Summer Programme 2009

Saturday 6th June, Divis Mountain

It was probably the coldest and wettest day of any outing in recent years with temperatures no higher than 6-8 ^oC. Given the cold, wet weather it was not surprising that the only butterflies seen were an Orange-tip found by James O'Neill (who also found an egg on Lady’s Smock) and 1 or 2 Green-veined Whites which were found by others, all these of course resting. Lady’s Smock was abundant. Plants of interest included Marsh Lousewort (Pedicularis palustris), Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) and Bugle (Ajuga reptans) although Orchids seemed surprisingly absent. No doubt had the weather been good we would have seen plenty of Green-veined Whites, Orange-tips and Small Heaths and probably Painted Ladies too.

We were fortunate to have Dermot McCann leading us as he provided warmth and shelter in what was an old cowshed and, now beautifully renovated by the National Trust. He showed us a selection of excellent photographs of the fauna and flora found as well as telling us of the work already done and that planned for the future. He also was able to give us details of the interesting archaeological finds in the area.

Joint Outing with the Butterfly Conservation NI Branch

Trevor Boyd and Pamela Thomlinson

Strangford 13 June 2009

Saturday 13th June, Strangford and Killard Point

BNFC members boarded the St Bernard, on a sunny morning, for the trip around Strangford Lough with Ivor McDonald as our leader. The first highlight was watching the Sandwich , Common and Arctic Terns which were nesting and breeding on the island in the harbour itself. We watched several ‘flares’ as the terns were disturbed and wheeled around the island. Another sight was the National Trust nesting boxes which have been attached to the wall of the harbour for Black Guillemots, this is the Southern most edge of their range and they are successfully nesting again here this year! As we continued some of our party were lucky enough to see a porpoise alongside!

Next we saw Bird Island where two distinct separate colonies of cormorants breed. They are the only breeding colonies in Co Down. We continued round the Lough seeing Herring gulls, Oystercatchers, Black headed gulls and some Herons. Then as we continued we saw another island of breeding colonies of all three Tern species with as many as 300 pairs nesting along with Black Headed Gulls who drive off the predatory Magpies and Hooded Crows. This was a fascinating outing, watching the variety of seabirds and also seeing the land surrounding the Lough from a very different perspective. Ivor’s knowledgeable commentary gave us a real insight into the wonders of the birds living and breeding in the area. (More information on Migration here)

Pamela Thomlinson

Ophrys apifera

Killard 13 June 2009

Killard Point, Botany

From spring to late summer the Killard Nature Reserve near Ballyhornan has a splendid succession of flowering plants . When the BNFC visited on 13th June the predominant colour was yellow from Bulbous Buttercups (Ranunculus bulbosus) , Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) and the maritime Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor ssp curtisii).

Other unusual plants included Houndstongue (cynoglossum officinale) and Adderstongue Fern (ophioglossum vulgatum)

Our leader Tom Ennis shewed us many of the orchids for which this site is renowned, - the Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio ) is found only here in N.Ireland. We also saw Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis), red Early Marsh Orchids ( Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp coccinea), Common Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) , Heath Spottted Orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata),Common Twayblades (Listera ovata) , Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) and Frog Orchids (Dactylorhiza viridis/Coeloglossum viride).

A lovely afternoon against a background of sparkling blue sea.

Margaret Marshall

Saturday 27^th June 2009 - Lough Neagh -- Lower Bann Study :

This was a joint outing with Belfast Geological Society and Cookstown Wildlife Trust.

A party of 52 sailed on the Maid of Antrim from Ballyronan Marina on 27^th June 2009.

The Lough Neagh drainage Basin presents man with several challenges, which may be summed up as “ecosystem management”. Development began in the MESOLITHIC period (Middle Stone Age). One of the earliest settlement sites in Ireland is to be found close to Toome Bridge where a wealth of fish and a good network of water based communications made it an attractive site. Development went on through NEOLITHIC, BRONZE and IRON AGES. This can be observed in the clearance of forest, improving agriculture and spreading settlements. These settlements took the form of raths, promontory forts and crannogs, all situated on defensive sites. This brings us up to 600 AD. and the beginning of the HISTORIC PERIOD. This saw the founding of ecclesiastical establishments around the lough and downstream on the Lower Bann.

From the early 1600’s English influence increased as the new dispensation sought to consolidate its position. At strategic positions around the lough and downstream along the Lower Bann, new castles were built and others strengthened. Several of these became the nuclei of small urban centres. Ballyronan was a later development, having been founded in 1788 by the Huguenots, led by Daniel Gaussen.

ECONOMIC RESOURCES: Farming has been the mainstay of the economy of the region, supplemented by fishing and working diatomite.

Fishing has a long history, going back as far as the earliest settlements. In the years following the plantation it was put on a commercial basis by the new overlords, but became a source of friction lasting for nearly 400 years, and was only settled when the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative was set up in the 1960’s

The most valuable present day resource is sand and gravel, dredged from the lough by several firms involved in the building trade. However demand reflects the economic climate, which at present is in recession.

AMENITY VALUE: This is an aspect that should not be neglected. Most of Belfast’s domestic water supply comes from the lough; there is a thriving recreational interest; a site of international importance for over-wintering waterfowl, it has been designated an ASSI. The celebrated plant collector Dr, Augustine Henry, has strong associations with Portglenone.

We can see that the Lough Neagh Basin presents an intriguing challenge of resource development and conservation.

The BNFC wish to thank all those who contributed to the promotion of this field study programme, in particular Philip Doughty, Ian McNeill and Pamela Tomlinson. Also Con Law and his team on the Maid of Antrim who included a delicious barbecue in their repertoire

James Rutherford. Click HERE for Full Report

Castle Roche

Saturday 1^st August, Some Castles of County Louth

Owing to the sudden illness of Brian McElherron, Richard Clarke conducted the excursion, essentially as planned. We met at Carrickdale Hotel before reassembling at our first site, Castletown Motte or Dun Dealgan. This was erected in 1189 by Bertram de Verdon on a commanding site above the Castletown River, probably on top of an earlier iron-age fort as testified by the remains of a souterrain. The most conspicuous feature now is the 18^th century house on the top, built by Captain Patrick Byrne, of which a tower and wall still remain.

We moved on to Castletown Tower House, now incorporated into St Louis' Convent and School. It is a typical fortified building of c 1472 erected by Richard Bellew on the site of an earlier Verdon castle, with four corner towers, one of which has a spiral staircase and one has garderobes. We were not able to see inside, but were hospitably received by some of the ladies in residence.

The final visit of the morning was to Castle Roche, a superb ruin on a limestone escarpment some four miles north-west of Dundalk. This is another site of the Verdon family, probably not built by Rohesia de Verdon but by her son John Bellew c 1260 and said to have been finally destroyed by Cromwell. The curtain wall and twin-towered gatehouse survive, with a rock-cut ditch once crossed by a drawbridge. Inside is the ruin of a two-storied hall, the upper windows of which have window seats. After an 'unintended detour' around the small border roads we had a late lunch in a pub near Hackballs Cross.

The last stop was Killincoole tower house and like most of the 25 similar structures in the county, the owners were unwilling to allow us access to the interior. However we could view it at close quarters, with its two diagonally opposite towers, one for garderobes and the other for a staircase. It has suffered from modifications over the centuries but at least retains its crenellations and a roof.

In conclusion, the excursion secretary thanked the conductor and we all wished Brian McElherron a speedy recovery.

Tuesday 11th August : Visit to the Somme Centre

It is hard to write about this - an outstanding memorial to the men, and women, of both traditions in Ireland who served and in very many cases died in the Great War. Most of us had relatives who were involved, and in the tour, led by Noel Kane, we were given some insight into conditions in the trenches, as well as the munitions factories back home.

We left in somewhat subdued mood; the war to end all wars was truly horrific, but have we learnt ?

TJ Westropp's sketchbook from 1909-11

25th August : Lecture, Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Survey

Visit to the Royal Irish Academy Library, Dublin 25^th August

Twelve BNFC members braved railway disruptions and were rewarded by a very interesting visit to the Royal Irish Academy Library to view an exhibition titled Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Survey and also to attend the first in a series of lunchtime lectures connected with the survey.

The exhibition celebrated the role Robert Lloyd Praeger played in organising the Clare Island Survey and the influence of Charles Darwin on Praeger’s desire to demonstrate the existence of an Irish Flora and Fauna that was different from that found in England. Petra Scnabel, who curated the exhibition gave us a conducted of tour the display cases and panels.

The meeting room in the Academy library, which housed the exhibition, is a fascinating room with Members’ benches and chandeliers from the old Irish House of Lords among its treasures. There was also an opportunity to consult publications, including historic maps in the library.

The lecture was given by Conleth Manning on Clare Island Abbey and its Paintings. This was of special interest to those of us who had visited Clare in July 2008. Conleth Manning spoke about the history of the building and the rarity of the medieval wall paintings. He explained about Thomas J. Westropp’s account of the Abbey and its wall paintings, which was published in the 1909 survey. We learnt that an attempt to preserve the paintings at this time did as much damage as good. The roofing over of the chancel in 1952 helped to preserve the paintings for a few more decades but a major conservation programme in the 1990’s has saved them for the future. It was during this conservation work that many new images were uncovered. We were shown images of these paintings and given an interpretation of what they represented. It was an interesting and informative lecture and well worth the journey to attend it. Members of Dublin Naturalists’ Field Club were also present at the lecture and a group photograph was taken of the members of the two clubs.

We look forward to a return visit on Thursday 1^st October when Declan Dooge, Dublin Naturalists’ Field Club will deliver a lecture Assembling the Home team: from A.G.More to R.Ll.Praeger.

5th September : Derry's Walls

On a promising morning on 5^th September fifteen enthusiastic people boarded the train at various stops trip to Derry/Londonderry led by Claire Foley. The comfort of public transport was somewhat muted by the crowded train as our event coincided with the Portrush Airshow.

However, on arrival in Derry we set out on a clockwise visit along the top of the town walls commencing at Orchard Street . Many of the group had not been in Derry before or at least not in recent times and all were impressed by the scale of the wall and its capacity to withstand cannon fire. Claire explained that the first defence was actually an earthen bank which survived inside the later stone construction. Copies of 17^th century maps provided insight into its construction and the development of the city from the early 1600s. The features of the wall, gunloops, turrets, the seven gates and conservation of the wall and nearby historic buildings were observed and discussed.

A visit to St Columb’s Cathedral was greatly facilitated by an excellent audio-visual display. The construction of this church (1628-30), the first post- reformation church in Ireland and its later extension and alterations in Bishop Hervey’s day were explained. A fine soup and sandwich lunch at the Verbal Arts Centre was followed by a view to the Long Tower area, just south of the walled city, where St Columba founded the monastery in the 6^th century. Unfortunately no remains of this site have been found so far in the many excavations which have taken place across the city since the 1970s.

The group completed of the circuit of the walls along the west side examining the restored cannon including ‘Roaring Meg’, and discussed the importance of the topography of the Bogside in both recent and historic times. A visit to St Augustine’s Church enabled the group to understand that this is on the site of a 12^th century Augustinian foundation and the surviving church was used as the parish church in the newly established city while St Columb’s was under construction.

The tour of the walls ended at the Tower Museum where members visited the excellent exhibits at their own pace before returning to the train for the restful journey home.

19th September, Castle Espie and Conlig

Marion Allen and Annie Given led an outing to Castle Espie in the morning, where we had an opportunity to preview the changes which are under construction there. We then examined the Hoffman Kiln , and after lunch studied the geology at nearby Conlig.

Click HERE for full report.

Phaeolepiota aurea

Fungal Foray, 26th September, Peatlands

Around twenty members of Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club met on Saturday 27 September at Peatlands Park for a Fungus Foray led by Ronnie Irvine. It is always difficult to choose a fungus foray date as their fruiting depends on a combination of light, moisture and temperature often notoriously difficult to anticipate.

In general 2009 has not been a particularly good year for fungi and hopes were not high for a wide range of specimens, even though Peatlands Park is usually an excellent environment for a good collection.Nevertheless, the group spent an interesting morning wandering at a leisurely pace along the paths, along the peat truck railway line and around small lakes in a park, which is always excellently maintained. An interesting range of specimens was found as shown in the accompanying photographs These included:

Amanita fulva, Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric), Amanita rubescens (The Blusher), Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Inkcap), Cortinarius hemitrichus, Laccaria laccata, Lactarius hepatica (Liver milkcap), Lactarius pubescens (woolly milkcap), Lactarius torminosis) Leccinum scabrum (Birch bolete), Lycoperdon perlatum, Phallus impudicus (Stinkhorn), Russula carulea, Russula drimea, Scleroderma citrina (Earthball),Trametes versicolor (Turkeytail).

Photographs of these can be seen by clicking HERE

One very interesting find was Phaeolepiota aurea (Golden web cap) which has rarity and protection status in N.Ireland although would seem to be rather more common in Mid-Ulster than other parts of the Province.

Saturday September 7th - Castle Espie, Birdwatching

Leader James Mackie

Castle Espie was officially opened as a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre by Lady Scott on 4 May 1990. The site had previously been a limestone quarry, and also had a brickworks, pottery and lime kilns for producing lime from limestone, as well as part of a farm.

In September 2007, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £2.96 million towards a major wetland restoration project at Castle Espie, the largest investment in biodiversity in Northern Ireland. At the heart of the project, costing £4m in all, was the restoration and improvement of intertidal and freshwater habitats along the shores of Strangford Lough to encourage more species and greater numbers of waterbirds to feed, roost or breed at Castle Espie, as well as restoring important habitats

We had hoped to time our visit to catch the tide as it brought the birds near the hides, however we unfortunately a little late and a dog was being walked along the shore. We watched the birds from the two hides, enjoying the sheltered comfort of the new Lilm Kiln Observatory and the extensive view from the balcony.

This site provides an early wintering site for almost the entire Nearctic population of Pale-bellied Brent Geese. Numbers are high again this year, with the best part of 30,000 birds arriving, but this year there has been a significant difference. Whereas in 2008 some 25 % of the birds that made their way down from the Canadian Arctic were juveniles, this year that number had plummeted to just 0.4%! Although percentages of juveniles can fluctuate, this extraordinary dichotomy in figures suggests that the birds must have suffered a shocking breeding season. On this visit we saw about 2,000 Brent geese and noticed how few juveniles there were among them.

The salt marsh had attracted red shank and dunlin. On the Lough there were 500 Eider, 200 Shelduck, 35 Oystercatcher, 2 Black tailed godwit, 4 Red-Breasted Merganser, 2 Black tailed Godwit, 30 Dunlin, groups of Lapwing, 250 Great-crested grebe and a lone Grey Plover on the estuary.

As the weather changed to rain were happy to make our way to the refurbished centre to the opening of Michael Bennington’s exhibition in the Graffan Gallery.

Pamela Thomlinson