3150, east of Dorchester. Grid reference SY 704 911. Please telephone John Newbould to take part.
Sunday June 15th, 10.00am: Oakhills Coppice. Leader Sean Cooch, 01929 557471. Meet initially at the Buildings on Critchel Lane ST 984 080, before moving nearer depending on car numbers.
Thursday June 19th, 10.00am: Nether Cerne. Meet near the Church at SY 670 983 at 10.00am with lunch. The day is by invitation of Mr E. Gallia. The farm is a mixed arable, together with set-aside strips, chalk grassland slopes, woodlands and a stream together with ponds. The owners would like us to compare the invertebrate fauna of thne set-aside areas with the chalk grassland slopes.
Thursday July 17th, 2008 10.00am: Studland and Godlingston NNR. Please join us if you can for a field visit for a HLS application area, to record as much as possible of all groups. The visit will coincide with the visit from the National Trust's Bio-survey team who will be surveying flora and fauna for the 'nature conservation evaluation' of the site. Meet by the footpath on Ferry Road, SZ 026 843.
June 23rd to 29th, 2008, promoted by the Royal Entomological Society.
Saturday 7 June 2008, 10.30am: Martin and Pentridge Downs. Leaders: Jonathan Crewe 01202 549377 (evenings) and Martin Rand 07957 361015. Joint meeting between Dorset Flora Group, Hampshire Flora Group, Wiltshire Botanical Society and Plantlife. The "serious" part of this meeting is to cover all known sites in the area for Early Gentian (Gentianella anglica). Plantlife are the lead partner for this BAP species, and Tim Wilkins will give a short talk on the genetic research on this English endemic species. Naturally, on these downlands at this time of year, there will be many other delights and distractions, including a chance to see Burnt-tip Orchid (Orchis ustulata). Meet at the car park at the end of Sillen Lane, Martin, SU 057 191. No booking needed, in fact the more the merrier, but please bring any of the following you possess: GPS, mobile telephone, clipboard. We shall split into two groups, one working the south-eastern part of Martin Down and going on to Pentridge Down (6-7km), the other covering the north-west part of Martin Down and Vernditch (variable, 7-8km but with a chance to "sit out" on part of the route). Bring picnic lunch, suitable footwear and appropriate clothing for the day, given that this can be an exposed site.
Saturday 21st June, 10.30am: Corfe Common. Leader: Ted Pratt, 01929 427229. Meet at Collets Close, east of the main road at SY 964 813. The site is still a working common and has an exceptional flora. Following last year's successful visit to West Common, Ted Pratt will show us different parts of this fascinating site, East and Middle Commons. Bring a packed lunch if you intend to stay for the afternoon. The meeting will end at about 4 o'clock. Wellingtons are essential if you wish to leave with dry feet!
Saturday 19th July, 10.30am: Godlingston Heath. Leader: Ted Pratt, 01929 427229. Meet at Ulwell road lay-bys SZ 021 809. The main purpose of this meeting is to record the area for Hammarbya paludosa, bog orchid. We plan to split participants up into pairs or small groups to explore as many potential sites on the heath as possible. Wellingtons are essential if you wish to leave with dry feet! Please bring a walking stick or pole and packed lunch. Those attending come at their own risk.
Saturday 2nd August, 10.30am: Lulworth Ranges.
Meet at GR SY 9037 8235 (directions below).
Leader: Bryan Edwards, 01305 228520,
or apply to
Dorset Environmental Records Centre (DERC),
Library Headquarters, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ.
By kind permission of the AVF Gunnery School at Lulworth camp we will be
able to visit areas of the ranges, which are usually off limits to the
public. Numbers are limited to 25 and names and addresses will have to be
submitted to the leader by the end of June on a first come first served
basis.
Directions:
From the Wareham Bypass take the road (Grange Road) sign-posted Kimmeridge
and proceed for approximately 2.5 miles passing the red telephone box on
the right hand side of the road and the entrance Grange Farm. Once past
Grange Farm proceed for 150 yards past the entrance to Creech Grange House
and take the next right, which is sign-posted as a dead-end road, and
proceed to the Range Gate.
Thursday August 7th: Investigating Dorset's Historic Countryside. Katherine Barker and John Newbould. Combining the resources of a natural historian and a historical geographer, we will demonstrate how investigating the historic landscape of Dorset can shed light on Dorset's past history. There will be a £10 charge to pay for course materials, payable to DERC, For more information contact Mrs R. Rogers, Dorset Environmental Records Centre, 01305 225081. Booking is essential, preferably two weeks before the event.
