Environmental News August 2007
At last, for this part of the country, a fairly normal month. Luckily we dodged most of the heavy rain, and have had a fairly generous helping. This has meant that most of the plants have had a really successful growing season. Even the golf course has plenty of grass for a change.
Not heard of any rare birds around, but we did have a Large Tortoiseshell butterfly on Brownsea. These are not particularly common on the continent, but are impressive to see. One of the negative events this Summer, is the virtual absence of Small Tortoiseshells. In my youth, they would be common in every garden that had many flowers, but over the years they have dwindled, and last year they were the most unsuccessful butterfly in Dorset. So far this year I have not even seen a single specimen, though there are still reports of sightings elsewhere.
There are so many walks and talks this month, I don’t really know where to begin. Birds, butterflies, moths bats, insects, fossils and seashore creatures are all on the list. You can also see meteorites – clouds permitting – at Durlston 9.00PM on 12th. Locally Poole borough are taking a trip round Canford heath (5TH, 2.00pm Francis Avenue
All the available activities are listed in the Dorset Coast and Countryside magazine which can be obtained from the office listed below.
Useful Numbers of organisations running tasks or walks:-
| Dorset Wildlife Trust | 01305 264620 |
| Dorset Countryside | 01305 225037 |
| Durlston Country Park | 01929 424443 |
| Avon Country Park | 01425 478470 |
| Poole Countryside | 01202 261339 |
| Moors Valley | 01425 470721 |
| NT (Studland) | 01929 450259 |
| Dorset Conservation Volunteers | 01202 573213 |
Other useful wildlife web sites for wildlife news in this area are:
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dudley hull
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