Friends of St. James Church, Swimbridge - Biodiversity
Bestridge House
The Barnstaple branch of the Devon Widlife Trust arranged a visit to the grounds of Bestridge House in Swimbridge on 15 August, by kind courtesy of the owners Sue and Mick Wearne. The organisers have, as on previous walks in Swimbridge, kindly shared with us the marvellous species lists compiled by their experts. Many thanks to Mary Breeds, John Breeds and Tony Holwill for the lists of vascular plants and moths. The very names are a delight.
Lichen survey
The Friends joined forces with the Barnstaple branch of the Devon Wildlife Trust on a lichen survey in the churchyard, held on the sunny morning of Saturday 18 February. The survey was led by a remarkable local expert, Maxine Putnam, helped by other very knowledgeable naturalists including Paul Madgett and Mary Breeds. It was entrancing to discover that what looked at first glance like slight discolourations on walls, pavements or gravestones were instead thriving communities of lichens. Maxine will be writing up a species list which we shall be adding to our other biodiversity records for the parish on this page.
Click here for a lichen list
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Wildlife SurveysIn 2016 the Friends initiated a survey of the wildlife in the parish. This followed talks given by John Bradbeer of the Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) and Tom Hynes of the North Devon Biosphere. Two events were organised in association with the Barnstaple branch of the DWT. A walk at Hearson on 10 May, led by Paul Madgett and Mary Breeds, produced a list of over 120 vascular plant species. The survey also revealed the presence of otter, dormouse and badger. On 16 August, an evening at Middle Hearson devoted to bats and moths was led by John Breeds: 27 species were identified. Warmest thanks to Paul, Mary and John for sharing their extraordinary expertise. |
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[Click for the Moth Report] |
[Click for the Plant Species report] |
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Please click to enlarge photos |
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